silver one

(WIP THEME ETC) Indie rp account for Violet Sorrengail from Fourth Wing. All rights to the owner of the IP, this is solely an rp blog.

[lightningweilded]

“You look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you?”

An independent portrayal of Violet Sorrengail from Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing.

Adult muse and author

Disability rep

Ft. future speculations and hcs

MDNI

Like or reblog freely, DM to plot

sideblog of @1000voicesrising

[crisalidaseason]

From Parapet to Threshing - Tairn's POV

Summary: In which we see Tairn's thoughts as he chaperones Andarna and ends up gaining a rider in the process (from Parapet to Threshing) CW: Tairn being a girl dad, Andarna being an iconic feathertail, Spoilers for Fourth wing, Set in book 1, Sgaeyl is mother, one suggestive line (mdni), also this is a bit more than 4k words

A grumble was his only response to the hatchling beside him.

“I sense your impatience” Sgaeyl’s low voice echoed in Tairn’s head, managing to inflame his growing irritation.

“How am I supposed to be patient when the Golden one will not cease her pestering!”

“She is young, you were her age once” his mate countered.

“I do not recall being this insolent”

The sound of Sgaeyl’s amusement rumbled in his head, still low considering the distance between the two mates.

“Then your memory is finally catching up to your age” Sgaeyl teased “what is it that she wants?”

Train chuffed at her response.

“I want to fly outside the vale” the younger voice intruded in the conversation.

Train huffed once more, leaving his mate to deal with the antics of the hatchling. He had heard enough of her incessant demands to leave safety.

“You will not do such thing!” his mate commanded “you are not to leave the Vale”

“I could go with you” Andarna’s voice was small “Your rider needs your presence today, let me join”

“I will not repeat myself, you will not fly above the Vale!” Sgaeyl's impatience was evident.

There was a reason for Tairn being the one to deal with the hatchling’s tantrums more often, Sgaeyl had a temper unmatched.

“I have said so for the past hour” Tairn complained “She does not listen, as per usual”

Andarna’s upset growl was the last thing she spoke before closing herself for communication.

“Watch over her” Sgaeyl muttered “knowing this little one, she will attempt to fly on her own”

“Of course, I shall happily chaperone the hatchling as if that was my greatest duty” Tairn’s voice dripped in sarcasm.

Sgaeyl did nothing but huff at him, but mind at rest knowing Tairn would watch over Andarna either way since - as a bonded dragon - his mate often did not have time to teach and care for the young dragon. Tairn watched as the golden scales disappeared inside the cave guarding the other hatchlings and decided to rest near the entrance, waiting for the chance Andarna decided to test him yet again. He watched with familiarity as the morning shine disappeared and storm clouds formed in the sky, the droplets of water hitting his scales, not a good omen for the humans crossing the death bridge.

“Was it raining that day?” Andarna’s voice was quiet.

“I’ve lived many days” he replied, already sure of her meaning.

“The day your last rider crossed the bridge”

Tairn let a puff of steam out of his lungs.

“I do not wish to speak of him” he warned.

“Just this question, please” she pleaded “I will not bother you after”

He highly doubted it, but decided to indulge just this once.

“If I answer, you shall not ask more about it”

“I will not” the hatchling promised.

“It was raining, but not as much as this morning. Question answered, now rest!”

She remained silent, but Tairn could sense worry before her communication severed. Her behavior was new - it had been strange lately. She was insistent to explore outside the Vale, restless, asking about Sgaeyl’s bond with her rider with insistence.

“I am returning” Sgaeyl’s voice echoed a few hours later “the humans are done with their ritualistic death bridge”

Her navy scales soon emerged from the still storm filled sky, landing soundly beside Tairn and encouraging other dragons to keep their distance.

“Torched any frail human out of amusement today?” he asked.

“I have not” she replied, taking offense “I have restraint”

Tairn let out a huff of laughter. She had as much restraint as Andarna.

“Yes, do insult me” she hissed “I’ll have you take Andarna hunting for the entire waning moon”

The black dragon quickly let go of his courageous teasing, Sgaeyl was a dragon of honor and words. His mate soon joined their resting place, the black dragon lifting one of his massive wings to fit her frame under. He laid his head over her neck, chest rumbling with her proximity.

“There are many strong humans this year” she said after a moment of silence.

The black dragon let a puff of steam into the air, the heat mixing with the cold droplets of water.

“I will not bond Sgaeyl” his tone was firm “he was my last”

“The war is near, you are a war dragon” Sgaeyl snarls.

Tairn saw no point to that discussion - a conversation both of them repeatedly had over the last years. He knew how it would end and decided that sharing bitter words was not something he wanted that day, the rain brought too many unpleasant memories. His massive frame carefully moved around Sgaeyl’s, untangling himself from her and preparing to fly.

“You will fly away again”

“You know my decision better than any other” he said “It was my choice then and it remains my choice now. I will not take another rider”

With that, Tairn stood to his full height and spread his wings, flying away to the mountains. A common behavior whenever the subject was brought up yet again by elders and his mate. He had taken a last chance, a choice that left him scarred and almost took his last breath. He would fight when the time came, but he would never relive the pain of losing another rider ever again.

______

“Speak some sense into her mind!” Sgaeyl’s voice was loud, commanding.

“You think I have not tried?” he replied “not only has she forsaken my words, but successfully managed to have the elders allow her to see the humans”

Andarna’s latest victory still rattled in Tairn’s mind. He did not know what possessed the young dragon to wish to be near the unbonded humans, curiosity certainly not being the sole reason. All he could do was accept once the elders allowed her to participate in the presentation. He had asked the golden dragon about her reasoning for such recklessness countless times before, but none of her answers were satisfactory.

“The little one is naive if she thinks she can bond at that age” Sgaeyl worry flew through their bond “she cannot possibly plan to do so”

Tairn would not put past Andarna to disobey the rules, the dread settled in his gut thinking about it. A hatchling with her abilities bonding with a greedy human would be destructive to her and all feathertails.

“I will watch over her, to be certain she won’t approach the humans” Sgaeyl’s verdict seemed certain enough “my rider will not need me”

“I will be minutes away” he guaranteed.

Later that afternoon, he saw through his mate’s eyes as the small feathertail kept her distance while the humans walked. The golden dragon seemed disinterested, resting on the ground. Tairn wondered if she was only curious after all, if seeing the humans proved to be below her expectations and soon her desire to explore would subside…until she perked up and stood in complete attention. Her tail moved from side to side, her head lowered near the ground - following the humans intently with her eyes.

“What is it?” Tairn demanded “Andarna!”

But the feathertail did not reply, nor did she pay Sgaeyl any attention either.

“She is watching the smaller female” his mate replied instead “the one who smells of blood”

He could not smell the blood from the distance, but Sgaeyl provided him with the perfect view of the woman. She was smaller than her other peers, hands covered in dark cloth, an unusual silver color in her hair. The small human took notice of Andarna with as much intensity as the feathertail. Andarna’s interest was evident as she followed the human with her golden gaze, taking a small step towards the human.

“Golden one!” Train’s voice was louder and authoritative “do not approach!”

“Who the hell would bond that thing?” a human male said, pointing at Andarna.

Tairn’s chest grumbled a threat. Insolent human.

“They can hear you” the silver woman warned.

The humans kept speaking about the feathertail, trying to understand her presence. Two of the humans were more than deserving of scorching.

“I shall have the pleasure” Sgaeyl growls.

“You should totally bond it, Sorrengail. You’re both freakishly weak. It’s a match made in heaven” the man taunted the silver one.

“Burn him first” Andarna’s voice was full of fury “She is not weak”

Her words rattled in his head, proving the suspicion that her interest was not on the humans, but one human only. He would have to discuss it with Sgaeyl later.

“It looks powerful enough to burn you to death” the silver woman answered the man’s words.

Another man rushed to the insolent one, wisely and aggressively warning him of the dragons nearby. They all began discussing, attentive of the danger surrounding them. Tairn was not one to bother listening to humans, but the insolent one had his full attention with the next words.

“Someone should kill it before it bonds. It’s just going to get its rider killed, and it’s not like we get a choice if it wants to bond us”

Sgaeyl and Tairn growled at the same time. This human would not bond and neither live, the black dragon would see that it happened. He wondered for a few seconds if he should fly to the canyon and scorch the human himself.

“You know what it means if you come here” Sgaeyl said, her attention mostly on her mate at that moment.

Train grumbled, knowing well what his presence in front of the humans would mean for the elders. He would not bond, nor give them reasons to believe so.

“I can have others burn him” he simply grumbled.

“Sgaeyl could” Andarna replied.

“I might, though my rider would suffer the consequences” the navy dragon murmured.

Sgaeyl hid her disappointment fast enough not to subdue their attention to the humans. They returned to their stroll after the tense moment. Train watched attentively as the silver human spoke with her comrades, mostly chattering until her next words.

“I mean, it could be worse. We could be walking past a line of wyvern, right?”

Tairn went rigid and he felt Sgaeyl’s mutual feelings settling in their bond.

“Could she know?” Andarna whispered, but none of the adult dragons replied.

“Oh please, Violet, do give us one of your nervous-babble story times” another woman scorns “Let me guess. Wyvern are some elite squad of gryphon riders created because of something we did at a battle only you can manage to remember with your scribe brain”

“You don’t know what a wyvern is?” another asked “Didn’t your parents tell you bedtime stories, Luca?”

“Do enlighten me”

“They’re folklore” the silver one answered “Kind of like dragons but bigger, with two feet instead of four, a mane of razor-sharp feathers streaking down their necks, and a taste for humans. Unlike dragons, who think we’re a little gamey”

“She does not” Tairn confirmed.

Her description was accurate for someone who believed it to be bedtime stories. Suddenly, he shared a small part of Andarna’s interest in the small human.

“I can feel your interest” his mate commented, but he remained silent.

The silver human reminisced in a childhood tale, one full of the said folklore. Andarna was unusually quiet, only observing the her as much as Tairn was.

“Yegdra” Sgaeyl quickly warned.

Tairn could see as the red swordtail stepped out of the dragon line and approached the humans.

“No!” Andarna screamed “Do not hurt her”

“Andarna, do not interfere!” Tairn warned.

Yegdra was quick to breathe fire into a weakling man within the group. The black dragon tried his best to conceal his relief that the silver one still stood - alive. Andarna would have been devastated otherwise, he convinced himself.

Though the feeling was short lived.

Two green dragons walked towards the small woman, who was recklessly distracted by another human. As soon as she turned, the fear in her eyes was evident - though she masked it well. They breathed steam onto her, and Tairn could feel the apprehension in Andarna’s non-coherent words. The dragons quickly assessed the silver one’s hands.

“I cut my hands climbing the obstacle course” her tone was nervous, but clear.

They continued their assessment, smelling her midsection attentively. Tairn silently urged the woman to continue her speech, indulge the dragons.

“You smell Teine, don’t you?” her voice was firmer than before “I’m Mira’s sister, Violet. She collected Teine’s scales after he shed them last year and had them shrunk down so she could sew them into the vest to help keep me safe”

She spoke to them, whispering a few more sentences before they let her return to her stroll. He listened as she laughed a few times while assuring her companions, but her laughter held no arrogance.

“Have you quenched your curiosity, little one?” Sgaeyl asked.

Andarna’s excitement was all the answer she gave and he now was certain of her attachment to the silver woman.

“Andarnaurram” his voice was gentle, yet firm “you shall not bond, you know it”

Her shimmering golden frame sunk. He felt no pleasure in her sorrow, but he could not allow the hatchling to bond, even if the woman was seemingly honorable enough, the dangers were too much of a risk to take. The turbulent irritation coming from the other side of his bond assured him Sgaeyl shared his despair.

______

“What do you know of the woman?” Train asked.

Sgaeyl’s left eye opened, staring into his, the dark moonless night doing nothing to dull their shimmer. Her tail slowly stroked his left hind leg, careful not to harm his scales.

“I know enough. Against my will, of course ” she replied “my rider has an invested interest in her despite their family matters”

Tairn huffed at her answer.

“Spare me of your rider’s lust-tainted opinions, what do you see?”

“A fragile body, she is easily breakable. Though I must admit she is intelligent, observant, courageous albeit naive and reckless as you have noticed today” she replied “also trustworthy in keeping my rider’s secrets”

He felt as his mate sent him images of her, blurry considering it was her rider’s inferior sight that composed most of the memories. One of them caught his attention, pale eyes locking briefly with Sgaeyl’s as his mate assessed her from the roof of a courtyard. Sgaeyl shared with him the smell of fear and determination, the steadiness despite the intimidating actions of the navy blue dragon. Not many stood still under his mate’s gaze.

“Many share the woman’s qualities and flaws” Tairn spoke “there must be another reason for Andarna’s interest”

“Indeed, but we will not know because the little one will not bond” Sgaeyl’s gave her ultimatum “I might not sense greed or cruelty on the woman, but I will not trust her with Andarna’s bond”

__________

“I will watch over her” Sgaeyl said to him as she prepared to fly to her rider.

Andarna exhaled happiness that morning. Tairn noticed as she ate carelessly, too ecstatic to focus on her sustenance in a proper way. The black dragon remained silent, still livid at the elders who allowed her to watch the humans in their hunt for a dragon. Despite his and Sgaeyl’s attempts at warning the elders, the result was far from satisfactory.

“She shall not bond now, she will be of no use for her rider until fully grown” their words were nothing but mere advice.

“I still wish you rethink your decisions, Golden one” the black dragon said as they flew from the vale.

“I just want to see her” she replied with her softest voice “I will behave”

Tairn grumbled. Andarna and behavior were only similar if there was mischief involved.

“You must listen to Sgaeyl, if she orders you to leave, do so” he warned “I will be near should you not obey her”

She huffed at Tairn as a reply.

“I will be minutes away” he sent to his mate “do not hesitate to call me”

He accompanied Andarna half of the way as she flew to the forest below, he landed behind the cover of the mountains, expectant to any danger or disobeyment from the young dragon.

“Remember what I said, Golden one” he grumbled one last time “observe only, do not draw attention”

“I know” she replied, unfocused on his words as the humans began their race.

The sun moved slowly in the sky, with every passing hour feeding into Tairn’s impatience. He called Sgaeyl through his bond, feeling her growing irritation.

“She exposes herself!” her words were menacing.

Through her eyes, Tairn saw as Andarna caught the sunshine with her golden scales, becoming a beacon of light to whomever noticed.

“As if she would listen to a word I say” Tairn growled.

“Tairn! My rider says three humans wish to harm herl” His mate’s panic swim through the bond, fueling the black dragon’s fury.

“Andarna, enough!” He growled “return with me to the vale this instant!”

The golden dragon refused to comply, laying on the grass with her head attentive to the treeline.

“I will end this” Sgaeyl snarls “we should have forbidden her, the elders could rot in their verdict”

He sensed as Sgaeyl flew closer to him, sharing her sight as she landed behind a treeline encasing the clearing in which the hatchling sunbathed.

“Andarna, I will not repeat myself. Fly to Tairn!” his mate’s voice was stern, but Andarna did not move.

Movement from the opposite side of the treeline captured the blue dragon’s attention. The silver one hid within the trees.

“You have to get out of here!” her voice is low, but enough for Sgaeyl and Andarna to hear “They’re going to kill you if you don’t leave!”

Tairn watched attentively through Sgaeyl. Maybe the stubborn hatchling would actually listen-

Of course not. Andarna remained seated, her head tilting as she watched the woman curiously.

“Yes! You! Goldie!” the woman insisted.

“Golden one, return! Other humans wish to hurt you” Tairn warned again, preparing to fly.

“They are already here” Sgaeyl growled, but desperation painted her words “I cannot interfere, Tairn, my rider is bound by the human laws”

Three men broke through the treeline, armed with blades. Andarna had at least the sane mind to growl at them, assuming a defensive position.

“We’ll make it painless” one of the men spoke.

“Tairn!”

He began his ascent through the mountains, rocks crumbling under his talons as he gradually gained momentum to fly as fast as possible. Another growl from Sgaeyl caught his attention.

“Reckless woman!” his mate snarled.

Tairn focused on his mate’s sight for a brief moment, seeing as the silver haired woman stood in front of Andarna with small blades in hand. Her steps carefully measured, but clearly strained in his advanced sight.

“You’re going to have to get through me, then” the woman’s voice echoed through their bond.

“The silver one is injured” Tairn warned “put your rider to use within his limits until I arrive!”

He finally flew over the mountain, his wings wildly beating as he seeked the gold color amongst the sea of green. With the clearing in sight, he watched from above as the three men ran to attack, which impulsed the dragon to fly even faster. The small silver woman returned the aggression viciously, quick and calculated movements despite the injury.

“One of them fled, but she cannot hold much longer” Sgaeyl said “fly faster!”

He would deal with the insult at his speed on a later occasion. Tairn dived to the clearing, in time to see one of the attackers unconscious and the other wounded. The silver woman’s scarlet blood painted her side but he noticed that Andarna seemed unharmed. His rage boiled inside his guts, seeing as the coward man intended to strike the unarmed woman for protecting one of his kin. He recognized the man as the one who threatened Andarna’s life before. He growled in pleasure. He would burn the insolent low life himself.

“I knew you would come” the hatchling’s voice was ringing with joy “she intends to die for me, do not let it happen!”

Tairn was right above them as the man cowardly prepared to strike. The black dragon landed, the ground trembling under his weight and the wind disorienting everyone in the clearing. Tairn did not hesitate as he reached for the woman’s mind, the silver strands of her mind quickly entangling with his as if expecting it since the beginning of times.

“Tairn!” Sgaeyl’s tone was unmistakably surprised.

“Not now” he replied.

“Step aside, Silver One” he spoke sternly in the woman’s mind, eyes on the despicable man in front of his massive form.

Did he just speak to me? Her voice echoed in his head in return. He almost sighed in frustration, who else would he speak with?

“Yes. You. Move” he ordered.

The silver woman stumbled away and he did not hesitate to open his maw and breathe the most searing fire he could muster upon the running man. When the threat was burnt out of existence, he turned his golden eyes to the small woman below him - now his rider. She was bleeding profusely from her arms, her weight focused on her uninjured foot. In her face, disbelief was evident. Tairn noticed the unconscious man on the ground, still breathing.

“You should end the enemy at your feet” he advised.

“I can’t kill an unconscious man” she shouted, shaking her head.

“He would kill you if given the same chance”

She studied the man, hesitant.

“Well, that’s a statement on his character. Not mine”

Tairn blinked at her. Courageous and fierce enough to defend a dragon - who was safe from harm considering Sgaeyl and Tairn were near - but naive to let an enemy live to see another sunrise. He would have to deal with her naivety later, for now her intelligence and bravery would be more than enough.

“You bonded the woman” Sgaeyl spoke again.

“I am aware” he replied “I made my choice”

His mate flew past them, leaving him and his rider to complete the human ritual. The amount of blood pooling around her feet was alarming, he would not have an unconscious rider.

“You’re bleeding. Stop it” he warned.

“It’s not that simple when you’ve been run through with a—” she began arguing “You know what? That’s a great idea”

She wrapped her arm with torn cloth, a practiced motion. He noticed her hands were still bound.

“There. Better?” she said, looking at him almost defiantly. He understood the recklessness.

“It will do” he replied “Your hands are bound, too. Do you bleed often?”

The woman looked at her wrapped hands, bittersweet features on her exhausted face.

“I try not to” she answered.

Tairn let out a dissatisfied sound. Reckless woman, indeed. He would have to build her self-preservation.

“Let’s go, Violet Sorrengail” He simply said, ready to be done with the theatrics of human events. Andarna - who was safely shielding under his wing finally left her hiding spot, her joy barely contained as she watched the scene unfold.

“How do you know my name?” she asked in surprise.

Tairn sighed in annoyance and frustration, disturbing the trees in the process.

“And to think, I’d almost forgotten just how loquacious humans are. Get on my back”

“Get on your back? Have you seen you? Do you have any idea how huge you are?”

“Be patient!” Andarna’s voice was pleading “she is new to this!”

Tairn grumbled and narrowed his eyes in annoyance to the human girl.

“One does not live a century without being well aware of the space one takes up. Now get on” he wanted this to be over, and soon!

Unfortunately, his new rider seemed to test him just as much as the hatchling he took under his care.

“I can’t just leave it. What if Oren wakes up or Jack comes back?” she argued once more, pointing at Andarna.

“Will you fly so the silver one and I can be done with this?” he warned the smaller dragon.

Andarna quickly took flight, to the surprise of his rider.

“Get. On” he growled, patience already running thin.

“You don’t want me” she spoke once more “I’m—”

“I’m not going to tell you again” his voice is a command.

At least that time she did listen. Though he knew that would be a rare occasion.

[rilatka]

[somnia-skeyde]

Avatars 400*640 - Jessica Green Talon | The Outpost (2018/2021)

[fassophy]

Jessica Green as Talon (The Outpost; s3)

[neverscreens]

— JESSICA GREEN IN THE OUTPOST, SEASON ONE.

One is the Loneliest Number, 109 Screencaps.

Two Heads Are Better Than None, 101 Screencaps.

The Mistress and the Worm, 121 Screencaps.

Strange Bedfellows, 123 Screencaps.

Bones to Pick, 90 Screencaps.

The Book of Names, 98 Screencaps.

The Colipsum Conundrum, 57 Screencaps.

Beyond the Wall, 98 Screencaps.

The Rex Rezicon, 101 Screencaps.

The Dragman is Coming, 121 Screencaps.

All in GALLERIES. Like or reblog if it was useful, every interaction shows us that we should keep making screencaps for y'all ♡

[somnia-skeyde]

Avatars 400*640 - Jessica Green Talon | The Outpost (2018/2021)

[lightningweilded]

Mild spoilers but if I have to watch Xaden Riorson do the Alexander Morozova slide I’m gonna scream.

[starlightbooklove]

Beautifuuull Fanart just found

🎨Creds of the drawing: dudledudles

[violetriorsons]

finding out that the scary blue dragon that wanted to eat violet after parapet was bonded to xaden and spending the rest of the book thinking "wow i wonder what xaden's mental interactions are like with her"

then we get xaden's bonus chapters and find out it's just him blocking sgaeyl out all the time, and her breaking through just to humble him for hundredth time that day

[ridessgaeyl]

❝I’ve been yours for longer than you could ever imagine.❞

literate and descriptive portrayal of Xaden Riorson from Rebecca Yarros book Fourth Wing, casted with Matthew Daddario (might change in the future)

penned by Svea (she/her)

20 +

CET time zone

5+ years writing experience

[lightningweilded]

So many damned things had changed in the last several months, weeks, gods, days even. Every single thing that Violet Sorrengail knew to be true about her world and the people in it and even herself was thrown out a window and she still hadn’t recovered. It was a hard reality to accept.

Worst of it though was the lies. Even if a part of her understood why not everything had been put in the table while she was still close with Dain, the fact that the one person she trusted with her life, her well-being, and her heart had lied to her up until the last possible second stung her ego. Added to the betrayal of her best friend and the lie of her brother’s death and it was too damned much. She couldn’t even walk away, since Tairn and Sgaeyl were so closely bonded. Even if she tried to run from the knot of emotions that twisted in her gut whenever she so much as glanced at Xaden she’d just have to come right back. It was torture.

“Something new for them to teach riders, then?”

She chose not to engaged with Tairn’s teasing at the moment, flopping into the grass where her dragon would normally lounge. Must be out hunting, lucky bastard. Oh to be a dragon with no one to tell you what to do or where to be…

@ridessgaeyl

[lightningweilded]

ridessgaeyl​:

Going back and forth between Aretia, Basgiath and where ever his post would be would be exhausting but at this point, Xaden was used to secretly flying from place to place to help and support some people. He knew that everyone in Aretia would be in good hands thanks to a lot of help, including Brennan, and yet he’d use those few nights where he wouldn’t be working or making his way to the war college, to fly back to the place he considered home.

“Having a mender on your side is quite useful” he mumbled down to her with a smile, obviously referring to her brother who could build entire cities back up as if they would’ve never been destroyed. “We can come here anytime” Xaden replied at her words about wishing they could stay, knowing they couldn’t stay forever but perhaps the idea of one day coming back without having to leave again sounded as nice to her as it did to him, him hoping that Violet was aware that she could fly to Aretia even without Xaden, this now being a home for her as well. “How fit do you feel? Do you think you can fly back in about two days?” He asked her while pressing a few kisses to her neck before looking back into her eyes, knowing that theoretically Brennan had fully healed her and yet Xaden felt like she needed a few days of rest before she’d climb back onto Tairns back and fly all the way back to Basgiath. “If not we will stay a little longer or we will both fly on Sgaeyl… if she lets us”

“Ah yes, Brennan…” she realized a moment after he said it that of course her brother could have been rebuilding the city. He didn’t only mend bodies, after all. It just still felt unreal that he was alive, living here and caring for the people as he helps Xaden return it to a liveable state.

She smiled softly as he told her she was welcome to join him here, her heart full of love that he wanted her in his home. It was their secret now and she’d keep it with everything she had. “I’d like that… to come here with you once I can. Maybe they’ll post me somewhere not too far when I’m finished.” She hadn’t considered trying to sneak away to come here, feeling like that might put them at risk, but it was a promise of one day that she could hold on to.

“I can probably handle it in a few days. With the saddle, anyway. I’m more worried about explaining Andarna when we get back. And what we’re going to say about what happened to us… and they’re going to take your command away…” she frowned, though his kisses along her neck were keeping her distracted enough that the panic didn’t settle into her chest. “Though… I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you, but I know we have to…”

[ridessgaeyl]

"Without him this place would still very much be a ruin" he told her truthfully as Violet seemingly realized that her brother had been the one to at least mostly make this place look as good as new again, rebuilding Aretia to its former glory.

"You can come here without me as well, just be sure no one follows you" Xaden quickly let her know before humming quietly for a moment they will have to post us at the same place once you graduate or at least they'd be fucking stupid for not doing that" he pointed out, already knowing he'd go against the decision of not letting them work at the same place if that would be the case in two years time. If they'd even make it to that point without the rebellion fully starting, causing Violet to possibly having to leave Basgiath fully.

"Don't worry about explaining Andarna, they hardly know anything about gold feathertails" he told her quietly, figuring that by saying they didn't know anything either, they'd already be on the safe side. “I will handle that for us, I don't think anyone but Aetos knows what actually happened. I will come up with something, say we ran into Gryphons in Athebyne" he explained to her, that being the official plan so far and it not even being a lie since Gryphons had been involved but as their allies. "We will see what they do about it when we get back, just don't get involved, play clueless and try to trust me again" Xaden told her before pressing a kiss to her lips for a moment, obviously using all the kisses as a form of distraction to not let this conversation become very serious again, him purposely telling her to try and trust him, knowing that her trust wasn't something he could take for granted right now. “I want to stay as well, pretend like we all died" Xaden admitted, for the first time ever actually liking the thought of just staying out of everything if that meant he could spend every day like this with Violet, that not being possible though.“Trust me violence, I don't want you at Basgiath either but we don't have a choice" he whispered, his lips touching hers as he spoke, Xaden not being in the position to keep her and the others from Basgiath, not when the lives of 107 children were burdened on him, adding Violet to that list of people he had to take care of and protect it was now 108.

[lightningweilded]

"He's a good one, even if I'm still annoyed at him," Violet commented, but at least she'd downgraded from angry to annoyed. Brennan was doing the right thing, so she could forgive his lies. The same went for Xaden, clearly. After all, she was happily lying in bed with him without a single piece of clothing on and getting completely distracted by his kisses. They were good men, even if they sometimes had stupid methods.

When it came to Andarna, he had a point, but Violet's worry was that they'd realized that she was no longer a juvenile, and put it together that feathertails were juveniles. It worried her for all the others if riders started to think that they could simply overpower a hatchling and make it theirs. How long would it be before they found out about the way they shared power... "True, I suppose I can just keep telling them she doesn't give me answers... Lie to them that she grew larger because of something in their biology instead of that she's literally just not a child anymore." She wanted to protect her sweet girl most of all, and she'd find some way to throw people off the trail of the truth. Surely Tairn and Andarna would help her with that. She just couldn't let Dain ever touch her again and find out.

She rolled her eyes as he told her to play clueless about the mission. Frankly, that was silly since anyone who knew what they'd sent them to face would know what she'd seen and no doubt knew herself now. But she'd follow his lead on this like everything else and hope no one asked too many questions. "Fine, I'll trust you. But I still think it's better if we all have the same story in case they interrogate us or something." She didn't put that past any of them, after all. Besides, he was kissing her, and she could never seem to argue with him when he did that.

"Yeah, part of me wants that, too. Just pretend we all died in their stupid venin trap and never see them again until we're ready to burn them down... but I know we can do more, I can do more, if we keep building alliances." That was, apparently, something Violet was good at. She'd forged friendships with her entire squad almost, and it had gotten them through a lot. If she could keep that up... it might help them. She pressed a kiss to his lips this time when he admitted he didn't want her there either, and she knew he worried for her. "It's okay, I haven't died yet, I don't plant to tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that..."

[ridessgaeyl]

“He cares about you a lot, but both Brennan and I understand that you are mad at him” he told her quietly, truly understanding it. Violet had believed him to be dead for six years now, blaming his death like everyone else on Fen Riorson and therefore also indirectly on Xaden once she had met him. Xaden could still remember Violet and his conversation at the parapet when he had pointed out that her mother had killed his father and Violet had answered that they were even since his father had killed her brother. ‘Hardly’ xaden had answered, something Violet couldn’t understand then but surely understood now.

“Say Andarna doesn’t talk about it to you, they can’t do anything against that” he told her since Andarna couldn’t talk to anyone else as and as long as Violet wasn’t telling anyone anything about her Dragon who was no longer basically a baby now, no one could do anything about it. They could try of course but either Tairn or Sgaeyl would burn them down for trying, possibly even Andarna herself by now. “Keep telling them that she can’t transfer her powers onto you” he kept on telling her before relatively abruptly stopping with pressing a few more kisses onto her neck, hesitating to say anything though since they had just agreed to stop with the worrying and upsetting conversations. “Dain might know, he touched you, didn’t he?” Xaden pointed out, not at all accusing her to having done anything wrong, that being entire on Dain though but if he knew about Xaden flying to Athebyne for a ‘special mission’ when touching Violet a couple hours after Xaden had told her about it, he might as well know about Xaden, Violet, Andarnas, Sgaeyls and Tairns conversation about Andarnas ability to stop the time.

“Don’t roll your eyes, you’d be better off when pretending you have no clue what actually happened. If they know that you know about me trading weapons they will start mistrusting you as well. You will all say that I gave you the order to stay, pretend like we were surprised by Gryphon riders on our way to our actual task. If anyone who knows about the Venin asks, you will also say I gave you the order to stay and protect the people, pretend like you don’t know this was a trap and that Colonel Aetos tried to kill us” Xaden explained the plan to her as if this was the most normal thing ever, his tone about what he wanted her to say being completely calm as if him ‘betraying’ their loyalty wouldn’t potentially have consequences for him.

Xaden knew that she was very smart and loyal, him not having expected that she’d already think about the future though and how to make alliances they’d benefit from. “You are likable and people trust you” he pointed out while giving her a light smile, knowing that would be good for them, Violet having a different effect on people than Xaden, Garrick, Bodhi or Imogen had. “We need as many marked ones to survive and bond to a dragon” he added on, saying the obvious but it just really being important, not just because she wanted them to survive and because Xaden felt responsible for them but also because they relied on them and the dragons. “You better not, I won’t let you die anyway” he told her with a light smile, truthfully being worried he wouldn’t be there in time once something would happen to her.

[lightningweilded]

Violet was well aware that both Xaden and Brennan were choosing to weather her anger rather than pushing her and risking her not forgiving them. She could have let him off the hook but the small vindictive part of her was content to let them stew a while. If the two of them, Brennan had committed the worse crime against her but it was hard not to be relieved that he wasn’t dead after all.

She nodded as he agreed that she should just keep telling them Andarna wasn’t giving her much information. She figured it would continue to work for a while, until they started questioning why she had two dragons if one of them wasn’t giving her any benefits. But Andarna would come into her new power anytime now and they’d be able to lean on that, too, since it shouldn’t be any different from every other dragon now that she was grown. But the thought that Dain knew had crossed her mind more than once and she sighed as Xaden mentioned it, too.

“I’ve thought and thought about it the past few days. I don’t know how far he can see back. He’s always said it has to be recent memories, and I didn’t see him close after we found out, so I’m hoping her doesn’t know but I can’t be sure.” If he knew and had told his father or anyone else, Violet would strangle him herself. That was only if his dragon, or Tairn, or Sgaeyl didn’t get to him first. Even the most conventional of dragons wouldn’t stand for their young being threatened by humans and dragons certainly had the advantage. “If he told, I feel like his dragon would have warned them by now. None of them want their hatchlings at risk. Not even the ones bonded to the people who did this.”

She listened as he laid out the story he expected them all to tell and nodded slowly. It was as good a story as any if he wanted to put all the blame on himself, and he was right that there were probably limited people who knew what they’d been sent to do. She didn’t like him taking the whole burden in himself but it made sense. “Okay, that’s fair… as much as I don’t like you having to take all the blame.” She sighed heavily and leaned in to kiss him, because really all she could do for him was give him her love.

“We’ll survive. As many of us as I can keep alive. We’ll teach them like you taught us, and pray for luck.” That was all they could do, and the conversation just dragged her heart back down into the sad, almost hopeless worry that she’d been carrying. She didn’t want to go there or to think of how she couldn’t do what Xaden did but had to try. It was all so broken… she swallow hard, her eyes welling with tears. “Make me think of something else… please.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that Dain hadn’t touched her immediately after Violet had found out that it had been Andarnas doing to stop the time and safe her life from getting killed by Oren and some of the other unbonded cadets, Aetos couldn’t have touched her since Violet had been with him so the earliest she could’ve seen her best friend must have been some time later the next day, hours after she had found out aber it. Therefore there was a good chance that Dain had no clue about it but he also hadn’t touched Violet right after Xaden had told her about Athebyne and yet he had known about it through her memories. “And you trust him with that?” He asked with raised brows, not trusting a single word that came out of Aetos mouth, not even trusting that he had to touch someone’s face to use his powers. “I’ll keep an eye on him” he added on while looking at Violet, it not being Xaden directly who’d spy on him from now on but rather his shadows who could very much see and listen to things Xaden couldn’t since not being present in that moment. “I wouldn’t put my faith in Cath, I just know that neither Sgaeyl nor Tairn like him” Xaden pointed out about Dains dragon. “But if Cath knows something and didn’t warn them, I’m sure both Tairn and Sgaeyl will handle that with him directly” he added on, knowing the red swordtail wouldn’t survive a fight with either.

“I’m the Wing Leader, I have to take the blame” he told her and kissed her back, him truthfully also just blaming himself for what had happened anyway. Putting everyone’s lives at danger was his fault, Liam’s and Soleils death were his fault and therefore he without a doubt would take the full blame on himself and claim to be the only one who had actually ‘betrayed’ Basgiath with this.

“But mostly focus on yourself, let the others deal with training and teaching them something. I don’t want you to forget about yourself in all this” Xaden told her, just truly worrying about Violet. When hearing her ask him to make her think of something else, Xaden thought of something to say but really couldn’t think of anything positive or overly uplifting to say. “I could think of something to distract you with” he mumbled and pressed a few more kisses to her neck to make clear what he was referring to, not being sure if Violet wanted that right now, especially with still being mad at him.

[lightningweilded]

The whole situation with putting the hatchlings at risk had her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear it if, because of her, they were hunted and drained and killed for people like her mother and the Aetoses and Melgren… surely no dragon would let that happen…

“Tairn and Sgaeyl and probably all the others wouldn’t let anything happen to the little ones, I know that. I don’t trust Dain with anything, but I know that the whole reason the dragons even bother with us as riders is to protect those hatchlings in the Vale. If one of them betrayed them that way I don’t doubt for a second that they’d end them and any human it was shared with.” Tairn had practically told her as much when they first decided to explain the unorthodox nature of her bond to Andarna. She trusted him, if nothing else.

“He can’t have… if he did… I’d they die being drained of magic because of me…” she gasped in a few short breaths, trying to push down the panic. It was only the fact that Xaden had decided on distraction by kisses to help her that kept her from losing herself to it completely. She held on to him almost desperately as she made herself focus on the feeling of his lips on her skin instead of the fact that she might have doomed an entire race of beings just because she’d trusted Dain Aetos.

“Yes… distract me. I don’t care how. Becuase if you don’t I’m going to come undone, Xaden…” That was the only way she cold explain it to him. She was at the end of her rope, had pushed false hope and positivity as far as she could, and if she didn’t think of literally anything else she was going to be sick.

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that in theory all the dragons wanted their hatchlings protected from any potential harm which even made them bond to humans in the first place. Even though Andarna was, harshly phrased, not yet fit or good enough to bond to a human due to her size and age, other dragons such as Tairn and Sgaeyl chose to protect her, not having one negative thing to say about the little gold dragon that was now no longer that tiny. “Dragons don’t follow rules though, you’d think there are certain decisions every human would make as well but they don’t” Xaden told her quietly before realizing that he only made her panic even more, something he hadn’t at all intended to do.

“Nothing will happen to them, don’t panic Violence. Take deep breaths” he told her, touching her chin as he said that, knowing that he was making her panic by all this talk about what might go wrong, things just generally not looking that bright right now though. “Just tell me if you’re not in the mood” Xaden breathed against her lips as he kissed her properly for a moment before moving his lips from her lips down to her neck, collarbone and from there down to her chest where he stayed for a moment while his one hand moved down to her legs, making them spread more as he moved in between them, slowly moving his lips further down her body until his lips met her clit, distraction through being intimate apparently being their kind of thing even though it wasn’t a solution to anything.

[lightningweilded]

His gentle words comforted her a little as he tried to chase away the panic. He didn’t mean to make her worry and she knew that, but things were bleak for them. They were facing odds that were almost impossible and sometimes it was hard to ignore that fact. Right now she was struggling with it and the distraction he provided was needed. They wouldn’t have many more chances to indulge themselves like this, after all, and with everything they’d been through, they’d both earned a moment of peace.

“I promise I’ll tell you if I want you to stop, Xaden,” she agreed, knowing she wouldn’t be doing that any time soon. As if she was ever not in the mood for his touch. She always wanted him, even when’s he shouldn’t have. It was what had gotten her into this mess to begin with.

He kissed his way down her body and she sighed softly, her mind focusing in on the feeling of him instead of everything that could and was going wrong for them. This might have been a distraction, but it was a damned good one. Only Xaden mattered right now and when he reached her clit she gasped softly, burying a hand in his hair and stroking through the soft curls. “Gods… I always forget how good you feel…”

[ridessgaeyl]

Pretending to stay completely calm and unbothered was kind of Xadens thing, him truly having mastered to look like his mind wasn’t somewhere completely else or to pretend like he wasn’t panicking when things went wrong. He had to act calm and completely relaxed, having learned that skill the second 107 lives had become his responsibility. Emotional outbursts were incredibly rare and yet Violet had him begging, shouting, admitting feelings and worrying far more than once already. Now wasn’t the time to let her know that he was just as worried as she was, knowing that him panicking would just make her panic even more, distraction definitely being needed for both of them. Perhaps going from arguing to being intimate to arguing to worrying and back to being intimate within basically no time wasn’t exactly normal for others but when it came to Violet and Xaden it seemed to not be anything new or strange, especially considering that they usually had relatively little time for things like this and keeping in mind that they were about to get separated, cherishing the time they had now seemed appropriate.

As Violet assured him that she’d let him know if she wanted him to stop, Xaden just hummed quietly with his lips on her skin, already knowing that she wouldn’t tell him to stop, Violet not even having been able to do that when they had both still agreed that them making out was a terrible idea.

Looking up to her as she spoke and moved one hand into his dark hair, Xaden smirked a tiny bit while adjusting her legs a little so one would rest on his shoulder, giving him better access to her, before he moved one hand up to her breasts and the other moved from her thigh down to her entrance while his tongue stimulated her clit “you have no idea how much I love doing this” he told her through their bond

[lightningweilded]

Whether they were arguing or worrying or whatever else, once Xaden brought his full attention to her body, Violet was always lost to him. He was everything to her, even when she was upset with him, and she melted for his touch. From the second his lips were on her warm skin she shut off the world outside of them and let him take her to someplace better, happier…

“Mm… Xaden… gods damn me you’re too good at this…” she half whined out the words as he adjusted their position, her leg over his shoulder so he could have as much access to her needy body as possible. His smug grin told her he didn’t need to hear the praise, he knew exactly what he was doing to her and he was enjoying himself.

His words came through their bond, mind to mind, and she groaned softly at his admission. Somehow the fact that he liked this, loved it even, only made her more turned on for him. Her hips shifted almost desperately in his hood, greedy for more as his hands added to the pleasure he was bringing her and she cursed softly, replying through their bond just the same.

“You drive me out of my mind, Xaden… please don’t stop.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Perhaps talking things through and letting certain emotions happen was the way to go, communication being key after all which was for sure something they still had to work on. Her being angry with him and both of them being somewhat overwhelmed with the entire situation, was something they could still talk and think about somewhen else though. Xaden had tried to not let Violet get too close and attached to him, even having told her to not fall in love with him even though both of them had clearly already been in love. Letting things happen without trying to keep a certain distance between them would’ve probably been the better option, Xaden knowing exactly that he should’ve handled a lot of things very differently, being convinced that if he would’ve just let himself love Violet sooner, they would’ve be believed to be dead now, returning to Aretia for safety and for Brennan to heal Violet. He couldn’t change the past though, what he could do was let her know and convince her that he did actually love her, Xaden knowing that the second she’d be back in Basgiath there were people waiting who’d try and convince her that Xaden was only using her.

Xaden really didn’t need the praise, knowing that he was good at this and yet he of course didn’t mind to hear it out loud as well, it not exactly being bad for his ego either. “Are you going to tell me that every time?” He asked teasingly with his lips still on her skin, Violet praising him every time so far which he of course liked to hear as well. Feeling Violet push her hips further up, Xaden immediately looked up into her eyes in response to her telling him not to stop, which he didn’t plan on doing anyway, pushing his fingers into her while his tongue kept its rhythm on her clit and his free hand massaged her breasts to stimulate her as much as possible in that moment.

[lightningweilded]

“Would you rather I not?” She fired back, being a smart ass about it as she gave him a little grin. “I’ll have to come up with more inventive ways to tell you.” As long as he got the point, understood how much she wanted him, how he made her feel, they that was what mattered. He didn’t need telling, of course. It was simply what came out of her mouth when he was working his tongue so perfectly against her clit.

Since he teased her about it though, she simply let herself get lost in it, giving up on talking and just letting gasps and moans slip from her lips. Between his fingers thrusting into her and his hand on her breast and the relentless flicker of his tongue against her she was fast approaching her climax and she tugged at his hair a little as her hips hitched with each press of his tongue.

“Xaden… close…”

[ridessgaeyl]

“I’m not complaining about it” he immediately replied with a light smirk on his face as well, liking how Violet always immediately found some words to fire back at whatever he had said, her just always having something prepared as a sassy answer.

Gazing up to her when hearing her moans and quiet gasps while Violet slightly tugged his hair and moved her hips further up against him, Xaden once again quietly hummed against her, keeping on moving his finger in her, his other hand on her breast and his tongue keeping the rhythm to not accidentally throw her off, especially not now that she had said that she was getting close already. “She’s stunning. Absolutely stunning” he thought, meaning to keep his thoughts to himself but without success, accidentally sharing them with Violet, Xaden feeling like for the first time ever he was actually a fool in love and he wasn’t even complaining about it, surprisingly loving to be in love with Violet Sorrengail and for her to love him as well. There was something about her that had made him fall head over heels in love with her, something that had never happened before. Love didn’t necessarily fit into his time schedule or plans but for Violet he made an exception, somehow wishing he could blame it onto their dragons being mates but Xaden knowing exactly that he had been interested in her before Tairn had bonded her. Months before that even.

[lightningweilded]

“Good, since I’m not gonna stop.” She half laughed as her head tipped back and let him see how he was winding her up. She doubted there would ever be a time where she didn’t turn to putty in his hands and she didn’t really mind, at least not right now. It was Xaden, after all. Even when they were arguing he’d still want to protect and care for her.

The simple fact was that Xaden knew exactly what to do and how to do it to make Violet absolutely lose herself. Yes, because he was a talented lover, but more than that because she was head over heels in love with him. And even he was losing a grin on his self control, if the way his thoughts slipped out through their mental connection. She gave a shivered at that, though she didn’t point out to him that she’d heard, instead letting him hear her own mind instead. “Xaden… I love you. I love you…”

For better or worse she meant it. They’d figure out the rest together. Eventually. Certainly not right new. Right now she was losing a hold on her powers again as he built her close and closer to release. The bolts that arcs off of her were small, she hadn’t burnt anything down, but he was certainly driving her wild. A few moments later and her fingers in his hair were pulling as she let go, little streaks of lightning flickering across the room here and there, but none of them striking anything important, thankfully.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her say that she wasn’t going to stop, Xaden had to smirk a little once again, absolutely having expected that answer and also having hoped for it. Yet alone her light laugh was something that made Xaden feel something that others would describe as feeling butterflies in his stomach, the little tingle he felt reminding him that the way he was falling in love made him unusual soft and somewhat vulnerable but it also meaning everything to him to have Violet by his side, not wanting to change that for anything in the world. It didn’t matter that perhaps in two hours time Violet would go back to maybe rather being alone than spending time with Xaden, getting reminded that she was still disappointed and angry which might cause her to be a little distant, as long as she still loved him, he could deal with it and give her as much time to forgive him as she needed.

When hearing her voice in his head, telling him that she loved him, it was pretty obvious that he was smiling even though his mouth was very much busy and had no time to smile without accidentally changing the rhythm. “I love you too. More than you can imagine” he replied truthfully, knowing that loved her more than she could imagine, her mattering more to him than he could even express. Or at least he couldn’t express it out loud to Violet yet, Sgaeyl who constantly had to listen to his inner monologue could probably give Violet a whole ten minute speech about all the things he wanted to say but couldn’t say yet.

Xaden didn’t pull away from her until he could be sure that Violet had reached her climax, slowly removing his fingers again and letting his mouth move to her inner thigh, pressing a few kisses to both her inner thighs while keeping his eyes locked on Violet. “Does you not burning down mean you have more self control or was I not good enough this time?” He asked teasingly and quietly while slowly moving back up to have his face by hers again.

[lightningweilded]

For some reason, hearing him say he loved her back in the height of her release made something in her happy beyond reason. A flash of power lashed out and singed the top of his bedpost as she heard it, Violet doing her best to keep a handle on it even as he made her feel like she was drowning in pleasure. She was, at least, getting better at holding back.

When he finally pulled away and pressed kisses against her thighs she shivered, letting go of his hair as she realized she’d been gripping the whole time. She took several deep breaths and pushed her hand through her braid, sitting up enough to look at him.

“Want to give me more and find out?” She answered him with a laugh, reaching out to caress his cheek lightly. “I think I’m just getting better with control… or maybe my powers just aren’t as strong… I don’t know, test it and find out.” She couldn’t help tempting and teasing him, though she was keeping a tight hold on her powers because she didn’t want to destroy his home. He had so few places he could call his and she didn’t want to ruin it.

[ridessgaeyl]

For a second Xaden glanced up to his bedpost, trying to hold back a light chuckle over the fact that no matter how hard she was possibly trying to keep it together, she couldn’t control her powers fully. Truthfully he didn’t expect her to be able to have full control over them, not with them being a weapon and still new to her but it did amuse him how she sometimes struggled to use lighting the way she wanted to and yet she was able to cause a wildfire when having sex with him.

Staying in between her legs still as he moved back up to properly look at her, Xaden couldn’t hold back a smirk when hearing her response to what he had just asked her, his distraction method clearly working very well for both of them. “Very tempting” he admitted as she caressed his cheek, Xaden for a second glancing down to her body before looking back into her eyes “You are a tease, Sorrengail. Where were we at at Basgiath? Five? Should we top that now?” He asked quietly and looked from her eyes down to her lips, moving his hand to her waist to slightly move her on his bed so she’d properly lay back down again with him still in between her legs but not yet doing anything. “You don’t have to hold back, whatever you burn down or let explode, your brother can fix it” Xaden told her, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke, clearly not wanting her to hold back.

[lightningweilded]

“I think we were working on five when they interrupted us,” she countered with a smirk as she watched him make his way back up so that they could look at one another properly. “Genuinely the worst timing.” She could still recall how she’d been almost on edge when his best friends had come pounding on the door. Xaden’s expression had been fit for murder at the interruption.

He was enjoying teasing just as much, of course. Violet knew it from the grin on his face and the way his gaze lingered briefly on her body, and then her lips. They were both thoroughly distracted now. Honestly they could both use it. They’d been through enough lately that they deserved a little rest, a distraction, some happiness. She grinned as he called her a tease, leaning in to kiss him when he did too.

“Fine I’m a tease… but do you really want to tell my brother he has to undo my destruction from having sex with you?” A laugh came from her as she shook her head. Brennan would at the very least tease them to the ends of the earth. But it would be worth it, to fully let go, and to give Xaden the full response that he definitely wanted. “If you want to explain it to him, I’ll stop holding back.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“For the fucking war games…” he mumbled as Violet brought up how they hadn’t been able to finish and how it had been bad timing, horrible timing even, Xaden having been more than mad when hearing the annoying and unwelcome sound of knocking on his door, followed by the information that they were under attack. If they would’ve at least actually been under attack, he wouldn’t have complained about jumping out of bed and getting dressed within seconds to get to their dragons but when having gotten the information that this was all an exercise for something as unnecessary as the war games, Xaden had felt the strong desire to just cuss everyone out, walk over to Violet, lift her up and carry her right back to his room. Looking back he wished he would’ve just done that, it would’ve surely been a lot nicer than flying into a death trap.

As Violet asked if he really wanted to tell her brother that having sex with his sister had caused this, Xaden pulled a face while lightly shaking his head with a grin on his lips, clearly not being overly interested in explaining that too Brennan. Brennan surely knew about Violet and him by now but pointing out details would just make it a little strange. “you loosing control is hot” he admitted with a light shrug, clearly deeming it worth it as well, even if he had to tell Brennan why exactly he had to fix their mess. “In that case, I’ll gladly tell your brother that you have zero self control when having sex with me. That should be more awkward for you than for me anyway” he teased her before leaning in to kiss Violet again. “So don’t. hold. back.” Xaden mumbled against her lips and pushed his length into her without any prior warning.

[lightningweilded]

“Mmhm… assholes.” She grumbled along with him, just as annoyed to have had their first real night as a couple interrupted in such a way. Maybe they were getting a second chance now though. One that she should take full advantage of. It wasn’t really their first night as a couple anymore, but maybe it was their first night back together. At least, it felt that way and maybe she should let it be.

“So… you have one already, shouldn’t be too hard to catch up to that night, hm?” A playful grin lingered on her lips as he admitted he found her lack of control with him attractive. It was easy to lose control when it was Xaden kissing her, touching her, making love to her. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned in to drop a trail of kisses along his jaw with a soft sigh.

He commented that he’d tell her brother if it meant he got what he wanted and she laughed again, leaning in to kiss him. When they paused their kiss for him to demand her not holding back she had intended to make a smart ass remark back about the awkwardness of her bother knowing, but any thoughts left her mind entirely as Xaden pressed his hips to hers and sunk his full length in her. All that came out instead of words was a needy moan of his name.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Makes me want to stay here even more” he mumbled back, really liking the idea of not getting interrupted by anyone unless it was actually an emergency and not just because one of his friends or one of her friends felt like knowing on the door or because of the War Games. Their first night as a couple had ended somewhat tragic with hours of flying to Athebyne, getting into an argument, basically breaking up and almost getting killed. This night could only get better and hopefully end in them peacefully just falling asleep next to another, Xaden not planning on sneaking out of the room before she’d be awake again even if placing some Violets down in her room had been nice, waking up with Violet in his arm was surely nicer.

“Should be doable” he told her while trying to hide a smirk as he nodded a little, knowing that if someone would knock on their door anytime soon, he’d literally kill them for interrupting them again.

As they broke their kiss for a second, Xaden just knew from the look on her face that Violet had been about to make a smart ass remark back to him, only being able to moan out his name though once he pushed into her. Xaden didn’t hesitate long before immediately starting to move his hips into hers, surprisingly not thrusting into her half as roughly and desperate as he had started off last time. Not because he didn’t want to, surely getting a little rougher again in a few minutes time, but to let her know that he could do gentle as well, even far more gentle than right now if that was what she wanted. Whatever she wanted, he’d do it. He had made that pretty obvious already but Xaden clearly wanted her to know that her pleasure mattered a lot to him, also wanting her to know that she mattered to him, feeling like starting a little more gentle than last time would maybe get the message clear.

[lightningweilded]

“Always so cocky…” she remarked in reply but there wasn’t much actual fire behind her words. She was too busy enjoying the feeling of being with him again. Usually they were rushed in trying it please one another, stealing moments in the heat of things. Today though? They had all the time they could want right now. No one needed them for anything, there were no war games about to start, the city was currently safe and quiet and everyone had other things to keep them busy. They could take their time that alone was a luxury that Violet was grateful for.

Even Xaden seemed to feel that, for once not taking her body desperately until they both lost control in mere minutes. He was being gentle, tender and it was nice, really it was. She let her hands explore him, running over the broad planes on his back, trailing her fingertips over his hips. Her gaze held his as she took in everything, letting him see the love there as he hips rose and fell in time with his. It was lovely, but at the end of the day Violet was needy. They’d have time later to see how long they could draw out their pleasure by adoring one another.

“Xaden… more… please more,” she asked him in a soft moan as she arched her body under his as if she could get more friction from the action. She wasn’t bothering to keep her through a form him, letting his sense the waves of pleasure each thrust brought her and the repetition on her mind of how much she loved him. If he wanted her unleashed he would get all of her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“It’s not cocky when we both know I can make you finish at least five times within very little time” he pointed out, it definitely sounding cocky but also just being the truth after all. If they wouldn’t have been interrupted last time, the two of them would’ve probably continued their lovemaking for even longer, possibly until they were forced to leave his room or until at least one of them would’ve been exhausted to the point where sleeping and resting was the only option left. Now they were in no rush, they could take their time, try and forget about everyone and everything else for at least a moment and cherish what they’d soon no longer have. Unlimited time together. Time for sure being limited once he’d graduate and Violet would stay at Basgiath for two more years.

As Violets hand started to move all over his body, Xadens free hand that he didn’t have to use to push himself up over her, started to explore her body as well even though he had already done that a couple times before, letting his fingers trace over her thigh and from there up her stomach and over her hips and waist while he let out a quiet gasp when moving in her. Hearing her request for more, Xaden used the chance and moved his hand underneath her arched back to keep her pushed up a little which allowed him to thrust deeper into her, something he immediately did before Violet had to say another word, his thrusts immediately getting rougher and harder, desperate like they been in Basgiath. “Not a gentle vanilla girl?” He moaned out teasingly while pushing into her, starting to kiss her neck and leave a few subtle marks on her skin there, purposely keeping it subtle so she could hide them rather easily from others.

[lightningweilded]

“Still cocky, but I love you that way,” she answered half breathlessly. She wouldn’t pretend he wasn’t a pain in the ass who knew he was too attractive for his own good, but she loved him the way he was. Besides, he had good reason to be confident. He was attractive, he was damned good in bed, he was talented and smart and a damned good fighter. Gods she loved him. All that slipped through her mental bond to him, too, nothing hidden right now.

His touch explored her body the same way hers did to his, leaving Violet shivering pleasantly in the wake of his touch. When his hand slipped under her back to keep her hips raised she let out a sharped moan and the crackle of lightning danced across her skin for a moment now that she wasn’t holding back. Apparently he took her request and decided not to hold back either, since he started to move harder, rougher, that was almost desperate way that Violet loved.

“Though you knew that already, considering all the ways you’ve had me…” she quipped back, trailing off as he marked her neck, her nails raking down his back lightly. Definitely not vanilla. If she had her way he’d drive her crazy like this all the time. “Better, Xaden… yes! More, please…” she was not above begging and he did so love when she did.

[ridessgaeyl]

When being able to basically hear her thoughts about him, thoughts about how much she loved him, how he was an attractive pain in the ass, good in bed, talented, smart and a good fighter, Xaden did his best to not chuckle, knowing Violet let him hear all that through her bond on purpose or rather she wasn’t trying to keep this from, letting him know her thought process. When she was letting loose on whatever was on her mind, Xaden decided to do the same, knowing exactly that the only thing on his mind right now was Violet anyway so she might as well also hear how highly he thought of her. Xaden truthfully knew that he wasn’t exactly ugly, for sure not terrible in bed and being well aware that he was one of the best fighters and most powerful riders that were currently at Basgiath, him even being one of the best riders out there when graduating. Until Violet had shown up with Tairn after threshing he had even been the strongest rider of their generation, Xaden not at all minding to pass that ‘title’ to Violet though, not when he knew that no one could live up to Violet and him with Tairn, Sgaeyl and Andarna as a team.

When feeling Violets hands continue on moving all over his body, a shiver came over him as well, letting her trace her fingers down his back that was almost fully covered by the relic Sgaeyl had left on him after threshing and the total of 107 silver looking scars. His hand underneath her back was gentle while his thrusts into her were quite hard as his lips moved over her neck.

“I was thinking you might be a switch when it comes to that, apparently not” he quickly replied in a teasing way, hoping she’d even understand him with his words muffled as his lips were still on her neck. Hearing her beg for more, Xaden moved his one hand to adjust her legs and therefore her overall position a tiny bit, moving her so he could thrust as deep into her as possible while going even rougher and harder than before, leaning his head down just enough so his tongue could move over her breasts. Since neither of them planned on holding back, Xaden figured he wouldn’t even have to tell Brennan what had caused the destruction, chances being high that he heard them already.

[lightningweilded]

“Gentle is fine now and then, but right now… I want it all,” violet managed to get out before he shifted the position of their bodies and a the sound she made as he pushed into her again and brought his mouth to her breast was just short of a scream. He wanted her to let go of her control on herself and her powers and he got it now, the action making a bolt of lightning arc across the room and take out a sizable chunk of the dresser corner. When he was gentle with her she adored it but it didn’t make her lose herself this way, she could keep control then, take him in without drowning in it, but when he wanted her weak for him this was what she needed.

“Yes, fuck, perfect, perfect, right there…” The string of encouragements and curses that came from her mind to his was probably not even intentional. When he’d angled her just right any control she’d been holding onto slipped and she was rapidly approaching her release now. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to warn him, though he probably didn’t need it from the way her thoughts were running around both their heads, making it clear that he’d found exactly the angle and intensity that she craved.

Somewhere in the depths of her kind she knew that everyone in the keep would know what they’d been doing. They couldn’t possibly miss the bolts of lightning that struck both inside and out, scorching the grass in the field and his furniture. The next one broke the door clean off his armoire and she couldn’t find it in her to feel back, because she was too close to bliss. Every thought thrust of his hips and another crack of lightning followed, until a few moments later she was shouting out his name as release found her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“I know exactly why I call you violence” he mumbled against her skin, Violet really being surprisingly fierce and not half as gentle as you’d expect from someone her height and who looked as frail and gentle as she looked. A part of him had at first even been worried that he’d hurt her just because he was accidentally too rough with her, having seen the way Imogen had almost ripped her arm out with ease. Clearly he wasn’t hurting her though or she wouldn’t be begging for more. “Gentle later” Xaden agreed with her before his brows furrowed for a moment as lighting took out a chunk of his dresser, him loving to make her lose control like that.

Being able to hear all her thoughts as if they were his own just in her voice was also something he could get used to, especially with her constant praising and words of encouragement which caused Xaden to stay in that position since she visibly and audibly liked it. “never hold back again in the future” he passively let her know while continuing on thrusting into Violet rather hard, pushing into her as much as he could with each thrust of his hips against hers. Keeping his lips on her breasts for a moment he very slowly pulled away again to be able to look into her face, wanting to watch her for just a moment while keeping on moving, moans and pants leaving his lips as well as he moaned out her name a few times as well, watching her closely as she found her release around the same time as him, a crack of lightning and her screaming his name out filing the room. “After this I don’t think I need to tell anyone the reason for the lighting” he teased against her lips as he kissed her passionately while panting lightly.

[lightningweilded]

“Never, promise… so good! Can’t last…” Mental words were all Violet could manage as he pushed her over the edge though he still somehow had the stamina not to join her yet. She wondered how he managed it. It took him so little effort to make her come but he had self control she could only envy. But he wasn’t immune to the sight of her coming undone for him and when she finally lost all control he joined her, the most stunning thing she’d ever seen when he called her name and let go. If the shadows inthe corners of the room were a bit heavier tan usual, she could only be proud of herself.

“Tougher than I look,” Violet stated in reply to him comment about he he called her Violence, half panting as she tried to recover from the incredible feeling of him bringing her the release she needed. She loved his silly nickname for her now, even though she’d scolded him for it when he first came up with it. In the heat of it all she hadn’t been able to answer but now that she was coming down and indulging in kisses and affection with him she was able to mange words of some sort. She glanced around to look at the shattered door of his wardrobe and the scorch-marked desk with a slight blush on her cheeks. “I guess you don’t… I’m sure they’ll all give us looks for it though.” She wasn’t in a rush to face the teasing of his loved ones and a handful of people she considered friends now, never mind Brennan. They could just stay here for a while and ignore all that.

[ridessgaeyl]

Realizing that she wasn’t even able to think in proper sentences anymore, putting two fitting words together already seeming like a struggle, Xaden once again tried to hold back a grin about how much power he had over her. Xaden himself felt his self control falling apart immensely, something that would’ve happened even if he would try to stay in control simply because of the impact Violet had on him and yet in comparison he seemed to have a lot more control than she did. Probably only on the outside though, having better control over his expressions and also over his powers due to the fact that he had them longer than violet, that not meaning that the shadows in the corner of his room weren’t seeming more vivid than they should be right now. In reply Xaden decided to only let out a quiet hum that turned into a moan, liking the thought of Violet never really holding back, not here and not in Basgiath, him not even minding it anyone or even everyone would hear them, that at least making it clear that she was his and that he was hers.

“A lot tougher” he replied, absolutely meaning it as a compliment while he as well tried to catch his breath again, breathing quite heavily with his heard pounding fast in his chest and yet he looked a lot calmer and in control than he actually was. It either being because he was used to looking and acting rather calm or perhaps it was genetics. Seeing Violet glance around his room for a moment, Xaden kept his eyes on her before once again humming quietly “you were tamer than last time... with the lighting at least, I’m pretty sure you were louder than last time though” he pointed out as he slowly pulled out of her again but remained in between her legs to look down at her, his body still incredibly close to hers

[lightningweilded]

She honestly gave a whine as he pulled out of her, hating the feeling of disconnecting from him in any way. If she was honest with herself, she’d gotten so used to having him near her in every way, mental, physically, intimately, that it felt like something was missing whenever they were apart. She’d have to get used to it though, considering that they were going to be spending quite a lot of time apart soon, whether she liked it or not. She leaned up to kiss him, first gently on his lips, and then a trail of soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She simply wanted the connection of intimacy with him, no matter what they were doing.

“Yeah… it might be because I can’t help worrying about ruining something in here that matters to you, or it might be because taken has kind of been limiting how much power I’m allowed to have ever since.. you know.” She knew that the big black dragon wasn’t giving her full access until she was healed completely. Though Brennan had put her back together physically, she was still not at her full strength and she suspected Tairn was still a bit cross at her for almost burning out on him. But she’d told him she wouldn’t and she didn’t. It was the damn poisoned blade that had taken her out, not the power he’d channeled to her. He’d get over it in time, she was sure of it. But right now she figured he was holding back so she didn’t do something stupid and hurt herself with the pathways he’d blown wide open that day.

“Even if he let me have all of it, I’d still feel bad if I destroyed your room. I know you said it’s not that important but… this is your home, Xaden. It matters.” Even without the full access to the massive amount of power Tairn could give her, she could have smashed the whole place apart. She could have taken out a wall! He didn’t deserve to have the sanctuary of his home destroyed, even by her when she was enjoying herself. She was trying to care for him, in her little, ridiculous way.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her whine as he pulled out, Xaden raised a brow in amusement as he looked down into her eyes “I know, I know” knowing how she felt and how it made her feel somewhat empty for a moment. He wasn’t pulling away though, remaining between her legs, leaning over her, looking down to her and part of his body still touching hers as they both tried to catch a breath still while having a somewhat normal conversation. Kissing her back, Xaden closed his eyes again when feeling Violet kiss her way down to his jawline and from there down her neck while his one hand slowly moved up and down her waist, clearly also not wanting to lose that intimate connection anytime soon.

“Everything is replaced” he told her again before immediately opening his mouth again to add something onto what she had said about Tairn not giving her that much access to her power or rather their power. “As he should, I would argue he shouldn’t give you any of it yet” Xaden mumbled but knew Violet needed at least a smidge or else she wouldn’t just complain nonstop but also not improve her abilities in the slightest, a little power therefore probably being better than no power. “Use the little he lets you have access to but don’t ask for more. You can’t know that but it wasn’t fun to hear Tairn worry about you all day long when I worried myself to death already as well. Even Sgaeyl was worried” he added on, clearly having been scared that she’d die and still being scared she might actually burn out in the future.

“You worry too much. I watched this entire place get destroyed beyond recognition six years ago, I’ll be just fine if my girlfriend destroys it by enjoying herself a little too much” Xaden said in a cocky way, partly to disguise how he was actually feeling about Aretia. Yes, this had been his home and he still considered it such but Aretia had been a lot more than just the buildings and the landscapes. Aretia had fallen and the people who had made this his home had been executed. Not even Brennan who had helped rebuild everything back up to the way it used to look could make this the home it had once been.

[lightningweilded]

It was the first time that he’d said just how worried he and Tairn had both been on that day of the war games. Violet had known they’d worried, had caught parts of the two of them arguing over getting her to safety and apparently Tairn threatening Xaden’s life if he didn’t save her, but neither of them had really addressed it with her directly and she felt a little pant of guilt at how badly she’d worried them both. It had to be done though, there hadn’t been any other way for her to keep all of the enemies busy long enough to end it. No different from the way Xaden had stood alone with a wall of shadows to shield them until she’d asked him to drop them. She gave a soft sigh and reached up to caress his cheek.

“I told Tairn I wouldn’t burn out and I didn’t. You both worried about that but it was the knife in my side that almost killed me, not the power.” They still didn’t even know exactly what kind of poison had been on that blade, but it had drained her in some way, of life and magic. Thankfully Brennan had been able to undo it, as far as anyone could tell. “Aren’t you the one always telling me I’m better than I think and to stop limiting myself? What good would having no power at all do me?”

She softened a little at the way he’d said even Sgaeyl had worried, though she wasn’t entirely sure the vicious blue liked her much, that she’d cared at all was some kind of progress. She sighed and conceded, not wanting to argue with him about her power. Not when they were having a good afternoon and he’d just called her his girlfriend.

“Maybe to do worry too much, but my mother took this away from you. I don’t want to damage it too…” the unspoken part was easy to pick up in her mind. ‘I don’t want to be like her, taking things from good people who don’t deserve that.’ Violet didn’t quite have it in her to say that out loud though. “Especially your bedroom. There are things in here that are yours, fine furniture can be replaced, but what if I burnt something from your childhood or something?”

[ridessgaeyl]

Tairns and Xadens relationship was a constant up and down, while they seemingly tolerated one another and had worked together countless hours already, neither of them could or wanted to stop with the constant bickering and criticizing, Tairns smart comments having been quite hard though when Violet hadn’t yet woken back up. Allowing three dragons in his bedroom would’ve been rather difficult, yet alone space wise so Tairn had constantly dropped comments and threats through his bond with Xaden why Sgaeyl had to listen to all of her riders worries, something that would’ve surely made her want to kill him under different circumstances and yet she had at least attempted to comfort Xaden. Something he knew to not take for granted, not when it came to Sgaeyl. “It doesn’t matter if it was the knife or the amount of power you used, both could’ve killed you. You used too much of it and I know you had no choice but it could’ve killed you” he pointed out, still vividly remember how he had seen her fall from Tairn only a few days ago, completely unconscious and already halfway dead. Lightly he nodded as she mentioned that he was the one who usually told her not to limit herself which was true “yeah and like I said, use whatever power you have right now-“ Xaden said and let his eyes move to the furniture she had damaged, proof that she was using her powers even without having proper control of them, it still being practice after all “-but don’t reach for more until you feel like it won’t weaken you” he finished his sentence.

“Well it wasn’t just your mother and you are not her.” He quickly said before moving one hand up to her cheek when hearing the words she rather shared through her mind instead of saying them out loud. “You are not your mother, you are not taking anything from anyone” Xaden assured her with a light nod, his tone serious but still soft. “Everything that truly matters is in my memories anyway” he told her quietly, memories being the one thing no one could take from him no matter what. Before speaking again, he made a gesture over to his desk and the object, a book, he had moved to the side earlier. “Those are some pictures and letters, as long as you don’t burn them down, I don’t care about anything else in this room” Xaden admitted, deciding to open up quite a bit today, knowing he had to and it just feeling right.

[lightningweilded]

The last thing Violet wanted right now was for them to end up arguing again, even though the stubborn part of her was annoyed that they thought she was going to hurt herself again. It had been a desperate situation, and she'd done what was needed, but it wasn't something she intended to do regularly. "I will, I will, but you have to trust me to know my limit, alright? I'm not going to collapse the first time I use it." She shook her head, giving him a look before kissing his cheek. "Thank you for caring enough to worry so much, but I'm healing, and I'll be fine. I'm not planning on dying, remember?"

She gave a sigh as he reminded her that she wasn't her mother. Of course, she wasn't but she'd already thrown enough anger at him for what she'd blamed on his father and in the end it was all her own family that was doing horrible, maybe even evil, things. She felt bad for all of it, even if she hadn't known.

"Still... she's the one who gave orders, including the one to force you all into service. She could have stood up for the right thing, but she chose to put you and 107 other people through hell... You don't deserve to lose more because of her blood." Violet's gaze drifted away from him, almost ashamed at the fact that she'd been raised to think and act that same way, to think of him and all of the children he tried to protect as monsters and treat them accordingly. Now she had to help him protect them, and this place, all of it. She looked at the book he pointed out and nodded, using a little of the channel power for lower magic to lift it and move it under the bed they were in, for now. It was the most likely place to shield it if he really wanted her to give in fully. "At least under there, the worst that'll happen to it is the bed falls in on top of it. Maybe later you can show me some of it?"

[ridessgaeyl]

Just from the look on her face Xaden could tell that him telling her to be careful with using her powers or rather the amount of power, this could cause an argument. Something they didn’t need and surely neither of them wanted either. “I do tryst you. Use them, keep training, do what you think is right but know your current limits, we both know that you are still weakened. Push the limits if you must but don’t push too much” Xaden told her so she’d hopefully understand that unlike Dain, he wasn’t trying to tell her what to do or not to do, Xaden even wanting her to use what she had to use, just being worried that she might not actually know her limits yet. “You better not, else I’ll be the first person to know” he told her, forcing himself to smile a little even though this wasn’t really a topic that made him feel like smiling.

Letting out a sigh as well, Xaden could hardly believe it himself but he would for once actually choose to say something sort of kind about Lilith Sorrengail, not because he felt like defending anything she had done, quite the opposite even, but because that cold woman was still Violets mother so mentioning the one ‘nice’ thing General Sorrengail had done seemed appropriate. “She was also the one who didn’t want any of us to watch our parents get executed. And she was the one who had the idea with the rebellion relics, surely they weren’t meant to help us in any way but at least they keep Melgren from seeing what will happen” Xaden told her, not being sure if Violet had been aware of that. She had already figured out that moving in bigger groups than allowed kept Melgren from seeing their future but Xaden wasn’t sure if the relics and her mother voting for them not to see their families execution was common knowledge for everyone. Or perhaps only for those who had been present at the executions anyway and who had heard certain conversations. “And don’t forget that you are going through the same hell right now” he added on in a softer tone since she as well, had been forced into the riders quadrant, in some way also having lost her parents even with her mom still alive and her now abruptly learning that those she had believed to be the bad people, were seemingly good and those she had trusted could no longer be trusted. Violets world came crashing down as well.

Watching her use magic to move the book, Xaden had to smirk a little with raised brows when realizing that she was moving it underneath his bed, reasoning that it would be safest there which was somewhat logical actually. For a moment he stayed quiet as she asked to see the book later, it seeming like he was hesitant to answer before Xaden nodded a little “if you want to, of course” he decided to reply though, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

[lightningweilded]

“I know, and I’ll be careful, alright? I can’t just give up because we had a bad mission. We weren’t even meant to survive it so it makes sense that it took something drastic…” Violet sighed and shifted a bit in the bed, feeling their conversation tipping into that realm of seriousness and disagreement and she didn’t want it. This whole thing was meant to distract them and they were back to harping on the damned war games and that led her back to her own failures. Xaden and Tairn didn’t want her burning out, but maybe if she’d tired harder, figured that out faster and been able to pour out every ounce of power she had then they wouldn’t have let people die.

At least his comment about being the first to know if she got herself killed was enough dark humor to make her half laugh about it. She didn’t plan on going down so easily. Every day since Parapet had been a mantra of “I’m not going to die today” and she intended to carry on not dying.

As he mentioned her mother being the one to shield them from the executions of their parents she raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear it. Oh sure, she’d heard the official story, but once she’d learned about Xaden’s deal with her mother she had assumed sparing them from the executions was part of it. Besides, Liam had still been forced to watch his fathers, how many others had been the same?

“Honestly, I assumed she was lying about that. Or that you negotiated it. Liam told me he still had to watch his father be executed and… I assume he’s not the only one.” It didn’t soften her to her mother one bit. Whatever love and drive to make her mother proud she’d had once was pushed so far down now that she hardly felt any connection at all to Lilith Sorrengail. “Though I’ll grant you that the relics keeping things secret is a blessing they didn’t see coming.”

Violet had spent so long pushing through the things happening in her life that she hadn’t really considered that she was in the same position as the children of the rebellion. Well… she wasn’t likely to be killed on sight if she’d refused to become a rider but otherwise, mostly the same. As he pointed it out, she shrugged, simply stating “I’m where I’m supposed to be,” And moving on as quickly as she could. She didn’t need tot honk about her own sorrows, too. She couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep going. So she focused instead on his hesitant agreement to share the book with her.

“Well… I want to know what you value enough to keep, so… yes. If you’ll let me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden also hadn’t expected them to survive this, so loosing only two people was actually pretty good and impressive, it not making him feel any better about Liam and Soleils death and Violet almost dying though. Also feeling this conversation get somewhat serious and upsetting again, Xaden nodded a little before pressing a kiss to her lips “okay. I just don’t like to see you hurt” was all he decided to say since that statement definitely wasn’t debatable. Hearing her laugh about his joke that he’d be the first to know if she was dying, Xaden had to laugh a little in response as well, shaking his head a tiny bit as he did so. Thinking about it, what had happened in the past couple of months was quite literally just crazy, him having expected a lot of things to happen in his last year at Basgiath but falling in love with Violet Sorrengail, their lives bonded to another through their dragons and her laying in his bed in Aretia had not been something he had expected to happen.

“Well like I said she was the only one who said we shouldn’t have to watch that” he explained with a light shrug before continuing on talking “the younger ones got to leave and everyone old enough to handle it had to stay” Xaden added on, ‘handle it’ being very much an unfitting term since no one, no matter what age, could simply stand there and handle seeing their family getting executed. No matter if you were seventeen or fourteen. Quietly he hummed as she mentioned that at least the relics were partly blessing then, apart from the fact that everyone who had an rebellion relic got treated horribly. “Every dragon made relic comes with some form of magic, so thank you Melgren, for not just making my arm look a lot nicer but also allow me to hide things from you” he joked in an attempt to lighten up the mood again, Xadens relic really being hard to miss since it was by far the biggest, one that was still visible even when covering up his entire arm.

When hearing Violet say that she was where she was supposed to be, Xaden had to smile a little again, letting his thumb brush over her cheek “you are” he simply agreed with her, knowing she wanted to move on from that topic. “Then get prepared for awkward childhood pictures of me” he whispered at Violets words that she wanted to see what he seemed to value enough to keep it. Skillfully Xaden moved the two of them so Violet was now on top, allowing her to do whatever she wanted to do right now, whether that was to continue their conversation, focus back on intimacy or even reach underneath his bed to grab the book of she felt like it.

[lightningweilded]

Xaden at least managed to joke with her a bit and that helped ease the edge of tension that they’d been dancing around for most of the conversation about her use of power. She couldn’t and wouldn’t stop sing it because of one deadly fight, that just wasn’t possible for them. She was a weapon and they’d need that, and so would she if she wanted to survive because people weren’t going to stop trying to kill her just because she made it to her second year.

As for her mother, she appreciated what he was trying to do. He didn’t want to defend the woman who had caused him and all of his friends pain beyond measure, but he didn’t want Violet to think herself a monster either and this was his way of helping. It warmed her heart just to see him try. She traced her fingers lightly over the relic on his arm and then across the scars on his back that marked the lived he carried responsibility for and she wondered if they’d been carved into him with the same kind of blade that had left her silvery scar. They looked so alike… and considering who’d done the damage to him…

“Oh yes, the most important thing, looking like you have a full arm tattoo,” she teased back, laughing as he rolled them over so that she sat straddling his hips now, able to look down at him with a smirk. She was happily enjoying the view. “And baby portraits of you sounds adorable. You’re really only making me want to look even more.” With the grin still on her lips she bent to kiss him, settling into it for a few long moments and simply enjoying the feeling. She was not in any hurry to move on from their one little chance at the evening they’d deserved so she was going to stay right here in his lap and take as much as she could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

Feeling her fingers trace over the relic on his arm, Xaden gazed to her hand for a moment before looking back down into her eyes, raising his brows as she teased back about it looking like he had his full arm tattooed. “Don’t tell me you don’t like it” he kept on joking in a dramatic way. “The entire arm does look better than a small relic though” Xaden pointed out, being used to having the biggest relic that even moved up to right where his neck started, there being other children of the rebels who had far smaller relics on them.

The second he made her move on top and straddling his lap, Xaden moved his hands to her waist, letting his eyes move up and down her body for a moment before he looked back into her eyes, clearly enjoying what he was seeing as well. “Want to check if I have always been that handsome? Check anytime you feel like it” he offered teasingly since Violet had called him good looking through their bond earlier. Feeling her lips on his, Xaden immediately kissed her back, moving one hand from her waist up her arm and towards her face while shifting just enough to sit up a tiny bit more with him still starling her so Violet wouldn’t have to lean down that much, him letting out a quiet hum against her lips.

[lightningweilded]

“I don’t like what it means, but I’ll grant you that you look good,” Violet countered with a laugh as he continued to joke about his relic. She so rarely got to see Xaden laugh or smile so it felt like a treat to be joking with him about something like this. Maybe it was just that it took some of the weight of guilt off of her shoulders, but whatever the reason, she was grateful for it. It allowed them a minute just to be people, two people in love with each other, not riders, not children of enemies, just Violet and Xaden laughing about his exaggerated vanity. “If anyone can wear their entire arm and shoulder marked, it’s you. And Sgaeyl’s relic is even bigger somehow.” She laughed a little thinking of the massive nay dragon that took up his entire back. Clearly his dragon wouldn’t be outdone by anyone. She was going to lay the biggest claim on him and make sure everyone else knew it.

She glanced at his large hands on her waist, always a little amused by the sheer difference in size between them. Violet had never really grown tall or strong, and Xaden wasn’t anywhere near small or delicate. They always seemed to be opposites, in size, in personality, even in coloring where Violet was awkwardly pale with silver hair and faded eyes, and Xaden was all warm tan and night dark hair and eyes. But he was handsome and she shrugged as he teased her before kissing her back, a pleasant shiver running down her spine at the content hum he gave. “Yep, that’s definitely the reason. Not because I’m curious about baby Xaden.”

For a moment again she wished they could stay here, like this. Tell the world they had died in that battle and lie happily in Aretia, sharing their bed every night, making jokes about stupid things. It felt like the life they should have had, but there wasn’t any changing they life they did have. She’d just take what time they had and hold on to it, knowing they might never have this again. “I do love you, Xaden Riorson. More than I ever thought I could.”

[ridessgaeyl]

The rebellion relic wasn’t going anywhere so truth be told, Xaden was actually glad that it didn’t look bad on him, just adding to his looks and somehow making him look a little more threatening even, probably because everyone knew who he was thanks to it. Disadvantage and advantage at the same time, Xaden being everything but ashamed to be Fen Riorsons son though. “Thank the gods because I doubt it’s going anywhere” he said quietly with a light grin, actually for once letting his guard almost completely down and allowing himself to joke around with her. If not now, when then? If not in Aretia, then where else? Violet was still angry at him, overwhelmed with the situation and needed distraction. If he could give her that distraction and make her smile and laugh for at least a moment, letting down his guards and smiling and laughing as well was definitely worth it even though he’d for sure go back to rarely laughing once they were back in Basgiath. Something he hoped Violet knew, that just not being a place where he could act like this, not unless he could be sure it was just Violet and him. “The one Tairn and Andarna gave you isn’t exactly small either” he pointed out since it really wasn’t small but for sure also not as big as the one Sgaeyl had given him, covering his entire back.

Look wise, the two of them were really polar opposite’s, generally an unlikely couple and yet alone because of their families for sure also one that shouldn’t even exist and yet they had fallen in love, Xaden not ever not wanting to have Violet around him again, her being far to important to him now. He hadn’t told her that, also not knowing how to explain it but when he hadn’t yet been sure if she’d survive the poison on the blade and all the power she had used, he had felt incredibly hollow, as if something was missing. “If you have any, you have to show me pictures of yourself as a child as well then though” Xaden pointed out with a light smile.

When hearing her say that she really loved him, Xaden immediately sat up a tiny bit more, fully wrapping his one arm her waist to hold her even closer. “And I love you, Violet Sorrengail. A lot more than I ever intended to do and thought I could” he told her as well since he had really tried not to fall in love with her and to pretend like he hadn’t already fallen for her once he knew he had

[lightningweilded]

His comment about his relic not going anywhere was enough to get another laugh out of her. It was a horrible thing that had been done to him and the others but apparently it had two advantages; hiding them from General Melgren, and making him look more sexy and intimidating. For some reason that amused her and she pressed a kiss to his cheek as she giggled about it. The chances for them to be open and playful like this were few, and far, far between, so violet was making the most of it while she could. They’d have to go back to Basgiath soon and put up their walls, but right now this comforted something unsettled in her. They wouldn’t couldn’t be falling apart if Xaden was there with her, smiling, laughing even.

“True, Tairn did beautiful work, but it’s not as huge as yours. I think the lady Sgaeyl just wants everyone to know you’re a force to be feared and so is she. Which, really, is fair.” She sometimes wondered about the bond between them. His dragons was intimidating and hard to read but she seemed to have a fierce protectiveness about her, especially when it came to Xaden and Andarna. It made Violet wonder if she mothered them in a way. But she wouldn’t dare ask Sgaeyl that.

When he told her that she’d have to reciprocate with the pictures Violet simply shrugged. She wasn’t sure anything like that still existed of her and if it did it was in her mother’s quarters, where she was not taking Xaden if she had any choice in the matter.

“Honestly, Mira and I both expect that mother burned everything of mine once I left. It was why Mira saved dad’s book. So I doubt there are any images of me when I was young left. Those would have been with my things of my fathers and none of those are likely around anymore.” It was a cold reality but one she expected. Her mother didn’t think she’d live through this, so why keep her things? Mira had clearly foreseen the same. But, fuck it. Violet would show her otherwise. She didn’t need her motherMs approval right now, she just needed to keep going and the hold on to the people who did love her. Mira, Bren, Xaden, Rhi… not a long list but a good one. As he wrapped her in and embrace she lay her head on his shoulder and held him tightly, just for a moment.

“I believe you. I’m sure you’ve been though hell since deciding to love me but I’m glad you did it.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Speaking about his relic that Sgaeyl had left on him after Treshing, he could remember seeing it on his back through his dragons eyes and Xaden immediately ironically asking him if she had wanted to keep it small and humble. Even when just now thinking about it, he could hear a huff in his mind that without a doubt came from Sgaeyl who for a split second listend to what Violet and her rider had to say about her, Xaden for now now making an effort into not letting her be a part in this conversation, knowing Violet wouldn’t dare insult Sgaeyl, still being way too scared that she’d just eat her as a snack. “She definitely enjoys the reputation we have” he agreed with her as Violet called both of them a force to be feared. “Too bad you weren’t there that day, my threshing I mean. There was a lot of tension, people hoping I wouldn’t get picked or even get killed. I think both Sgaeyl and I liked the looks we got a little too much when they saw me fly in on her” Xaden told her since Violet obviously hadn’t been present at his threshing, her being aware though that blue Daggertails were ruthless and Sgaeyl being massive, especially for a female, the second biggest dragon currently at Basgiath. Tairn being the biggest.

“I promise she didn’t burn everything” Xaden told her, knowing that her mother was a very cold and not at all loving person but burn everything that had to do with Violet? Surely not. There would be at least one or two pictures left of her, possibly hidden though. If there were any, he’d find them if he’d ever break into General Sorrengails private quarters. Feeling Violet rest her shoulder on his head, Xaden moved his hands over her back in a loving way while also holding her as close as possible in a protective way, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and another one to her shoulder before he spoke. “You didn’t give me much of a choice” he reminded her in a whisper since Violet had not just accepted him telling her to not fall in love with him, her not having let him keep his distance, especially not when his self control to not be around her was obviously crumbling. “I’ve been through hell trying not to love you, I should’ve let myself love you sooner” Xaden admitted knowing he should’ve caved in and be honest with her sooner, just a week would’ve probably been enough and maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt then and she’d not feel betrayed by him right now

[lightningweilded]

“I think she maybe loves you a little, too. Though I doubt she’d say so. She’s very protective of you.” Violet recalled the way the Sgaeyl had assessed her, deciding if she was worthy of Xaden and Tairn and Andarna or not. It had been honestly terrifying and she still wasn’t sure the dragon liked her but she tolerated her. That was enough. “I’m sure everyone was a little shaken up when you showed up on her back. She’s impressive.” She could imagine the looks he’d gotten on that day and she wished she’d been there to see it, to cheer him on and celebrate with him.

When he assured her that her mother hadn’t burnt all of her belongings she simply shrugged. If she hadn’t, Violet would be shocked. It was t the type of this her mother would do for her least wanted child. She loved Brennan, respected Mira, but Violet was her burden. They all expected it of their mother and it would have been a shock to see anything of her life left.

“Maybe, but don’t count on that, Xaden. You’ll find yourself disappointed.” Violet had learned a long time ago not to expect sentiment or care from her mother. It was just part of her life. She would share anything she had with him, she just didn’t expect to have anything left to share. But that was alright. She had her father’s book and her corset from Mira, and she had friends and two dragons, and the man she loved. It was enough. She grinned as he admitted he should have let her in earlier and leaned in for a kiss before speaking.

“You should have, it was kind of stupid to pretend you didn’t. But you have me now so it worked out.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“A tiny bit maybe” Xaden said and just had to chuckle about the way she had said that Sgaeyl must love him a little as well. “She’s a ruthless bitch who does as she pleases and can’t take any criticism at all or she’ll definitely have that person as a snack” he added on, describing what Violet probably already figured out about her anyway. “But she’s good nonetheless. She’s not going to tell you that or make you feel like it’s the case but if you ever need her help with something Tairn or Andarna might not be suitable for, you can rely on her” he told Violet, knowing Sgaeyl would probably deny that but she’d help Violet. Because of Xaden and Tairn. “I think pissed describes the look Melgren’s, Aetos’ and your mothers face the best” he added on, having to smirk a tiny bit at the memory.

Humming quietly as Violet doubted her mothers attachment to anything sentimental when it came to her youngest child, Xaden tilted his head a tiny bit before replying. “Then I guess I’ll just have to ask her directly if she kept anything, wouldn’t be fair if I’d be the only one to share childhood memories” he joked since he obviously wasn’t going to walk up to General Sorrengail to ask her that, it probably even being for the best if she wouldn’t find out that he’d daughter had grown fond of Xaden. It would maybe keep her safer.

Immediately he raised his brows as Violet agreed with him on it being stupid to try and not love her. “You don’t have to actually agree with me, Violence” he mumbled teasingly and playfully pinched her waist while speaking. “Blame it all onto our dragons, if you wouldn’t have been annoyingly horny thanks to them, I wouldn’t have kissed you that night, outside” Xaden added on in a teasing way, knowing it was only halfway the truth.

[lightningweilded]

Violet couldn’t help but laugh at the way he described his dragon. It was accurate but she wondered if Sgaeyl would take offense. Either way, she was glad that he confirmed that at least Sgaeyl was willing to help if it came to it, surely more for Tairn and Andarna and Xaden’s sake more than her own but it was still helpful.

“As long as she has your back I have nothing to complain about. Especially now that you’ll be away at your station and we’ll have to worry about you.” Violet brought a hand to his cheek, not wanting to think about him being sent away and now stripped of his command so he’s be at the mercy of whatever commander they put him under. It worried her.

“I’m sure they all looked ready to scream. They were probably hoping none of you would make it and then here comes you on the biggest, baddest dragon on the field. Bet they thought twice about their choice to force you into the riders after that.” She finished her sentence with a kiss for him, just imagining how far he’d come and how strong he was. If the world had been a better place, his parents surely would have been proud of everything he’d done.

As he mentioned asking her mother about childhood pictures of her she winced and shook her head. Every if he was kidding she didn’t want him around her mother for a second longer than he needed to be. “Please, don’t do that. She’ll probably try to throw you off the nearest retaining wall.”

“As for agreeing with you, I definitely did have to. Sorry! Not sorry actually. And I guess I have to thank Tairn for choosing that night to have some fun. Gods, I wanted you so damned bad that night and you just wouldn’t give in.” She laughed as she lamented her frustration that night. He’d been a gentleman not to, but she really hadn’t wanted him to be a gentleman then at all.

[ridessgaeyl]

Sgaeyl would definitely not take offenses, at least not from anyone but Xaden and probably also Tairn. Anyone else insulting her in her presence was as good as dead, her being used to Xaden calling her a bitch or telling her to fuck off though. "You don't have to worry about me, I’ll be more than fine" he assured her, placing his own hand on top of hers that touched her cheek for a moment, knowing that depending on where he'd be sent to and who would be there, it would maybe not actually go that well, that not being something he wanted Violet to worry about though.

“They were hoping I'd be long dead before threshing. Sounds familiar to you though? Flying in on the biggest and baddest dragon when they all thought of hoped you wouldn't make it?" He asked her with a grin since exactly that had been the case for Violet as well. They had hoped Xaden wouldn't make it purely because of his dad and they had believed Violet wouldn't make it because she was physically the weakest. Yet here there were, with the two biggest and baddest dragons. Feeling her soft lips on his, he immediately kissed her back while moving his hands back down to her waist.

"Well good luck with that" he more or less joked when hearing Violet say that her mother would try and throw him off the nearest retaining wall. "I'm not exactly interested in talking to your mother anyway" Xaden added on, absolutely meaning that. The thought of awkward family dinners in ten years time, that would for sure never happen, made him smirk a little though.

As she teased about absolutely having to agree with him on that, Xaden once again pinched her to tease back while looking into her eyes in a very innocent way. "Of course I didn't give in, you definitely would've regretted spending the night with me the next morning" he told her, knowing that maybe she had already fancied him back then but to know that this all had possibly just happened because of their mated dragons would've been reason enough to regret, there being no doubt that Xaden would've actually felt horrible about it, feeling like he had used her. Especially when he couldn't be sure if she iust wanted him or literally anvone thanks to Tairn in that moment. "I was actually worried you might run into someone else on your way back to your room" Xaden added on with a light grin.

[lightningweilded]

“Xaden, I love you, and I know people want to harm you, so I’ll always worry about you. You’re the same with me,” violet answered back as he tried to tell her not to worry. Of course she would. She knew at least two people who had actively tried to get him killed a few days ago. Worry was normal. “But I know Sgaeyl will watch your back and that you’re tough. You’ll be okay. For all of our sakes.”

She gave a laugh as he pointed out that she knew what I felt like to show up with a terror of a dragon when everyone expected you to or hoped for your failure. It had been thrilling to see the looks on people’s faces when she’d landed with Tairn, and then again when she’d announced Andarna’s name as well. Both she and Xaden were not expected to last yet here they were. She leaned into they kiss briefly then straightened back up a bit in his lap to gaze down at him with a roll of her eyes at his teasing.

“Alright, you got me there. It was fun seeing them all stare. And so long as you stay clear of my mother and Colonel Aetos and General Melgren and, come to think of it, the king, too, then I can worry less.” She shuddered to recall that conversation where the king had, assuming she was like her mother, pointed out how he liked to see Xaden on the day of his fatherMs death ‘to remind me of his place’. It had bothered her then and it still did now.

Thankfully he turned to teasing her about that night when they’d first kissed and she reached out a hand to lightly thump his chest in a playful strike. She’d already been lost to him then and she’d been so annoyed when he denied her. “Is that so, we’re you jealous that I might find someone else to make it better? If it makes you feel better, I only wanted you. And I don’t think I would have regretted it at all.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“Of course I’m the same with you, you made yourself an enemy on your first day, chose Aetos as your best friend, continued pissing off Barlowe and people tried to kill you in your sleep” he pointed out but nodded a little as she added on that he’d be fine, something Xaden hoped to be the case, wanting violet to focus on herself and her abilities instead of worrying about him. “For all of our sakes, are you worried I’ll get us killed?” He asked when repeating her words as he continued on looking into her eyes.

As Violet listed all the people she wanted him to stay away from, also listing the king, Xaden dramatically rolled his eyes, doubting he’d see them that often anyway, especially not the king. “I can’t promise you that I won’t piss them off when seeing them but I’ll try my best not to. For all of our sake” Xaden told her, once again using her words in a playful and teasing way. He wasn’t going to say that, especially not right now that Violet was still mad at him, but dating her or at least being bonded to her and having her trust him was in some way an advantage. At least if she was still trusted by others, people who didn’t trust her.

When feeling her light push against his chest, Xaden pulled her even closer in response as he moved his hands over her back, tracing his fingers over her skin. “I was worried you would do something you’d regret which then would’ve made me jealous” he admitted since finding out she would’ve simply slept with someone else that night would’ve driven him insane. “But I would’ve regretted it. It already took me a lot of self control to not just take you against the wall, especially when you tried to argue with me” Xaden added on with a light grin on his lips as he told her that. “You still seemed quite torn on whether or not you actually wanted to hate me, so have you wake up all sore because of me, wondering if it had just been Tairn and Sgaeyl or more than just that, wasn’t exactly on my to-do list for that night”

[lightningweilded]

“Hey! I did nothing at all to Jack Barlowe. That’s all on him.” Violet huffed in annoyance at the reminder of the man. If he hadn’t been so intent on making her the weak link he might be alive right now and so might have Oren and all the rest of the cadets who’d broken codex to attack her in her sleep. She could hardly be blamed for their insistent desire to harm her, for reasons she barely understood. Hell, in Amber’s case it was probably jealousy over Dain and frankly Amber could have had him if he wanted.

“I’m not worried you’ll get us killed. I just… I like Sgaeyl, but she could probably survive losing you, no offense. But I wouldn’t be alright if you died and if something happens to me… it’s a domino effect as we’ve established. So just stay alive and I will, too.” She sighed as she finished speaking, not wanting to think of that alternative. How could she go on without Xaden? She knew she’d get reckless and sooner or later something would happen when she had no one left to fight for. The list of people who wanted him dead was as king or longer than her own, with some higher ranking members on it, and she couldn’t help but worry.

As he pulled her closer and let his hands roam her back she relaxed a little, leaning into him and pressing a handful of kisses along his jaw and down his neck as he spoke. Thinking of him jealous and worried over who she might spend her night with was sort of cute actually, and she sat up enough to grin at him as she spoke.

“See, wanting to hate you and actually doing it we’re very different things. Even then I thought about you all the time and scolded myself for how badly I wanted you. Even before that night. But I get why you didn’t, even if I wish you had and we could have had more time together.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“And I’m glad he is dead but I heard that you almost cut his balls off after the parapet… that might have provoked him a little” he mumbled jokingly with a light smirk on his lips, Violet absolutely having his entire respect for that and she’d have even more if she would’ve actually done it but it surely hadn’t made Barlowe like her any more than he already did, Violet already having been on his kill list.

Listening to her words about Sgaeyl probably surviving Xadens death but her not surviving it, setting off a domino effect, Xaden nodded a little as he looked at her, letting her finish talking before he spoke as well. “I wouldn’t risk something happening to you, Violet. I will make sure I don’t die” Xaden told her, absolutely meaning it. He wouldn’t risk dying since that meant that she could die as well and even if she’d be able to survive it, he didn’t want to leave her behind like that. Considering that they were still young, he was sure that on the long run she’d be fine and able to fall in love with someone else but it would never be the same as with them, there would never again be Xadens cocky voice in her head.

When feeling her kisses on his jaw and neck, he moved his head a tiny bit so she’d have more room for the kisses while his hands continued on roaming over her back, slowly moving over every inch of her body he could touch in that moment. “So you wanted me while wondering if I was going to kill you?” Xaden asked in amusement, knowing exactly that she had at first been scared he’d use every chance to kill her. “You will still see me every other day” he assured her as she mentioned that if he would’ve given in sooner, they would’ve had more time together which was true but not something he could change anymore. “When we are back in Basgiath, stay in my room” Xaden told her while pressing a few kisses to her shoulder, hoping she’d agree to sharing a room with him for as long as he’d still be there, them not needing two rooms after all or Xaden at least not wanting to fall asleep in his room alone while Violet would be in her room, liking it better to share a bed with her even though their beds weren’t exactly big at their war college.

[lightningweilded]

“But he started that, too! Wanted to kill me before I even crossed. I didn’t do anything to him until after tried and he deserved his balls cut off.” Violet grumbled, annoyed as she thought of Jack and his little gang yet again. Him being gone was safer for everyone, especially the two of them and their dragons. She didn’t move form where he held her, pressing kisses to her shoulder while she listened to what he had to say. “So we’ll both stay alive, and that’s what matters.”

Slowly she pushed herself up enough to look at him, a curious expression on her face. He’d just asked her to half move in with him, hadn’t he? It was something she’d never expect to hear. “You want me to stay there with you… or stay there all the time?” She tilted her head and watched him with interest. She wouldn’t mind staying in his room when he was there, of course. Or every when he wasn’t, considering it was safer there than in her own. People were less likely to look for her there and in fact even if they did she doubted they’d be able to get past the wards he had on his room. Plus, it was his space. Everything felt like him, carried his scent.

“If you want me there, that’s where I’ll be. I sleep better with you next to me anyways.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“He did. No doubt about that, you should’ve just cut them off if you ask me but you still made yourself an enemy on your first day already” he pointed out, considering that she had also killed him though, it had surely sent quite the statement, especially because everyone who had actively tried to kill her was dead now, something while Basgiath knew.

Seeing the look on Violets face as he asked her to share his room with him in Basgiath, Xaden raised his brows with a light smile, shrugging a tiny bit before he answered. “I want you stay there with me and I’d like you to stay in it even when I’m not there” he told her. “We can also take your room if you want, mine is bigger though” Xaden added on. With less riders surviving and less dragons being willing to bond with humans, there were always at least a couple rooms that happened to be free, first year riders always having the rather small and unspectacular rooms while older riders got to stay in the slightly bigger and nicer rooms. Everyone knew that Sgaeyl and Tairn were mates so Xaden having to fly to Basgiath after graduation wasn’t exactly news, meaning that he’d get to keep his room for whenever he was staying at the war college. “We wouldn’t have to tell anyone so you can still keep your room for whenever you are mad at me and no one would suspect anything or see us sneaking from room to room” he suggested halfway joking, just generally liking the thought of his room becoming their room and him knowing that he could keep her safer in there, even though he had put wards on her room as well so only a few people could actually get in there.

“I want you there” he immediately assured her with a light nod, wondering if she was actually surprised about it, especially considering that she was currently in a place everyone expected to be a ruin, being naked in his bed and Xaden having said out loud that he’s in love with her.

[lightningweilded]

“I guess there aren’t really any rules against me staying in your room, whether you’re there or not, so…” Violet grinned as she agreed, leaning down and taking several long moments to kiss him. It was slow and sweet but there was a edge of wanting under it. He wanted her, with him, in his home in her room at Basgiath, and her heart squeezed to think about it. He really loved her, even if he hadn’t told her the whole truth. He loved her enough to trust her with all of this.

She found herself pressing closer to him, rocking her hips gently against his, before she collected herself enough to sit up and look down at him again. It was so easy to get lost in him. She paused to catch her breath and smiled down at him.

“It’s a good idea, sharing your room. And I want to be there too. I’m going to miss you ever time you’re away but at least being there will feel like you’re close.” She admitted it all softly but she meant it all. When she’d become so attached she wasn’t exactly sure but thinking of a life without him was impossible. She would stay wherever he wanted her to stay, and yes they might argue sometimes but even then she doubted she’d leave to sleep in her own room if he was there. “I love you, Xaden.”

[ridessgaeyl]

With her staying in his room they at least wouldn’t have to walk around after curfew, not that Xaden really cared much about it but with her being there already, they wouldn’t have to be somewhat sneaky about it. “Since when do you care about following the rules?” He asked with raised brows and an amused smile since Violet had broken the rules a couple times already, Xaden probably not even knowing about all of her rule breaks.

When feeling her lips on his again, Xaden didn’t hesitate a single second before immediately kissing her back the same way, keeping it soft and gentle as before deepening their kiss a little more when feeling her press closer and rock her hips against his, him immediately responding to to that by pushing his hips up a little to press against her again even after she moved to sit back up and look down to him.

“You can always change your mind about it, just so you know” the dark haired told her, being glad that they both agreed on this idea for now, Xaden understanding if she’d change her mind about it at some point though. “You won’t even realize that I’m gone, I’ll be in your head all day long” Xaden said, knowing that their voices would probably be quite faint though due to the distance, him being aware that they’d be able to feel the distance and only hear each others thoughts as maybe a whisper but it was still better than not getting to communicate at all. “I love you too, Violet” he told her as well, absolutely meaning it.

[lightningweilded]

“I care about them sometimes. But not when it comes to you, or any of this, or me staying alive…” Violet shrugged, mumbling the words between kisses, realizing just how often she did actually bend or break rules. First it had been using Brennan’s book to stay alive, but now it was a longer list of all the things shed done for people she cared about, too. She would have to be careful now though, without Xaden to shield her when she screwed up she could end up in a much deeper pit of trouble. She’d have the protection of the wing leader and people either respected or feared him, but he’d be gone now and she would have to stand on her own and carry both of their secrets.

When they finally paused their kissing long enough to get out words properly she looked at him with a laugh as she shook hear head. If he thought he was getting rid of her now he’d made a critical miscalculation. She was his and he’d have to put up with her in his room and his life until he got sick of her.

“You’ll be far away, though. And I’m not going to change my mind, but I know if I did you’d let me. But there’ at least three reasons it’s a good idea and only one that it’s not so I don’t think I’m going to go back to sleeping in my little room where I almost died if I can be sleeping in your bed instead.” She didn’t want to think about him being gone, about how faint his voice would be inside her mind, none of that. She would hold on tot he fact that she could hear him at all. It made it easier not to worry herself sick about him. Not that he needed her to. She was definitely the weak link in their little group. Xaden would be alright no matter what came at him, unless someone found out about the rebellion starting again. Violet was… well an easy target. She was becoming less of one but she was still someone whose bones could be snapped with little effort and leave her helpless and that would never change. She had to be smarter. But not right now. Right now she jsut wanted to be with him for the tiny sliver of time they had.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Rules are meant to be bent and broken anyway” he immediately answered, being glad that Violet wasn’t too focused on following the rules, her luckily not being as obsessed with it as Dain who seemingly hadn’t broken a rule even just once while Xaden on the other hand had probably broken every single rule at least once. Just like her, he also mumbled every of his words in between their kisses while moving his hands to her hips, ever so slightly moving her hips against his in a playful and teasing way while keeping his lips on hers.

“Three reasons for it and one against it? What would that be?” He asked her while repeating her words, raising his brows a little as he looked up to her, the look on his face making it quite clear that he had absolutely fallen for her. “Yeah about that… would you be mad if I make someone else look over you again once I’m gone?” Xaden asked her, knowing how angry she had at first been when he had asked Liam to not just become Violets friend but also basically her bodyguard and shadow, Xaden already having thought about asking someone else to do that now that Liam was dead and he was about to graduate. “And before you immediately say no, think about it for a minute. It could be Imogen if you are more comfortable with that. I don’t want to see you passed out with the healers again, a fucking orange being what kept you alive” he pointed out, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to be there in time to help her or even to be there in time if she’d pass out again. Wanting someone to watch over her didn’t mean that he felt like Violet was weak and needed the protection, she was still physically more vulnerable than others though, someone people saw as a target and her generally just being someone he wanted to be safe and sound.

[lightningweilded]

Violet let out a soft groan as he gripped her hips and guided her movements just enough that they were both a little flustered after a few moments of heated kissing and her moving against him. He knew how to tease her, that much was for certain. She half suspected he meant to keep her distracted since he hesitated to ask her about assigning someone else to have her back. When she thought of Liam her heart squeezed and threatened to break again, thinking of him lying there with his dragon, fading before their eyes. It was unfair, he didn’t deserve it…

“I… don’t want to be the cause of anyone else’s death…” she started slowly, not directly wanting to look at him out of fear she might break down crying. He’d lost his chosen brother, after all. They were both grieving it. “But I kind of expected you would whether I agreed or not. I just want them to be able to prioritize their own life if it came to it… no one needs to die for me… but I know they can’t because that would mean letting you die, too. And you’re too important to this whole thing.”

It was hard to accept the simple facts. She needed the backup, she understood that now, but accepting the help meant potentially putting someone else in the path of her enemies and that felt wrong. Still, if it meant it kept her, and more importantly, Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and Xaden alive, she should do it. “Look, the orange juice was a good idea and you know it. But yeah, I know I can’t always rely on stuff like that and I’m getting stronger but I understand why you need someone to look out for me. So… okay. Maybe not Imogen… I don’t think I could lose her, too.” As kuch as she’d come to like the other woman and think of her as a friend, putting her in Liam’s position after what had happened to him made her anxious.

[ridessgaeyl]

When hearing her soft groan, Xaden had to lightly smile against her lips, obviously knowing exactly what he was doing. Under different circumstances this would’ve absolutely been distraction enough to not let serious conversations appear half as serious as they were but since Liam was somewhat involved or used to be involved in what he was asking her to agree to, Xaden had expected that this would turn serious again, no matter the distraction and sexual tension between them.

“You were never the cause of anyone’s death” he quickly told her in a serious tone, one hand simply resting on her hip while his other hand moved up to let his thumb brush over her cheek, for now accepting that she wasn’t looking at him right now. “I never told anyone to risk their life like that for you or for us and I won’t start doing that now. Liam offered to do it, he wanted to be your friend and do me a favor” Xaden told her truthfully in a soft but serious tone so she’d listen properly. “Whoever is going have an eye on you now will do it because they chose to do it, not because they think they will have to” he added on before sighing quietly as he continued on listening to her and how she said that everyone would risk their life anyway because of Xaden.

“And I’m not asking people to have an eye on you because I think you are too weak but because I just don’t want or can’t risk anything. If something happens to someone, blame it on me. It wouldn’t be your fault. Nothing is going to happen to Imogen, don’t worry about that. I will just ask them in a group at some point and someone is going to agree to it, okay?” He offered

[lightningweilded]

It took a few long moments for Violet to. Choke back tears when Xaden crupper her cheek and told her that she wasn’t to blame herself about losing Liam. She couldn’t help but feel that if he hadn’t been trying to protect her and others, to warn her specifically, he might have been able to get away. She didn’t know if it made her feel better or worse that Liam had volunteered for it all. He truly had been her friend, more so than almost anyone else, sharing in most of her secrets and always keeping her laughing when things got hard. He could make anyone smile and she wondered how she’d tell Jesinia when she got back and her “shadow” no longer came down to flirt with the young scribe anymore.

Blinking her eyes a few times to try to get the tears to fade, she too a deep, shaky breath and leaned down to lay her head against Xaden’s chest and shoulder. No matter how much he said it wasn’t her fault, she still felt guilty. Liam wouldn’t have had to be there if she hadn’t insisted on going, blindly trusting the man she loved to lead them all safely. How could he have though? They’d all been set up, and reminding herself of that made anger burn hot in her chest. She’d find a way to punish Dain for this… somehow.

“I know it’s not because you think I’m weak. We all need to be safe and I can admit I’m not… the best of us for defending myself. It’s not just my life on the line anymore. I have to be smarter, too. I can’t rely on you or anyone else to make it okay anymore. Not because you wouldn’t try, of course you would, but you can’t be there all the time and even if someone is there constantly, I shouldn’t put them at more risk by being stupid.” The stubborn, willfulness she’d carried for all of her first year seemed to have been bruised a little by the loss of her friend. She still intended to survive, but she understood that she couldn’t really do that alone. Not when they were this deep in so many things that could get them killed. She needed to rely on people, trust someone other than herself and Xaden. “I’ll be better. Whoever volunteers themselves for this deserve that much.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Seeing that she was trying to fight the tears that slowly but surely appeared in her eyes, he gently caressed her cheek “crying doesn’t make you weak” he whispered so quietly that she probably couldn’t hear him, Xaden just wanting her to know that she didn’t had to hold back her tears or act stronger than she actually was, that not being something she had to do whenever he was around. Letting her just rest her head on his chest, he gently wrapped his arms around her, stroking the back of her head while closing his eyes for a moment, very much still grieving the man who had been as good as family to him. Especially considering that Xaden really didn’t had much actual family left.

“Liam was part of my group in the war games before you even agreed to come with me. He wasn’t just there because of you but also generally because I wanted him there. No one could’ve known about what happened…” he mumbled, it being quite obvious that Xaden was blaming himself as well though. He had told everyone that he’d stay and try and help. Of course he had told everyone that they could leave and get to safety but it had been rather clear that they’d all stay, especially when Xaden was staying. It had been the right decision without a doubt but by deciding to stay and fight he had also more or less made a decision for Violet, something he shouldn’t have done.

“You are making great progress and you did very well in the past year. Don’t change anything and keep on making the same decisions, just be aware of who you can trust” he told her with a head shake, not wanting her to lose any of her stubbornness or sass and pride, everything having worked out well for her after all. She just needed to accept the help of certain people. People who were not Dain Aetos. “I know it doesn’t look like it right now but sooner or later everything will work out” Xaden whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

[lightningweilded]

Violet heard, or maybe just sensed his reassurance. Whatever the case she wiped the tears away quickly and looked up at him. “I know… but I don’t want all our time together to be me breaking down in tears.” It was a silly thing he wouldn’t have cared, but who knew how much time they had, today, this year, who knew if she would even make it to graduation. She didn’t want this to the the last memory they held of one another, ever. She had to get stronger, in every way. Even if crying wasn’t weakness, it wasn’t want she wanted him to remember her for.

“Of course they couldn’t have known… but if I’d been suspicious of Dain for even a second, questions why he was fighting you to keep me there, maybe we would have both been safe. I don’t know. I just feel like I could have done something differently that didn’t end in… this. Been faster, or smarter, or… something.” It was survivors guilt that ate at her, not that she had any idea of the concept. That and the gnawing feeling that her brother was right about her and she’d never be cut out of this, never be able to put aside death as part of the way things had to be. But if she didn’t she’d be a liability for them all. She needed to figure it out.

“I won’t stop working on it. When you’re there, you can drill me on fighting like always and Imogen won’t let me slack on weights. As far as trusting people goes, that’s already settled. Rhi, though I’m not telling her any of this until I have to because i don’t want her to be in the middle. You, and the others here. That’s it.” Her list of trusted friends had gotten small and she’d only trust most of the people who he was responsible for solely because of that, not because they knew one another well. She knew she could trust Sawyer and Ridoc to have her back, too, but they weren’t deep enough in to know about the rebellion. Everyone had different levels of trust now and she had learned to keep her mouth shut when she’d seen people start to die because she’d trusted the wrong person. Never again. As Xaden gave her a kiss she sighed deeply, trying to keep herself calm. It was a skill she’d need in front of the rest fo the world now and she was getting plenty of practice, even if all she wanted was to lay in his arms and cry it out. “Yeah… it’ll work out somehow… it has to.

[ridessgaeyl]

“All the time would be a bit of an exaggeration” he quickly told her, not wanting Violet to think that he saw her as whiny or that she was ruining the situation by getting upset over something that was completely valid to get upset over, especially considering that Xaden was upset as well. “You don’t have to pretend like you are fine, not around me” Xaden told her softly, knowing she needed the softness right now.

“Why would you’ve been suspicious of Dain? He was your best friend, you know him your whole life, don’t blame yourself for trusting someone who has been that important for you” Xaden told her and stroke over her head with his hand before lightly shaking her head. “You couldn’t have done anything differently, this is on Dain and his dad” he quickly added on, knowing that Violet wouldn’t stop blaming herself because of this but he still wanted to keep telling her that this wasn’t her fault at all. “Imogen will keep training you and I will find you someone who practices fighting with you while I’m not there. And we can also train together while I’m there. Don’t worry about that. I trust you and I trust your instincts but keep in mind that if the wrong person finds out about this, I’m as good as dead” Xaden said quietly but with a calm tone as if this wasn’t a big deal when it was really a dangerous game they were playing.

“I’m sorry you are part of this, I know it’s not exactly something you wanted” he whispered while still stroking the back of her head, knowing she wasn’t complaining about that but violet after all just having wanted to survive all this, not having meant to fall in love with Xaden Riorson and be part of a uprising rebellion.

[lightningweilded]

“As much as I believe you… if I let myself crumble I don’t know how I’ll get back to normal again. I don’t know how I’ll face the people that did this if I let myself feel all of it.” It was hard enough to keep a straight face around him, Violet was still wondering how she’d do so around the entire war college, especially people like her mother, or either of the Aetos’.

She could only really nod at he pointed out again that she shouldn’t blame herself and that Imogen would keep training her, which she definitely needed. It would be strange without him there but at least that small part would stay the same. She was still worried about them taking command from him right before graduation. Perhaps there was something she could do to shield him form that, blame herself for insisting they help once Liam far-sighted the Venin attacking the town. They could claim that Xaden intended to turn back as he was ordered but she charged in, something… anything to not have him stripped of his rank that acted as a shield for them both.

She sighed softly and kissed his shoulder as he continued to stroke her hair, trying to comfort her. It wasn’t typical for Xaden to choose to be soft with her so she knew he must be worried. She didn’t like that, even if she was still upset with him for not telling her everything. “I’m not sorry. I wish it had been a choice I got to make freely, but I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Quietly Xaden hummed as Violet told him that she just couldn’t let herself crumble right now, her not even being sure how she was supposed to face the people responsible for all this. “It will come crashing down on you at some point” he told her truthfully, knowing that it wasn’t exactly encouraging or uplifting but it was the truth after all.

When being back at Basgiath, Xaden knew that in front of everyone else he’d act like nothing ever happened, him being very good at acting neutral and emotionless, as if he wouldn’t care about anything at all. Even Violet knowing that. It perhaps wasn’t how he wanted to act after what had just happened but it would be the option that kept everyone involved safe, especially with him taking the entire blame on himself and claiming that everyone had just acted under his orders. Of course he knew that it would have consequences but at least he’d be the only one to face those consequences, everyone at Basgiath already mistrusting him anyway so it probably didn’t make that much of a difference, or at least he hoped for that.

Hearing her say that she didn’t regret any of her choices and that she was right where she was supposed to be, he hummed once again while still stroking her hair in a calming way. “When we are back, we should act like we are no closer than two people with mated dragons, you know that, right?” He asked her, not being sure if Violet even wanted others to know if they were more than just that, Xaden theoretically not at all minding everyone to know about them but he knew that she was probably better off when acting like she didn’t actually care about him, yet alone so no one would start mistrusting her or questioning her loyalty.

[lightningweilded]

“It will, probably… but I have to make it long enough that they don’t suspect anything,” Violet countered with a stubbornness that he was surely used to by now. She was trying to protect herself and also them, being engagingly angry at Dain and his father and her mother and Melgren and even the damned king wouldn’t do anyone any good, it would just draw attention to what was happening here and that was the last thing she wanted. So she needed to not show any reactions to them for now and that meant not letting herself feel all of it either.

Besides, it wasn’t like Xaden wouldn’t do the same thing. He, too, hid what he felt and kept it all pushed so far down. Apparently the only one to break his resolve in that regard was Violet herself. They really had no other choice at this point. the only person hey could really be open with was one another. She still wasn’t entirely sure if that was something she was alright it’s but it was simply the state of thins currently and she couldn’t really change it. Not without putting everyone they both cared about at risk. She would make it work. She couldn’t risk any of them, and especially not Xaden, so making it work was the only option. She at least didn’ stop him from trying to comfort her, leaning in to the entry feeling of him stroking her hair.

As he mentioned they should act like virtual strangers when they got back she glared, not about to play that game again. They’d already been through that once, trying to pretend they didn’t want or love one another. She wasn’t going to do it again.

“No, Dain already knows, he saw me in your clothes. So I’m sure he’s already told his father, which means he’d told my mother. And Rhi knows. And Ridoc. And Sawyer. There’s not keeping it hidden, they’re going to gossip about it. If we’re hiding it then we have to tell them all that we broke up and come up with a convincing reason and I can’t sleep in your room at all. Once any of them catches on that I’m not in my own bed that game is over, and the leadership is going to be watching whether we pretend to have split up or not. We’ll be spending every day you’re back form whatever shithole they post you in as punishment ignoring each other and wishing we didn’t have to. For the next two years. So, is that what you want?” That was the simple fact. If they wanted to act like they weren’t close at all they were going to actually have to appear distant and give up any time they might have had together. The idea of it made her stomach twist uncomfortably. If that was what they were going to act like they might as well have stayed broken up and not spent this afternoon in bed together.

[ridessgaeyl]

When listening to her, Xaden let out a quiet sigh while giving her a look because she was once again staying stubborn, something he very much loved about her but it potentially being a little difficult since they were both pretty stubborn individuals. “Keep in mind that you’ll only see Dain for one more year” he attempting to say in an uplifting way since Dain would graduate next year. Potentially they’d be free of him even sooner if someone lost their temper with him and killed him before that, something Xaden saw as a somewhat likely possibility.

Seeing the glare Violet gave him as he mentioned acting like strangers, Xaden immediately raised a brow as he looked at her, his hand slowly but surely stopping in its motion to stroke through her hair, resting it on the side of her head as he listened to her words. “Not sure Dain is telling anyone about it, that would be pretty embarrassing for him considering that he kissed you after threshing. His ego is very much bruised right now” he quickly said, more or less interrupting her before he continued on listening to the rest she had to say. Violet was right though, if Dain had told his father about Violet and Xaden, even though Dain didn’t know what was going on since he had only seen Violet in his clothes, her mother most certainly knew as well. “That’s the very last thing I want” Xaden answered her question while looking into her eyes, moving both his hands to her face to make sure that she’d really listen to him. “The very last thing I want is to lose you. If I’d have to decide between all of this-“ he said and briefly gestured around the room, by that meaning Aretia and the general rebellion. “- and you, then fuck all of this. I’d choose you” Xaden told her, just wanting Violet to know about that. “We’ve spend enough time pretending like there’s nothing between us and I don’t want to go back to doing that” he added on with a light nod before continuing on talking. “But you are pretty good at getting yourself in trouble, Violence. Being with me, especially when I’m in some shithole hours away from you, might get you into more trouble, especially with the leadership watching every step you make” Xaden pointed out, only really having suggested to be distant with her in public to possibly keep her safe.

[lightningweilded]

Honestly Violet was relieved when he agreed that he didn’t want to go through it all again. She didn’t want that either. They’d already been through enough. But she knew they couldn’t be this affectionate in front of the rest of the world, obviously. At least not until things changed and that was going to take a while. So she leaned down to give him a kiss and sighed in relief. What surprised her was that he said he’d give everything up for her, even the rebellion. It made her stomach fill with butterflies.

“We’re not going to give this up either, so… middle ground. They know we’re sleeping together, they now we spend time together because of the dragons or not. So we let them think that’s what it is, friends, attraction, letting off steam like any riders?” She raised an eyebrow. They wouldn’t have to pretend they weren’t interested in one another and they wouldn’t have to tell everyone that they were in love, and draw the attention of people they didn’t want. Surely her mother and the others would just assume it was a young woman making mistakes and being driven by sexual desire. They’d think she was an idiot but they’d probably also think they could use her against him and she could give them whatever false information they wanted while pretending to be oblivious.

“They’ll think I’m an idiot who’s been seduced by big bad you. I used to kind of think that too, after all. We might even be able to use it against them one day. But we wouldn’t have to hide.”

[ridessgaeyl]

As Violet leaned down to give him a kiss once he told her that he didn’t want pretend that they were broken up either, Xaden kissed her before tilting his head a little when hearing her sigh of relief, having thought that she had known that staying away from her in public wasn’t something he wanted either.

“let them think there are no feelings involved? Just physical? Can you do that?” he asked her with raised brows, Xaden felt pretty confident that he could act like there were no deeper feelings involved, him generally being rather good at hiding his feelings so acting attracted and still like he cared, being able to blame that on the dragons, but not necessarily acting like he was in love with her sounded like something he could do. It maybe wasn’t ideal but it also wasn’t terrible and maybe made things a little easier, not for them but for the overall situation with everyone else having an eye on them. “When I said I don’t fuck first years, not even when I was one myself, I meant that. People know I’m not sleeping around Basgiath which means they will know that you are special… so we will also have to blame that on Tairn and Sgaeyl” he told her quietly while looking into her eyes.

“Are you not exactly that?” He asked her teasingly while trying not to grin a little as she referred to herself as an idiot who had been seduced by the great betrayers evil spawn. “I like your way of thinking” Xaden then added on, really not wanting to hide either and also liking how maybe they could even benefit from this. “I’m not going to not kiss you in public though. If we are not going to actually hide I won’t miss out on that” Xaden added on, figuring that if anyone would know that they were sleeping together he could go as far as just kissing her in public as well while just making it look like it was a kiss out of desire and not out of love while he truthfully also hoped it would send a message that no other guy should try his luck with Violet Sorrengail even when she was theoretically believed to be single.

[lightningweilded]

“Honestly I think that can all work in our favor. Officially to them it’s ‘casual’ but if they put that together they’ll assume that we’re both in over our heads, pretending not to have feelings. They’ll try to use it to manipulate us and we can turn it back on them.” If there was one thing Violet was good at, it was creatively coming up with ways around things. Once Brennan’s book had given her that little push, she’d started to twist and turn the game on its head. She’d gotten quite good at it.

“Kiss me whenever you want, it’ll play into it. We’re either lust drunk or hiding feelings in their eyes and either one they’ll think they can use.” Her smirk only grew as he teased her about being exactly that and she leaned in as if to kiss him and then gave his lip a bite as payback for it. He seemed to at least see the brilliance of her plan and she was proud of herself for thinking it up so she grinned again as she sat up again to look at him. They’d make this all work as best they could, and turn every advantage possible to their side. “Anyways, you wish you were the one who seduced me into falling in love with you. Pretty sure that was me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

‘Casual’ was exactly what they had called all of this anyway when first having started to make out so Xaden knew that he could pretend like it was nothing more than just that in front of others, as long as Violet knew that he loved her. Truthfully, Xaden had been quite bad at making it look casual anyway considering that he had left flowers, Violets, on her table in the morning and how he had constantly checked on her through their bond, that not being something others knew about though. “I can’t wait to hear all the questions they’ll ask you” he mumbled with a slight eye-roll, knowing that people would try and get information out of her, using Violet and him against one another while they would actually just manipulate everyone else.

“Or both” he said quietly about being lust drunk and hiding feelings for another. Xaden had known that she was smart, she had proven that very quickly with how she poisoned the others during sparring, also being smart enough to get up extra early to wrap her knees and wounds before everyone was awake, her also with just a little hint from Xaden having mastered the gauntlet with her daggers as help and him still remembering that he had been quite impressed how her team had broken into her mothers office. Her coming up with another clever idea therefore wasn’t exactly shocking. When feeling violet bite his lip as payback, he let out a quiet groan followed by a light grin as he moved her face back to his, pressing a kiss to her lips before also tugging on her bottom lip. “Oh please, you left me no choice. Asking me all those questions, finding me on the parapet. You decided to really fall in love the second I told you not to fall in love with me” Xaden teased her

[lightningweilded]

Violet knew that there would be questions, from both friends and enemies, about her and Xaden. Some she would answer honestly and some she’d let believe what they wanted whether it was true or not. But the fact that he was going to enjoy the game amused her and she laughed as she gazed down at him. This wasn’t an answer to all of their problems but it was the answer to a small one and that made her feel a little less hopeless.

“Or both,” she agreed before he pulled her in for a longer kiss in payback for her little bite on his lip. They never could seem to get enough of one another and that groan he gave sent a pleasant shiver through her at the sound. The way he tugged at her own lip earned him a soft moan from Violet. It was far too easy to want to just press herself against him and keep kissing him until they both needed more.

“Who knew the way to make you fall in love was asking questions?” She teased as she leaned in for another kiss and she found herself melting against him just a bit, giving in to her desire to be closer to him. “Honestly I think I might have already been lost by the time you told me that, if I’m being honest. You were the stubborn one who didn’t want to fall.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Everyone who even just remotely mattered to Xaden knew about Violet and him already or would soon find out that this was not just as casual as they would claim their relationship to be, no one else’s opinion mattering to Xaden anyway so he didn’t exactly care about all the gossip that people would soon come up with, him just hoping that Violet could deal with harsh words as well.

When hearing her quiet moan against his lips, Xaden couldn’t help but lightly grin in amusement as well, also needing quite a bit of self control to not just pull her into another, deeper, kiss again and pull her even closer than she already was.

“It wasn’t the questions, they started getting a little annoying to be honest” he said teasingly “but also kinda sweet how you started to care more about me” Xaden then added on so she wouldn’t feel like asking him questions would be something that would annoy him in the future. “Not wanting to fall for you doesn’t mean I wasn’t already in love with you as well, I was just too busy trying not to fall even harder” Xaden told her, his stubbornness partly being something he regretted now since that had only cost them precious time. Kissing her back the same way, he slowly let his hands roam all over her body again when feeling violet melt against him a little further, him knowing that if they wouldn’t stop with this within the next two or three minutes, they wouldn’t stop at all. At least not anytime soon. Something he was more than fine with.

[lightningweilded]

“Annoying, really?” She gave him a look as she sat there straddling his lap, kissing and adoring him. That word had no business coming into play, so she gave him another kiss that turned into a bite as she laughed. She was getting him back for his teasing because she knew he didn’t mean it, at least not that way. She’d driven him a little crazy trying to get behind the walls he put up and she could admit that. But he certainly didn’t hate it.

“You can’t escape it, Xaden. You claimed me as yours and now you have to deal with all of it, my annoying questions and everything.” For better or worse he’d chosen this and made it clear that he wasn’t going to give her up even when she’d tried to walk away. Violet would always be herself, she would always push him just as he pushed her, she would always be a little bit of a pain in his side, but she would love him and have his back and she hoped that it was worth it to him, that he got enough in exchange. “You said I’m yours, so I’m going to be yours. Good and bad.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and looked down at him with a grin because frankly she’d never be the easiest partner to have but neither was he so they’d make the best of that together.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Very annoying” he repeated himself, making it sound like he was completely serious about her questions having been annoying. Had it been a little strange sometimes for her to ask him private questions through their mental bond while he had been busy until her voice had popped up in her head? Surely sometimes but it had never actually annoyed him, not even when he had told her to stop asking him all those things all day long. “You are a tease” Xaden told her quietly as she kissed him again only to bite his lip again which made him pinch her side a little.

“I think I can handle your annoying questions and your terrible temper” the dark haired continued on teasing her, knowing exactly that nothing Violet could ever possibly do would make him pull away from her. The Sorrengail could break his heart and he’d still want her, Xaden hoping that they would not break each others heart though, knowing it would be incredibly awkward for them considering their mated dragon situation. “Violence there is nothing you could do for me to no longer want this. Which does not mean I want you to drive me insane though” he told her while looking into her eyes, hoping she’d not see this as some type of free pass to provoke him even though Xaden doubted that Violet would be the type of person to make him jealous or anything like that just to check his reaction.

[lightningweilded]

“Lies,” she countered with a grin as he teased her about being annoying. Oh she certainly could be when she wanted but she knew Xaden didn’t think that about her. Besides, by now they enjoyed talking to one another mind to kind through the bond with their dragons. It made things easier to connect, to share information, and to speak in a way no one else could overhear or even knew of. It was theirs and theirs alone. “Am I teasing you, Xaden? Hmm?” She grinned as she felt him pinch her side, settling her hips down on his a little firmer. She was perfectly willing to tease.

“Now the temper I’ll agree on,” she stated with a laugh. She could be a bit hotheaded at times, and she owned up to that much. His promise that he wasn’t going to be scared off by any stupid thing she might do or say though… that made her happy. She didn’t intend on abusing that power of course, it just made her feel good to know that he wasn’t looking for an excuse to run. “I’ll only drive you insane in the ways you like, I promise. The kind of ways that make you groan and curse and throw me in the bed.” She smirked as leaned in for a proper kiss this time, having fun teasing him exactly as he’d stated a moment before.

[ridessgaeyl]

Lightly he shook his head while trying not to grin as Violet defended herself from his teasing and playful insults “annoying” he said again but this told whispering it so quietly that he was basically just mouthing the word while looking into her eyes. Feeling Violet press her hips further against his, a quiet groan escaped Xadens lips, a part of him hating that she had that much power over him while another part absolutely loved it, him never having felt as attracted to anyone before as he did to Violet. Both physically and mentally. It just felt like they were meant for one another in some way. “You are playing a dangerous game” he whispered with a grin as he ever so slightly moved her hips on his to tease her a little as well as her body moved on his.

“And I’ll have to experience your temper for the rest of my life, I’m seriously starting to feel sorry for myself” Xaden joked, actually having to experience it for the rest of his life since her thoughts were connected to his unless she locked him out of her mind, Xaden therefore being the first one to know when Violet was about to lose her temper. Lightly he had laugh at her mention how she’d drive him insane “you are already driving me insane” he admitted quietly, partly hoping violet wouldn’t tease him too much once they were back at the war college or else he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t start making out with her in public. As she leaned in for a proper kiss, Xaden immediately kissed her back the same way as his hands rested on her waist, knowing that violet was doing this to tease him even further which definitely worked well.

[lightningweilded]

“Dangerous? Hardly. I know what I’m getting and I’m not worried about it,” Violet countered with a grin as he encouraged her teasing with his hands on her hips making them rock against his. He might be playing all tough and complaining about it but she knew perfectly ell that Xaden wanted her as much as she always wanted him. They knew one another too well now not to be able to make each other needy with a few glances, touches, and words. Ultimately, Xaden was all that she wanted and she didn’t really see any issue in teasing him until she could have him.

She laughed as he commented that he was stuck with het temper, only shaking her head and giving him an exasperated look. He was stuck with her as she was stuck with him and he;d just have to deal with the occasional moments where she got annoyed with the world around her. “Well I’m stuck with your brooding so I think we’re even. Now stop pointing out all the negative things about me, would you? It’s really messing up my seduction attempts.” She smirked before leaning back in for another kiss, this time not pulling away until they were both in need of a breath. She knew she wants the only one feeling the heat between them at the moment and they had all day together. They might as well do over their interrupted first night as a couple, while they had the luxury. Very soon this would all be a lot harder to manage so she wanted to take as much time for themselves right now as they could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

“You really are a tease, luckily I have a certain amount of self control” he immediately replies halfway joking as he still teasingly moved her hips against his own while pressing his lower body further up against Violets ever so slightly as he watched her reaction very closely, pretending like he wasn’t doing anything at all, acting all innocent.

Seeing the look Violet was giving him even though she had to laugh herself, Xaden lightly rolled his eyes before looking at her with slightly raised brows as he listened to her complaining about him as well. “Brooding?” He repeated her words with a slight frown as he pinched her hip a tiny bit in a teasing way before chuckling a tiny bit as Violet mentioned that him complaining was ruining her seduction attempts. “Then put more effort into your seduction attempts” the brunette teased her. The second Xaden felt her lips back on his, he immediately kissed her back, only for a second giving both of them the chance to take a breath before he immediately kissed her again, adjusting her on his lap a little before he used his hand on her hips to ever slightly rock her hips against his again, not yet taking a step further though in case Violet wanted to take their time with this now that they actually had the time.

[lightningweilded]

“Maybe I’m trying to get rid of that self control,” she countered, a teasing tone in her voice. She was certainly trying to test the limits of it, if the way she moved her hips against his was any indication. But the way he pressed himself closer to her, even if he was putting on a show of being unaffected, told her that patience and control was bending bit by bit.

“Don’t pretend you don’t brood, love. We all know you do. But if you need me to try a little harder I’m sure I can.” His challenger was met with her stubborn refusal to back down about anything. Surely he knew that, though. He complained about it often enough. For now though, she leaned in to press a trail of kisses along his jaw, and then down his neck, not rushing, simply trying to push his limits. She wanted him to fall into that needy, wanting state that they so often enjoyed, where they lost all control of themselves and saw only each other. His hands gripping her hips and rocking her against him earned him a groan from Violet as she repeated the motion, letting the need between them build up.

[ridessgaeyl]

Truth be told, Violet did a great job at making him falter when it came to his self control, the dark haired rider knowing that he had enough control to drag this out a little longer still but for sure not enough to control himself much longer if Violet would keep on moving like that on him even though Xaden was the one who had started to rock her hips against him. “Good luck” Xaden said nonetheless to tease her a little and seem more in control over himself than he actually was, his words and attempt to remain neutral not aligning with his physical reaction he couldn’t exactly control though.

“I sure as hell don’t brood” Xaden tried ti defend himself quietly before humming quietly as Violet leaned down to press some kisses to his jaw and from there on down to his neck which made Xaden tilt his head a tiny bit so she’d have enough room to do whatever she wanted. Moving his one hand from her hip up to her chest, the rider let his thumb brush over her nipple before just lightly massaging her breast, letting out a quiet groan as well as Violet kept on rocking her hips against him with the help of his one hand still resting on her hip and helping her move a little against him. “Vi…” was all he breathed out, being close to just flipping them over so he’d be on top again, Xaden enjoying the teasing but truthfully growing quite needy already

[lightningweilded]

“Oh, but you do. All the glaring and grumbling and intimidating presence on purpose. I get why, but you still do it.” Xaden, she now knew, had more than a few reasons to keep people away from himself. Being brooding and scary was an effective tactic. It kept most people from knowing anything about him but that. It also annoyed the hell out of Violet when he directed it at her, but she understood. Even if it made her want to kick him. He was a pain in her ass and would be for the rest of their lives probably, but one that she loved. It was complicated. But right now she could ignore the complications. Especially when he almost whispered her name like that.

“Yes?” She asked, all innocence and sweetness in a display they both knew wasn’t the whole truth of her. She she asked she rolled her hips against his once more and let her kisses to his neck turn into nibbles and playful bites. She was going to tempt him until his self control broke and she couldn’t hold back from having her. She wanted them both so blind with need for each other three didn’t think about all the rest of it that they needed to figure out between them. A little while where they felt like just Violet and Xaden again, loving one another.

[lightningweilded]

So many damned things had changed in the last several months, weeks, gods, days even. Every single thing that Violet Sorrengail knew to be true about her world and the people in it and even herself was thrown out a window and she still hadn’t recovered. It was a hard reality to accept.

Worst of it though was the lies. Even if a part of her understood why not everything had been put in the table while she was still close with Dain, the fact that the one person she trusted with her life, her well-being, and her heart had lied to her up until the last possible second stung her ego. Added to the betrayal of her best friend and the lie of her brother’s death and it was too damned much. She couldn’t even walk away, since Tairn and Sgaeyl were so closely bonded. Even if she tried to run from the knot of emotions that twisted in her gut whenever she so much as glanced at Xaden she’d just have to come right back. It was torture.

“Something new for them to teach riders, then?”

She chose not to engaged with Tairn’s teasing at the moment, flopping into the grass where her dragon would normally lounge. Must be out hunting, lucky bastard. Oh to be a dragon with no one to tell you what to do or where to be…

@ridessgaeyl

[lightningweilded]

ridessgaeyl​:

Going back and forth between Aretia, Basgiath and where ever his post would be would be exhausting but at this point, Xaden was used to secretly flying from place to place to help and support some people. He knew that everyone in Aretia would be in good hands thanks to a lot of help, including Brennan, and yet he’d use those few nights where he wouldn’t be working or making his way to the war college, to fly back to the place he considered home.

“Having a mender on your side is quite useful” he mumbled down to her with a smile, obviously referring to her brother who could build entire cities back up as if they would’ve never been destroyed. “We can come here anytime” Xaden replied at her words about wishing they could stay, knowing they couldn’t stay forever but perhaps the idea of one day coming back without having to leave again sounded as nice to her as it did to him, him hoping that Violet was aware that she could fly to Aretia even without Xaden, this now being a home for her as well. “How fit do you feel? Do you think you can fly back in about two days?” He asked her while pressing a few kisses to her neck before looking back into her eyes, knowing that theoretically Brennan had fully healed her and yet Xaden felt like she needed a few days of rest before she’d climb back onto Tairns back and fly all the way back to Basgiath. “If not we will stay a little longer or we will both fly on Sgaeyl… if she lets us”

“Ah yes, Brennan…” she realized a moment after he said it that of course her brother could have been rebuilding the city. He didn’t only mend bodies, after all. It just still felt unreal that he was alive, living here and caring for the people as he helps Xaden return it to a liveable state.

She smiled softly as he told her she was welcome to join him here, her heart full of love that he wanted her in his home. It was their secret now and she’d keep it with everything she had. “I’d like that… to come here with you once I can. Maybe they’ll post me somewhere not too far when I’m finished.” She hadn’t considered trying to sneak away to come here, feeling like that might put them at risk, but it was a promise of one day that she could hold on to.

“I can probably handle it in a few days. With the saddle, anyway. I’m more worried about explaining Andarna when we get back. And what we’re going to say about what happened to us… and they’re going to take your command away…” she frowned, though his kisses along her neck were keeping her distracted enough that the panic didn’t settle into her chest. “Though… I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you, but I know we have to…”

[ridessgaeyl]

"Without him this place would still very much be a ruin" he told her truthfully as Violet seemingly realized that her brother had been the one to at least mostly make this place look as good as new again, rebuilding Aretia to its former glory.

"You can come here without me as well, just be sure no one follows you" Xaden quickly let her know before humming quietly for a moment they will have to post us at the same place once you graduate or at least they'd be fucking stupid for not doing that" he pointed out, already knowing he'd go against the decision of not letting them work at the same place if that would be the case in two years time. If they'd even make it to that point without the rebellion fully starting, causing Violet to possibly having to leave Basgiath fully.

"Don't worry about explaining Andarna, they hardly know anything about gold feathertails" he told her quietly, figuring that by saying they didn't know anything either, they'd already be on the safe side. “I will handle that for us, I don't think anyone but Aetos knows what actually happened. I will come up with something, say we ran into Gryphons in Athebyne" he explained to her, that being the official plan so far and it not even being a lie since Gryphons had been involved but as their allies. "We will see what they do about it when we get back, just don't get involved, play clueless and try to trust me again" Xaden told her before pressing a kiss to her lips for a moment, obviously using all the kisses as a form of distraction to not let this conversation become very serious again, him purposely telling her to try and trust him, knowing that her trust wasn't something he could take for granted right now. “I want to stay as well, pretend like we all died" Xaden admitted, for the first time ever actually liking the thought of just staying out of everything if that meant he could spend every day like this with Violet, that not being possible though.“Trust me violence, I don't want you at Basgiath either but we don't have a choice" he whispered, his lips touching hers as he spoke, Xaden not being in the position to keep her and the others from Basgiath, not when the lives of 107 children were burdened on him, adding Violet to that list of people he had to take care of and protect it was now 108.

[lightningweilded]

"He's a good one, even if I'm still annoyed at him," Violet commented, but at least she'd downgraded from angry to annoyed. Brennan was doing the right thing, so she could forgive his lies. The same went for Xaden, clearly. After all, she was happily lying in bed with him without a single piece of clothing on and getting completely distracted by his kisses. They were good men, even if they sometimes had stupid methods.

When it came to Andarna, he had a point, but Violet's worry was that they'd realized that she was no longer a juvenile, and put it together that feathertails were juveniles. It worried her for all the others if riders started to think that they could simply overpower a hatchling and make it theirs. How long would it be before they found out about the way they shared power... "True, I suppose I can just keep telling them she doesn't give me answers... Lie to them that she grew larger because of something in their biology instead of that she's literally just not a child anymore." She wanted to protect her sweet girl most of all, and she'd find some way to throw people off the trail of the truth. Surely Tairn and Andarna would help her with that. She just couldn't let Dain ever touch her again and find out.

She rolled her eyes as he told her to play clueless about the mission. Frankly, that was silly since anyone who knew what they'd sent them to face would know what she'd seen and no doubt knew herself now. But she'd follow his lead on this like everything else and hope no one asked too many questions. "Fine, I'll trust you. But I still think it's better if we all have the same story in case they interrogate us or something." She didn't put that past any of them, after all. Besides, he was kissing her, and she could never seem to argue with him when he did that.

"Yeah, part of me wants that, too. Just pretend we all died in their stupid venin trap and never see them again until we're ready to burn them down... but I know we can do more, I can do more, if we keep building alliances." That was, apparently, something Violet was good at. She'd forged friendships with her entire squad almost, and it had gotten them through a lot. If she could keep that up... it might help them. She pressed a kiss to his lips this time when he admitted he didn't want her there either, and she knew he worried for her. "It's okay, I haven't died yet, I don't plant to tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that..."

[ridessgaeyl]

“He cares about you a lot, but both Brennan and I understand that you are mad at him” he told her quietly, truly understanding it. Violet had believed him to be dead for six years now, blaming his death like everyone else on Fen Riorson and therefore also indirectly on Xaden once she had met him. Xaden could still remember Violet and his conversation at the parapet when he had pointed out that her mother had killed his father and Violet had answered that they were even since his father had killed her brother. ‘Hardly’ xaden had answered, something Violet couldn’t understand then but surely understood now.

“Say Andarna doesn’t talk about it to you, they can’t do anything against that” he told her since Andarna couldn’t talk to anyone else as and as long as Violet wasn’t telling anyone anything about her Dragon who was no longer basically a baby now, no one could do anything about it. They could try of course but either Tairn or Sgaeyl would burn them down for trying, possibly even Andarna herself by now. “Keep telling them that she can’t transfer her powers onto you” he kept on telling her before relatively abruptly stopping with pressing a few more kisses onto her neck, hesitating to say anything though since they had just agreed to stop with the worrying and upsetting conversations. “Dain might know, he touched you, didn’t he?” Xaden pointed out, not at all accusing her to having done anything wrong, that being entire on Dain though but if he knew about Xaden flying to Athebyne for a ‘special mission’ when touching Violet a couple hours after Xaden had told her about it, he might as well know about Xaden, Violet, Andarnas, Sgaeyls and Tairns conversation about Andarnas ability to stop the time.

“Don’t roll your eyes, you’d be better off when pretending you have no clue what actually happened. If they know that you know about me trading weapons they will start mistrusting you as well. You will all say that I gave you the order to stay, pretend like we were surprised by Gryphon riders on our way to our actual task. If anyone who knows about the Venin asks, you will also say I gave you the order to stay and protect the people, pretend like you don’t know this was a trap and that Colonel Aetos tried to kill us” Xaden explained the plan to her as if this was the most normal thing ever, his tone about what he wanted her to say being completely calm as if him ‘betraying’ their loyalty wouldn’t potentially have consequences for him.

Xaden knew that she was very smart and loyal, him not having expected that she’d already think about the future though and how to make alliances they’d benefit from. “You are likable and people trust you” he pointed out while giving her a light smile, knowing that would be good for them, Violet having a different effect on people than Xaden, Garrick, Bodhi or Imogen had. “We need as many marked ones to survive and bond to a dragon” he added on, saying the obvious but it just really being important, not just because she wanted them to survive and because Xaden felt responsible for them but also because they relied on them and the dragons. “You better not, I won’t let you die anyway” he told her with a light smile, truthfully being worried he wouldn’t be there in time once something would happen to her.

[lightningweilded]

Violet was well aware that both Xaden and Brennan were choosing to weather her anger rather than pushing her and risking her not forgiving them. She could have let him off the hook but the small vindictive part of her was content to let them stew a while. If the two of them, Brennan had committed the worse crime against her but it was hard not to be relieved that he wasn’t dead after all.

She nodded as he agreed that she should just keep telling them Andarna wasn’t giving her much information. She figured it would continue to work for a while, until they started questioning why she had two dragons if one of them wasn’t giving her any benefits. But Andarna would come into her new power anytime now and they’d be able to lean on that, too, since it shouldn’t be any different from every other dragon now that she was grown. But the thought that Dain knew had crossed her mind more than once and she sighed as Xaden mentioned it, too.

“I’ve thought and thought about it the past few days. I don’t know how far he can see back. He’s always said it has to be recent memories, and I didn’t see him close after we found out, so I’m hoping her doesn’t know but I can’t be sure.” If he knew and had told his father or anyone else, Violet would strangle him herself. That was only if his dragon, or Tairn, or Sgaeyl didn’t get to him first. Even the most conventional of dragons wouldn’t stand for their young being threatened by humans and dragons certainly had the advantage. “If he told, I feel like his dragon would have warned them by now. None of them want their hatchlings at risk. Not even the ones bonded to the people who did this.”

She listened as he laid out the story he expected them all to tell and nodded slowly. It was as good a story as any if he wanted to put all the blame on himself, and he was right that there were probably limited people who knew what they’d been sent to do. She didn’t like him taking the whole burden in himself but it made sense. “Okay, that’s fair… as much as I don’t like you having to take all the blame.” She sighed heavily and leaned in to kiss him, because really all she could do for him was give him her love.

“We’ll survive. As many of us as I can keep alive. We’ll teach them like you taught us, and pray for luck.” That was all they could do, and the conversation just dragged her heart back down into the sad, almost hopeless worry that she’d been carrying. She didn’t want to go there or to think of how she couldn’t do what Xaden did but had to try. It was all so broken… she swallow hard, her eyes welling with tears. “Make me think of something else… please.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that Dain hadn’t touched her immediately after Violet had found out that it had been Andarnas doing to stop the time and safe her life from getting killed by Oren and some of the other unbonded cadets, Aetos couldn’t have touched her since Violet had been with him so the earliest she could’ve seen her best friend must have been some time later the next day, hours after she had found out aber it. Therefore there was a good chance that Dain had no clue about it but he also hadn’t touched Violet right after Xaden had told her about Athebyne and yet he had known about it through her memories. “And you trust him with that?” He asked with raised brows, not trusting a single word that came out of Aetos mouth, not even trusting that he had to touch someone’s face to use his powers. “I’ll keep an eye on him” he added on while looking at Violet, it not being Xaden directly who’d spy on him from now on but rather his shadows who could very much see and listen to things Xaden couldn’t since not being present in that moment. “I wouldn’t put my faith in Cath, I just know that neither Sgaeyl nor Tairn like him” Xaden pointed out about Dains dragon. “But if Cath knows something and didn’t warn them, I’m sure both Tairn and Sgaeyl will handle that with him directly” he added on, knowing the red swordtail wouldn’t survive a fight with either.

“I’m the Wing Leader, I have to take the blame” he told her and kissed her back, him truthfully also just blaming himself for what had happened anyway. Putting everyone’s lives at danger was his fault, Liam’s and Soleils death were his fault and therefore he without a doubt would take the full blame on himself and claim to be the only one who had actually ‘betrayed’ Basgiath with this.

“But mostly focus on yourself, let the others deal with training and teaching them something. I don’t want you to forget about yourself in all this” Xaden told her, just truly worrying about Violet. When hearing her ask him to make her think of something else, Xaden thought of something to say but really couldn’t think of anything positive or overly uplifting to say. “I could think of something to distract you with” he mumbled and pressed a few more kisses to her neck to make clear what he was referring to, not being sure if Violet wanted that right now, especially with still being mad at him.

[lightningweilded]

The whole situation with putting the hatchlings at risk had her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear it if, because of her, they were hunted and drained and killed for people like her mother and the Aetoses and Melgren… surely no dragon would let that happen…

“Tairn and Sgaeyl and probably all the others wouldn’t let anything happen to the little ones, I know that. I don’t trust Dain with anything, but I know that the whole reason the dragons even bother with us as riders is to protect those hatchlings in the Vale. If one of them betrayed them that way I don’t doubt for a second that they’d end them and any human it was shared with.” Tairn had practically told her as much when they first decided to explain the unorthodox nature of her bond to Andarna. She trusted him, if nothing else.

“He can’t have… if he did… I’d they die being drained of magic because of me…” she gasped in a few short breaths, trying to push down the panic. It was only the fact that Xaden had decided on distraction by kisses to help her that kept her from losing herself to it completely. She held on to him almost desperately as she made herself focus on the feeling of his lips on her skin instead of the fact that she might have doomed an entire race of beings just because she’d trusted Dain Aetos.

“Yes… distract me. I don’t care how. Becuase if you don’t I’m going to come undone, Xaden…” That was the only way she cold explain it to him. She was at the end of her rope, had pushed false hope and positivity as far as she could, and if she didn’t think of literally anything else she was going to be sick.

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that in theory all the dragons wanted their hatchlings protected from any potential harm which even made them bond to humans in the first place. Even though Andarna was, harshly phrased, not yet fit or good enough to bond to a human due to her size and age, other dragons such as Tairn and Sgaeyl chose to protect her, not having one negative thing to say about the little gold dragon that was now no longer that tiny. “Dragons don’t follow rules though, you’d think there are certain decisions every human would make as well but they don’t” Xaden told her quietly before realizing that he only made her panic even more, something he hadn’t at all intended to do.

“Nothing will happen to them, don’t panic Violence. Take deep breaths” he told her, touching her chin as he said that, knowing that he was making her panic by all this talk about what might go wrong, things just generally not looking that bright right now though. “Just tell me if you’re not in the mood” Xaden breathed against her lips as he kissed her properly for a moment before moving his lips from her lips down to her neck, collarbone and from there down to her chest where he stayed for a moment while his one hand moved down to her legs, making them spread more as he moved in between them, slowly moving his lips further down her body until his lips met her clit, distraction through being intimate apparently being their kind of thing even though it wasn’t a solution to anything.

[lightningweilded]

His gentle words comforted her a little as he tried to chase away the panic. He didn’t mean to make her worry and she knew that, but things were bleak for them. They were facing odds that were almost impossible and sometimes it was hard to ignore that fact. Right now she was struggling with it and the distraction he provided was needed. They wouldn’t have many more chances to indulge themselves like this, after all, and with everything they’d been through, they’d both earned a moment of peace.

“I promise I’ll tell you if I want you to stop, Xaden,” she agreed, knowing she wouldn’t be doing that any time soon. As if she was ever not in the mood for his touch. She always wanted him, even when’s he shouldn’t have. It was what had gotten her into this mess to begin with.

He kissed his way down her body and she sighed softly, her mind focusing in on the feeling of him instead of everything that could and was going wrong for them. This might have been a distraction, but it was a damned good one. Only Xaden mattered right now and when he reached her clit she gasped softly, burying a hand in his hair and stroking through the soft curls. “Gods… I always forget how good you feel…”

[ridessgaeyl]

Pretending to stay completely calm and unbothered was kind of Xadens thing, him truly having mastered to look like his mind wasn’t somewhere completely else or to pretend like he wasn’t panicking when things went wrong. He had to act calm and completely relaxed, having learned that skill the second 107 lives had become his responsibility. Emotional outbursts were incredibly rare and yet Violet had him begging, shouting, admitting feelings and worrying far more than once already. Now wasn’t the time to let her know that he was just as worried as she was, knowing that him panicking would just make her panic even more, distraction definitely being needed for both of them. Perhaps going from arguing to being intimate to arguing to worrying and back to being intimate within basically no time wasn’t exactly normal for others but when it came to Violet and Xaden it seemed to not be anything new or strange, especially considering that they usually had relatively little time for things like this and keeping in mind that they were about to get separated, cherishing the time they had now seemed appropriate.

As Violet assured him that she’d let him know if she wanted him to stop, Xaden just hummed quietly with his lips on her skin, already knowing that she wouldn’t tell him to stop, Violet not even having been able to do that when they had both still agreed that them making out was a terrible idea.

Looking up to her as she spoke and moved one hand into his dark hair, Xaden smirked a tiny bit while adjusting her legs a little so one would rest on his shoulder, giving him better access to her, before he moved one hand up to her breasts and the other moved from her thigh down to her entrance while his tongue stimulated her clit “you have no idea how much I love doing this” he told her through their bond

[lightningweilded]

Whether they were arguing or worrying or whatever else, once Xaden brought his full attention to her body, Violet was always lost to him. He was everything to her, even when she was upset with him, and she melted for his touch. From the second his lips were on her warm skin she shut off the world outside of them and let him take her to someplace better, happier…

“Mm… Xaden… gods damn me you’re too good at this…” she half whined out the words as he adjusted their position, her leg over his shoulder so he could have as much access to her needy body as possible. His smug grin told her he didn’t need to hear the praise, he knew exactly what he was doing to her and he was enjoying himself.

His words came through their bond, mind to mind, and she groaned softly at his admission. Somehow the fact that he liked this, loved it even, only made her more turned on for him. Her hips shifted almost desperately in his hood, greedy for more as his hands added to the pleasure he was bringing her and she cursed softly, replying through their bond just the same.

“You drive me out of my mind, Xaden… please don’t stop.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Perhaps talking things through and letting certain emotions happen was the way to go, communication being key after all which was for sure something they still had to work on. Her being angry with him and both of them being somewhat overwhelmed with the entire situation, was something they could still talk and think about somewhen else though. Xaden had tried to not let Violet get too close and attached to him, even having told her to not fall in love with him even though both of them had clearly already been in love. Letting things happen without trying to keep a certain distance between them would’ve probably been the better option, Xaden knowing exactly that he should’ve handled a lot of things very differently, being convinced that if he would’ve just let himself love Violet sooner, they would’ve be believed to be dead now, returning to Aretia for safety and for Brennan to heal Violet. He couldn’t change the past though, what he could do was let her know and convince her that he did actually love her, Xaden knowing that the second she’d be back in Basgiath there were people waiting who’d try and convince her that Xaden was only using her.

Xaden really didn’t need the praise, knowing that he was good at this and yet he of course didn’t mind to hear it out loud as well, it not exactly being bad for his ego either. “Are you going to tell me that every time?” He asked teasingly with his lips still on her skin, Violet praising him every time so far which he of course liked to hear as well. Feeling Violet push her hips further up, Xaden immediately looked up into her eyes in response to her telling him not to stop, which he didn’t plan on doing anyway, pushing his fingers into her while his tongue kept its rhythm on her clit and his free hand massaged her breasts to stimulate her as much as possible in that moment.

[lightningweilded]

“Would you rather I not?” She fired back, being a smart ass about it as she gave him a little grin. “I’ll have to come up with more inventive ways to tell you.” As long as he got the point, understood how much she wanted him, how he made her feel, they that was what mattered. He didn’t need telling, of course. It was simply what came out of her mouth when he was working his tongue so perfectly against her clit.

Since he teased her about it though, she simply let herself get lost in it, giving up on talking and just letting gasps and moans slip from her lips. Between his fingers thrusting into her and his hand on her breast and the relentless flicker of his tongue against her she was fast approaching her climax and she tugged at his hair a little as her hips hitched with each press of his tongue.

“Xaden… close…”

[ridessgaeyl]

“I’m not complaining about it” he immediately replied with a light smirk on his face as well, liking how Violet always immediately found some words to fire back at whatever he had said, her just always having something prepared as a sassy answer.

Gazing up to her when hearing her moans and quiet gasps while Violet slightly tugged his hair and moved her hips further up against him, Xaden once again quietly hummed against her, keeping on moving his finger in her, his other hand on her breast and his tongue keeping the rhythm to not accidentally throw her off, especially not now that she had said that she was getting close already. “She’s stunning. Absolutely stunning” he thought, meaning to keep his thoughts to himself but without success, accidentally sharing them with Violet, Xaden feeling like for the first time ever he was actually a fool in love and he wasn’t even complaining about it, surprisingly loving to be in love with Violet Sorrengail and for her to love him as well. There was something about her that had made him fall head over heels in love with her, something that had never happened before. Love didn’t necessarily fit into his time schedule or plans but for Violet he made an exception, somehow wishing he could blame it onto their dragons being mates but Xaden knowing exactly that he had been interested in her before Tairn had bonded her. Months before that even.

[lightningweilded]

“Good, since I’m not gonna stop.” She half laughed as her head tipped back and let him see how he was winding her up. She doubted there would ever be a time where she didn’t turn to putty in his hands and she didn’t really mind, at least not right now. It was Xaden, after all. Even when they were arguing he’d still want to protect and care for her.

The simple fact was that Xaden knew exactly what to do and how to do it to make Violet absolutely lose herself. Yes, because he was a talented lover, but more than that because she was head over heels in love with him. And even he was losing a grin on his self control, if the way his thoughts slipped out through their mental connection. She gave a shivered at that, though she didn’t point out to him that she’d heard, instead letting him hear her own mind instead. “Xaden… I love you. I love you…”

For better or worse she meant it. They’d figure out the rest together. Eventually. Certainly not right new. Right now she was losing a hold on her powers again as he built her close and closer to release. The bolts that arcs off of her were small, she hadn’t burnt anything down, but he was certainly driving her wild. A few moments later and her fingers in his hair were pulling as she let go, little streaks of lightning flickering across the room here and there, but none of them striking anything important, thankfully.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her say that she wasn’t going to stop, Xaden had to smirk a little once again, absolutely having expected that answer and also having hoped for it. Yet alone her light laugh was something that made Xaden feel something that others would describe as feeling butterflies in his stomach, the little tingle he felt reminding him that the way he was falling in love made him unusual soft and somewhat vulnerable but it also meaning everything to him to have Violet by his side, not wanting to change that for anything in the world. It didn’t matter that perhaps in two hours time Violet would go back to maybe rather being alone than spending time with Xaden, getting reminded that she was still disappointed and angry which might cause her to be a little distant, as long as she still loved him, he could deal with it and give her as much time to forgive him as she needed.

When hearing her voice in his head, telling him that she loved him, it was pretty obvious that he was smiling even though his mouth was very much busy and had no time to smile without accidentally changing the rhythm. “I love you too. More than you can imagine” he replied truthfully, knowing that loved her more than she could imagine, her mattering more to him than he could even express. Or at least he couldn’t express it out loud to Violet yet, Sgaeyl who constantly had to listen to his inner monologue could probably give Violet a whole ten minute speech about all the things he wanted to say but couldn’t say yet.

Xaden didn’t pull away from her until he could be sure that Violet had reached her climax, slowly removing his fingers again and letting his mouth move to her inner thigh, pressing a few kisses to both her inner thighs while keeping his eyes locked on Violet. “Does you not burning down mean you have more self control or was I not good enough this time?” He asked teasingly and quietly while slowly moving back up to have his face by hers again.

[lightningweilded]

For some reason, hearing him say he loved her back in the height of her release made something in her happy beyond reason. A flash of power lashed out and singed the top of his bedpost as she heard it, Violet doing her best to keep a handle on it even as he made her feel like she was drowning in pleasure. She was, at least, getting better at holding back.

When he finally pulled away and pressed kisses against her thighs she shivered, letting go of his hair as she realized she’d been gripping the whole time. She took several deep breaths and pushed her hand through her braid, sitting up enough to look at him.

“Want to give me more and find out?” She answered him with a laugh, reaching out to caress his cheek lightly. “I think I’m just getting better with control… or maybe my powers just aren’t as strong… I don’t know, test it and find out.” She couldn’t help tempting and teasing him, though she was keeping a tight hold on her powers because she didn’t want to destroy his home. He had so few places he could call his and she didn’t want to ruin it.

[ridessgaeyl]

For a second Xaden glanced up to his bedpost, trying to hold back a light chuckle over the fact that no matter how hard she was possibly trying to keep it together, she couldn’t control her powers fully. Truthfully he didn’t expect her to be able to have full control over them, not with them being a weapon and still new to her but it did amuse him how she sometimes struggled to use lighting the way she wanted to and yet she was able to cause a wildfire when having sex with him.

Staying in between her legs still as he moved back up to properly look at her, Xaden couldn’t hold back a smirk when hearing her response to what he had just asked her, his distraction method clearly working very well for both of them. “Very tempting” he admitted as she caressed his cheek, Xaden for a second glancing down to her body before looking back into her eyes “You are a tease, Sorrengail. Where were we at at Basgiath? Five? Should we top that now?” He asked quietly and looked from her eyes down to her lips, moving his hand to her waist to slightly move her on his bed so she’d properly lay back down again with him still in between her legs but not yet doing anything. “You don’t have to hold back, whatever you burn down or let explode, your brother can fix it” Xaden told her, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke, clearly not wanting her to hold back.

[lightningweilded]

“I think we were working on five when they interrupted us,” she countered with a smirk as she watched him make his way back up so that they could look at one another properly. “Genuinely the worst timing.” She could still recall how she’d been almost on edge when his best friends had come pounding on the door. Xaden’s expression had been fit for murder at the interruption.

He was enjoying teasing just as much, of course. Violet knew it from the grin on his face and the way his gaze lingered briefly on her body, and then her lips. They were both thoroughly distracted now. Honestly they could both use it. They’d been through enough lately that they deserved a little rest, a distraction, some happiness. She grinned as he called her a tease, leaning in to kiss him when he did too.

“Fine I’m a tease… but do you really want to tell my brother he has to undo my destruction from having sex with you?” A laugh came from her as she shook her head. Brennan would at the very least tease them to the ends of the earth. But it would be worth it, to fully let go, and to give Xaden the full response that he definitely wanted. “If you want to explain it to him, I’ll stop holding back.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“For the fucking war games…” he mumbled as Violet brought up how they hadn’t been able to finish and how it had been bad timing, horrible timing even, Xaden having been more than mad when hearing the annoying and unwelcome sound of knocking on his door, followed by the information that they were under attack. If they would’ve at least actually been under attack, he wouldn’t have complained about jumping out of bed and getting dressed within seconds to get to their dragons but when having gotten the information that this was all an exercise for something as unnecessary as the war games, Xaden had felt the strong desire to just cuss everyone out, walk over to Violet, lift her up and carry her right back to his room. Looking back he wished he would’ve just done that, it would’ve surely been a lot nicer than flying into a death trap.

As Violet asked if he really wanted to tell her brother that having sex with his sister had caused this, Xaden pulled a face while lightly shaking his head with a grin on his lips, clearly not being overly interested in explaining that too Brennan. Brennan surely knew about Violet and him by now but pointing out details would just make it a little strange. “you loosing control is hot” he admitted with a light shrug, clearly deeming it worth it as well, even if he had to tell Brennan why exactly he had to fix their mess. “In that case, I’ll gladly tell your brother that you have zero self control when having sex with me. That should be more awkward for you than for me anyway” he teased her before leaning in to kiss Violet again. “So don’t. hold. back.” Xaden mumbled against her lips and pushed his length into her without any prior warning.

[lightningweilded]

“Mmhm… assholes.” She grumbled along with him, just as annoyed to have had their first real night as a couple interrupted in such a way. Maybe they were getting a second chance now though. One that she should take full advantage of. It wasn’t really their first night as a couple anymore, but maybe it was their first night back together. At least, it felt that way and maybe she should let it be.

“So… you have one already, shouldn’t be too hard to catch up to that night, hm?” A playful grin lingered on her lips as he admitted he found her lack of control with him attractive. It was easy to lose control when it was Xaden kissing her, touching her, making love to her. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned in to drop a trail of kisses along his jaw with a soft sigh.

He commented that he’d tell her brother if it meant he got what he wanted and she laughed again, leaning in to kiss him. When they paused their kiss for him to demand her not holding back she had intended to make a smart ass remark back about the awkwardness of her bother knowing, but any thoughts left her mind entirely as Xaden pressed his hips to hers and sunk his full length in her. All that came out instead of words was a needy moan of his name.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Makes me want to stay here even more” he mumbled back, really liking the idea of not getting interrupted by anyone unless it was actually an emergency and not just because one of his friends or one of her friends felt like knowing on the door or because of the War Games. Their first night as a couple had ended somewhat tragic with hours of flying to Athebyne, getting into an argument, basically breaking up and almost getting killed. This night could only get better and hopefully end in them peacefully just falling asleep next to another, Xaden not planning on sneaking out of the room before she’d be awake again even if placing some Violets down in her room had been nice, waking up with Violet in his arm was surely nicer.

“Should be doable” he told her while trying to hide a smirk as he nodded a little, knowing that if someone would knock on their door anytime soon, he’d literally kill them for interrupting them again.

As they broke their kiss for a second, Xaden just knew from the look on her face that Violet had been about to make a smart ass remark back to him, only being able to moan out his name though once he pushed into her. Xaden didn’t hesitate long before immediately starting to move his hips into hers, surprisingly not thrusting into her half as roughly and desperate as he had started off last time. Not because he didn’t want to, surely getting a little rougher again in a few minutes time, but to let her know that he could do gentle as well, even far more gentle than right now if that was what she wanted. Whatever she wanted, he’d do it. He had made that pretty obvious already but Xaden clearly wanted her to know that her pleasure mattered a lot to him, also wanting her to know that she mattered to him, feeling like starting a little more gentle than last time would maybe get the message clear.

[lightningweilded]

“Always so cocky…” she remarked in reply but there wasn’t much actual fire behind her words. She was too busy enjoying the feeling of being with him again. Usually they were rushed in trying it please one another, stealing moments in the heat of things. Today though? They had all the time they could want right now. No one needed them for anything, there were no war games about to start, the city was currently safe and quiet and everyone had other things to keep them busy. They could take their time that alone was a luxury that Violet was grateful for.

Even Xaden seemed to feel that, for once not taking her body desperately until they both lost control in mere minutes. He was being gentle, tender and it was nice, really it was. She let her hands explore him, running over the broad planes on his back, trailing her fingertips over his hips. Her gaze held his as she took in everything, letting him see the love there as he hips rose and fell in time with his. It was lovely, but at the end of the day Violet was needy. They’d have time later to see how long they could draw out their pleasure by adoring one another.

“Xaden… more… please more,” she asked him in a soft moan as she arched her body under his as if she could get more friction from the action. She wasn’t bothering to keep her through a form him, letting his sense the waves of pleasure each thrust brought her and the repetition on her mind of how much she loved him. If he wanted her unleashed he would get all of her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“It’s not cocky when we both know I can make you finish at least five times within very little time” he pointed out, it definitely sounding cocky but also just being the truth after all. If they wouldn’t have been interrupted last time, the two of them would’ve probably continued their lovemaking for even longer, possibly until they were forced to leave his room or until at least one of them would’ve been exhausted to the point where sleeping and resting was the only option left. Now they were in no rush, they could take their time, try and forget about everyone and everything else for at least a moment and cherish what they’d soon no longer have. Unlimited time together. Time for sure being limited once he’d graduate and Violet would stay at Basgiath for two more years.

As Violets hand started to move all over his body, Xadens free hand that he didn’t have to use to push himself up over her, started to explore her body as well even though he had already done that a couple times before, letting his fingers trace over her thigh and from there up her stomach and over her hips and waist while he let out a quiet gasp when moving in her. Hearing her request for more, Xaden used the chance and moved his hand underneath her arched back to keep her pushed up a little which allowed him to thrust deeper into her, something he immediately did before Violet had to say another word, his thrusts immediately getting rougher and harder, desperate like they been in Basgiath. “Not a gentle vanilla girl?” He moaned out teasingly while pushing into her, starting to kiss her neck and leave a few subtle marks on her skin there, purposely keeping it subtle so she could hide them rather easily from others.

[lightningweilded]

“Still cocky, but I love you that way,” she answered half breathlessly. She wouldn’t pretend he wasn’t a pain in the ass who knew he was too attractive for his own good, but she loved him the way he was. Besides, he had good reason to be confident. He was attractive, he was damned good in bed, he was talented and smart and a damned good fighter. Gods she loved him. All that slipped through her mental bond to him, too, nothing hidden right now.

His touch explored her body the same way hers did to his, leaving Violet shivering pleasantly in the wake of his touch. When his hand slipped under her back to keep her hips raised she let out a sharped moan and the crackle of lightning danced across her skin for a moment now that she wasn’t holding back. Apparently he took her request and decided not to hold back either, since he started to move harder, rougher, that was almost desperate way that Violet loved.

“Though you knew that already, considering all the ways you’ve had me…” she quipped back, trailing off as he marked her neck, her nails raking down his back lightly. Definitely not vanilla. If she had her way he’d drive her crazy like this all the time. “Better, Xaden… yes! More, please…” she was not above begging and he did so love when she did.

[ridessgaeyl]

When being able to basically hear her thoughts about him, thoughts about how much she loved him, how he was an attractive pain in the ass, good in bed, talented, smart and a good fighter, Xaden did his best to not chuckle, knowing Violet let him hear all that through her bond on purpose or rather she wasn’t trying to keep this from, letting him know her thought process. When she was letting loose on whatever was on her mind, Xaden decided to do the same, knowing exactly that the only thing on his mind right now was Violet anyway so she might as well also hear how highly he thought of her. Xaden truthfully knew that he wasn’t exactly ugly, for sure not terrible in bed and being well aware that he was one of the best fighters and most powerful riders that were currently at Basgiath, him even being one of the best riders out there when graduating. Until Violet had shown up with Tairn after threshing he had even been the strongest rider of their generation, Xaden not at all minding to pass that ‘title’ to Violet though, not when he knew that no one could live up to Violet and him with Tairn, Sgaeyl and Andarna as a team.

When feeling Violets hands continue on moving all over his body, a shiver came over him as well, letting her trace her fingers down his back that was almost fully covered by the relic Sgaeyl had left on him after threshing and the total of 107 silver looking scars. His hand underneath her back was gentle while his thrusts into her were quite hard as his lips moved over her neck.

“I was thinking you might be a switch when it comes to that, apparently not” he quickly replied in a teasing way, hoping she’d even understand him with his words muffled as his lips were still on her neck. Hearing her beg for more, Xaden moved his one hand to adjust her legs and therefore her overall position a tiny bit, moving her so he could thrust as deep into her as possible while going even rougher and harder than before, leaning his head down just enough so his tongue could move over her breasts. Since neither of them planned on holding back, Xaden figured he wouldn’t even have to tell Brennan what had caused the destruction, chances being high that he heard them already.

[lightningweilded]

“Gentle is fine now and then, but right now… I want it all,” violet managed to get out before he shifted the position of their bodies and a the sound she made as he pushed into her again and brought his mouth to her breast was just short of a scream. He wanted her to let go of her control on herself and her powers and he got it now, the action making a bolt of lightning arc across the room and take out a sizable chunk of the dresser corner. When he was gentle with her she adored it but it didn’t make her lose herself this way, she could keep control then, take him in without drowning in it, but when he wanted her weak for him this was what she needed.

“Yes, fuck, perfect, perfect, right there…” The string of encouragements and curses that came from her mind to his was probably not even intentional. When he’d angled her just right any control she’d been holding onto slipped and she was rapidly approaching her release now. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to warn him, though he probably didn’t need it from the way her thoughts were running around both their heads, making it clear that he’d found exactly the angle and intensity that she craved.

Somewhere in the depths of her kind she knew that everyone in the keep would know what they’d been doing. They couldn’t possibly miss the bolts of lightning that struck both inside and out, scorching the grass in the field and his furniture. The next one broke the door clean off his armoire and she couldn’t find it in her to feel back, because she was too close to bliss. Every thought thrust of his hips and another crack of lightning followed, until a few moments later she was shouting out his name as release found her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“I know exactly why I call you violence” he mumbled against her skin, Violet really being surprisingly fierce and not half as gentle as you’d expect from someone her height and who looked as frail and gentle as she looked. A part of him had at first even been worried that he’d hurt her just because he was accidentally too rough with her, having seen the way Imogen had almost ripped her arm out with ease. Clearly he wasn’t hurting her though or she wouldn’t be begging for more. “Gentle later” Xaden agreed with her before his brows furrowed for a moment as lighting took out a chunk of his dresser, him loving to make her lose control like that.

Being able to hear all her thoughts as if they were his own just in her voice was also something he could get used to, especially with her constant praising and words of encouragement which caused Xaden to stay in that position since she visibly and audibly liked it. “never hold back again in the future” he passively let her know while continuing on thrusting into Violet rather hard, pushing into her as much as he could with each thrust of his hips against hers. Keeping his lips on her breasts for a moment he very slowly pulled away again to be able to look into her face, wanting to watch her for just a moment while keeping on moving, moans and pants leaving his lips as well as he moaned out her name a few times as well, watching her closely as she found her release around the same time as him, a crack of lightning and her screaming his name out filing the room. “After this I don’t think I need to tell anyone the reason for the lighting” he teased against her lips as he kissed her passionately while panting lightly.

[lightningweilded]

“Never, promise… so good! Can’t last…” Mental words were all Violet could manage as he pushed her over the edge though he still somehow had the stamina not to join her yet. She wondered how he managed it. It took him so little effort to make her come but he had self control she could only envy. But he wasn’t immune to the sight of her coming undone for him and when she finally lost all control he joined her, the most stunning thing she’d ever seen when he called her name and let go. If the shadows inthe corners of the room were a bit heavier tan usual, she could only be proud of herself.

“Tougher than I look,” Violet stated in reply to him comment about he he called her Violence, half panting as she tried to recover from the incredible feeling of him bringing her the release she needed. She loved his silly nickname for her now, even though she’d scolded him for it when he first came up with it. In the heat of it all she hadn’t been able to answer but now that she was coming down and indulging in kisses and affection with him she was able to mange words of some sort. She glanced around to look at the shattered door of his wardrobe and the scorch-marked desk with a slight blush on her cheeks. “I guess you don’t… I’m sure they’ll all give us looks for it though.” She wasn’t in a rush to face the teasing of his loved ones and a handful of people she considered friends now, never mind Brennan. They could just stay here for a while and ignore all that.

[ridessgaeyl]

Realizing that she wasn’t even able to think in proper sentences anymore, putting two fitting words together already seeming like a struggle, Xaden once again tried to hold back a grin about how much power he had over her. Xaden himself felt his self control falling apart immensely, something that would’ve happened even if he would try to stay in control simply because of the impact Violet had on him and yet in comparison he seemed to have a lot more control than she did. Probably only on the outside though, having better control over his expressions and also over his powers due to the fact that he had them longer than violet, that not meaning that the shadows in the corner of his room weren’t seeming more vivid than they should be right now. In reply Xaden decided to only let out a quiet hum that turned into a moan, liking the thought of Violet never really holding back, not here and not in Basgiath, him not even minding it anyone or even everyone would hear them, that at least making it clear that she was his and that he was hers.

“A lot tougher” he replied, absolutely meaning it as a compliment while he as well tried to catch his breath again, breathing quite heavily with his heard pounding fast in his chest and yet he looked a lot calmer and in control than he actually was. It either being because he was used to looking and acting rather calm or perhaps it was genetics. Seeing Violet glance around his room for a moment, Xaden kept his eyes on her before once again humming quietly “you were tamer than last time... with the lighting at least, I’m pretty sure you were louder than last time though” he pointed out as he slowly pulled out of her again but remained in between her legs to look down at her, his body still incredibly close to hers

[lightningweilded]

She honestly gave a whine as he pulled out of her, hating the feeling of disconnecting from him in any way. If she was honest with herself, she’d gotten so used to having him near her in every way, mental, physically, intimately, that it felt like something was missing whenever they were apart. She’d have to get used to it though, considering that they were going to be spending quite a lot of time apart soon, whether she liked it or not. She leaned up to kiss him, first gently on his lips, and then a trail of soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She simply wanted the connection of intimacy with him, no matter what they were doing.

“Yeah… it might be because I can’t help worrying about ruining something in here that matters to you, or it might be because taken has kind of been limiting how much power I’m allowed to have ever since.. you know.” She knew that the big black dragon wasn’t giving her full access until she was healed completely. Though Brennan had put her back together physically, she was still not at her full strength and she suspected Tairn was still a bit cross at her for almost burning out on him. But she’d told him she wouldn’t and she didn’t. It was the damn poisoned blade that had taken her out, not the power he’d channeled to her. He’d get over it in time, she was sure of it. But right now she figured he was holding back so she didn’t do something stupid and hurt herself with the pathways he’d blown wide open that day.

“Even if he let me have all of it, I’d still feel bad if I destroyed your room. I know you said it’s not that important but… this is your home, Xaden. It matters.” Even without the full access to the massive amount of power Tairn could give her, she could have smashed the whole place apart. She could have taken out a wall! He didn’t deserve to have the sanctuary of his home destroyed, even by her when she was enjoying herself. She was trying to care for him, in her little, ridiculous way.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her whine as he pulled out, Xaden raised a brow in amusement as he looked down into her eyes “I know, I know” knowing how she felt and how it made her feel somewhat empty for a moment. He wasn’t pulling away though, remaining between her legs, leaning over her, looking down to her and part of his body still touching hers as they both tried to catch a breath still while having a somewhat normal conversation. Kissing her back, Xaden closed his eyes again when feeling Violet kiss her way down to his jawline and from there down her neck while his one hand slowly moved up and down her waist, clearly also not wanting to lose that intimate connection anytime soon.

“Everything is replaced” he told her again before immediately opening his mouth again to add something onto what she had said about Tairn not giving her that much access to her power or rather their power. “As he should, I would argue he shouldn’t give you any of it yet” Xaden mumbled but knew Violet needed at least a smidge or else she wouldn’t just complain nonstop but also not improve her abilities in the slightest, a little power therefore probably being better than no power. “Use the little he lets you have access to but don’t ask for more. You can’t know that but it wasn’t fun to hear Tairn worry about you all day long when I worried myself to death already as well. Even Sgaeyl was worried” he added on, clearly having been scared that she’d die and still being scared she might actually burn out in the future.

“You worry too much. I watched this entire place get destroyed beyond recognition six years ago, I’ll be just fine if my girlfriend destroys it by enjoying herself a little too much” Xaden said in a cocky way, partly to disguise how he was actually feeling about Aretia. Yes, this had been his home and he still considered it such but Aretia had been a lot more than just the buildings and the landscapes. Aretia had fallen and the people who had made this his home had been executed. Not even Brennan who had helped rebuild everything back up to the way it used to look could make this the home it had once been.

[lightningweilded]

It was the first time that he’d said just how worried he and Tairn had both been on that day of the war games. Violet had known they’d worried, had caught parts of the two of them arguing over getting her to safety and apparently Tairn threatening Xaden’s life if he didn’t save her, but neither of them had really addressed it with her directly and she felt a little pant of guilt at how badly she’d worried them both. It had to be done though, there hadn’t been any other way for her to keep all of the enemies busy long enough to end it. No different from the way Xaden had stood alone with a wall of shadows to shield them until she’d asked him to drop them. She gave a soft sigh and reached up to caress his cheek.

“I told Tairn I wouldn’t burn out and I didn’t. You both worried about that but it was the knife in my side that almost killed me, not the power.” They still didn’t even know exactly what kind of poison had been on that blade, but it had drained her in some way, of life and magic. Thankfully Brennan had been able to undo it, as far as anyone could tell. “Aren’t you the one always telling me I’m better than I think and to stop limiting myself? What good would having no power at all do me?”

She softened a little at the way he’d said even Sgaeyl had worried, though she wasn’t entirely sure the vicious blue liked her much, that she’d cared at all was some kind of progress. She sighed and conceded, not wanting to argue with him about her power. Not when they were having a good afternoon and he’d just called her his girlfriend.

“Maybe to do worry too much, but my mother took this away from you. I don’t want to damage it too…” the unspoken part was easy to pick up in her mind. ‘I don’t want to be like her, taking things from good people who don’t deserve that.’ Violet didn’t quite have it in her to say that out loud though. “Especially your bedroom. There are things in here that are yours, fine furniture can be replaced, but what if I burnt something from your childhood or something?”

[ridessgaeyl]

Tairns and Xadens relationship was a constant up and down, while they seemingly tolerated one another and had worked together countless hours already, neither of them could or wanted to stop with the constant bickering and criticizing, Tairns smart comments having been quite hard though when Violet hadn’t yet woken back up. Allowing three dragons in his bedroom would’ve been rather difficult, yet alone space wise so Tairn had constantly dropped comments and threats through his bond with Xaden why Sgaeyl had to listen to all of her riders worries, something that would’ve surely made her want to kill him under different circumstances and yet she had at least attempted to comfort Xaden. Something he knew to not take for granted, not when it came to Sgaeyl. “It doesn’t matter if it was the knife or the amount of power you used, both could’ve killed you. You used too much of it and I know you had no choice but it could’ve killed you” he pointed out, still vividly remember how he had seen her fall from Tairn only a few days ago, completely unconscious and already halfway dead. Lightly he nodded as she mentioned that he was the one who usually told her not to limit herself which was true “yeah and like I said, use whatever power you have right now-“ Xaden said and let his eyes move to the furniture she had damaged, proof that she was using her powers even without having proper control of them, it still being practice after all “-but don’t reach for more until you feel like it won’t weaken you” he finished his sentence.

“Well it wasn’t just your mother and you are not her.” He quickly said before moving one hand up to her cheek when hearing the words she rather shared through her mind instead of saying them out loud. “You are not your mother, you are not taking anything from anyone” Xaden assured her with a light nod, his tone serious but still soft. “Everything that truly matters is in my memories anyway” he told her quietly, memories being the one thing no one could take from him no matter what. Before speaking again, he made a gesture over to his desk and the object, a book, he had moved to the side earlier. “Those are some pictures and letters, as long as you don’t burn them down, I don’t care about anything else in this room” Xaden admitted, deciding to open up quite a bit today, knowing he had to and it just feeling right.

[lightningweilded]

The last thing Violet wanted right now was for them to end up arguing again, even though the stubborn part of her was annoyed that they thought she was going to hurt herself again. It had been a desperate situation, and she'd done what was needed, but it wasn't something she intended to do regularly. "I will, I will, but you have to trust me to know my limit, alright? I'm not going to collapse the first time I use it." She shook her head, giving him a look before kissing his cheek. "Thank you for caring enough to worry so much, but I'm healing, and I'll be fine. I'm not planning on dying, remember?"

She gave a sigh as he reminded her that she wasn't her mother. Of course, she wasn't but she'd already thrown enough anger at him for what she'd blamed on his father and in the end it was all her own family that was doing horrible, maybe even evil, things. She felt bad for all of it, even if she hadn't known.

"Still... she's the one who gave orders, including the one to force you all into service. She could have stood up for the right thing, but she chose to put you and 107 other people through hell... You don't deserve to lose more because of her blood." Violet's gaze drifted away from him, almost ashamed at the fact that she'd been raised to think and act that same way, to think of him and all of the children he tried to protect as monsters and treat them accordingly. Now she had to help him protect them, and this place, all of it. She looked at the book he pointed out and nodded, using a little of the channel power for lower magic to lift it and move it under the bed they were in, for now. It was the most likely place to shield it if he really wanted her to give in fully. "At least under there, the worst that'll happen to it is the bed falls in on top of it. Maybe later you can show me some of it?"

[ridessgaeyl]

Just from the look on her face Xaden could tell that him telling her to be careful with using her powers or rather the amount of power, this could cause an argument. Something they didn’t need and surely neither of them wanted either. “I do tryst you. Use them, keep training, do what you think is right but know your current limits, we both know that you are still weakened. Push the limits if you must but don’t push too much” Xaden told her so she’d hopefully understand that unlike Dain, he wasn’t trying to tell her what to do or not to do, Xaden even wanting her to use what she had to use, just being worried that she might not actually know her limits yet. “You better not, else I’ll be the first person to know” he told her, forcing himself to smile a little even though this wasn’t really a topic that made him feel like smiling.

Letting out a sigh as well, Xaden could hardly believe it himself but he would for once actually choose to say something sort of kind about Lilith Sorrengail, not because he felt like defending anything she had done, quite the opposite even, but because that cold woman was still Violets mother so mentioning the one ‘nice’ thing General Sorrengail had done seemed appropriate. “She was also the one who didn’t want any of us to watch our parents get executed. And she was the one who had the idea with the rebellion relics, surely they weren’t meant to help us in any way but at least they keep Melgren from seeing what will happen” Xaden told her, not being sure if Violet had been aware of that. She had already figured out that moving in bigger groups than allowed kept Melgren from seeing their future but Xaden wasn’t sure if the relics and her mother voting for them not to see their families execution was common knowledge for everyone. Or perhaps only for those who had been present at the executions anyway and who had heard certain conversations. “And don’t forget that you are going through the same hell right now” he added on in a softer tone since she as well, had been forced into the riders quadrant, in some way also having lost her parents even with her mom still alive and her now abruptly learning that those she had believed to be the bad people, were seemingly good and those she had trusted could no longer be trusted. Violets world came crashing down as well.

Watching her use magic to move the book, Xaden had to smirk a little with raised brows when realizing that she was moving it underneath his bed, reasoning that it would be safest there which was somewhat logical actually. For a moment he stayed quiet as she asked to see the book later, it seeming like he was hesitant to answer before Xaden nodded a little “if you want to, of course” he decided to reply though, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

[lightningweilded]

“I know, and I’ll be careful, alright? I can’t just give up because we had a bad mission. We weren’t even meant to survive it so it makes sense that it took something drastic…” Violet sighed and shifted a bit in the bed, feeling their conversation tipping into that realm of seriousness and disagreement and she didn’t want it. This whole thing was meant to distract them and they were back to harping on the damned war games and that led her back to her own failures. Xaden and Tairn didn’t want her burning out, but maybe if she’d tired harder, figured that out faster and been able to pour out every ounce of power she had then they wouldn’t have let people die.

At least his comment about being the first to know if she got herself killed was enough dark humor to make her half laugh about it. She didn’t plan on going down so easily. Every day since Parapet had been a mantra of “I’m not going to die today” and she intended to carry on not dying.

As he mentioned her mother being the one to shield them from the executions of their parents she raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear it. Oh sure, she’d heard the official story, but once she’d learned about Xaden’s deal with her mother she had assumed sparing them from the executions was part of it. Besides, Liam had still been forced to watch his fathers, how many others had been the same?

“Honestly, I assumed she was lying about that. Or that you negotiated it. Liam told me he still had to watch his father be executed and… I assume he’s not the only one.” It didn’t soften her to her mother one bit. Whatever love and drive to make her mother proud she’d had once was pushed so far down now that she hardly felt any connection at all to Lilith Sorrengail. “Though I’ll grant you that the relics keeping things secret is a blessing they didn’t see coming.”

Violet had spent so long pushing through the things happening in her life that she hadn’t really considered that she was in the same position as the children of the rebellion. Well… she wasn’t likely to be killed on sight if she’d refused to become a rider but otherwise, mostly the same. As he pointed it out, she shrugged, simply stating “I’m where I’m supposed to be,” And moving on as quickly as she could. She didn’t need tot honk about her own sorrows, too. She couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep going. So she focused instead on his hesitant agreement to share the book with her.

“Well… I want to know what you value enough to keep, so… yes. If you’ll let me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden also hadn’t expected them to survive this, so loosing only two people was actually pretty good and impressive, it not making him feel any better about Liam and Soleils death and Violet almost dying though. Also feeling this conversation get somewhat serious and upsetting again, Xaden nodded a little before pressing a kiss to her lips “okay. I just don’t like to see you hurt” was all he decided to say since that statement definitely wasn’t debatable. Hearing her laugh about his joke that he’d be the first to know if she was dying, Xaden had to laugh a little in response as well, shaking his head a tiny bit as he did so. Thinking about it, what had happened in the past couple of months was quite literally just crazy, him having expected a lot of things to happen in his last year at Basgiath but falling in love with Violet Sorrengail, their lives bonded to another through their dragons and her laying in his bed in Aretia had not been something he had expected to happen.

“Well like I said she was the only one who said we shouldn’t have to watch that” he explained with a light shrug before continuing on talking “the younger ones got to leave and everyone old enough to handle it had to stay” Xaden added on, ‘handle it’ being very much an unfitting term since no one, no matter what age, could simply stand there and handle seeing their family getting executed. No matter if you were seventeen or fourteen. Quietly he hummed as she mentioned that at least the relics were partly blessing then, apart from the fact that everyone who had an rebellion relic got treated horribly. “Every dragon made relic comes with some form of magic, so thank you Melgren, for not just making my arm look a lot nicer but also allow me to hide things from you” he joked in an attempt to lighten up the mood again, Xadens relic really being hard to miss since it was by far the biggest, one that was still visible even when covering up his entire arm.

When hearing Violet say that she was where she was supposed to be, Xaden had to smile a little again, letting his thumb brush over her cheek “you are” he simply agreed with her, knowing she wanted to move on from that topic. “Then get prepared for awkward childhood pictures of me” he whispered at Violets words that she wanted to see what he seemed to value enough to keep it. Skillfully Xaden moved the two of them so Violet was now on top, allowing her to do whatever she wanted to do right now, whether that was to continue their conversation, focus back on intimacy or even reach underneath his bed to grab the book of she felt like it.

[lightningweilded]

Xaden at least managed to joke with her a bit and that helped ease the edge of tension that they’d been dancing around for most of the conversation about her use of power. She couldn’t and wouldn’t stop sing it because of one deadly fight, that just wasn’t possible for them. She was a weapon and they’d need that, and so would she if she wanted to survive because people weren’t going to stop trying to kill her just because she made it to her second year.

As for her mother, she appreciated what he was trying to do. He didn’t want to defend the woman who had caused him and all of his friends pain beyond measure, but he didn’t want Violet to think herself a monster either and this was his way of helping. It warmed her heart just to see him try. She traced her fingers lightly over the relic on his arm and then across the scars on his back that marked the lived he carried responsibility for and she wondered if they’d been carved into him with the same kind of blade that had left her silvery scar. They looked so alike… and considering who’d done the damage to him…

“Oh yes, the most important thing, looking like you have a full arm tattoo,” she teased back, laughing as he rolled them over so that she sat straddling his hips now, able to look down at him with a smirk. She was happily enjoying the view. “And baby portraits of you sounds adorable. You’re really only making me want to look even more.” With the grin still on her lips she bent to kiss him, settling into it for a few long moments and simply enjoying the feeling. She was not in any hurry to move on from their one little chance at the evening they’d deserved so she was going to stay right here in his lap and take as much as she could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

Feeling her fingers trace over the relic on his arm, Xaden gazed to her hand for a moment before looking back down into her eyes, raising his brows as she teased back about it looking like he had his full arm tattooed. “Don’t tell me you don’t like it” he kept on joking in a dramatic way. “The entire arm does look better than a small relic though” Xaden pointed out, being used to having the biggest relic that even moved up to right where his neck started, there being other children of the rebels who had far smaller relics on them.

The second he made her move on top and straddling his lap, Xaden moved his hands to her waist, letting his eyes move up and down her body for a moment before he looked back into her eyes, clearly enjoying what he was seeing as well. “Want to check if I have always been that handsome? Check anytime you feel like it” he offered teasingly since Violet had called him good looking through their bond earlier. Feeling her lips on his, Xaden immediately kissed her back, moving one hand from her waist up her arm and towards her face while shifting just enough to sit up a tiny bit more with him still starling her so Violet wouldn’t have to lean down that much, him letting out a quiet hum against her lips.

[lightningweilded]

“I don’t like what it means, but I’ll grant you that you look good,” Violet countered with a laugh as he continued to joke about his relic. She so rarely got to see Xaden laugh or smile so it felt like a treat to be joking with him about something like this. Maybe it was just that it took some of the weight of guilt off of her shoulders, but whatever the reason, she was grateful for it. It allowed them a minute just to be people, two people in love with each other, not riders, not children of enemies, just Violet and Xaden laughing about his exaggerated vanity. “If anyone can wear their entire arm and shoulder marked, it’s you. And Sgaeyl’s relic is even bigger somehow.” She laughed a little thinking of the massive nay dragon that took up his entire back. Clearly his dragon wouldn’t be outdone by anyone. She was going to lay the biggest claim on him and make sure everyone else knew it.

She glanced at his large hands on her waist, always a little amused by the sheer difference in size between them. Violet had never really grown tall or strong, and Xaden wasn’t anywhere near small or delicate. They always seemed to be opposites, in size, in personality, even in coloring where Violet was awkwardly pale with silver hair and faded eyes, and Xaden was all warm tan and night dark hair and eyes. But he was handsome and she shrugged as he teased her before kissing her back, a pleasant shiver running down her spine at the content hum he gave. “Yep, that’s definitely the reason. Not because I’m curious about baby Xaden.”

For a moment again she wished they could stay here, like this. Tell the world they had died in that battle and lie happily in Aretia, sharing their bed every night, making jokes about stupid things. It felt like the life they should have had, but there wasn’t any changing they life they did have. She’d just take what time they had and hold on to it, knowing they might never have this again. “I do love you, Xaden Riorson. More than I ever thought I could.”

[ridessgaeyl]

The rebellion relic wasn’t going anywhere so truth be told, Xaden was actually glad that it didn’t look bad on him, just adding to his looks and somehow making him look a little more threatening even, probably because everyone knew who he was thanks to it. Disadvantage and advantage at the same time, Xaden being everything but ashamed to be Fen Riorsons son though. “Thank the gods because I doubt it’s going anywhere” he said quietly with a light grin, actually for once letting his guard almost completely down and allowing himself to joke around with her. If not now, when then? If not in Aretia, then where else? Violet was still angry at him, overwhelmed with the situation and needed distraction. If he could give her that distraction and make her smile and laugh for at least a moment, letting down his guards and smiling and laughing as well was definitely worth it even though he’d for sure go back to rarely laughing once they were back in Basgiath. Something he hoped Violet knew, that just not being a place where he could act like this, not unless he could be sure it was just Violet and him. “The one Tairn and Andarna gave you isn’t exactly small either” he pointed out since it really wasn’t small but for sure also not as big as the one Sgaeyl had given him, covering his entire back.

Look wise, the two of them were really polar opposite’s, generally an unlikely couple and yet alone because of their families for sure also one that shouldn’t even exist and yet they had fallen in love, Xaden not ever not wanting to have Violet around him again, her being far to important to him now. He hadn’t told her that, also not knowing how to explain it but when he hadn’t yet been sure if she’d survive the poison on the blade and all the power she had used, he had felt incredibly hollow, as if something was missing. “If you have any, you have to show me pictures of yourself as a child as well then though” Xaden pointed out with a light smile.

When hearing her say that she really loved him, Xaden immediately sat up a tiny bit more, fully wrapping his one arm her waist to hold her even closer. “And I love you, Violet Sorrengail. A lot more than I ever intended to do and thought I could” he told her as well since he had really tried not to fall in love with her and to pretend like he hadn’t already fallen for her once he knew he had

[lightningweilded]

His comment about his relic not going anywhere was enough to get another laugh out of her. It was a horrible thing that had been done to him and the others but apparently it had two advantages; hiding them from General Melgren, and making him look more sexy and intimidating. For some reason that amused her and she pressed a kiss to his cheek as she giggled about it. The chances for them to be open and playful like this were few, and far, far between, so violet was making the most of it while she could. They’d have to go back to Basgiath soon and put up their walls, but right now this comforted something unsettled in her. They wouldn’t couldn’t be falling apart if Xaden was there with her, smiling, laughing even.

“True, Tairn did beautiful work, but it’s not as huge as yours. I think the lady Sgaeyl just wants everyone to know you’re a force to be feared and so is she. Which, really, is fair.” She sometimes wondered about the bond between them. His dragons was intimidating and hard to read but she seemed to have a fierce protectiveness about her, especially when it came to Xaden and Andarna. It made Violet wonder if she mothered them in a way. But she wouldn’t dare ask Sgaeyl that.

When he told her that she’d have to reciprocate with the pictures Violet simply shrugged. She wasn’t sure anything like that still existed of her and if it did it was in her mother’s quarters, where she was not taking Xaden if she had any choice in the matter.

“Honestly, Mira and I both expect that mother burned everything of mine once I left. It was why Mira saved dad’s book. So I doubt there are any images of me when I was young left. Those would have been with my things of my fathers and none of those are likely around anymore.” It was a cold reality but one she expected. Her mother didn’t think she’d live through this, so why keep her things? Mira had clearly foreseen the same. But, fuck it. Violet would show her otherwise. She didn’t need her motherMs approval right now, she just needed to keep going and the hold on to the people who did love her. Mira, Bren, Xaden, Rhi… not a long list but a good one. As he wrapped her in and embrace she lay her head on his shoulder and held him tightly, just for a moment.

“I believe you. I’m sure you’ve been though hell since deciding to love me but I’m glad you did it.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Speaking about his relic that Sgaeyl had left on him after Treshing, he could remember seeing it on his back through his dragons eyes and Xaden immediately ironically asking him if she had wanted to keep it small and humble. Even when just now thinking about it, he could hear a huff in his mind that without a doubt came from Sgaeyl who for a split second listend to what Violet and her rider had to say about her, Xaden for now now making an effort into not letting her be a part in this conversation, knowing Violet wouldn’t dare insult Sgaeyl, still being way too scared that she’d just eat her as a snack. “She definitely enjoys the reputation we have” he agreed with her as Violet called both of them a force to be feared. “Too bad you weren’t there that day, my threshing I mean. There was a lot of tension, people hoping I wouldn’t get picked or even get killed. I think both Sgaeyl and I liked the looks we got a little too much when they saw me fly in on her” Xaden told her since Violet obviously hadn’t been present at his threshing, her being aware though that blue Daggertails were ruthless and Sgaeyl being massive, especially for a female, the second biggest dragon currently at Basgiath. Tairn being the biggest.

“I promise she didn’t burn everything” Xaden told her, knowing that her mother was a very cold and not at all loving person but burn everything that had to do with Violet? Surely not. There would be at least one or two pictures left of her, possibly hidden though. If there were any, he’d find them if he’d ever break into General Sorrengails private quarters. Feeling Violet rest her shoulder on his head, Xaden moved his hands over her back in a loving way while also holding her as close as possible in a protective way, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and another one to her shoulder before he spoke. “You didn’t give me much of a choice” he reminded her in a whisper since Violet had not just accepted him telling her to not fall in love with him, her not having let him keep his distance, especially not when his self control to not be around her was obviously crumbling. “I’ve been through hell trying not to love you, I should’ve let myself love you sooner” Xaden admitted knowing he should’ve caved in and be honest with her sooner, just a week would’ve probably been enough and maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt then and she’d not feel betrayed by him right now

[lightningweilded]

“I think she maybe loves you a little, too. Though I doubt she’d say so. She’s very protective of you.” Violet recalled the way the Sgaeyl had assessed her, deciding if she was worthy of Xaden and Tairn and Andarna or not. It had been honestly terrifying and she still wasn’t sure the dragon liked her but she tolerated her. That was enough. “I’m sure everyone was a little shaken up when you showed up on her back. She’s impressive.” She could imagine the looks he’d gotten on that day and she wished she’d been there to see it, to cheer him on and celebrate with him.

When he assured her that her mother hadn’t burnt all of her belongings she simply shrugged. If she hadn’t, Violet would be shocked. It was t the type of this her mother would do for her least wanted child. She loved Brennan, respected Mira, but Violet was her burden. They all expected it of their mother and it would have been a shock to see anything of her life left.

“Maybe, but don’t count on that, Xaden. You’ll find yourself disappointed.” Violet had learned a long time ago not to expect sentiment or care from her mother. It was just part of her life. She would share anything she had with him, she just didn’t expect to have anything left to share. But that was alright. She had her father’s book and her corset from Mira, and she had friends and two dragons, and the man she loved. It was enough. She grinned as he admitted he should have let her in earlier and leaned in for a kiss before speaking.

“You should have, it was kind of stupid to pretend you didn’t. But you have me now so it worked out.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“A tiny bit maybe” Xaden said and just had to chuckle about the way she had said that Sgaeyl must love him a little as well. “She’s a ruthless bitch who does as she pleases and can’t take any criticism at all or she’ll definitely have that person as a snack” he added on, describing what Violet probably already figured out about her anyway. “But she’s good nonetheless. She’s not going to tell you that or make you feel like it’s the case but if you ever need her help with something Tairn or Andarna might not be suitable for, you can rely on her” he told Violet, knowing Sgaeyl would probably deny that but she’d help Violet. Because of Xaden and Tairn. “I think pissed describes the look Melgren’s, Aetos’ and your mothers face the best” he added on, having to smirk a tiny bit at the memory.

Humming quietly as Violet doubted her mothers attachment to anything sentimental when it came to her youngest child, Xaden tilted his head a tiny bit before replying. “Then I guess I’ll just have to ask her directly if she kept anything, wouldn’t be fair if I’d be the only one to share childhood memories” he joked since he obviously wasn’t going to walk up to General Sorrengail to ask her that, it probably even being for the best if she wouldn’t find out that he’d daughter had grown fond of Xaden. It would maybe keep her safer.

Immediately he raised his brows as Violet agreed with him on it being stupid to try and not love her. “You don’t have to actually agree with me, Violence” he mumbled teasingly and playfully pinched her waist while speaking. “Blame it all onto our dragons, if you wouldn’t have been annoyingly horny thanks to them, I wouldn’t have kissed you that night, outside” Xaden added on in a teasing way, knowing it was only halfway the truth.

[lightningweilded]

Violet couldn’t help but laugh at the way he described his dragon. It was accurate but she wondered if Sgaeyl would take offense. Either way, she was glad that he confirmed that at least Sgaeyl was willing to help if it came to it, surely more for Tairn and Andarna and Xaden’s sake more than her own but it was still helpful.

“As long as she has your back I have nothing to complain about. Especially now that you’ll be away at your station and we’ll have to worry about you.” Violet brought a hand to his cheek, not wanting to think about him being sent away and now stripped of his command so he’s be at the mercy of whatever commander they put him under. It worried her.

“I’m sure they all looked ready to scream. They were probably hoping none of you would make it and then here comes you on the biggest, baddest dragon on the field. Bet they thought twice about their choice to force you into the riders after that.” She finished her sentence with a kiss for him, just imagining how far he’d come and how strong he was. If the world had been a better place, his parents surely would have been proud of everything he’d done.

As he mentioned asking her mother about childhood pictures of her she winced and shook her head. Every if he was kidding she didn’t want him around her mother for a second longer than he needed to be. “Please, don’t do that. She’ll probably try to throw you off the nearest retaining wall.”

“As for agreeing with you, I definitely did have to. Sorry! Not sorry actually. And I guess I have to thank Tairn for choosing that night to have some fun. Gods, I wanted you so damned bad that night and you just wouldn’t give in.” She laughed as she lamented her frustration that night. He’d been a gentleman not to, but she really hadn’t wanted him to be a gentleman then at all.

[ridessgaeyl]

Sgaeyl would definitely not take offenses, at least not from anyone but Xaden and probably also Tairn. Anyone else insulting her in her presence was as good as dead, her being used to Xaden calling her a bitch or telling her to fuck off though. "You don't have to worry about me, I’ll be more than fine" he assured her, placing his own hand on top of hers that touched her cheek for a moment, knowing that depending on where he'd be sent to and who would be there, it would maybe not actually go that well, that not being something he wanted Violet to worry about though.

“They were hoping I'd be long dead before threshing. Sounds familiar to you though? Flying in on the biggest and baddest dragon when they all thought of hoped you wouldn't make it?" He asked her with a grin since exactly that had been the case for Violet as well. They had hoped Xaden wouldn't make it purely because of his dad and they had believed Violet wouldn't make it because she was physically the weakest. Yet here there were, with the two biggest and baddest dragons. Feeling her soft lips on his, he immediately kissed her back while moving his hands back down to her waist.

"Well good luck with that" he more or less joked when hearing Violet say that her mother would try and throw him off the nearest retaining wall. "I'm not exactly interested in talking to your mother anyway" Xaden added on, absolutely meaning that. The thought of awkward family dinners in ten years time, that would for sure never happen, made him smirk a little though.

As she teased about absolutely having to agree with him on that, Xaden once again pinched her to tease back while looking into her eyes in a very innocent way. "Of course I didn't give in, you definitely would've regretted spending the night with me the next morning" he told her, knowing that maybe she had already fancied him back then but to know that this all had possibly just happened because of their mated dragons would've been reason enough to regret, there being no doubt that Xaden would've actually felt horrible about it, feeling like he had used her. Especially when he couldn't be sure if she iust wanted him or literally anvone thanks to Tairn in that moment. "I was actually worried you might run into someone else on your way back to your room" Xaden added on with a light grin.

[lightningweilded]

“Xaden, I love you, and I know people want to harm you, so I’ll always worry about you. You’re the same with me,” violet answered back as he tried to tell her not to worry. Of course she would. She knew at least two people who had actively tried to get him killed a few days ago. Worry was normal. “But I know Sgaeyl will watch your back and that you’re tough. You’ll be okay. For all of our sakes.”

She gave a laugh as he pointed out that she knew what I felt like to show up with a terror of a dragon when everyone expected you to or hoped for your failure. It had been thrilling to see the looks on people’s faces when she’d landed with Tairn, and then again when she’d announced Andarna’s name as well. Both she and Xaden were not expected to last yet here they were. She leaned into they kiss briefly then straightened back up a bit in his lap to gaze down at him with a roll of her eyes at his teasing.

“Alright, you got me there. It was fun seeing them all stare. And so long as you stay clear of my mother and Colonel Aetos and General Melgren and, come to think of it, the king, too, then I can worry less.” She shuddered to recall that conversation where the king had, assuming she was like her mother, pointed out how he liked to see Xaden on the day of his fatherMs death ‘to remind me of his place’. It had bothered her then and it still did now.

Thankfully he turned to teasing her about that night when they’d first kissed and she reached out a hand to lightly thump his chest in a playful strike. She’d already been lost to him then and she’d been so annoyed when he denied her. “Is that so, we’re you jealous that I might find someone else to make it better? If it makes you feel better, I only wanted you. And I don’t think I would have regretted it at all.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“Of course I’m the same with you, you made yourself an enemy on your first day, chose Aetos as your best friend, continued pissing off Barlowe and people tried to kill you in your sleep” he pointed out but nodded a little as she added on that he’d be fine, something Xaden hoped to be the case, wanting violet to focus on herself and her abilities instead of worrying about him. “For all of our sakes, are you worried I’ll get us killed?” He asked when repeating her words as he continued on looking into her eyes.

As Violet listed all the people she wanted him to stay away from, also listing the king, Xaden dramatically rolled his eyes, doubting he’d see them that often anyway, especially not the king. “I can’t promise you that I won’t piss them off when seeing them but I’ll try my best not to. For all of our sake” Xaden told her, once again using her words in a playful and teasing way. He wasn’t going to say that, especially not right now that Violet was still mad at him, but dating her or at least being bonded to her and having her trust him was in some way an advantage. At least if she was still trusted by others, people who didn’t trust her.

When feeling her light push against his chest, Xaden pulled her even closer in response as he moved his hands over her back, tracing his fingers over her skin. “I was worried you would do something you’d regret which then would’ve made me jealous” he admitted since finding out she would’ve simply slept with someone else that night would’ve driven him insane. “But I would’ve regretted it. It already took me a lot of self control to not just take you against the wall, especially when you tried to argue with me” Xaden added on with a light grin on his lips as he told her that. “You still seemed quite torn on whether or not you actually wanted to hate me, so have you wake up all sore because of me, wondering if it had just been Tairn and Sgaeyl or more than just that, wasn’t exactly on my to-do list for that night”

[lightningweilded]

“Hey! I did nothing at all to Jack Barlowe. That’s all on him.” Violet huffed in annoyance at the reminder of the man. If he hadn’t been so intent on making her the weak link he might be alive right now and so might have Oren and all the rest of the cadets who’d broken codex to attack her in her sleep. She could hardly be blamed for their insistent desire to harm her, for reasons she barely understood. Hell, in Amber’s case it was probably jealousy over Dain and frankly Amber could have had him if he wanted.

“I’m not worried you’ll get us killed. I just… I like Sgaeyl, but she could probably survive losing you, no offense. But I wouldn’t be alright if you died and if something happens to me… it’s a domino effect as we’ve established. So just stay alive and I will, too.” She sighed as she finished speaking, not wanting to think of that alternative. How could she go on without Xaden? She knew she’d get reckless and sooner or later something would happen when she had no one left to fight for. The list of people who wanted him dead was as king or longer than her own, with some higher ranking members on it, and she couldn’t help but worry.

As he pulled her closer and let his hands roam her back she relaxed a little, leaning into him and pressing a handful of kisses along his jaw and down his neck as he spoke. Thinking of him jealous and worried over who she might spend her night with was sort of cute actually, and she sat up enough to grin at him as she spoke.

“See, wanting to hate you and actually doing it we’re very different things. Even then I thought about you all the time and scolded myself for how badly I wanted you. Even before that night. But I get why you didn’t, even if I wish you had and we could have had more time together.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“And I’m glad he is dead but I heard that you almost cut his balls off after the parapet… that might have provoked him a little” he mumbled jokingly with a light smirk on his lips, Violet absolutely having his entire respect for that and she’d have even more if she would’ve actually done it but it surely hadn’t made Barlowe like her any more than he already did, Violet already having been on his kill list.

Listening to her words about Sgaeyl probably surviving Xadens death but her not surviving it, setting off a domino effect, Xaden nodded a little as he looked at her, letting her finish talking before he spoke as well. “I wouldn’t risk something happening to you, Violet. I will make sure I don’t die” Xaden told her, absolutely meaning it. He wouldn’t risk dying since that meant that she could die as well and even if she’d be able to survive it, he didn’t want to leave her behind like that. Considering that they were still young, he was sure that on the long run she’d be fine and able to fall in love with someone else but it would never be the same as with them, there would never again be Xadens cocky voice in her head.

When feeling her kisses on his jaw and neck, he moved his head a tiny bit so she’d have more room for the kisses while his hands continued on roaming over her back, slowly moving over every inch of her body he could touch in that moment. “So you wanted me while wondering if I was going to kill you?” Xaden asked in amusement, knowing exactly that she had at first been scared he’d use every chance to kill her. “You will still see me every other day” he assured her as she mentioned that if he would’ve given in sooner, they would’ve had more time together which was true but not something he could change anymore. “When we are back in Basgiath, stay in my room” Xaden told her while pressing a few kisses to her shoulder, hoping she’d agree to sharing a room with him for as long as he’d still be there, them not needing two rooms after all or Xaden at least not wanting to fall asleep in his room alone while Violet would be in her room, liking it better to share a bed with her even though their beds weren’t exactly big at their war college.

[lightningweilded]

“But he started that, too! Wanted to kill me before I even crossed. I didn’t do anything to him until after tried and he deserved his balls cut off.” Violet grumbled, annoyed as she thought of Jack and his little gang yet again. Him being gone was safer for everyone, especially the two of them and their dragons. She didn’t move form where he held her, pressing kisses to her shoulder while she listened to what he had to say. “So we’ll both stay alive, and that’s what matters.”

Slowly she pushed herself up enough to look at him, a curious expression on her face. He’d just asked her to half move in with him, hadn’t he? It was something she’d never expect to hear. “You want me to stay there with you… or stay there all the time?” She tilted her head and watched him with interest. She wouldn’t mind staying in his room when he was there, of course. Or every when he wasn’t, considering it was safer there than in her own. People were less likely to look for her there and in fact even if they did she doubted they’d be able to get past the wards he had on his room. Plus, it was his space. Everything felt like him, carried his scent.

“If you want me there, that’s where I’ll be. I sleep better with you next to me anyways.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“He did. No doubt about that, you should’ve just cut them off if you ask me but you still made yourself an enemy on your first day already” he pointed out, considering that she had also killed him though, it had surely sent quite the statement, especially because everyone who had actively tried to kill her was dead now, something while Basgiath knew.

Seeing the look on Violets face as he asked her to share his room with him in Basgiath, Xaden raised his brows with a light smile, shrugging a tiny bit before he answered. “I want you stay there with me and I’d like you to stay in it even when I’m not there” he told her. “We can also take your room if you want, mine is bigger though” Xaden added on. With less riders surviving and less dragons being willing to bond with humans, there were always at least a couple rooms that happened to be free, first year riders always having the rather small and unspectacular rooms while older riders got to stay in the slightly bigger and nicer rooms. Everyone knew that Sgaeyl and Tairn were mates so Xaden having to fly to Basgiath after graduation wasn’t exactly news, meaning that he’d get to keep his room for whenever he was staying at the war college. “We wouldn’t have to tell anyone so you can still keep your room for whenever you are mad at me and no one would suspect anything or see us sneaking from room to room” he suggested halfway joking, just generally liking the thought of his room becoming their room and him knowing that he could keep her safer in there, even though he had put wards on her room as well so only a few people could actually get in there.

“I want you there” he immediately assured her with a light nod, wondering if she was actually surprised about it, especially considering that she was currently in a place everyone expected to be a ruin, being naked in his bed and Xaden having said out loud that he’s in love with her.

[lightningweilded]

“I guess there aren’t really any rules against me staying in your room, whether you’re there or not, so…” Violet grinned as she agreed, leaning down and taking several long moments to kiss him. It was slow and sweet but there was a edge of wanting under it. He wanted her, with him, in his home in her room at Basgiath, and her heart squeezed to think about it. He really loved her, even if he hadn’t told her the whole truth. He loved her enough to trust her with all of this.

She found herself pressing closer to him, rocking her hips gently against his, before she collected herself enough to sit up and look down at him again. It was so easy to get lost in him. She paused to catch her breath and smiled down at him.

“It’s a good idea, sharing your room. And I want to be there too. I’m going to miss you ever time you’re away but at least being there will feel like you’re close.” She admitted it all softly but she meant it all. When she’d become so attached she wasn’t exactly sure but thinking of a life without him was impossible. She would stay wherever he wanted her to stay, and yes they might argue sometimes but even then she doubted she’d leave to sleep in her own room if he was there. “I love you, Xaden.”

[ridessgaeyl]

With her staying in his room they at least wouldn’t have to walk around after curfew, not that Xaden really cared much about it but with her being there already, they wouldn’t have to be somewhat sneaky about it. “Since when do you care about following the rules?” He asked with raised brows and an amused smile since Violet had broken the rules a couple times already, Xaden probably not even knowing about all of her rule breaks.

When feeling her lips on his again, Xaden didn’t hesitate a single second before immediately kissing her back the same way, keeping it soft and gentle as before deepening their kiss a little more when feeling her press closer and rock her hips against his, him immediately responding to to that by pushing his hips up a little to press against her again even after she moved to sit back up and look down to him.

“You can always change your mind about it, just so you know” the dark haired told her, being glad that they both agreed on this idea for now, Xaden understanding if she’d change her mind about it at some point though. “You won’t even realize that I’m gone, I’ll be in your head all day long” Xaden said, knowing that their voices would probably be quite faint though due to the distance, him being aware that they’d be able to feel the distance and only hear each others thoughts as maybe a whisper but it was still better than not getting to communicate at all. “I love you too, Violet” he told her as well, absolutely meaning it.

[lightningweilded]

“I care about them sometimes. But not when it comes to you, or any of this, or me staying alive…” Violet shrugged, mumbling the words between kisses, realizing just how often she did actually bend or break rules. First it had been using Brennan’s book to stay alive, but now it was a longer list of all the things shed done for people she cared about, too. She would have to be careful now though, without Xaden to shield her when she screwed up she could end up in a much deeper pit of trouble. She’d have the protection of the wing leader and people either respected or feared him, but he’d be gone now and she would have to stand on her own and carry both of their secrets.

When they finally paused their kissing long enough to get out words properly she looked at him with a laugh as she shook hear head. If he thought he was getting rid of her now he’d made a critical miscalculation. She was his and he’d have to put up with her in his room and his life until he got sick of her.

“You’ll be far away, though. And I’m not going to change my mind, but I know if I did you’d let me. But there’ at least three reasons it’s a good idea and only one that it’s not so I don’t think I’m going to go back to sleeping in my little room where I almost died if I can be sleeping in your bed instead.” She didn’t want to think about him being gone, about how faint his voice would be inside her mind, none of that. She would hold on tot he fact that she could hear him at all. It made it easier not to worry herself sick about him. Not that he needed her to. She was definitely the weak link in their little group. Xaden would be alright no matter what came at him, unless someone found out about the rebellion starting again. Violet was… well an easy target. She was becoming less of one but she was still someone whose bones could be snapped with little effort and leave her helpless and that would never change. She had to be smarter. But not right now. Right now she jsut wanted to be with him for the tiny sliver of time they had.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Rules are meant to be bent and broken anyway” he immediately answered, being glad that Violet wasn’t too focused on following the rules, her luckily not being as obsessed with it as Dain who seemingly hadn’t broken a rule even just once while Xaden on the other hand had probably broken every single rule at least once. Just like her, he also mumbled every of his words in between their kisses while moving his hands to her hips, ever so slightly moving her hips against his in a playful and teasing way while keeping his lips on hers.

“Three reasons for it and one against it? What would that be?” He asked her while repeating her words, raising his brows a little as he looked up to her, the look on his face making it quite clear that he had absolutely fallen for her. “Yeah about that… would you be mad if I make someone else look over you again once I’m gone?” Xaden asked her, knowing how angry she had at first been when he had asked Liam to not just become Violets friend but also basically her bodyguard and shadow, Xaden already having thought about asking someone else to do that now that Liam was dead and he was about to graduate. “And before you immediately say no, think about it for a minute. It could be Imogen if you are more comfortable with that. I don’t want to see you passed out with the healers again, a fucking orange being what kept you alive” he pointed out, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to be there in time to help her or even to be there in time if she’d pass out again. Wanting someone to watch over her didn’t mean that he felt like Violet was weak and needed the protection, she was still physically more vulnerable than others though, someone people saw as a target and her generally just being someone he wanted to be safe and sound.

[lightningweilded]

Violet let out a soft groan as he gripped her hips and guided her movements just enough that they were both a little flustered after a few moments of heated kissing and her moving against him. He knew how to tease her, that much was for certain. She half suspected he meant to keep her distracted since he hesitated to ask her about assigning someone else to have her back. When she thought of Liam her heart squeezed and threatened to break again, thinking of him lying there with his dragon, fading before their eyes. It was unfair, he didn’t deserve it…

“I… don’t want to be the cause of anyone else’s death…” she started slowly, not directly wanting to look at him out of fear she might break down crying. He’d lost his chosen brother, after all. They were both grieving it. “But I kind of expected you would whether I agreed or not. I just want them to be able to prioritize their own life if it came to it… no one needs to die for me… but I know they can’t because that would mean letting you die, too. And you’re too important to this whole thing.”

It was hard to accept the simple facts. She needed the backup, she understood that now, but accepting the help meant potentially putting someone else in the path of her enemies and that felt wrong. Still, if it meant it kept her, and more importantly, Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and Xaden alive, she should do it. “Look, the orange juice was a good idea and you know it. But yeah, I know I can’t always rely on stuff like that and I’m getting stronger but I understand why you need someone to look out for me. So… okay. Maybe not Imogen… I don’t think I could lose her, too.” As kuch as she’d come to like the other woman and think of her as a friend, putting her in Liam’s position after what had happened to him made her anxious.

[ridessgaeyl]

When hearing her soft groan, Xaden had to lightly smile against her lips, obviously knowing exactly what he was doing. Under different circumstances this would’ve absolutely been distraction enough to not let serious conversations appear half as serious as they were but since Liam was somewhat involved or used to be involved in what he was asking her to agree to, Xaden had expected that this would turn serious again, no matter the distraction and sexual tension between them.

“You were never the cause of anyone’s death” he quickly told her in a serious tone, one hand simply resting on her hip while his other hand moved up to let his thumb brush over her cheek, for now accepting that she wasn’t looking at him right now. “I never told anyone to risk their life like that for you or for us and I won’t start doing that now. Liam offered to do it, he wanted to be your friend and do me a favor” Xaden told her truthfully in a soft but serious tone so she’d listen properly. “Whoever is going have an eye on you now will do it because they chose to do it, not because they think they will have to” he added on before sighing quietly as he continued on listening to her and how she said that everyone would risk their life anyway because of Xaden.

“And I’m not asking people to have an eye on you because I think you are too weak but because I just don’t want or can’t risk anything. If something happens to someone, blame it on me. It wouldn’t be your fault. Nothing is going to happen to Imogen, don’t worry about that. I will just ask them in a group at some point and someone is going to agree to it, okay?” He offered

[lightningweilded]

It took a few long moments for Violet to. Choke back tears when Xaden crupper her cheek and told her that she wasn’t to blame herself about losing Liam. She couldn’t help but feel that if he hadn’t been trying to protect her and others, to warn her specifically, he might have been able to get away. She didn’t know if it made her feel better or worse that Liam had volunteered for it all. He truly had been her friend, more so than almost anyone else, sharing in most of her secrets and always keeping her laughing when things got hard. He could make anyone smile and she wondered how she’d tell Jesinia when she got back and her “shadow” no longer came down to flirt with the young scribe anymore.

Blinking her eyes a few times to try to get the tears to fade, she too a deep, shaky breath and leaned down to lay her head against Xaden’s chest and shoulder. No matter how much he said it wasn’t her fault, she still felt guilty. Liam wouldn’t have had to be there if she hadn’t insisted on going, blindly trusting the man she loved to lead them all safely. How could he have though? They’d all been set up, and reminding herself of that made anger burn hot in her chest. She’d find a way to punish Dain for this… somehow.

“I know it’s not because you think I’m weak. We all need to be safe and I can admit I’m not… the best of us for defending myself. It’s not just my life on the line anymore. I have to be smarter, too. I can’t rely on you or anyone else to make it okay anymore. Not because you wouldn’t try, of course you would, but you can’t be there all the time and even if someone is there constantly, I shouldn’t put them at more risk by being stupid.” The stubborn, willfulness she’d carried for all of her first year seemed to have been bruised a little by the loss of her friend. She still intended to survive, but she understood that she couldn’t really do that alone. Not when they were this deep in so many things that could get them killed. She needed to rely on people, trust someone other than herself and Xaden. “I’ll be better. Whoever volunteers themselves for this deserve that much.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Seeing that she was trying to fight the tears that slowly but surely appeared in her eyes, he gently caressed her cheek “crying doesn’t make you weak” he whispered so quietly that she probably couldn’t hear him, Xaden just wanting her to know that she didn’t had to hold back her tears or act stronger than she actually was, that not being something she had to do whenever he was around. Letting her just rest her head on his chest, he gently wrapped his arms around her, stroking the back of her head while closing his eyes for a moment, very much still grieving the man who had been as good as family to him. Especially considering that Xaden really didn’t had much actual family left.

“Liam was part of my group in the war games before you even agreed to come with me. He wasn’t just there because of you but also generally because I wanted him there. No one could’ve known about what happened…” he mumbled, it being quite obvious that Xaden was blaming himself as well though. He had told everyone that he’d stay and try and help. Of course he had told everyone that they could leave and get to safety but it had been rather clear that they’d all stay, especially when Xaden was staying. It had been the right decision without a doubt but by deciding to stay and fight he had also more or less made a decision for Violet, something he shouldn’t have done.

“You are making great progress and you did very well in the past year. Don’t change anything and keep on making the same decisions, just be aware of who you can trust” he told her with a head shake, not wanting her to lose any of her stubbornness or sass and pride, everything having worked out well for her after all. She just needed to accept the help of certain people. People who were not Dain Aetos. “I know it doesn’t look like it right now but sooner or later everything will work out” Xaden whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

[lightningweilded]

Violet heard, or maybe just sensed his reassurance. Whatever the case she wiped the tears away quickly and looked up at him. “I know… but I don’t want all our time together to be me breaking down in tears.” It was a silly thing he wouldn’t have cared, but who knew how much time they had, today, this year, who knew if she would even make it to graduation. She didn’t want this to the the last memory they held of one another, ever. She had to get stronger, in every way. Even if crying wasn’t weakness, it wasn’t want she wanted him to remember her for.

“Of course they couldn’t have known… but if I’d been suspicious of Dain for even a second, questions why he was fighting you to keep me there, maybe we would have both been safe. I don’t know. I just feel like I could have done something differently that didn’t end in… this. Been faster, or smarter, or… something.” It was survivors guilt that ate at her, not that she had any idea of the concept. That and the gnawing feeling that her brother was right about her and she’d never be cut out of this, never be able to put aside death as part of the way things had to be. But if she didn’t she’d be a liability for them all. She needed to figure it out.

“I won’t stop working on it. When you’re there, you can drill me on fighting like always and Imogen won’t let me slack on weights. As far as trusting people goes, that’s already settled. Rhi, though I’m not telling her any of this until I have to because i don’t want her to be in the middle. You, and the others here. That’s it.” Her list of trusted friends had gotten small and she’d only trust most of the people who he was responsible for solely because of that, not because they knew one another well. She knew she could trust Sawyer and Ridoc to have her back, too, but they weren’t deep enough in to know about the rebellion. Everyone had different levels of trust now and she had learned to keep her mouth shut when she’d seen people start to die because she’d trusted the wrong person. Never again. As Xaden gave her a kiss she sighed deeply, trying to keep herself calm. It was a skill she’d need in front of the rest fo the world now and she was getting plenty of practice, even if all she wanted was to lay in his arms and cry it out. “Yeah… it’ll work out somehow… it has to.

[ridessgaeyl]

“All the time would be a bit of an exaggeration” he quickly told her, not wanting Violet to think that he saw her as whiny or that she was ruining the situation by getting upset over something that was completely valid to get upset over, especially considering that Xaden was upset as well. “You don’t have to pretend like you are fine, not around me” Xaden told her softly, knowing she needed the softness right now.

“Why would you’ve been suspicious of Dain? He was your best friend, you know him your whole life, don’t blame yourself for trusting someone who has been that important for you” Xaden told her and stroke over her head with his hand before lightly shaking her head. “You couldn’t have done anything differently, this is on Dain and his dad” he quickly added on, knowing that Violet wouldn’t stop blaming herself because of this but he still wanted to keep telling her that this wasn’t her fault at all. “Imogen will keep training you and I will find you someone who practices fighting with you while I’m not there. And we can also train together while I’m there. Don’t worry about that. I trust you and I trust your instincts but keep in mind that if the wrong person finds out about this, I’m as good as dead” Xaden said quietly but with a calm tone as if this wasn’t a big deal when it was really a dangerous game they were playing.

“I’m sorry you are part of this, I know it’s not exactly something you wanted” he whispered while still stroking the back of her head, knowing she wasn’t complaining about that but violet after all just having wanted to survive all this, not having meant to fall in love with Xaden Riorson and be part of a uprising rebellion.

[lightningweilded]

“As much as I believe you… if I let myself crumble I don’t know how I’ll get back to normal again. I don’t know how I’ll face the people that did this if I let myself feel all of it.” It was hard enough to keep a straight face around him, Violet was still wondering how she’d do so around the entire war college, especially people like her mother, or either of the Aetos’.

She could only really nod at he pointed out again that she shouldn’t blame herself and that Imogen would keep training her, which she definitely needed. It would be strange without him there but at least that small part would stay the same. She was still worried about them taking command from him right before graduation. Perhaps there was something she could do to shield him form that, blame herself for insisting they help once Liam far-sighted the Venin attacking the town. They could claim that Xaden intended to turn back as he was ordered but she charged in, something… anything to not have him stripped of his rank that acted as a shield for them both.

She sighed softly and kissed his shoulder as he continued to stroke her hair, trying to comfort her. It wasn’t typical for Xaden to choose to be soft with her so she knew he must be worried. She didn’t like that, even if she was still upset with him for not telling her everything. “I’m not sorry. I wish it had been a choice I got to make freely, but I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Quietly Xaden hummed as Violet told him that she just couldn’t let herself crumble right now, her not even being sure how she was supposed to face the people responsible for all this. “It will come crashing down on you at some point” he told her truthfully, knowing that it wasn’t exactly encouraging or uplifting but it was the truth after all.

When being back at Basgiath, Xaden knew that in front of everyone else he’d act like nothing ever happened, him being very good at acting neutral and emotionless, as if he wouldn’t care about anything at all. Even Violet knowing that. It perhaps wasn’t how he wanted to act after what had just happened but it would be the option that kept everyone involved safe, especially with him taking the entire blame on himself and claiming that everyone had just acted under his orders. Of course he knew that it would have consequences but at least he’d be the only one to face those consequences, everyone at Basgiath already mistrusting him anyway so it probably didn’t make that much of a difference, or at least he hoped for that.

Hearing her say that she didn’t regret any of her choices and that she was right where she was supposed to be, he hummed once again while still stroking her hair in a calming way. “When we are back, we should act like we are no closer than two people with mated dragons, you know that, right?” He asked her, not being sure if Violet even wanted others to know if they were more than just that, Xaden theoretically not at all minding everyone to know about them but he knew that she was probably better off when acting like she didn’t actually care about him, yet alone so no one would start mistrusting her or questioning her loyalty.

[lightningweilded]

“It will, probably… but I have to make it long enough that they don’t suspect anything,” Violet countered with a stubbornness that he was surely used to by now. She was trying to protect herself and also them, being engagingly angry at Dain and his father and her mother and Melgren and even the damned king wouldn’t do anyone any good, it would just draw attention to what was happening here and that was the last thing she wanted. So she needed to not show any reactions to them for now and that meant not letting herself feel all of it either.

Besides, it wasn’t like Xaden wouldn’t do the same thing. He, too, hid what he felt and kept it all pushed so far down. Apparently the only one to break his resolve in that regard was Violet herself. They really had no other choice at this point. the only person hey could really be open with was one another. She still wasn’t entirely sure if that was something she was alright it’s but it was simply the state of thins currently and she couldn’t really change it. Not without putting everyone they both cared about at risk. She would make it work. She couldn’t risk any of them, and especially not Xaden, so making it work was the only option. She at least didn’ stop him from trying to comfort her, leaning in to the entry feeling of him stroking her hair.

As he mentioned they should act like virtual strangers when they got back she glared, not about to play that game again. They’d already been through that once, trying to pretend they didn’t want or love one another. She wasn’t going to do it again.

“No, Dain already knows, he saw me in your clothes. So I’m sure he’s already told his father, which means he’d told my mother. And Rhi knows. And Ridoc. And Sawyer. There’s not keeping it hidden, they’re going to gossip about it. If we’re hiding it then we have to tell them all that we broke up and come up with a convincing reason and I can’t sleep in your room at all. Once any of them catches on that I’m not in my own bed that game is over, and the leadership is going to be watching whether we pretend to have split up or not. We’ll be spending every day you’re back form whatever shithole they post you in as punishment ignoring each other and wishing we didn’t have to. For the next two years. So, is that what you want?” That was the simple fact. If they wanted to act like they weren’t close at all they were going to actually have to appear distant and give up any time they might have had together. The idea of it made her stomach twist uncomfortably. If that was what they were going to act like they might as well have stayed broken up and not spent this afternoon in bed together.

[ridessgaeyl]

When listening to her, Xaden let out a quiet sigh while giving her a look because she was once again staying stubborn, something he very much loved about her but it potentially being a little difficult since they were both pretty stubborn individuals. “Keep in mind that you’ll only see Dain for one more year” he attempting to say in an uplifting way since Dain would graduate next year. Potentially they’d be free of him even sooner if someone lost their temper with him and killed him before that, something Xaden saw as a somewhat likely possibility.

Seeing the glare Violet gave him as he mentioned acting like strangers, Xaden immediately raised a brow as he looked at her, his hand slowly but surely stopping in its motion to stroke through her hair, resting it on the side of her head as he listened to her words. “Not sure Dain is telling anyone about it, that would be pretty embarrassing for him considering that he kissed you after threshing. His ego is very much bruised right now” he quickly said, more or less interrupting her before he continued on listening to the rest she had to say. Violet was right though, if Dain had told his father about Violet and Xaden, even though Dain didn’t know what was going on since he had only seen Violet in his clothes, her mother most certainly knew as well. “That’s the very last thing I want” Xaden answered her question while looking into her eyes, moving both his hands to her face to make sure that she’d really listen to him. “The very last thing I want is to lose you. If I’d have to decide between all of this-“ he said and briefly gestured around the room, by that meaning Aretia and the general rebellion. “- and you, then fuck all of this. I’d choose you” Xaden told her, just wanting Violet to know about that. “We’ve spend enough time pretending like there’s nothing between us and I don’t want to go back to doing that” he added on with a light nod before continuing on talking. “But you are pretty good at getting yourself in trouble, Violence. Being with me, especially when I’m in some shithole hours away from you, might get you into more trouble, especially with the leadership watching every step you make” Xaden pointed out, only really having suggested to be distant with her in public to possibly keep her safe.

[lightningweilded]

Honestly Violet was relieved when he agreed that he didn’t want to go through it all again. She didn’t want that either. They’d already been through enough. But she knew they couldn’t be this affectionate in front of the rest of the world, obviously. At least not until things changed and that was going to take a while. So she leaned down to give him a kiss and sighed in relief. What surprised her was that he said he’d give everything up for her, even the rebellion. It made her stomach fill with butterflies.

“We’re not going to give this up either, so… middle ground. They know we’re sleeping together, they now we spend time together because of the dragons or not. So we let them think that’s what it is, friends, attraction, letting off steam like any riders?” She raised an eyebrow. They wouldn’t have to pretend they weren’t interested in one another and they wouldn’t have to tell everyone that they were in love, and draw the attention of people they didn’t want. Surely her mother and the others would just assume it was a young woman making mistakes and being driven by sexual desire. They’d think she was an idiot but they’d probably also think they could use her against him and she could give them whatever false information they wanted while pretending to be oblivious.

“They’ll think I’m an idiot who’s been seduced by big bad you. I used to kind of think that too, after all. We might even be able to use it against them one day. But we wouldn’t have to hide.”

[ridessgaeyl]

As Violet leaned down to give him a kiss once he told her that he didn’t want pretend that they were broken up either, Xaden kissed her before tilting his head a little when hearing her sigh of relief, having thought that she had known that staying away from her in public wasn’t something he wanted either.

“let them think there are no feelings involved? Just physical? Can you do that?” he asked her with raised brows, Xaden felt pretty confident that he could act like there were no deeper feelings involved, him generally being rather good at hiding his feelings so acting attracted and still like he cared, being able to blame that on the dragons, but not necessarily acting like he was in love with her sounded like something he could do. It maybe wasn’t ideal but it also wasn’t terrible and maybe made things a little easier, not for them but for the overall situation with everyone else having an eye on them. “When I said I don’t fuck first years, not even when I was one myself, I meant that. People know I’m not sleeping around Basgiath which means they will know that you are special… so we will also have to blame that on Tairn and Sgaeyl” he told her quietly while looking into her eyes.

“Are you not exactly that?” He asked her teasingly while trying not to grin a little as she referred to herself as an idiot who had been seduced by the great betrayers evil spawn. “I like your way of thinking” Xaden then added on, really not wanting to hide either and also liking how maybe they could even benefit from this. “I’m not going to not kiss you in public though. If we are not going to actually hide I won’t miss out on that” Xaden added on, figuring that if anyone would know that they were sleeping together he could go as far as just kissing her in public as well while just making it look like it was a kiss out of desire and not out of love while he truthfully also hoped it would send a message that no other guy should try his luck with Violet Sorrengail even when she was theoretically believed to be single.

[lightningweilded]

“Honestly I think that can all work in our favor. Officially to them it’s ‘casual’ but if they put that together they’ll assume that we’re both in over our heads, pretending not to have feelings. They’ll try to use it to manipulate us and we can turn it back on them.” If there was one thing Violet was good at, it was creatively coming up with ways around things. Once Brennan’s book had given her that little push, she’d started to twist and turn the game on its head. She’d gotten quite good at it.

“Kiss me whenever you want, it’ll play into it. We’re either lust drunk or hiding feelings in their eyes and either one they’ll think they can use.” Her smirk only grew as he teased her about being exactly that and she leaned in as if to kiss him and then gave his lip a bite as payback for it. He seemed to at least see the brilliance of her plan and she was proud of herself for thinking it up so she grinned again as she sat up again to look at him. They’d make this all work as best they could, and turn every advantage possible to their side. “Anyways, you wish you were the one who seduced me into falling in love with you. Pretty sure that was me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

‘Casual’ was exactly what they had called all of this anyway when first having started to make out so Xaden knew that he could pretend like it was nothing more than just that in front of others, as long as Violet knew that he loved her. Truthfully, Xaden had been quite bad at making it look casual anyway considering that he had left flowers, Violets, on her table in the morning and how he had constantly checked on her through their bond, that not being something others knew about though. “I can’t wait to hear all the questions they’ll ask you” he mumbled with a slight eye-roll, knowing that people would try and get information out of her, using Violet and him against one another while they would actually just manipulate everyone else.

“Or both” he said quietly about being lust drunk and hiding feelings for another. Xaden had known that she was smart, she had proven that very quickly with how she poisoned the others during sparring, also being smart enough to get up extra early to wrap her knees and wounds before everyone was awake, her also with just a little hint from Xaden having mastered the gauntlet with her daggers as help and him still remembering that he had been quite impressed how her team had broken into her mothers office. Her coming up with another clever idea therefore wasn’t exactly shocking. When feeling violet bite his lip as payback, he let out a quiet groan followed by a light grin as he moved her face back to his, pressing a kiss to her lips before also tugging on her bottom lip. “Oh please, you left me no choice. Asking me all those questions, finding me on the parapet. You decided to really fall in love the second I told you not to fall in love with me” Xaden teased her

[lightningweilded]

Violet knew that there would be questions, from both friends and enemies, about her and Xaden. Some she would answer honestly and some she’d let believe what they wanted whether it was true or not. But the fact that he was going to enjoy the game amused her and she laughed as she gazed down at him. This wasn’t an answer to all of their problems but it was the answer to a small one and that made her feel a little less hopeless.

“Or both,” she agreed before he pulled her in for a longer kiss in payback for her little bite on his lip. They never could seem to get enough of one another and that groan he gave sent a pleasant shiver through her at the sound. The way he tugged at her own lip earned him a soft moan from Violet. It was far too easy to want to just press herself against him and keep kissing him until they both needed more.

“Who knew the way to make you fall in love was asking questions?” She teased as she leaned in for another kiss and she found herself melting against him just a bit, giving in to her desire to be closer to him. “Honestly I think I might have already been lost by the time you told me that, if I’m being honest. You were the stubborn one who didn’t want to fall.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Everyone who even just remotely mattered to Xaden knew about Violet and him already or would soon find out that this was not just as casual as they would claim their relationship to be, no one else’s opinion mattering to Xaden anyway so he didn’t exactly care about all the gossip that people would soon come up with, him just hoping that Violet could deal with harsh words as well.

When hearing her quiet moan against his lips, Xaden couldn’t help but lightly grin in amusement as well, also needing quite a bit of self control to not just pull her into another, deeper, kiss again and pull her even closer than she already was.

“It wasn’t the questions, they started getting a little annoying to be honest” he said teasingly “but also kinda sweet how you started to care more about me” Xaden then added on so she wouldn’t feel like asking him questions would be something that would annoy him in the future. “Not wanting to fall for you doesn’t mean I wasn’t already in love with you as well, I was just too busy trying not to fall even harder” Xaden told her, his stubbornness partly being something he regretted now since that had only cost them precious time. Kissing her back the same way, he slowly let his hands roam all over her body again when feeling violet melt against him a little further, him knowing that if they wouldn’t stop with this within the next two or three minutes, they wouldn’t stop at all. At least not anytime soon. Something he was more than fine with.

[lightningweilded]

“Annoying, really?” She gave him a look as she sat there straddling his lap, kissing and adoring him. That word had no business coming into play, so she gave him another kiss that turned into a bite as she laughed. She was getting him back for his teasing because she knew he didn’t mean it, at least not that way. She’d driven him a little crazy trying to get behind the walls he put up and she could admit that. But he certainly didn’t hate it.

“You can’t escape it, Xaden. You claimed me as yours and now you have to deal with all of it, my annoying questions and everything.” For better or worse he’d chosen this and made it clear that he wasn’t going to give her up even when she’d tried to walk away. Violet would always be herself, she would always push him just as he pushed her, she would always be a little bit of a pain in his side, but she would love him and have his back and she hoped that it was worth it to him, that he got enough in exchange. “You said I’m yours, so I’m going to be yours. Good and bad.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and looked down at him with a grin because frankly she’d never be the easiest partner to have but neither was he so they’d make the best of that together.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Very annoying” he repeated himself, making it sound like he was completely serious about her questions having been annoying. Had it been a little strange sometimes for her to ask him private questions through their mental bond while he had been busy until her voice had popped up in her head? Surely sometimes but it had never actually annoyed him, not even when he had told her to stop asking him all those things all day long. “You are a tease” Xaden told her quietly as she kissed him again only to bite his lip again which made him pinch her side a little.

“I think I can handle your annoying questions and your terrible temper” the dark haired continued on teasing her, knowing exactly that nothing Violet could ever possibly do would make him pull away from her. The Sorrengail could break his heart and he’d still want her, Xaden hoping that they would not break each others heart though, knowing it would be incredibly awkward for them considering their mated dragon situation. “Violence there is nothing you could do for me to no longer want this. Which does not mean I want you to drive me insane though” he told her while looking into her eyes, hoping she’d not see this as some type of free pass to provoke him even though Xaden doubted that Violet would be the type of person to make him jealous or anything like that just to check his reaction.

[lightningweilded]

“Lies,” she countered with a grin as he teased her about being annoying. Oh she certainly could be when she wanted but she knew Xaden didn’t think that about her. Besides, by now they enjoyed talking to one another mind to kind through the bond with their dragons. It made things easier to connect, to share information, and to speak in a way no one else could overhear or even knew of. It was theirs and theirs alone. “Am I teasing you, Xaden? Hmm?” She grinned as she felt him pinch her side, settling her hips down on his a little firmer. She was perfectly willing to tease.

“Now the temper I’ll agree on,” she stated with a laugh. She could be a bit hotheaded at times, and she owned up to that much. His promise that he wasn’t going to be scared off by any stupid thing she might do or say though… that made her happy. She didn’t intend on abusing that power of course, it just made her feel good to know that he wasn’t looking for an excuse to run. “I’ll only drive you insane in the ways you like, I promise. The kind of ways that make you groan and curse and throw me in the bed.” She smirked as leaned in for a proper kiss this time, having fun teasing him exactly as he’d stated a moment before.

[ridessgaeyl]

Lightly he shook his head while trying not to grin as Violet defended herself from his teasing and playful insults “annoying” he said again but this told whispering it so quietly that he was basically just mouthing the word while looking into her eyes. Feeling Violet press her hips further against his, a quiet groan escaped Xadens lips, a part of him hating that she had that much power over him while another part absolutely loved it, him never having felt as attracted to anyone before as he did to Violet. Both physically and mentally. It just felt like they were meant for one another in some way. “You are playing a dangerous game” he whispered with a grin as he ever so slightly moved her hips on his to tease her a little as well as her body moved on his.

“And I’ll have to experience your temper for the rest of my life, I’m seriously starting to feel sorry for myself” Xaden joked, actually having to experience it for the rest of his life since her thoughts were connected to his unless she locked him out of her mind, Xaden therefore being the first one to know when Violet was about to lose her temper. Lightly he had laugh at her mention how she’d drive him insane “you are already driving me insane” he admitted quietly, partly hoping violet wouldn’t tease him too much once they were back at the war college or else he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t start making out with her in public. As she leaned in for a proper kiss, Xaden immediately kissed her back the same way as his hands rested on her waist, knowing that violet was doing this to tease him even further which definitely worked well.

[lightningweilded]

“Dangerous? Hardly. I know what I’m getting and I’m not worried about it,” Violet countered with a grin as he encouraged her teasing with his hands on her hips making them rock against his. He might be playing all tough and complaining about it but she knew perfectly ell that Xaden wanted her as much as she always wanted him. They knew one another too well now not to be able to make each other needy with a few glances, touches, and words. Ultimately, Xaden was all that she wanted and she didn’t really see any issue in teasing him until she could have him.

She laughed as he commented that he was stuck with het temper, only shaking her head and giving him an exasperated look. He was stuck with her as she was stuck with him and he;d just have to deal with the occasional moments where she got annoyed with the world around her. “Well I’m stuck with your brooding so I think we’re even. Now stop pointing out all the negative things about me, would you? It’s really messing up my seduction attempts.” She smirked before leaning back in for another kiss, this time not pulling away until they were both in need of a breath. She knew she wants the only one feeling the heat between them at the moment and they had all day together. They might as well do over their interrupted first night as a couple, while they had the luxury. Very soon this would all be a lot harder to manage so she wanted to take as much time for themselves right now as they could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

“You really are a tease, luckily I have a certain amount of self control” he immediately replies halfway joking as he still teasingly moved her hips against his own while pressing his lower body further up against Violets ever so slightly as he watched her reaction very closely, pretending like he wasn’t doing anything at all, acting all innocent.

Seeing the look Violet was giving him even though she had to laugh herself, Xaden lightly rolled his eyes before looking at her with slightly raised brows as he listened to her complaining about him as well. “Brooding?” He repeated her words with a slight frown as he pinched her hip a tiny bit in a teasing way before chuckling a tiny bit as Violet mentioned that him complaining was ruining her seduction attempts. “Then put more effort into your seduction attempts” the brunette teased her. The second Xaden felt her lips back on his, he immediately kissed her back, only for a second giving both of them the chance to take a breath before he immediately kissed her again, adjusting her on his lap a little before he used his hand on her hips to ever slightly rock her hips against his again, not yet taking a step further though in case Violet wanted to take their time with this now that they actually had the time.

[lightningweilded]

“Maybe I’m trying to get rid of that self control,” she countered, a teasing tone in her voice. She was certainly trying to test the limits of it, if the way she moved her hips against his was any indication. But the way he pressed himself closer to her, even if he was putting on a show of being unaffected, told her that patience and control was bending bit by bit.

“Don’t pretend you don’t brood, love. We all know you do. But if you need me to try a little harder I’m sure I can.” His challenger was met with her stubborn refusal to back down about anything. Surely he knew that, though. He complained about it often enough. For now though, she leaned in to press a trail of kisses along his jaw, and then down his neck, not rushing, simply trying to push his limits. She wanted him to fall into that needy, wanting state that they so often enjoyed, where they lost all control of themselves and saw only each other. His hands gripping her hips and rocking her against him earned him a groan from Violet as she repeated the motion, letting the need between them build up.

[jmoonjones]

Andarna doesn’t want the lil bb dragons to feel left out, so she keeps them up to date on Xaden and Violet and all the drama in Fourth Wing.

[xenafay]

This artwork was done for @freyjas-musings who came up with the idea for this concept! We added in Andarna last minute☺️

[lightningweilded]

So many damned things had changed in the last several months, weeks, gods, days even. Every single thing that Violet Sorrengail knew to be true about her world and the people in it and even herself was thrown out a window and she still hadn’t recovered. It was a hard reality to accept.

Worst of it though was the lies. Even if a part of her understood why not everything had been put in the table while she was still close with Dain, the fact that the one person she trusted with her life, her well-being, and her heart had lied to her up until the last possible second stung her ego. Added to the betrayal of her best friend and the lie of her brother’s death and it was too damned much. She couldn’t even walk away, since Tairn and Sgaeyl were so closely bonded. Even if she tried to run from the knot of emotions that twisted in her gut whenever she so much as glanced at Xaden she’d just have to come right back. It was torture.

“Something new for them to teach riders, then?”

She chose not to engaged with Tairn’s teasing at the moment, flopping into the grass where her dragon would normally lounge. Must be out hunting, lucky bastard. Oh to be a dragon with no one to tell you what to do or where to be…

@ridessgaeyl

[lightningweilded]

ridessgaeyl​:

Going back and forth between Aretia, Basgiath and where ever his post would be would be exhausting but at this point, Xaden was used to secretly flying from place to place to help and support some people. He knew that everyone in Aretia would be in good hands thanks to a lot of help, including Brennan, and yet he’d use those few nights where he wouldn’t be working or making his way to the war college, to fly back to the place he considered home.

“Having a mender on your side is quite useful” he mumbled down to her with a smile, obviously referring to her brother who could build entire cities back up as if they would’ve never been destroyed. “We can come here anytime” Xaden replied at her words about wishing they could stay, knowing they couldn’t stay forever but perhaps the idea of one day coming back without having to leave again sounded as nice to her as it did to him, him hoping that Violet was aware that she could fly to Aretia even without Xaden, this now being a home for her as well. “How fit do you feel? Do you think you can fly back in about two days?” He asked her while pressing a few kisses to her neck before looking back into her eyes, knowing that theoretically Brennan had fully healed her and yet Xaden felt like she needed a few days of rest before she’d climb back onto Tairns back and fly all the way back to Basgiath. “If not we will stay a little longer or we will both fly on Sgaeyl… if she lets us”

“Ah yes, Brennan…” she realized a moment after he said it that of course her brother could have been rebuilding the city. He didn’t only mend bodies, after all. It just still felt unreal that he was alive, living here and caring for the people as he helps Xaden return it to a liveable state.

She smiled softly as he told her she was welcome to join him here, her heart full of love that he wanted her in his home. It was their secret now and she’d keep it with everything she had. “I’d like that… to come here with you once I can. Maybe they’ll post me somewhere not too far when I’m finished.” She hadn’t considered trying to sneak away to come here, feeling like that might put them at risk, but it was a promise of one day that she could hold on to.

“I can probably handle it in a few days. With the saddle, anyway. I’m more worried about explaining Andarna when we get back. And what we’re going to say about what happened to us… and they’re going to take your command away…” she frowned, though his kisses along her neck were keeping her distracted enough that the panic didn’t settle into her chest. “Though… I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you, but I know we have to…”

[ridessgaeyl]

"Without him this place would still very much be a ruin" he told her truthfully as Violet seemingly realized that her brother had been the one to at least mostly make this place look as good as new again, rebuilding Aretia to its former glory.

"You can come here without me as well, just be sure no one follows you" Xaden quickly let her know before humming quietly for a moment they will have to post us at the same place once you graduate or at least they'd be fucking stupid for not doing that" he pointed out, already knowing he'd go against the decision of not letting them work at the same place if that would be the case in two years time. If they'd even make it to that point without the rebellion fully starting, causing Violet to possibly having to leave Basgiath fully.

"Don't worry about explaining Andarna, they hardly know anything about gold feathertails" he told her quietly, figuring that by saying they didn't know anything either, they'd already be on the safe side. “I will handle that for us, I don't think anyone but Aetos knows what actually happened. I will come up with something, say we ran into Gryphons in Athebyne" he explained to her, that being the official plan so far and it not even being a lie since Gryphons had been involved but as their allies. "We will see what they do about it when we get back, just don't get involved, play clueless and try to trust me again" Xaden told her before pressing a kiss to her lips for a moment, obviously using all the kisses as a form of distraction to not let this conversation become very serious again, him purposely telling her to try and trust him, knowing that her trust wasn't something he could take for granted right now. “I want to stay as well, pretend like we all died" Xaden admitted, for the first time ever actually liking the thought of just staying out of everything if that meant he could spend every day like this with Violet, that not being possible though.“Trust me violence, I don't want you at Basgiath either but we don't have a choice" he whispered, his lips touching hers as he spoke, Xaden not being in the position to keep her and the others from Basgiath, not when the lives of 107 children were burdened on him, adding Violet to that list of people he had to take care of and protect it was now 108.

[lightningweilded]

"He's a good one, even if I'm still annoyed at him," Violet commented, but at least she'd downgraded from angry to annoyed. Brennan was doing the right thing, so she could forgive his lies. The same went for Xaden, clearly. After all, she was happily lying in bed with him without a single piece of clothing on and getting completely distracted by his kisses. They were good men, even if they sometimes had stupid methods.

When it came to Andarna, he had a point, but Violet's worry was that they'd realized that she was no longer a juvenile, and put it together that feathertails were juveniles. It worried her for all the others if riders started to think that they could simply overpower a hatchling and make it theirs. How long would it be before they found out about the way they shared power... "True, I suppose I can just keep telling them she doesn't give me answers... Lie to them that she grew larger because of something in their biology instead of that she's literally just not a child anymore." She wanted to protect her sweet girl most of all, and she'd find some way to throw people off the trail of the truth. Surely Tairn and Andarna would help her with that. She just couldn't let Dain ever touch her again and find out.

She rolled her eyes as he told her to play clueless about the mission. Frankly, that was silly since anyone who knew what they'd sent them to face would know what she'd seen and no doubt knew herself now. But she'd follow his lead on this like everything else and hope no one asked too many questions. "Fine, I'll trust you. But I still think it's better if we all have the same story in case they interrogate us or something." She didn't put that past any of them, after all. Besides, he was kissing her, and she could never seem to argue with him when he did that.

"Yeah, part of me wants that, too. Just pretend we all died in their stupid venin trap and never see them again until we're ready to burn them down... but I know we can do more, I can do more, if we keep building alliances." That was, apparently, something Violet was good at. She'd forged friendships with her entire squad almost, and it had gotten them through a lot. If she could keep that up... it might help them. She pressed a kiss to his lips this time when he admitted he didn't want her there either, and she knew he worried for her. "It's okay, I haven't died yet, I don't plant to tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that..."

[ridessgaeyl]

“He cares about you a lot, but both Brennan and I understand that you are mad at him” he told her quietly, truly understanding it. Violet had believed him to be dead for six years now, blaming his death like everyone else on Fen Riorson and therefore also indirectly on Xaden once she had met him. Xaden could still remember Violet and his conversation at the parapet when he had pointed out that her mother had killed his father and Violet had answered that they were even since his father had killed her brother. ‘Hardly’ xaden had answered, something Violet couldn’t understand then but surely understood now.

“Say Andarna doesn’t talk about it to you, they can’t do anything against that” he told her since Andarna couldn’t talk to anyone else as and as long as Violet wasn’t telling anyone anything about her Dragon who was no longer basically a baby now, no one could do anything about it. They could try of course but either Tairn or Sgaeyl would burn them down for trying, possibly even Andarna herself by now. “Keep telling them that she can’t transfer her powers onto you” he kept on telling her before relatively abruptly stopping with pressing a few more kisses onto her neck, hesitating to say anything though since they had just agreed to stop with the worrying and upsetting conversations. “Dain might know, he touched you, didn’t he?” Xaden pointed out, not at all accusing her to having done anything wrong, that being entire on Dain though but if he knew about Xaden flying to Athebyne for a ‘special mission’ when touching Violet a couple hours after Xaden had told her about it, he might as well know about Xaden, Violet, Andarnas, Sgaeyls and Tairns conversation about Andarnas ability to stop the time.

“Don’t roll your eyes, you’d be better off when pretending you have no clue what actually happened. If they know that you know about me trading weapons they will start mistrusting you as well. You will all say that I gave you the order to stay, pretend like we were surprised by Gryphon riders on our way to our actual task. If anyone who knows about the Venin asks, you will also say I gave you the order to stay and protect the people, pretend like you don’t know this was a trap and that Colonel Aetos tried to kill us” Xaden explained the plan to her as if this was the most normal thing ever, his tone about what he wanted her to say being completely calm as if him ‘betraying’ their loyalty wouldn’t potentially have consequences for him.

Xaden knew that she was very smart and loyal, him not having expected that she’d already think about the future though and how to make alliances they’d benefit from. “You are likable and people trust you” he pointed out while giving her a light smile, knowing that would be good for them, Violet having a different effect on people than Xaden, Garrick, Bodhi or Imogen had. “We need as many marked ones to survive and bond to a dragon” he added on, saying the obvious but it just really being important, not just because she wanted them to survive and because Xaden felt responsible for them but also because they relied on them and the dragons. “You better not, I won’t let you die anyway” he told her with a light smile, truthfully being worried he wouldn’t be there in time once something would happen to her.

[lightningweilded]

Violet was well aware that both Xaden and Brennan were choosing to weather her anger rather than pushing her and risking her not forgiving them. She could have let him off the hook but the small vindictive part of her was content to let them stew a while. If the two of them, Brennan had committed the worse crime against her but it was hard not to be relieved that he wasn’t dead after all.

She nodded as he agreed that she should just keep telling them Andarna wasn’t giving her much information. She figured it would continue to work for a while, until they started questioning why she had two dragons if one of them wasn’t giving her any benefits. But Andarna would come into her new power anytime now and they’d be able to lean on that, too, since it shouldn’t be any different from every other dragon now that she was grown. But the thought that Dain knew had crossed her mind more than once and she sighed as Xaden mentioned it, too.

“I’ve thought and thought about it the past few days. I don’t know how far he can see back. He’s always said it has to be recent memories, and I didn’t see him close after we found out, so I’m hoping her doesn’t know but I can’t be sure.” If he knew and had told his father or anyone else, Violet would strangle him herself. That was only if his dragon, or Tairn, or Sgaeyl didn’t get to him first. Even the most conventional of dragons wouldn’t stand for their young being threatened by humans and dragons certainly had the advantage. “If he told, I feel like his dragon would have warned them by now. None of them want their hatchlings at risk. Not even the ones bonded to the people who did this.”

She listened as he laid out the story he expected them all to tell and nodded slowly. It was as good a story as any if he wanted to put all the blame on himself, and he was right that there were probably limited people who knew what they’d been sent to do. She didn’t like him taking the whole burden in himself but it made sense. “Okay, that’s fair… as much as I don’t like you having to take all the blame.” She sighed heavily and leaned in to kiss him, because really all she could do for him was give him her love.

“We’ll survive. As many of us as I can keep alive. We’ll teach them like you taught us, and pray for luck.” That was all they could do, and the conversation just dragged her heart back down into the sad, almost hopeless worry that she’d been carrying. She didn’t want to go there or to think of how she couldn’t do what Xaden did but had to try. It was all so broken… she swallow hard, her eyes welling with tears. “Make me think of something else… please.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that Dain hadn’t touched her immediately after Violet had found out that it had been Andarnas doing to stop the time and safe her life from getting killed by Oren and some of the other unbonded cadets, Aetos couldn’t have touched her since Violet had been with him so the earliest she could’ve seen her best friend must have been some time later the next day, hours after she had found out aber it. Therefore there was a good chance that Dain had no clue about it but he also hadn’t touched Violet right after Xaden had told her about Athebyne and yet he had known about it through her memories. “And you trust him with that?” He asked with raised brows, not trusting a single word that came out of Aetos mouth, not even trusting that he had to touch someone’s face to use his powers. “I’ll keep an eye on him” he added on while looking at Violet, it not being Xaden directly who’d spy on him from now on but rather his shadows who could very much see and listen to things Xaden couldn’t since not being present in that moment. “I wouldn’t put my faith in Cath, I just know that neither Sgaeyl nor Tairn like him” Xaden pointed out about Dains dragon. “But if Cath knows something and didn’t warn them, I’m sure both Tairn and Sgaeyl will handle that with him directly” he added on, knowing the red swordtail wouldn’t survive a fight with either.

“I’m the Wing Leader, I have to take the blame” he told her and kissed her back, him truthfully also just blaming himself for what had happened anyway. Putting everyone’s lives at danger was his fault, Liam’s and Soleils death were his fault and therefore he without a doubt would take the full blame on himself and claim to be the only one who had actually ‘betrayed’ Basgiath with this.

“But mostly focus on yourself, let the others deal with training and teaching them something. I don’t want you to forget about yourself in all this” Xaden told her, just truly worrying about Violet. When hearing her ask him to make her think of something else, Xaden thought of something to say but really couldn’t think of anything positive or overly uplifting to say. “I could think of something to distract you with” he mumbled and pressed a few more kisses to her neck to make clear what he was referring to, not being sure if Violet wanted that right now, especially with still being mad at him.

[lightningweilded]

The whole situation with putting the hatchlings at risk had her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear it if, because of her, they were hunted and drained and killed for people like her mother and the Aetoses and Melgren… surely no dragon would let that happen…

“Tairn and Sgaeyl and probably all the others wouldn’t let anything happen to the little ones, I know that. I don’t trust Dain with anything, but I know that the whole reason the dragons even bother with us as riders is to protect those hatchlings in the Vale. If one of them betrayed them that way I don’t doubt for a second that they’d end them and any human it was shared with.” Tairn had practically told her as much when they first decided to explain the unorthodox nature of her bond to Andarna. She trusted him, if nothing else.

“He can’t have… if he did… I’d they die being drained of magic because of me…” she gasped in a few short breaths, trying to push down the panic. It was only the fact that Xaden had decided on distraction by kisses to help her that kept her from losing herself to it completely. She held on to him almost desperately as she made herself focus on the feeling of his lips on her skin instead of the fact that she might have doomed an entire race of beings just because she’d trusted Dain Aetos.

“Yes… distract me. I don’t care how. Becuase if you don’t I’m going to come undone, Xaden…” That was the only way she cold explain it to him. She was at the end of her rope, had pushed false hope and positivity as far as she could, and if she didn’t think of literally anything else she was going to be sick.

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that in theory all the dragons wanted their hatchlings protected from any potential harm which even made them bond to humans in the first place. Even though Andarna was, harshly phrased, not yet fit or good enough to bond to a human due to her size and age, other dragons such as Tairn and Sgaeyl chose to protect her, not having one negative thing to say about the little gold dragon that was now no longer that tiny. “Dragons don’t follow rules though, you’d think there are certain decisions every human would make as well but they don’t” Xaden told her quietly before realizing that he only made her panic even more, something he hadn’t at all intended to do.

“Nothing will happen to them, don’t panic Violence. Take deep breaths” he told her, touching her chin as he said that, knowing that he was making her panic by all this talk about what might go wrong, things just generally not looking that bright right now though. “Just tell me if you’re not in the mood” Xaden breathed against her lips as he kissed her properly for a moment before moving his lips from her lips down to her neck, collarbone and from there down to her chest where he stayed for a moment while his one hand moved down to her legs, making them spread more as he moved in between them, slowly moving his lips further down her body until his lips met her clit, distraction through being intimate apparently being their kind of thing even though it wasn’t a solution to anything.

[lightningweilded]

His gentle words comforted her a little as he tried to chase away the panic. He didn’t mean to make her worry and she knew that, but things were bleak for them. They were facing odds that were almost impossible and sometimes it was hard to ignore that fact. Right now she was struggling with it and the distraction he provided was needed. They wouldn’t have many more chances to indulge themselves like this, after all, and with everything they’d been through, they’d both earned a moment of peace.

“I promise I’ll tell you if I want you to stop, Xaden,” she agreed, knowing she wouldn’t be doing that any time soon. As if she was ever not in the mood for his touch. She always wanted him, even when’s he shouldn’t have. It was what had gotten her into this mess to begin with.

He kissed his way down her body and she sighed softly, her mind focusing in on the feeling of him instead of everything that could and was going wrong for them. This might have been a distraction, but it was a damned good one. Only Xaden mattered right now and when he reached her clit she gasped softly, burying a hand in his hair and stroking through the soft curls. “Gods… I always forget how good you feel…”

[ridessgaeyl]

Pretending to stay completely calm and unbothered was kind of Xadens thing, him truly having mastered to look like his mind wasn’t somewhere completely else or to pretend like he wasn’t panicking when things went wrong. He had to act calm and completely relaxed, having learned that skill the second 107 lives had become his responsibility. Emotional outbursts were incredibly rare and yet Violet had him begging, shouting, admitting feelings and worrying far more than once already. Now wasn’t the time to let her know that he was just as worried as she was, knowing that him panicking would just make her panic even more, distraction definitely being needed for both of them. Perhaps going from arguing to being intimate to arguing to worrying and back to being intimate within basically no time wasn’t exactly normal for others but when it came to Violet and Xaden it seemed to not be anything new or strange, especially considering that they usually had relatively little time for things like this and keeping in mind that they were about to get separated, cherishing the time they had now seemed appropriate.

As Violet assured him that she’d let him know if she wanted him to stop, Xaden just hummed quietly with his lips on her skin, already knowing that she wouldn’t tell him to stop, Violet not even having been able to do that when they had both still agreed that them making out was a terrible idea.

Looking up to her as she spoke and moved one hand into his dark hair, Xaden smirked a tiny bit while adjusting her legs a little so one would rest on his shoulder, giving him better access to her, before he moved one hand up to her breasts and the other moved from her thigh down to her entrance while his tongue stimulated her clit “you have no idea how much I love doing this” he told her through their bond

[lightningweilded]

Whether they were arguing or worrying or whatever else, once Xaden brought his full attention to her body, Violet was always lost to him. He was everything to her, even when she was upset with him, and she melted for his touch. From the second his lips were on her warm skin she shut off the world outside of them and let him take her to someplace better, happier…

“Mm… Xaden… gods damn me you’re too good at this…” she half whined out the words as he adjusted their position, her leg over his shoulder so he could have as much access to her needy body as possible. His smug grin told her he didn’t need to hear the praise, he knew exactly what he was doing to her and he was enjoying himself.

His words came through their bond, mind to mind, and she groaned softly at his admission. Somehow the fact that he liked this, loved it even, only made her more turned on for him. Her hips shifted almost desperately in his hood, greedy for more as his hands added to the pleasure he was bringing her and she cursed softly, replying through their bond just the same.

“You drive me out of my mind, Xaden… please don’t stop.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Perhaps talking things through and letting certain emotions happen was the way to go, communication being key after all which was for sure something they still had to work on. Her being angry with him and both of them being somewhat overwhelmed with the entire situation, was something they could still talk and think about somewhen else though. Xaden had tried to not let Violet get too close and attached to him, even having told her to not fall in love with him even though both of them had clearly already been in love. Letting things happen without trying to keep a certain distance between them would’ve probably been the better option, Xaden knowing exactly that he should’ve handled a lot of things very differently, being convinced that if he would’ve just let himself love Violet sooner, they would’ve be believed to be dead now, returning to Aretia for safety and for Brennan to heal Violet. He couldn’t change the past though, what he could do was let her know and convince her that he did actually love her, Xaden knowing that the second she’d be back in Basgiath there were people waiting who’d try and convince her that Xaden was only using her.

Xaden really didn’t need the praise, knowing that he was good at this and yet he of course didn’t mind to hear it out loud as well, it not exactly being bad for his ego either. “Are you going to tell me that every time?” He asked teasingly with his lips still on her skin, Violet praising him every time so far which he of course liked to hear as well. Feeling Violet push her hips further up, Xaden immediately looked up into her eyes in response to her telling him not to stop, which he didn’t plan on doing anyway, pushing his fingers into her while his tongue kept its rhythm on her clit and his free hand massaged her breasts to stimulate her as much as possible in that moment.

[lightningweilded]

“Would you rather I not?” She fired back, being a smart ass about it as she gave him a little grin. “I’ll have to come up with more inventive ways to tell you.” As long as he got the point, understood how much she wanted him, how he made her feel, they that was what mattered. He didn’t need telling, of course. It was simply what came out of her mouth when he was working his tongue so perfectly against her clit.

Since he teased her about it though, she simply let herself get lost in it, giving up on talking and just letting gasps and moans slip from her lips. Between his fingers thrusting into her and his hand on her breast and the relentless flicker of his tongue against her she was fast approaching her climax and she tugged at his hair a little as her hips hitched with each press of his tongue.

“Xaden… close…”

[ridessgaeyl]

“I’m not complaining about it” he immediately replied with a light smirk on his face as well, liking how Violet always immediately found some words to fire back at whatever he had said, her just always having something prepared as a sassy answer.

Gazing up to her when hearing her moans and quiet gasps while Violet slightly tugged his hair and moved her hips further up against him, Xaden once again quietly hummed against her, keeping on moving his finger in her, his other hand on her breast and his tongue keeping the rhythm to not accidentally throw her off, especially not now that she had said that she was getting close already. “She’s stunning. Absolutely stunning” he thought, meaning to keep his thoughts to himself but without success, accidentally sharing them with Violet, Xaden feeling like for the first time ever he was actually a fool in love and he wasn’t even complaining about it, surprisingly loving to be in love with Violet Sorrengail and for her to love him as well. There was something about her that had made him fall head over heels in love with her, something that had never happened before. Love didn’t necessarily fit into his time schedule or plans but for Violet he made an exception, somehow wishing he could blame it onto their dragons being mates but Xaden knowing exactly that he had been interested in her before Tairn had bonded her. Months before that even.

[lightningweilded]

“Good, since I’m not gonna stop.” She half laughed as her head tipped back and let him see how he was winding her up. She doubted there would ever be a time where she didn’t turn to putty in his hands and she didn’t really mind, at least not right now. It was Xaden, after all. Even when they were arguing he’d still want to protect and care for her.

The simple fact was that Xaden knew exactly what to do and how to do it to make Violet absolutely lose herself. Yes, because he was a talented lover, but more than that because she was head over heels in love with him. And even he was losing a grin on his self control, if the way his thoughts slipped out through their mental connection. She gave a shivered at that, though she didn’t point out to him that she’d heard, instead letting him hear her own mind instead. “Xaden… I love you. I love you…”

For better or worse she meant it. They’d figure out the rest together. Eventually. Certainly not right new. Right now she was losing a hold on her powers again as he built her close and closer to release. The bolts that arcs off of her were small, she hadn’t burnt anything down, but he was certainly driving her wild. A few moments later and her fingers in his hair were pulling as she let go, little streaks of lightning flickering across the room here and there, but none of them striking anything important, thankfully.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her say that she wasn’t going to stop, Xaden had to smirk a little once again, absolutely having expected that answer and also having hoped for it. Yet alone her light laugh was something that made Xaden feel something that others would describe as feeling butterflies in his stomach, the little tingle he felt reminding him that the way he was falling in love made him unusual soft and somewhat vulnerable but it also meaning everything to him to have Violet by his side, not wanting to change that for anything in the world. It didn’t matter that perhaps in two hours time Violet would go back to maybe rather being alone than spending time with Xaden, getting reminded that she was still disappointed and angry which might cause her to be a little distant, as long as she still loved him, he could deal with it and give her as much time to forgive him as she needed.

When hearing her voice in his head, telling him that she loved him, it was pretty obvious that he was smiling even though his mouth was very much busy and had no time to smile without accidentally changing the rhythm. “I love you too. More than you can imagine” he replied truthfully, knowing that loved her more than she could imagine, her mattering more to him than he could even express. Or at least he couldn’t express it out loud to Violet yet, Sgaeyl who constantly had to listen to his inner monologue could probably give Violet a whole ten minute speech about all the things he wanted to say but couldn’t say yet.

Xaden didn’t pull away from her until he could be sure that Violet had reached her climax, slowly removing his fingers again and letting his mouth move to her inner thigh, pressing a few kisses to both her inner thighs while keeping his eyes locked on Violet. “Does you not burning down mean you have more self control or was I not good enough this time?” He asked teasingly and quietly while slowly moving back up to have his face by hers again.

[lightningweilded]

For some reason, hearing him say he loved her back in the height of her release made something in her happy beyond reason. A flash of power lashed out and singed the top of his bedpost as she heard it, Violet doing her best to keep a handle on it even as he made her feel like she was drowning in pleasure. She was, at least, getting better at holding back.

When he finally pulled away and pressed kisses against her thighs she shivered, letting go of his hair as she realized she’d been gripping the whole time. She took several deep breaths and pushed her hand through her braid, sitting up enough to look at him.

“Want to give me more and find out?” She answered him with a laugh, reaching out to caress his cheek lightly. “I think I’m just getting better with control… or maybe my powers just aren’t as strong… I don’t know, test it and find out.” She couldn’t help tempting and teasing him, though she was keeping a tight hold on her powers because she didn’t want to destroy his home. He had so few places he could call his and she didn’t want to ruin it.

[ridessgaeyl]

For a second Xaden glanced up to his bedpost, trying to hold back a light chuckle over the fact that no matter how hard she was possibly trying to keep it together, she couldn’t control her powers fully. Truthfully he didn’t expect her to be able to have full control over them, not with them being a weapon and still new to her but it did amuse him how she sometimes struggled to use lighting the way she wanted to and yet she was able to cause a wildfire when having sex with him.

Staying in between her legs still as he moved back up to properly look at her, Xaden couldn’t hold back a smirk when hearing her response to what he had just asked her, his distraction method clearly working very well for both of them. “Very tempting” he admitted as she caressed his cheek, Xaden for a second glancing down to her body before looking back into her eyes “You are a tease, Sorrengail. Where were we at at Basgiath? Five? Should we top that now?” He asked quietly and looked from her eyes down to her lips, moving his hand to her waist to slightly move her on his bed so she’d properly lay back down again with him still in between her legs but not yet doing anything. “You don’t have to hold back, whatever you burn down or let explode, your brother can fix it” Xaden told her, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke, clearly not wanting her to hold back.

[lightningweilded]

“I think we were working on five when they interrupted us,” she countered with a smirk as she watched him make his way back up so that they could look at one another properly. “Genuinely the worst timing.” She could still recall how she’d been almost on edge when his best friends had come pounding on the door. Xaden’s expression had been fit for murder at the interruption.

He was enjoying teasing just as much, of course. Violet knew it from the grin on his face and the way his gaze lingered briefly on her body, and then her lips. They were both thoroughly distracted now. Honestly they could both use it. They’d been through enough lately that they deserved a little rest, a distraction, some happiness. She grinned as he called her a tease, leaning in to kiss him when he did too.

“Fine I’m a tease… but do you really want to tell my brother he has to undo my destruction from having sex with you?” A laugh came from her as she shook her head. Brennan would at the very least tease them to the ends of the earth. But it would be worth it, to fully let go, and to give Xaden the full response that he definitely wanted. “If you want to explain it to him, I’ll stop holding back.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“For the fucking war games…” he mumbled as Violet brought up how they hadn’t been able to finish and how it had been bad timing, horrible timing even, Xaden having been more than mad when hearing the annoying and unwelcome sound of knocking on his door, followed by the information that they were under attack. If they would’ve at least actually been under attack, he wouldn’t have complained about jumping out of bed and getting dressed within seconds to get to their dragons but when having gotten the information that this was all an exercise for something as unnecessary as the war games, Xaden had felt the strong desire to just cuss everyone out, walk over to Violet, lift her up and carry her right back to his room. Looking back he wished he would’ve just done that, it would’ve surely been a lot nicer than flying into a death trap.

As Violet asked if he really wanted to tell her brother that having sex with his sister had caused this, Xaden pulled a face while lightly shaking his head with a grin on his lips, clearly not being overly interested in explaining that too Brennan. Brennan surely knew about Violet and him by now but pointing out details would just make it a little strange. “you loosing control is hot” he admitted with a light shrug, clearly deeming it worth it as well, even if he had to tell Brennan why exactly he had to fix their mess. “In that case, I’ll gladly tell your brother that you have zero self control when having sex with me. That should be more awkward for you than for me anyway” he teased her before leaning in to kiss Violet again. “So don’t. hold. back.” Xaden mumbled against her lips and pushed his length into her without any prior warning.

[lightningweilded]

“Mmhm… assholes.” She grumbled along with him, just as annoyed to have had their first real night as a couple interrupted in such a way. Maybe they were getting a second chance now though. One that she should take full advantage of. It wasn’t really their first night as a couple anymore, but maybe it was their first night back together. At least, it felt that way and maybe she should let it be.

“So… you have one already, shouldn’t be too hard to catch up to that night, hm?” A playful grin lingered on her lips as he admitted he found her lack of control with him attractive. It was easy to lose control when it was Xaden kissing her, touching her, making love to her. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned in to drop a trail of kisses along his jaw with a soft sigh.

He commented that he’d tell her brother if it meant he got what he wanted and she laughed again, leaning in to kiss him. When they paused their kiss for him to demand her not holding back she had intended to make a smart ass remark back about the awkwardness of her bother knowing, but any thoughts left her mind entirely as Xaden pressed his hips to hers and sunk his full length in her. All that came out instead of words was a needy moan of his name.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Makes me want to stay here even more” he mumbled back, really liking the idea of not getting interrupted by anyone unless it was actually an emergency and not just because one of his friends or one of her friends felt like knowing on the door or because of the War Games. Their first night as a couple had ended somewhat tragic with hours of flying to Athebyne, getting into an argument, basically breaking up and almost getting killed. This night could only get better and hopefully end in them peacefully just falling asleep next to another, Xaden not planning on sneaking out of the room before she’d be awake again even if placing some Violets down in her room had been nice, waking up with Violet in his arm was surely nicer.

“Should be doable” he told her while trying to hide a smirk as he nodded a little, knowing that if someone would knock on their door anytime soon, he’d literally kill them for interrupting them again.

As they broke their kiss for a second, Xaden just knew from the look on her face that Violet had been about to make a smart ass remark back to him, only being able to moan out his name though once he pushed into her. Xaden didn’t hesitate long before immediately starting to move his hips into hers, surprisingly not thrusting into her half as roughly and desperate as he had started off last time. Not because he didn’t want to, surely getting a little rougher again in a few minutes time, but to let her know that he could do gentle as well, even far more gentle than right now if that was what she wanted. Whatever she wanted, he’d do it. He had made that pretty obvious already but Xaden clearly wanted her to know that her pleasure mattered a lot to him, also wanting her to know that she mattered to him, feeling like starting a little more gentle than last time would maybe get the message clear.

[lightningweilded]

“Always so cocky…” she remarked in reply but there wasn’t much actual fire behind her words. She was too busy enjoying the feeling of being with him again. Usually they were rushed in trying it please one another, stealing moments in the heat of things. Today though? They had all the time they could want right now. No one needed them for anything, there were no war games about to start, the city was currently safe and quiet and everyone had other things to keep them busy. They could take their time that alone was a luxury that Violet was grateful for.

Even Xaden seemed to feel that, for once not taking her body desperately until they both lost control in mere minutes. He was being gentle, tender and it was nice, really it was. She let her hands explore him, running over the broad planes on his back, trailing her fingertips over his hips. Her gaze held his as she took in everything, letting him see the love there as he hips rose and fell in time with his. It was lovely, but at the end of the day Violet was needy. They’d have time later to see how long they could draw out their pleasure by adoring one another.

“Xaden… more… please more,” she asked him in a soft moan as she arched her body under his as if she could get more friction from the action. She wasn’t bothering to keep her through a form him, letting his sense the waves of pleasure each thrust brought her and the repetition on her mind of how much she loved him. If he wanted her unleashed he would get all of her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“It’s not cocky when we both know I can make you finish at least five times within very little time” he pointed out, it definitely sounding cocky but also just being the truth after all. If they wouldn’t have been interrupted last time, the two of them would’ve probably continued their lovemaking for even longer, possibly until they were forced to leave his room or until at least one of them would’ve been exhausted to the point where sleeping and resting was the only option left. Now they were in no rush, they could take their time, try and forget about everyone and everything else for at least a moment and cherish what they’d soon no longer have. Unlimited time together. Time for sure being limited once he’d graduate and Violet would stay at Basgiath for two more years.

As Violets hand started to move all over his body, Xadens free hand that he didn’t have to use to push himself up over her, started to explore her body as well even though he had already done that a couple times before, letting his fingers trace over her thigh and from there up her stomach and over her hips and waist while he let out a quiet gasp when moving in her. Hearing her request for more, Xaden used the chance and moved his hand underneath her arched back to keep her pushed up a little which allowed him to thrust deeper into her, something he immediately did before Violet had to say another word, his thrusts immediately getting rougher and harder, desperate like they been in Basgiath. “Not a gentle vanilla girl?” He moaned out teasingly while pushing into her, starting to kiss her neck and leave a few subtle marks on her skin there, purposely keeping it subtle so she could hide them rather easily from others.

[lightningweilded]

“Still cocky, but I love you that way,” she answered half breathlessly. She wouldn’t pretend he wasn’t a pain in the ass who knew he was too attractive for his own good, but she loved him the way he was. Besides, he had good reason to be confident. He was attractive, he was damned good in bed, he was talented and smart and a damned good fighter. Gods she loved him. All that slipped through her mental bond to him, too, nothing hidden right now.

His touch explored her body the same way hers did to his, leaving Violet shivering pleasantly in the wake of his touch. When his hand slipped under her back to keep her hips raised she let out a sharped moan and the crackle of lightning danced across her skin for a moment now that she wasn’t holding back. Apparently he took her request and decided not to hold back either, since he started to move harder, rougher, that was almost desperate way that Violet loved.

“Though you knew that already, considering all the ways you’ve had me…” she quipped back, trailing off as he marked her neck, her nails raking down his back lightly. Definitely not vanilla. If she had her way he’d drive her crazy like this all the time. “Better, Xaden… yes! More, please…” she was not above begging and he did so love when she did.

[ridessgaeyl]

When being able to basically hear her thoughts about him, thoughts about how much she loved him, how he was an attractive pain in the ass, good in bed, talented, smart and a good fighter, Xaden did his best to not chuckle, knowing Violet let him hear all that through her bond on purpose or rather she wasn’t trying to keep this from, letting him know her thought process. When she was letting loose on whatever was on her mind, Xaden decided to do the same, knowing exactly that the only thing on his mind right now was Violet anyway so she might as well also hear how highly he thought of her. Xaden truthfully knew that he wasn’t exactly ugly, for sure not terrible in bed and being well aware that he was one of the best fighters and most powerful riders that were currently at Basgiath, him even being one of the best riders out there when graduating. Until Violet had shown up with Tairn after threshing he had even been the strongest rider of their generation, Xaden not at all minding to pass that ‘title’ to Violet though, not when he knew that no one could live up to Violet and him with Tairn, Sgaeyl and Andarna as a team.

When feeling Violets hands continue on moving all over his body, a shiver came over him as well, letting her trace her fingers down his back that was almost fully covered by the relic Sgaeyl had left on him after threshing and the total of 107 silver looking scars. His hand underneath her back was gentle while his thrusts into her were quite hard as his lips moved over her neck.

“I was thinking you might be a switch when it comes to that, apparently not” he quickly replied in a teasing way, hoping she’d even understand him with his words muffled as his lips were still on her neck. Hearing her beg for more, Xaden moved his one hand to adjust her legs and therefore her overall position a tiny bit, moving her so he could thrust as deep into her as possible while going even rougher and harder than before, leaning his head down just enough so his tongue could move over her breasts. Since neither of them planned on holding back, Xaden figured he wouldn’t even have to tell Brennan what had caused the destruction, chances being high that he heard them already.

[lightningweilded]

“Gentle is fine now and then, but right now… I want it all,” violet managed to get out before he shifted the position of their bodies and a the sound she made as he pushed into her again and brought his mouth to her breast was just short of a scream. He wanted her to let go of her control on herself and her powers and he got it now, the action making a bolt of lightning arc across the room and take out a sizable chunk of the dresser corner. When he was gentle with her she adored it but it didn’t make her lose herself this way, she could keep control then, take him in without drowning in it, but when he wanted her weak for him this was what she needed.

“Yes, fuck, perfect, perfect, right there…” The string of encouragements and curses that came from her mind to his was probably not even intentional. When he’d angled her just right any control she’d been holding onto slipped and she was rapidly approaching her release now. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to warn him, though he probably didn’t need it from the way her thoughts were running around both their heads, making it clear that he’d found exactly the angle and intensity that she craved.

Somewhere in the depths of her kind she knew that everyone in the keep would know what they’d been doing. They couldn’t possibly miss the bolts of lightning that struck both inside and out, scorching the grass in the field and his furniture. The next one broke the door clean off his armoire and she couldn’t find it in her to feel back, because she was too close to bliss. Every thought thrust of his hips and another crack of lightning followed, until a few moments later she was shouting out his name as release found her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“I know exactly why I call you violence” he mumbled against her skin, Violet really being surprisingly fierce and not half as gentle as you’d expect from someone her height and who looked as frail and gentle as she looked. A part of him had at first even been worried that he’d hurt her just because he was accidentally too rough with her, having seen the way Imogen had almost ripped her arm out with ease. Clearly he wasn’t hurting her though or she wouldn’t be begging for more. “Gentle later” Xaden agreed with her before his brows furrowed for a moment as lighting took out a chunk of his dresser, him loving to make her lose control like that.

Being able to hear all her thoughts as if they were his own just in her voice was also something he could get used to, especially with her constant praising and words of encouragement which caused Xaden to stay in that position since she visibly and audibly liked it. “never hold back again in the future” he passively let her know while continuing on thrusting into Violet rather hard, pushing into her as much as he could with each thrust of his hips against hers. Keeping his lips on her breasts for a moment he very slowly pulled away again to be able to look into her face, wanting to watch her for just a moment while keeping on moving, moans and pants leaving his lips as well as he moaned out her name a few times as well, watching her closely as she found her release around the same time as him, a crack of lightning and her screaming his name out filing the room. “After this I don’t think I need to tell anyone the reason for the lighting” he teased against her lips as he kissed her passionately while panting lightly.

[lightningweilded]

“Never, promise… so good! Can’t last…” Mental words were all Violet could manage as he pushed her over the edge though he still somehow had the stamina not to join her yet. She wondered how he managed it. It took him so little effort to make her come but he had self control she could only envy. But he wasn’t immune to the sight of her coming undone for him and when she finally lost all control he joined her, the most stunning thing she’d ever seen when he called her name and let go. If the shadows inthe corners of the room were a bit heavier tan usual, she could only be proud of herself.

“Tougher than I look,” Violet stated in reply to him comment about he he called her Violence, half panting as she tried to recover from the incredible feeling of him bringing her the release she needed. She loved his silly nickname for her now, even though she’d scolded him for it when he first came up with it. In the heat of it all she hadn’t been able to answer but now that she was coming down and indulging in kisses and affection with him she was able to mange words of some sort. She glanced around to look at the shattered door of his wardrobe and the scorch-marked desk with a slight blush on her cheeks. “I guess you don’t… I’m sure they’ll all give us looks for it though.” She wasn’t in a rush to face the teasing of his loved ones and a handful of people she considered friends now, never mind Brennan. They could just stay here for a while and ignore all that.

[ridessgaeyl]

Realizing that she wasn’t even able to think in proper sentences anymore, putting two fitting words together already seeming like a struggle, Xaden once again tried to hold back a grin about how much power he had over her. Xaden himself felt his self control falling apart immensely, something that would’ve happened even if he would try to stay in control simply because of the impact Violet had on him and yet in comparison he seemed to have a lot more control than she did. Probably only on the outside though, having better control over his expressions and also over his powers due to the fact that he had them longer than violet, that not meaning that the shadows in the corner of his room weren’t seeming more vivid than they should be right now. In reply Xaden decided to only let out a quiet hum that turned into a moan, liking the thought of Violet never really holding back, not here and not in Basgiath, him not even minding it anyone or even everyone would hear them, that at least making it clear that she was his and that he was hers.

“A lot tougher” he replied, absolutely meaning it as a compliment while he as well tried to catch his breath again, breathing quite heavily with his heard pounding fast in his chest and yet he looked a lot calmer and in control than he actually was. It either being because he was used to looking and acting rather calm or perhaps it was genetics. Seeing Violet glance around his room for a moment, Xaden kept his eyes on her before once again humming quietly “you were tamer than last time... with the lighting at least, I’m pretty sure you were louder than last time though” he pointed out as he slowly pulled out of her again but remained in between her legs to look down at her, his body still incredibly close to hers

[lightningweilded]

She honestly gave a whine as he pulled out of her, hating the feeling of disconnecting from him in any way. If she was honest with herself, she’d gotten so used to having him near her in every way, mental, physically, intimately, that it felt like something was missing whenever they were apart. She’d have to get used to it though, considering that they were going to be spending quite a lot of time apart soon, whether she liked it or not. She leaned up to kiss him, first gently on his lips, and then a trail of soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She simply wanted the connection of intimacy with him, no matter what they were doing.

“Yeah… it might be because I can’t help worrying about ruining something in here that matters to you, or it might be because taken has kind of been limiting how much power I’m allowed to have ever since.. you know.” She knew that the big black dragon wasn’t giving her full access until she was healed completely. Though Brennan had put her back together physically, she was still not at her full strength and she suspected Tairn was still a bit cross at her for almost burning out on him. But she’d told him she wouldn’t and she didn’t. It was the damn poisoned blade that had taken her out, not the power he’d channeled to her. He’d get over it in time, she was sure of it. But right now she figured he was holding back so she didn’t do something stupid and hurt herself with the pathways he’d blown wide open that day.

“Even if he let me have all of it, I’d still feel bad if I destroyed your room. I know you said it’s not that important but… this is your home, Xaden. It matters.” Even without the full access to the massive amount of power Tairn could give her, she could have smashed the whole place apart. She could have taken out a wall! He didn’t deserve to have the sanctuary of his home destroyed, even by her when she was enjoying herself. She was trying to care for him, in her little, ridiculous way.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her whine as he pulled out, Xaden raised a brow in amusement as he looked down into her eyes “I know, I know” knowing how she felt and how it made her feel somewhat empty for a moment. He wasn’t pulling away though, remaining between her legs, leaning over her, looking down to her and part of his body still touching hers as they both tried to catch a breath still while having a somewhat normal conversation. Kissing her back, Xaden closed his eyes again when feeling Violet kiss her way down to his jawline and from there down her neck while his one hand slowly moved up and down her waist, clearly also not wanting to lose that intimate connection anytime soon.

“Everything is replaced” he told her again before immediately opening his mouth again to add something onto what she had said about Tairn not giving her that much access to her power or rather their power. “As he should, I would argue he shouldn’t give you any of it yet” Xaden mumbled but knew Violet needed at least a smidge or else she wouldn’t just complain nonstop but also not improve her abilities in the slightest, a little power therefore probably being better than no power. “Use the little he lets you have access to but don’t ask for more. You can’t know that but it wasn’t fun to hear Tairn worry about you all day long when I worried myself to death already as well. Even Sgaeyl was worried” he added on, clearly having been scared that she’d die and still being scared she might actually burn out in the future.

“You worry too much. I watched this entire place get destroyed beyond recognition six years ago, I’ll be just fine if my girlfriend destroys it by enjoying herself a little too much” Xaden said in a cocky way, partly to disguise how he was actually feeling about Aretia. Yes, this had been his home and he still considered it such but Aretia had been a lot more than just the buildings and the landscapes. Aretia had fallen and the people who had made this his home had been executed. Not even Brennan who had helped rebuild everything back up to the way it used to look could make this the home it had once been.

[lightningweilded]

It was the first time that he’d said just how worried he and Tairn had both been on that day of the war games. Violet had known they’d worried, had caught parts of the two of them arguing over getting her to safety and apparently Tairn threatening Xaden’s life if he didn’t save her, but neither of them had really addressed it with her directly and she felt a little pant of guilt at how badly she’d worried them both. It had to be done though, there hadn’t been any other way for her to keep all of the enemies busy long enough to end it. No different from the way Xaden had stood alone with a wall of shadows to shield them until she’d asked him to drop them. She gave a soft sigh and reached up to caress his cheek.

“I told Tairn I wouldn’t burn out and I didn’t. You both worried about that but it was the knife in my side that almost killed me, not the power.” They still didn’t even know exactly what kind of poison had been on that blade, but it had drained her in some way, of life and magic. Thankfully Brennan had been able to undo it, as far as anyone could tell. “Aren’t you the one always telling me I’m better than I think and to stop limiting myself? What good would having no power at all do me?”

She softened a little at the way he’d said even Sgaeyl had worried, though she wasn’t entirely sure the vicious blue liked her much, that she’d cared at all was some kind of progress. She sighed and conceded, not wanting to argue with him about her power. Not when they were having a good afternoon and he’d just called her his girlfriend.

“Maybe to do worry too much, but my mother took this away from you. I don’t want to damage it too…” the unspoken part was easy to pick up in her mind. ‘I don’t want to be like her, taking things from good people who don’t deserve that.’ Violet didn’t quite have it in her to say that out loud though. “Especially your bedroom. There are things in here that are yours, fine furniture can be replaced, but what if I burnt something from your childhood or something?”

[ridessgaeyl]

Tairns and Xadens relationship was a constant up and down, while they seemingly tolerated one another and had worked together countless hours already, neither of them could or wanted to stop with the constant bickering and criticizing, Tairns smart comments having been quite hard though when Violet hadn’t yet woken back up. Allowing three dragons in his bedroom would’ve been rather difficult, yet alone space wise so Tairn had constantly dropped comments and threats through his bond with Xaden why Sgaeyl had to listen to all of her riders worries, something that would’ve surely made her want to kill him under different circumstances and yet she had at least attempted to comfort Xaden. Something he knew to not take for granted, not when it came to Sgaeyl. “It doesn’t matter if it was the knife or the amount of power you used, both could’ve killed you. You used too much of it and I know you had no choice but it could’ve killed you” he pointed out, still vividly remember how he had seen her fall from Tairn only a few days ago, completely unconscious and already halfway dead. Lightly he nodded as she mentioned that he was the one who usually told her not to limit herself which was true “yeah and like I said, use whatever power you have right now-“ Xaden said and let his eyes move to the furniture she had damaged, proof that she was using her powers even without having proper control of them, it still being practice after all “-but don’t reach for more until you feel like it won’t weaken you” he finished his sentence.

“Well it wasn’t just your mother and you are not her.” He quickly said before moving one hand up to her cheek when hearing the words she rather shared through her mind instead of saying them out loud. “You are not your mother, you are not taking anything from anyone” Xaden assured her with a light nod, his tone serious but still soft. “Everything that truly matters is in my memories anyway” he told her quietly, memories being the one thing no one could take from him no matter what. Before speaking again, he made a gesture over to his desk and the object, a book, he had moved to the side earlier. “Those are some pictures and letters, as long as you don’t burn them down, I don’t care about anything else in this room” Xaden admitted, deciding to open up quite a bit today, knowing he had to and it just feeling right.

[lightningweilded]

The last thing Violet wanted right now was for them to end up arguing again, even though the stubborn part of her was annoyed that they thought she was going to hurt herself again. It had been a desperate situation, and she'd done what was needed, but it wasn't something she intended to do regularly. "I will, I will, but you have to trust me to know my limit, alright? I'm not going to collapse the first time I use it." She shook her head, giving him a look before kissing his cheek. "Thank you for caring enough to worry so much, but I'm healing, and I'll be fine. I'm not planning on dying, remember?"

She gave a sigh as he reminded her that she wasn't her mother. Of course, she wasn't but she'd already thrown enough anger at him for what she'd blamed on his father and in the end it was all her own family that was doing horrible, maybe even evil, things. She felt bad for all of it, even if she hadn't known.

"Still... she's the one who gave orders, including the one to force you all into service. She could have stood up for the right thing, but she chose to put you and 107 other people through hell... You don't deserve to lose more because of her blood." Violet's gaze drifted away from him, almost ashamed at the fact that she'd been raised to think and act that same way, to think of him and all of the children he tried to protect as monsters and treat them accordingly. Now she had to help him protect them, and this place, all of it. She looked at the book he pointed out and nodded, using a little of the channel power for lower magic to lift it and move it under the bed they were in, for now. It was the most likely place to shield it if he really wanted her to give in fully. "At least under there, the worst that'll happen to it is the bed falls in on top of it. Maybe later you can show me some of it?"

[ridessgaeyl]

Just from the look on her face Xaden could tell that him telling her to be careful with using her powers or rather the amount of power, this could cause an argument. Something they didn’t need and surely neither of them wanted either. “I do tryst you. Use them, keep training, do what you think is right but know your current limits, we both know that you are still weakened. Push the limits if you must but don’t push too much” Xaden told her so she’d hopefully understand that unlike Dain, he wasn’t trying to tell her what to do or not to do, Xaden even wanting her to use what she had to use, just being worried that she might not actually know her limits yet. “You better not, else I’ll be the first person to know” he told her, forcing himself to smile a little even though this wasn’t really a topic that made him feel like smiling.

Letting out a sigh as well, Xaden could hardly believe it himself but he would for once actually choose to say something sort of kind about Lilith Sorrengail, not because he felt like defending anything she had done, quite the opposite even, but because that cold woman was still Violets mother so mentioning the one ‘nice’ thing General Sorrengail had done seemed appropriate. “She was also the one who didn’t want any of us to watch our parents get executed. And she was the one who had the idea with the rebellion relics, surely they weren’t meant to help us in any way but at least they keep Melgren from seeing what will happen” Xaden told her, not being sure if Violet had been aware of that. She had already figured out that moving in bigger groups than allowed kept Melgren from seeing their future but Xaden wasn’t sure if the relics and her mother voting for them not to see their families execution was common knowledge for everyone. Or perhaps only for those who had been present at the executions anyway and who had heard certain conversations. “And don’t forget that you are going through the same hell right now” he added on in a softer tone since she as well, had been forced into the riders quadrant, in some way also having lost her parents even with her mom still alive and her now abruptly learning that those she had believed to be the bad people, were seemingly good and those she had trusted could no longer be trusted. Violets world came crashing down as well.

Watching her use magic to move the book, Xaden had to smirk a little with raised brows when realizing that she was moving it underneath his bed, reasoning that it would be safest there which was somewhat logical actually. For a moment he stayed quiet as she asked to see the book later, it seeming like he was hesitant to answer before Xaden nodded a little “if you want to, of course” he decided to reply though, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

[lightningweilded]

“I know, and I’ll be careful, alright? I can’t just give up because we had a bad mission. We weren’t even meant to survive it so it makes sense that it took something drastic…” Violet sighed and shifted a bit in the bed, feeling their conversation tipping into that realm of seriousness and disagreement and she didn’t want it. This whole thing was meant to distract them and they were back to harping on the damned war games and that led her back to her own failures. Xaden and Tairn didn’t want her burning out, but maybe if she’d tired harder, figured that out faster and been able to pour out every ounce of power she had then they wouldn’t have let people die.

At least his comment about being the first to know if she got herself killed was enough dark humor to make her half laugh about it. She didn’t plan on going down so easily. Every day since Parapet had been a mantra of “I’m not going to die today” and she intended to carry on not dying.

As he mentioned her mother being the one to shield them from the executions of their parents she raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear it. Oh sure, she’d heard the official story, but once she’d learned about Xaden’s deal with her mother she had assumed sparing them from the executions was part of it. Besides, Liam had still been forced to watch his fathers, how many others had been the same?

“Honestly, I assumed she was lying about that. Or that you negotiated it. Liam told me he still had to watch his father be executed and… I assume he’s not the only one.” It didn’t soften her to her mother one bit. Whatever love and drive to make her mother proud she’d had once was pushed so far down now that she hardly felt any connection at all to Lilith Sorrengail. “Though I’ll grant you that the relics keeping things secret is a blessing they didn’t see coming.”

Violet had spent so long pushing through the things happening in her life that she hadn’t really considered that she was in the same position as the children of the rebellion. Well… she wasn’t likely to be killed on sight if she’d refused to become a rider but otherwise, mostly the same. As he pointed it out, she shrugged, simply stating “I’m where I’m supposed to be,” And moving on as quickly as she could. She didn’t need tot honk about her own sorrows, too. She couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep going. So she focused instead on his hesitant agreement to share the book with her.

“Well… I want to know what you value enough to keep, so… yes. If you’ll let me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden also hadn’t expected them to survive this, so loosing only two people was actually pretty good and impressive, it not making him feel any better about Liam and Soleils death and Violet almost dying though. Also feeling this conversation get somewhat serious and upsetting again, Xaden nodded a little before pressing a kiss to her lips “okay. I just don’t like to see you hurt” was all he decided to say since that statement definitely wasn’t debatable. Hearing her laugh about his joke that he’d be the first to know if she was dying, Xaden had to laugh a little in response as well, shaking his head a tiny bit as he did so. Thinking about it, what had happened in the past couple of months was quite literally just crazy, him having expected a lot of things to happen in his last year at Basgiath but falling in love with Violet Sorrengail, their lives bonded to another through their dragons and her laying in his bed in Aretia had not been something he had expected to happen.

“Well like I said she was the only one who said we shouldn’t have to watch that” he explained with a light shrug before continuing on talking “the younger ones got to leave and everyone old enough to handle it had to stay” Xaden added on, ‘handle it’ being very much an unfitting term since no one, no matter what age, could simply stand there and handle seeing their family getting executed. No matter if you were seventeen or fourteen. Quietly he hummed as she mentioned that at least the relics were partly blessing then, apart from the fact that everyone who had an rebellion relic got treated horribly. “Every dragon made relic comes with some form of magic, so thank you Melgren, for not just making my arm look a lot nicer but also allow me to hide things from you” he joked in an attempt to lighten up the mood again, Xadens relic really being hard to miss since it was by far the biggest, one that was still visible even when covering up his entire arm.

When hearing Violet say that she was where she was supposed to be, Xaden had to smile a little again, letting his thumb brush over her cheek “you are” he simply agreed with her, knowing she wanted to move on from that topic. “Then get prepared for awkward childhood pictures of me” he whispered at Violets words that she wanted to see what he seemed to value enough to keep it. Skillfully Xaden moved the two of them so Violet was now on top, allowing her to do whatever she wanted to do right now, whether that was to continue their conversation, focus back on intimacy or even reach underneath his bed to grab the book of she felt like it.

[lightningweilded]

Xaden at least managed to joke with her a bit and that helped ease the edge of tension that they’d been dancing around for most of the conversation about her use of power. She couldn’t and wouldn’t stop sing it because of one deadly fight, that just wasn’t possible for them. She was a weapon and they’d need that, and so would she if she wanted to survive because people weren’t going to stop trying to kill her just because she made it to her second year.

As for her mother, she appreciated what he was trying to do. He didn’t want to defend the woman who had caused him and all of his friends pain beyond measure, but he didn’t want Violet to think herself a monster either and this was his way of helping. It warmed her heart just to see him try. She traced her fingers lightly over the relic on his arm and then across the scars on his back that marked the lived he carried responsibility for and she wondered if they’d been carved into him with the same kind of blade that had left her silvery scar. They looked so alike… and considering who’d done the damage to him…

“Oh yes, the most important thing, looking like you have a full arm tattoo,” she teased back, laughing as he rolled them over so that she sat straddling his hips now, able to look down at him with a smirk. She was happily enjoying the view. “And baby portraits of you sounds adorable. You’re really only making me want to look even more.” With the grin still on her lips she bent to kiss him, settling into it for a few long moments and simply enjoying the feeling. She was not in any hurry to move on from their one little chance at the evening they’d deserved so she was going to stay right here in his lap and take as much as she could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

Feeling her fingers trace over the relic on his arm, Xaden gazed to her hand for a moment before looking back down into her eyes, raising his brows as she teased back about it looking like he had his full arm tattooed. “Don’t tell me you don’t like it” he kept on joking in a dramatic way. “The entire arm does look better than a small relic though” Xaden pointed out, being used to having the biggest relic that even moved up to right where his neck started, there being other children of the rebels who had far smaller relics on them.

The second he made her move on top and straddling his lap, Xaden moved his hands to her waist, letting his eyes move up and down her body for a moment before he looked back into her eyes, clearly enjoying what he was seeing as well. “Want to check if I have always been that handsome? Check anytime you feel like it” he offered teasingly since Violet had called him good looking through their bond earlier. Feeling her lips on his, Xaden immediately kissed her back, moving one hand from her waist up her arm and towards her face while shifting just enough to sit up a tiny bit more with him still starling her so Violet wouldn’t have to lean down that much, him letting out a quiet hum against her lips.

[lightningweilded]

“I don’t like what it means, but I’ll grant you that you look good,” Violet countered with a laugh as he continued to joke about his relic. She so rarely got to see Xaden laugh or smile so it felt like a treat to be joking with him about something like this. Maybe it was just that it took some of the weight of guilt off of her shoulders, but whatever the reason, she was grateful for it. It allowed them a minute just to be people, two people in love with each other, not riders, not children of enemies, just Violet and Xaden laughing about his exaggerated vanity. “If anyone can wear their entire arm and shoulder marked, it’s you. And Sgaeyl’s relic is even bigger somehow.” She laughed a little thinking of the massive nay dragon that took up his entire back. Clearly his dragon wouldn’t be outdone by anyone. She was going to lay the biggest claim on him and make sure everyone else knew it.

She glanced at his large hands on her waist, always a little amused by the sheer difference in size between them. Violet had never really grown tall or strong, and Xaden wasn’t anywhere near small or delicate. They always seemed to be opposites, in size, in personality, even in coloring where Violet was awkwardly pale with silver hair and faded eyes, and Xaden was all warm tan and night dark hair and eyes. But he was handsome and she shrugged as he teased her before kissing her back, a pleasant shiver running down her spine at the content hum he gave. “Yep, that’s definitely the reason. Not because I’m curious about baby Xaden.”

For a moment again she wished they could stay here, like this. Tell the world they had died in that battle and lie happily in Aretia, sharing their bed every night, making jokes about stupid things. It felt like the life they should have had, but there wasn’t any changing they life they did have. She’d just take what time they had and hold on to it, knowing they might never have this again. “I do love you, Xaden Riorson. More than I ever thought I could.”

[ridessgaeyl]

The rebellion relic wasn’t going anywhere so truth be told, Xaden was actually glad that it didn’t look bad on him, just adding to his looks and somehow making him look a little more threatening even, probably because everyone knew who he was thanks to it. Disadvantage and advantage at the same time, Xaden being everything but ashamed to be Fen Riorsons son though. “Thank the gods because I doubt it’s going anywhere” he said quietly with a light grin, actually for once letting his guard almost completely down and allowing himself to joke around with her. If not now, when then? If not in Aretia, then where else? Violet was still angry at him, overwhelmed with the situation and needed distraction. If he could give her that distraction and make her smile and laugh for at least a moment, letting down his guards and smiling and laughing as well was definitely worth it even though he’d for sure go back to rarely laughing once they were back in Basgiath. Something he hoped Violet knew, that just not being a place where he could act like this, not unless he could be sure it was just Violet and him. “The one Tairn and Andarna gave you isn’t exactly small either” he pointed out since it really wasn’t small but for sure also not as big as the one Sgaeyl had given him, covering his entire back.

Look wise, the two of them were really polar opposite’s, generally an unlikely couple and yet alone because of their families for sure also one that shouldn’t even exist and yet they had fallen in love, Xaden not ever not wanting to have Violet around him again, her being far to important to him now. He hadn’t told her that, also not knowing how to explain it but when he hadn’t yet been sure if she’d survive the poison on the blade and all the power she had used, he had felt incredibly hollow, as if something was missing. “If you have any, you have to show me pictures of yourself as a child as well then though” Xaden pointed out with a light smile.

When hearing her say that she really loved him, Xaden immediately sat up a tiny bit more, fully wrapping his one arm her waist to hold her even closer. “And I love you, Violet Sorrengail. A lot more than I ever intended to do and thought I could” he told her as well since he had really tried not to fall in love with her and to pretend like he hadn’t already fallen for her once he knew he had

[lightningweilded]

His comment about his relic not going anywhere was enough to get another laugh out of her. It was a horrible thing that had been done to him and the others but apparently it had two advantages; hiding them from General Melgren, and making him look more sexy and intimidating. For some reason that amused her and she pressed a kiss to his cheek as she giggled about it. The chances for them to be open and playful like this were few, and far, far between, so violet was making the most of it while she could. They’d have to go back to Basgiath soon and put up their walls, but right now this comforted something unsettled in her. They wouldn’t couldn’t be falling apart if Xaden was there with her, smiling, laughing even.

“True, Tairn did beautiful work, but it’s not as huge as yours. I think the lady Sgaeyl just wants everyone to know you’re a force to be feared and so is she. Which, really, is fair.” She sometimes wondered about the bond between them. His dragons was intimidating and hard to read but she seemed to have a fierce protectiveness about her, especially when it came to Xaden and Andarna. It made Violet wonder if she mothered them in a way. But she wouldn’t dare ask Sgaeyl that.

When he told her that she’d have to reciprocate with the pictures Violet simply shrugged. She wasn’t sure anything like that still existed of her and if it did it was in her mother’s quarters, where she was not taking Xaden if she had any choice in the matter.

“Honestly, Mira and I both expect that mother burned everything of mine once I left. It was why Mira saved dad’s book. So I doubt there are any images of me when I was young left. Those would have been with my things of my fathers and none of those are likely around anymore.” It was a cold reality but one she expected. Her mother didn’t think she’d live through this, so why keep her things? Mira had clearly foreseen the same. But, fuck it. Violet would show her otherwise. She didn’t need her motherMs approval right now, she just needed to keep going and the hold on to the people who did love her. Mira, Bren, Xaden, Rhi… not a long list but a good one. As he wrapped her in and embrace she lay her head on his shoulder and held him tightly, just for a moment.

“I believe you. I’m sure you’ve been though hell since deciding to love me but I’m glad you did it.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Speaking about his relic that Sgaeyl had left on him after Treshing, he could remember seeing it on his back through his dragons eyes and Xaden immediately ironically asking him if she had wanted to keep it small and humble. Even when just now thinking about it, he could hear a huff in his mind that without a doubt came from Sgaeyl who for a split second listend to what Violet and her rider had to say about her, Xaden for now now making an effort into not letting her be a part in this conversation, knowing Violet wouldn’t dare insult Sgaeyl, still being way too scared that she’d just eat her as a snack. “She definitely enjoys the reputation we have” he agreed with her as Violet called both of them a force to be feared. “Too bad you weren’t there that day, my threshing I mean. There was a lot of tension, people hoping I wouldn’t get picked or even get killed. I think both Sgaeyl and I liked the looks we got a little too much when they saw me fly in on her” Xaden told her since Violet obviously hadn’t been present at his threshing, her being aware though that blue Daggertails were ruthless and Sgaeyl being massive, especially for a female, the second biggest dragon currently at Basgiath. Tairn being the biggest.

“I promise she didn’t burn everything” Xaden told her, knowing that her mother was a very cold and not at all loving person but burn everything that had to do with Violet? Surely not. There would be at least one or two pictures left of her, possibly hidden though. If there were any, he’d find them if he’d ever break into General Sorrengails private quarters. Feeling Violet rest her shoulder on his head, Xaden moved his hands over her back in a loving way while also holding her as close as possible in a protective way, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and another one to her shoulder before he spoke. “You didn’t give me much of a choice” he reminded her in a whisper since Violet had not just accepted him telling her to not fall in love with him, her not having let him keep his distance, especially not when his self control to not be around her was obviously crumbling. “I’ve been through hell trying not to love you, I should’ve let myself love you sooner” Xaden admitted knowing he should’ve caved in and be honest with her sooner, just a week would’ve probably been enough and maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt then and she’d not feel betrayed by him right now

[lightningweilded]

“I think she maybe loves you a little, too. Though I doubt she’d say so. She’s very protective of you.” Violet recalled the way the Sgaeyl had assessed her, deciding if she was worthy of Xaden and Tairn and Andarna or not. It had been honestly terrifying and she still wasn’t sure the dragon liked her but she tolerated her. That was enough. “I’m sure everyone was a little shaken up when you showed up on her back. She’s impressive.” She could imagine the looks he’d gotten on that day and she wished she’d been there to see it, to cheer him on and celebrate with him.

When he assured her that her mother hadn’t burnt all of her belongings she simply shrugged. If she hadn’t, Violet would be shocked. It was t the type of this her mother would do for her least wanted child. She loved Brennan, respected Mira, but Violet was her burden. They all expected it of their mother and it would have been a shock to see anything of her life left.

“Maybe, but don’t count on that, Xaden. You’ll find yourself disappointed.” Violet had learned a long time ago not to expect sentiment or care from her mother. It was just part of her life. She would share anything she had with him, she just didn’t expect to have anything left to share. But that was alright. She had her father’s book and her corset from Mira, and she had friends and two dragons, and the man she loved. It was enough. She grinned as he admitted he should have let her in earlier and leaned in for a kiss before speaking.

“You should have, it was kind of stupid to pretend you didn’t. But you have me now so it worked out.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“A tiny bit maybe” Xaden said and just had to chuckle about the way she had said that Sgaeyl must love him a little as well. “She’s a ruthless bitch who does as she pleases and can’t take any criticism at all or she’ll definitely have that person as a snack” he added on, describing what Violet probably already figured out about her anyway. “But she’s good nonetheless. She’s not going to tell you that or make you feel like it’s the case but if you ever need her help with something Tairn or Andarna might not be suitable for, you can rely on her” he told Violet, knowing Sgaeyl would probably deny that but she’d help Violet. Because of Xaden and Tairn. “I think pissed describes the look Melgren’s, Aetos’ and your mothers face the best” he added on, having to smirk a tiny bit at the memory.

Humming quietly as Violet doubted her mothers attachment to anything sentimental when it came to her youngest child, Xaden tilted his head a tiny bit before replying. “Then I guess I’ll just have to ask her directly if she kept anything, wouldn’t be fair if I’d be the only one to share childhood memories” he joked since he obviously wasn’t going to walk up to General Sorrengail to ask her that, it probably even being for the best if she wouldn’t find out that he’d daughter had grown fond of Xaden. It would maybe keep her safer.

Immediately he raised his brows as Violet agreed with him on it being stupid to try and not love her. “You don’t have to actually agree with me, Violence” he mumbled teasingly and playfully pinched her waist while speaking. “Blame it all onto our dragons, if you wouldn’t have been annoyingly horny thanks to them, I wouldn’t have kissed you that night, outside” Xaden added on in a teasing way, knowing it was only halfway the truth.

[lightningweilded]

Violet couldn’t help but laugh at the way he described his dragon. It was accurate but she wondered if Sgaeyl would take offense. Either way, she was glad that he confirmed that at least Sgaeyl was willing to help if it came to it, surely more for Tairn and Andarna and Xaden’s sake more than her own but it was still helpful.

“As long as she has your back I have nothing to complain about. Especially now that you’ll be away at your station and we’ll have to worry about you.” Violet brought a hand to his cheek, not wanting to think about him being sent away and now stripped of his command so he’s be at the mercy of whatever commander they put him under. It worried her.

“I’m sure they all looked ready to scream. They were probably hoping none of you would make it and then here comes you on the biggest, baddest dragon on the field. Bet they thought twice about their choice to force you into the riders after that.” She finished her sentence with a kiss for him, just imagining how far he’d come and how strong he was. If the world had been a better place, his parents surely would have been proud of everything he’d done.

As he mentioned asking her mother about childhood pictures of her she winced and shook her head. Every if he was kidding she didn’t want him around her mother for a second longer than he needed to be. “Please, don’t do that. She’ll probably try to throw you off the nearest retaining wall.”

“As for agreeing with you, I definitely did have to. Sorry! Not sorry actually. And I guess I have to thank Tairn for choosing that night to have some fun. Gods, I wanted you so damned bad that night and you just wouldn’t give in.” She laughed as she lamented her frustration that night. He’d been a gentleman not to, but she really hadn’t wanted him to be a gentleman then at all.

[ridessgaeyl]

Sgaeyl would definitely not take offenses, at least not from anyone but Xaden and probably also Tairn. Anyone else insulting her in her presence was as good as dead, her being used to Xaden calling her a bitch or telling her to fuck off though. "You don't have to worry about me, I’ll be more than fine" he assured her, placing his own hand on top of hers that touched her cheek for a moment, knowing that depending on where he'd be sent to and who would be there, it would maybe not actually go that well, that not being something he wanted Violet to worry about though.

“They were hoping I'd be long dead before threshing. Sounds familiar to you though? Flying in on the biggest and baddest dragon when they all thought of hoped you wouldn't make it?" He asked her with a grin since exactly that had been the case for Violet as well. They had hoped Xaden wouldn't make it purely because of his dad and they had believed Violet wouldn't make it because she was physically the weakest. Yet here there were, with the two biggest and baddest dragons. Feeling her soft lips on his, he immediately kissed her back while moving his hands back down to her waist.

"Well good luck with that" he more or less joked when hearing Violet say that her mother would try and throw him off the nearest retaining wall. "I'm not exactly interested in talking to your mother anyway" Xaden added on, absolutely meaning that. The thought of awkward family dinners in ten years time, that would for sure never happen, made him smirk a little though.

As she teased about absolutely having to agree with him on that, Xaden once again pinched her to tease back while looking into her eyes in a very innocent way. "Of course I didn't give in, you definitely would've regretted spending the night with me the next morning" he told her, knowing that maybe she had already fancied him back then but to know that this all had possibly just happened because of their mated dragons would've been reason enough to regret, there being no doubt that Xaden would've actually felt horrible about it, feeling like he had used her. Especially when he couldn't be sure if she iust wanted him or literally anvone thanks to Tairn in that moment. "I was actually worried you might run into someone else on your way back to your room" Xaden added on with a light grin.

[lightningweilded]

“Xaden, I love you, and I know people want to harm you, so I’ll always worry about you. You’re the same with me,” violet answered back as he tried to tell her not to worry. Of course she would. She knew at least two people who had actively tried to get him killed a few days ago. Worry was normal. “But I know Sgaeyl will watch your back and that you’re tough. You’ll be okay. For all of our sakes.”

She gave a laugh as he pointed out that she knew what I felt like to show up with a terror of a dragon when everyone expected you to or hoped for your failure. It had been thrilling to see the looks on people’s faces when she’d landed with Tairn, and then again when she’d announced Andarna’s name as well. Both she and Xaden were not expected to last yet here they were. She leaned into they kiss briefly then straightened back up a bit in his lap to gaze down at him with a roll of her eyes at his teasing.

“Alright, you got me there. It was fun seeing them all stare. And so long as you stay clear of my mother and Colonel Aetos and General Melgren and, come to think of it, the king, too, then I can worry less.” She shuddered to recall that conversation where the king had, assuming she was like her mother, pointed out how he liked to see Xaden on the day of his fatherMs death ‘to remind me of his place’. It had bothered her then and it still did now.

Thankfully he turned to teasing her about that night when they’d first kissed and she reached out a hand to lightly thump his chest in a playful strike. She’d already been lost to him then and she’d been so annoyed when he denied her. “Is that so, we’re you jealous that I might find someone else to make it better? If it makes you feel better, I only wanted you. And I don’t think I would have regretted it at all.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“Of course I’m the same with you, you made yourself an enemy on your first day, chose Aetos as your best friend, continued pissing off Barlowe and people tried to kill you in your sleep” he pointed out but nodded a little as she added on that he’d be fine, something Xaden hoped to be the case, wanting violet to focus on herself and her abilities instead of worrying about him. “For all of our sakes, are you worried I’ll get us killed?” He asked when repeating her words as he continued on looking into her eyes.

As Violet listed all the people she wanted him to stay away from, also listing the king, Xaden dramatically rolled his eyes, doubting he’d see them that often anyway, especially not the king. “I can’t promise you that I won’t piss them off when seeing them but I’ll try my best not to. For all of our sake” Xaden told her, once again using her words in a playful and teasing way. He wasn’t going to say that, especially not right now that Violet was still mad at him, but dating her or at least being bonded to her and having her trust him was in some way an advantage. At least if she was still trusted by others, people who didn’t trust her.

When feeling her light push against his chest, Xaden pulled her even closer in response as he moved his hands over her back, tracing his fingers over her skin. “I was worried you would do something you’d regret which then would’ve made me jealous” he admitted since finding out she would’ve simply slept with someone else that night would’ve driven him insane. “But I would’ve regretted it. It already took me a lot of self control to not just take you against the wall, especially when you tried to argue with me” Xaden added on with a light grin on his lips as he told her that. “You still seemed quite torn on whether or not you actually wanted to hate me, so have you wake up all sore because of me, wondering if it had just been Tairn and Sgaeyl or more than just that, wasn’t exactly on my to-do list for that night”

[lightningweilded]

“Hey! I did nothing at all to Jack Barlowe. That’s all on him.” Violet huffed in annoyance at the reminder of the man. If he hadn’t been so intent on making her the weak link he might be alive right now and so might have Oren and all the rest of the cadets who’d broken codex to attack her in her sleep. She could hardly be blamed for their insistent desire to harm her, for reasons she barely understood. Hell, in Amber’s case it was probably jealousy over Dain and frankly Amber could have had him if he wanted.

“I’m not worried you’ll get us killed. I just… I like Sgaeyl, but she could probably survive losing you, no offense. But I wouldn’t be alright if you died and if something happens to me… it’s a domino effect as we’ve established. So just stay alive and I will, too.” She sighed as she finished speaking, not wanting to think of that alternative. How could she go on without Xaden? She knew she’d get reckless and sooner or later something would happen when she had no one left to fight for. The list of people who wanted him dead was as king or longer than her own, with some higher ranking members on it, and she couldn’t help but worry.

As he pulled her closer and let his hands roam her back she relaxed a little, leaning into him and pressing a handful of kisses along his jaw and down his neck as he spoke. Thinking of him jealous and worried over who she might spend her night with was sort of cute actually, and she sat up enough to grin at him as she spoke.

“See, wanting to hate you and actually doing it we’re very different things. Even then I thought about you all the time and scolded myself for how badly I wanted you. Even before that night. But I get why you didn’t, even if I wish you had and we could have had more time together.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“And I’m glad he is dead but I heard that you almost cut his balls off after the parapet… that might have provoked him a little” he mumbled jokingly with a light smirk on his lips, Violet absolutely having his entire respect for that and she’d have even more if she would’ve actually done it but it surely hadn’t made Barlowe like her any more than he already did, Violet already having been on his kill list.

Listening to her words about Sgaeyl probably surviving Xadens death but her not surviving it, setting off a domino effect, Xaden nodded a little as he looked at her, letting her finish talking before he spoke as well. “I wouldn’t risk something happening to you, Violet. I will make sure I don’t die” Xaden told her, absolutely meaning it. He wouldn’t risk dying since that meant that she could die as well and even if she’d be able to survive it, he didn’t want to leave her behind like that. Considering that they were still young, he was sure that on the long run she’d be fine and able to fall in love with someone else but it would never be the same as with them, there would never again be Xadens cocky voice in her head.

When feeling her kisses on his jaw and neck, he moved his head a tiny bit so she’d have more room for the kisses while his hands continued on roaming over her back, slowly moving over every inch of her body he could touch in that moment. “So you wanted me while wondering if I was going to kill you?” Xaden asked in amusement, knowing exactly that she had at first been scared he’d use every chance to kill her. “You will still see me every other day” he assured her as she mentioned that if he would’ve given in sooner, they would’ve had more time together which was true but not something he could change anymore. “When we are back in Basgiath, stay in my room” Xaden told her while pressing a few kisses to her shoulder, hoping she’d agree to sharing a room with him for as long as he’d still be there, them not needing two rooms after all or Xaden at least not wanting to fall asleep in his room alone while Violet would be in her room, liking it better to share a bed with her even though their beds weren’t exactly big at their war college.

[lightningweilded]

“But he started that, too! Wanted to kill me before I even crossed. I didn’t do anything to him until after tried and he deserved his balls cut off.” Violet grumbled, annoyed as she thought of Jack and his little gang yet again. Him being gone was safer for everyone, especially the two of them and their dragons. She didn’t move form where he held her, pressing kisses to her shoulder while she listened to what he had to say. “So we’ll both stay alive, and that’s what matters.”

Slowly she pushed herself up enough to look at him, a curious expression on her face. He’d just asked her to half move in with him, hadn’t he? It was something she’d never expect to hear. “You want me to stay there with you… or stay there all the time?” She tilted her head and watched him with interest. She wouldn’t mind staying in his room when he was there, of course. Or every when he wasn’t, considering it was safer there than in her own. People were less likely to look for her there and in fact even if they did she doubted they’d be able to get past the wards he had on his room. Plus, it was his space. Everything felt like him, carried his scent.

“If you want me there, that’s where I’ll be. I sleep better with you next to me anyways.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“He did. No doubt about that, you should’ve just cut them off if you ask me but you still made yourself an enemy on your first day already” he pointed out, considering that she had also killed him though, it had surely sent quite the statement, especially because everyone who had actively tried to kill her was dead now, something while Basgiath knew.

Seeing the look on Violets face as he asked her to share his room with him in Basgiath, Xaden raised his brows with a light smile, shrugging a tiny bit before he answered. “I want you stay there with me and I’d like you to stay in it even when I’m not there” he told her. “We can also take your room if you want, mine is bigger though” Xaden added on. With less riders surviving and less dragons being willing to bond with humans, there were always at least a couple rooms that happened to be free, first year riders always having the rather small and unspectacular rooms while older riders got to stay in the slightly bigger and nicer rooms. Everyone knew that Sgaeyl and Tairn were mates so Xaden having to fly to Basgiath after graduation wasn’t exactly news, meaning that he’d get to keep his room for whenever he was staying at the war college. “We wouldn’t have to tell anyone so you can still keep your room for whenever you are mad at me and no one would suspect anything or see us sneaking from room to room” he suggested halfway joking, just generally liking the thought of his room becoming their room and him knowing that he could keep her safer in there, even though he had put wards on her room as well so only a few people could actually get in there.

“I want you there” he immediately assured her with a light nod, wondering if she was actually surprised about it, especially considering that she was currently in a place everyone expected to be a ruin, being naked in his bed and Xaden having said out loud that he’s in love with her.

[lightningweilded]

“I guess there aren’t really any rules against me staying in your room, whether you’re there or not, so…” Violet grinned as she agreed, leaning down and taking several long moments to kiss him. It was slow and sweet but there was a edge of wanting under it. He wanted her, with him, in his home in her room at Basgiath, and her heart squeezed to think about it. He really loved her, even if he hadn’t told her the whole truth. He loved her enough to trust her with all of this.

She found herself pressing closer to him, rocking her hips gently against his, before she collected herself enough to sit up and look down at him again. It was so easy to get lost in him. She paused to catch her breath and smiled down at him.

“It’s a good idea, sharing your room. And I want to be there too. I’m going to miss you ever time you’re away but at least being there will feel like you’re close.” She admitted it all softly but she meant it all. When she’d become so attached she wasn’t exactly sure but thinking of a life without him was impossible. She would stay wherever he wanted her to stay, and yes they might argue sometimes but even then she doubted she’d leave to sleep in her own room if he was there. “I love you, Xaden.”

[ridessgaeyl]

With her staying in his room they at least wouldn’t have to walk around after curfew, not that Xaden really cared much about it but with her being there already, they wouldn’t have to be somewhat sneaky about it. “Since when do you care about following the rules?” He asked with raised brows and an amused smile since Violet had broken the rules a couple times already, Xaden probably not even knowing about all of her rule breaks.

When feeling her lips on his again, Xaden didn’t hesitate a single second before immediately kissing her back the same way, keeping it soft and gentle as before deepening their kiss a little more when feeling her press closer and rock her hips against his, him immediately responding to to that by pushing his hips up a little to press against her again even after she moved to sit back up and look down to him.

“You can always change your mind about it, just so you know” the dark haired told her, being glad that they both agreed on this idea for now, Xaden understanding if she’d change her mind about it at some point though. “You won’t even realize that I’m gone, I’ll be in your head all day long” Xaden said, knowing that their voices would probably be quite faint though due to the distance, him being aware that they’d be able to feel the distance and only hear each others thoughts as maybe a whisper but it was still better than not getting to communicate at all. “I love you too, Violet” he told her as well, absolutely meaning it.

[lightningweilded]

“I care about them sometimes. But not when it comes to you, or any of this, or me staying alive…” Violet shrugged, mumbling the words between kisses, realizing just how often she did actually bend or break rules. First it had been using Brennan’s book to stay alive, but now it was a longer list of all the things shed done for people she cared about, too. She would have to be careful now though, without Xaden to shield her when she screwed up she could end up in a much deeper pit of trouble. She’d have the protection of the wing leader and people either respected or feared him, but he’d be gone now and she would have to stand on her own and carry both of their secrets.

When they finally paused their kissing long enough to get out words properly she looked at him with a laugh as she shook hear head. If he thought he was getting rid of her now he’d made a critical miscalculation. She was his and he’d have to put up with her in his room and his life until he got sick of her.

“You’ll be far away, though. And I’m not going to change my mind, but I know if I did you’d let me. But there’ at least three reasons it’s a good idea and only one that it’s not so I don’t think I’m going to go back to sleeping in my little room where I almost died if I can be sleeping in your bed instead.” She didn’t want to think about him being gone, about how faint his voice would be inside her mind, none of that. She would hold on tot he fact that she could hear him at all. It made it easier not to worry herself sick about him. Not that he needed her to. She was definitely the weak link in their little group. Xaden would be alright no matter what came at him, unless someone found out about the rebellion starting again. Violet was… well an easy target. She was becoming less of one but she was still someone whose bones could be snapped with little effort and leave her helpless and that would never change. She had to be smarter. But not right now. Right now she jsut wanted to be with him for the tiny sliver of time they had.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Rules are meant to be bent and broken anyway” he immediately answered, being glad that Violet wasn’t too focused on following the rules, her luckily not being as obsessed with it as Dain who seemingly hadn’t broken a rule even just once while Xaden on the other hand had probably broken every single rule at least once. Just like her, he also mumbled every of his words in between their kisses while moving his hands to her hips, ever so slightly moving her hips against his in a playful and teasing way while keeping his lips on hers.

“Three reasons for it and one against it? What would that be?” He asked her while repeating her words, raising his brows a little as he looked up to her, the look on his face making it quite clear that he had absolutely fallen for her. “Yeah about that… would you be mad if I make someone else look over you again once I’m gone?” Xaden asked her, knowing how angry she had at first been when he had asked Liam to not just become Violets friend but also basically her bodyguard and shadow, Xaden already having thought about asking someone else to do that now that Liam was dead and he was about to graduate. “And before you immediately say no, think about it for a minute. It could be Imogen if you are more comfortable with that. I don’t want to see you passed out with the healers again, a fucking orange being what kept you alive” he pointed out, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to be there in time to help her or even to be there in time if she’d pass out again. Wanting someone to watch over her didn’t mean that he felt like Violet was weak and needed the protection, she was still physically more vulnerable than others though, someone people saw as a target and her generally just being someone he wanted to be safe and sound.

[lightningweilded]

Violet let out a soft groan as he gripped her hips and guided her movements just enough that they were both a little flustered after a few moments of heated kissing and her moving against him. He knew how to tease her, that much was for certain. She half suspected he meant to keep her distracted since he hesitated to ask her about assigning someone else to have her back. When she thought of Liam her heart squeezed and threatened to break again, thinking of him lying there with his dragon, fading before their eyes. It was unfair, he didn’t deserve it…

“I… don’t want to be the cause of anyone else’s death…” she started slowly, not directly wanting to look at him out of fear she might break down crying. He’d lost his chosen brother, after all. They were both grieving it. “But I kind of expected you would whether I agreed or not. I just want them to be able to prioritize their own life if it came to it… no one needs to die for me… but I know they can’t because that would mean letting you die, too. And you’re too important to this whole thing.”

It was hard to accept the simple facts. She needed the backup, she understood that now, but accepting the help meant potentially putting someone else in the path of her enemies and that felt wrong. Still, if it meant it kept her, and more importantly, Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and Xaden alive, she should do it. “Look, the orange juice was a good idea and you know it. But yeah, I know I can’t always rely on stuff like that and I’m getting stronger but I understand why you need someone to look out for me. So… okay. Maybe not Imogen… I don’t think I could lose her, too.” As kuch as she’d come to like the other woman and think of her as a friend, putting her in Liam’s position after what had happened to him made her anxious.

[ridessgaeyl]

When hearing her soft groan, Xaden had to lightly smile against her lips, obviously knowing exactly what he was doing. Under different circumstances this would’ve absolutely been distraction enough to not let serious conversations appear half as serious as they were but since Liam was somewhat involved or used to be involved in what he was asking her to agree to, Xaden had expected that this would turn serious again, no matter the distraction and sexual tension between them.

“You were never the cause of anyone’s death” he quickly told her in a serious tone, one hand simply resting on her hip while his other hand moved up to let his thumb brush over her cheek, for now accepting that she wasn’t looking at him right now. “I never told anyone to risk their life like that for you or for us and I won’t start doing that now. Liam offered to do it, he wanted to be your friend and do me a favor” Xaden told her truthfully in a soft but serious tone so she’d listen properly. “Whoever is going have an eye on you now will do it because they chose to do it, not because they think they will have to” he added on before sighing quietly as he continued on listening to her and how she said that everyone would risk their life anyway because of Xaden.

“And I’m not asking people to have an eye on you because I think you are too weak but because I just don’t want or can’t risk anything. If something happens to someone, blame it on me. It wouldn’t be your fault. Nothing is going to happen to Imogen, don’t worry about that. I will just ask them in a group at some point and someone is going to agree to it, okay?” He offered

[lightningweilded]

It took a few long moments for Violet to. Choke back tears when Xaden crupper her cheek and told her that she wasn’t to blame herself about losing Liam. She couldn’t help but feel that if he hadn’t been trying to protect her and others, to warn her specifically, he might have been able to get away. She didn’t know if it made her feel better or worse that Liam had volunteered for it all. He truly had been her friend, more so than almost anyone else, sharing in most of her secrets and always keeping her laughing when things got hard. He could make anyone smile and she wondered how she’d tell Jesinia when she got back and her “shadow” no longer came down to flirt with the young scribe anymore.

Blinking her eyes a few times to try to get the tears to fade, she too a deep, shaky breath and leaned down to lay her head against Xaden’s chest and shoulder. No matter how much he said it wasn’t her fault, she still felt guilty. Liam wouldn’t have had to be there if she hadn’t insisted on going, blindly trusting the man she loved to lead them all safely. How could he have though? They’d all been set up, and reminding herself of that made anger burn hot in her chest. She’d find a way to punish Dain for this… somehow.

“I know it’s not because you think I’m weak. We all need to be safe and I can admit I’m not… the best of us for defending myself. It’s not just my life on the line anymore. I have to be smarter, too. I can’t rely on you or anyone else to make it okay anymore. Not because you wouldn’t try, of course you would, but you can’t be there all the time and even if someone is there constantly, I shouldn’t put them at more risk by being stupid.” The stubborn, willfulness she’d carried for all of her first year seemed to have been bruised a little by the loss of her friend. She still intended to survive, but she understood that she couldn’t really do that alone. Not when they were this deep in so many things that could get them killed. She needed to rely on people, trust someone other than herself and Xaden. “I’ll be better. Whoever volunteers themselves for this deserve that much.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Seeing that she was trying to fight the tears that slowly but surely appeared in her eyes, he gently caressed her cheek “crying doesn’t make you weak” he whispered so quietly that she probably couldn’t hear him, Xaden just wanting her to know that she didn’t had to hold back her tears or act stronger than she actually was, that not being something she had to do whenever he was around. Letting her just rest her head on his chest, he gently wrapped his arms around her, stroking the back of her head while closing his eyes for a moment, very much still grieving the man who had been as good as family to him. Especially considering that Xaden really didn’t had much actual family left.

“Liam was part of my group in the war games before you even agreed to come with me. He wasn’t just there because of you but also generally because I wanted him there. No one could’ve known about what happened…” he mumbled, it being quite obvious that Xaden was blaming himself as well though. He had told everyone that he’d stay and try and help. Of course he had told everyone that they could leave and get to safety but it had been rather clear that they’d all stay, especially when Xaden was staying. It had been the right decision without a doubt but by deciding to stay and fight he had also more or less made a decision for Violet, something he shouldn’t have done.

“You are making great progress and you did very well in the past year. Don’t change anything and keep on making the same decisions, just be aware of who you can trust” he told her with a head shake, not wanting her to lose any of her stubbornness or sass and pride, everything having worked out well for her after all. She just needed to accept the help of certain people. People who were not Dain Aetos. “I know it doesn’t look like it right now but sooner or later everything will work out” Xaden whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

[lightningweilded]

Violet heard, or maybe just sensed his reassurance. Whatever the case she wiped the tears away quickly and looked up at him. “I know… but I don’t want all our time together to be me breaking down in tears.” It was a silly thing he wouldn’t have cared, but who knew how much time they had, today, this year, who knew if she would even make it to graduation. She didn’t want this to the the last memory they held of one another, ever. She had to get stronger, in every way. Even if crying wasn’t weakness, it wasn’t want she wanted him to remember her for.

“Of course they couldn’t have known… but if I’d been suspicious of Dain for even a second, questions why he was fighting you to keep me there, maybe we would have both been safe. I don’t know. I just feel like I could have done something differently that didn’t end in… this. Been faster, or smarter, or… something.” It was survivors guilt that ate at her, not that she had any idea of the concept. That and the gnawing feeling that her brother was right about her and she’d never be cut out of this, never be able to put aside death as part of the way things had to be. But if she didn’t she’d be a liability for them all. She needed to figure it out.

“I won’t stop working on it. When you’re there, you can drill me on fighting like always and Imogen won’t let me slack on weights. As far as trusting people goes, that’s already settled. Rhi, though I’m not telling her any of this until I have to because i don’t want her to be in the middle. You, and the others here. That’s it.” Her list of trusted friends had gotten small and she’d only trust most of the people who he was responsible for solely because of that, not because they knew one another well. She knew she could trust Sawyer and Ridoc to have her back, too, but they weren’t deep enough in to know about the rebellion. Everyone had different levels of trust now and she had learned to keep her mouth shut when she’d seen people start to die because she’d trusted the wrong person. Never again. As Xaden gave her a kiss she sighed deeply, trying to keep herself calm. It was a skill she’d need in front of the rest fo the world now and she was getting plenty of practice, even if all she wanted was to lay in his arms and cry it out. “Yeah… it’ll work out somehow… it has to.

[ridessgaeyl]

“All the time would be a bit of an exaggeration” he quickly told her, not wanting Violet to think that he saw her as whiny or that she was ruining the situation by getting upset over something that was completely valid to get upset over, especially considering that Xaden was upset as well. “You don’t have to pretend like you are fine, not around me” Xaden told her softly, knowing she needed the softness right now.

“Why would you’ve been suspicious of Dain? He was your best friend, you know him your whole life, don’t blame yourself for trusting someone who has been that important for you” Xaden told her and stroke over her head with his hand before lightly shaking her head. “You couldn’t have done anything differently, this is on Dain and his dad” he quickly added on, knowing that Violet wouldn’t stop blaming herself because of this but he still wanted to keep telling her that this wasn’t her fault at all. “Imogen will keep training you and I will find you someone who practices fighting with you while I’m not there. And we can also train together while I’m there. Don’t worry about that. I trust you and I trust your instincts but keep in mind that if the wrong person finds out about this, I’m as good as dead” Xaden said quietly but with a calm tone as if this wasn’t a big deal when it was really a dangerous game they were playing.

“I’m sorry you are part of this, I know it’s not exactly something you wanted” he whispered while still stroking the back of her head, knowing she wasn’t complaining about that but violet after all just having wanted to survive all this, not having meant to fall in love with Xaden Riorson and be part of a uprising rebellion.

[lightningweilded]

“As much as I believe you… if I let myself crumble I don’t know how I’ll get back to normal again. I don’t know how I’ll face the people that did this if I let myself feel all of it.” It was hard enough to keep a straight face around him, Violet was still wondering how she’d do so around the entire war college, especially people like her mother, or either of the Aetos’.

She could only really nod at he pointed out again that she shouldn’t blame herself and that Imogen would keep training her, which she definitely needed. It would be strange without him there but at least that small part would stay the same. She was still worried about them taking command from him right before graduation. Perhaps there was something she could do to shield him form that, blame herself for insisting they help once Liam far-sighted the Venin attacking the town. They could claim that Xaden intended to turn back as he was ordered but she charged in, something… anything to not have him stripped of his rank that acted as a shield for them both.

She sighed softly and kissed his shoulder as he continued to stroke her hair, trying to comfort her. It wasn’t typical for Xaden to choose to be soft with her so she knew he must be worried. She didn’t like that, even if she was still upset with him for not telling her everything. “I’m not sorry. I wish it had been a choice I got to make freely, but I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Quietly Xaden hummed as Violet told him that she just couldn’t let herself crumble right now, her not even being sure how she was supposed to face the people responsible for all this. “It will come crashing down on you at some point” he told her truthfully, knowing that it wasn’t exactly encouraging or uplifting but it was the truth after all.

When being back at Basgiath, Xaden knew that in front of everyone else he’d act like nothing ever happened, him being very good at acting neutral and emotionless, as if he wouldn’t care about anything at all. Even Violet knowing that. It perhaps wasn’t how he wanted to act after what had just happened but it would be the option that kept everyone involved safe, especially with him taking the entire blame on himself and claiming that everyone had just acted under his orders. Of course he knew that it would have consequences but at least he’d be the only one to face those consequences, everyone at Basgiath already mistrusting him anyway so it probably didn’t make that much of a difference, or at least he hoped for that.

Hearing her say that she didn’t regret any of her choices and that she was right where she was supposed to be, he hummed once again while still stroking her hair in a calming way. “When we are back, we should act like we are no closer than two people with mated dragons, you know that, right?” He asked her, not being sure if Violet even wanted others to know if they were more than just that, Xaden theoretically not at all minding everyone to know about them but he knew that she was probably better off when acting like she didn’t actually care about him, yet alone so no one would start mistrusting her or questioning her loyalty.

[lightningweilded]

“It will, probably… but I have to make it long enough that they don’t suspect anything,” Violet countered with a stubbornness that he was surely used to by now. She was trying to protect herself and also them, being engagingly angry at Dain and his father and her mother and Melgren and even the damned king wouldn’t do anyone any good, it would just draw attention to what was happening here and that was the last thing she wanted. So she needed to not show any reactions to them for now and that meant not letting herself feel all of it either.

Besides, it wasn’t like Xaden wouldn’t do the same thing. He, too, hid what he felt and kept it all pushed so far down. Apparently the only one to break his resolve in that regard was Violet herself. They really had no other choice at this point. the only person hey could really be open with was one another. She still wasn’t entirely sure if that was something she was alright it’s but it was simply the state of thins currently and she couldn’t really change it. Not without putting everyone they both cared about at risk. She would make it work. She couldn’t risk any of them, and especially not Xaden, so making it work was the only option. She at least didn’ stop him from trying to comfort her, leaning in to the entry feeling of him stroking her hair.

As he mentioned they should act like virtual strangers when they got back she glared, not about to play that game again. They’d already been through that once, trying to pretend they didn’t want or love one another. She wasn’t going to do it again.

“No, Dain already knows, he saw me in your clothes. So I’m sure he’s already told his father, which means he’d told my mother. And Rhi knows. And Ridoc. And Sawyer. There’s not keeping it hidden, they’re going to gossip about it. If we’re hiding it then we have to tell them all that we broke up and come up with a convincing reason and I can’t sleep in your room at all. Once any of them catches on that I’m not in my own bed that game is over, and the leadership is going to be watching whether we pretend to have split up or not. We’ll be spending every day you’re back form whatever shithole they post you in as punishment ignoring each other and wishing we didn’t have to. For the next two years. So, is that what you want?” That was the simple fact. If they wanted to act like they weren’t close at all they were going to actually have to appear distant and give up any time they might have had together. The idea of it made her stomach twist uncomfortably. If that was what they were going to act like they might as well have stayed broken up and not spent this afternoon in bed together.

[ridessgaeyl]

When listening to her, Xaden let out a quiet sigh while giving her a look because she was once again staying stubborn, something he very much loved about her but it potentially being a little difficult since they were both pretty stubborn individuals. “Keep in mind that you’ll only see Dain for one more year” he attempting to say in an uplifting way since Dain would graduate next year. Potentially they’d be free of him even sooner if someone lost their temper with him and killed him before that, something Xaden saw as a somewhat likely possibility.

Seeing the glare Violet gave him as he mentioned acting like strangers, Xaden immediately raised a brow as he looked at her, his hand slowly but surely stopping in its motion to stroke through her hair, resting it on the side of her head as he listened to her words. “Not sure Dain is telling anyone about it, that would be pretty embarrassing for him considering that he kissed you after threshing. His ego is very much bruised right now” he quickly said, more or less interrupting her before he continued on listening to the rest she had to say. Violet was right though, if Dain had told his father about Violet and Xaden, even though Dain didn’t know what was going on since he had only seen Violet in his clothes, her mother most certainly knew as well. “That’s the very last thing I want” Xaden answered her question while looking into her eyes, moving both his hands to her face to make sure that she’d really listen to him. “The very last thing I want is to lose you. If I’d have to decide between all of this-“ he said and briefly gestured around the room, by that meaning Aretia and the general rebellion. “- and you, then fuck all of this. I’d choose you” Xaden told her, just wanting Violet to know about that. “We’ve spend enough time pretending like there’s nothing between us and I don’t want to go back to doing that” he added on with a light nod before continuing on talking. “But you are pretty good at getting yourself in trouble, Violence. Being with me, especially when I’m in some shithole hours away from you, might get you into more trouble, especially with the leadership watching every step you make” Xaden pointed out, only really having suggested to be distant with her in public to possibly keep her safe.

[lightningweilded]

Honestly Violet was relieved when he agreed that he didn’t want to go through it all again. She didn’t want that either. They’d already been through enough. But she knew they couldn’t be this affectionate in front of the rest of the world, obviously. At least not until things changed and that was going to take a while. So she leaned down to give him a kiss and sighed in relief. What surprised her was that he said he’d give everything up for her, even the rebellion. It made her stomach fill with butterflies.

“We’re not going to give this up either, so… middle ground. They know we’re sleeping together, they now we spend time together because of the dragons or not. So we let them think that’s what it is, friends, attraction, letting off steam like any riders?” She raised an eyebrow. They wouldn’t have to pretend they weren’t interested in one another and they wouldn’t have to tell everyone that they were in love, and draw the attention of people they didn’t want. Surely her mother and the others would just assume it was a young woman making mistakes and being driven by sexual desire. They’d think she was an idiot but they’d probably also think they could use her against him and she could give them whatever false information they wanted while pretending to be oblivious.

“They’ll think I’m an idiot who’s been seduced by big bad you. I used to kind of think that too, after all. We might even be able to use it against them one day. But we wouldn’t have to hide.”

[ridessgaeyl]

As Violet leaned down to give him a kiss once he told her that he didn’t want pretend that they were broken up either, Xaden kissed her before tilting his head a little when hearing her sigh of relief, having thought that she had known that staying away from her in public wasn’t something he wanted either.

“let them think there are no feelings involved? Just physical? Can you do that?” he asked her with raised brows, Xaden felt pretty confident that he could act like there were no deeper feelings involved, him generally being rather good at hiding his feelings so acting attracted and still like he cared, being able to blame that on the dragons, but not necessarily acting like he was in love with her sounded like something he could do. It maybe wasn’t ideal but it also wasn’t terrible and maybe made things a little easier, not for them but for the overall situation with everyone else having an eye on them. “When I said I don’t fuck first years, not even when I was one myself, I meant that. People know I’m not sleeping around Basgiath which means they will know that you are special… so we will also have to blame that on Tairn and Sgaeyl” he told her quietly while looking into her eyes.

“Are you not exactly that?” He asked her teasingly while trying not to grin a little as she referred to herself as an idiot who had been seduced by the great betrayers evil spawn. “I like your way of thinking” Xaden then added on, really not wanting to hide either and also liking how maybe they could even benefit from this. “I’m not going to not kiss you in public though. If we are not going to actually hide I won’t miss out on that” Xaden added on, figuring that if anyone would know that they were sleeping together he could go as far as just kissing her in public as well while just making it look like it was a kiss out of desire and not out of love while he truthfully also hoped it would send a message that no other guy should try his luck with Violet Sorrengail even when she was theoretically believed to be single.

[lightningweilded]

“Honestly I think that can all work in our favor. Officially to them it’s ‘casual’ but if they put that together they’ll assume that we’re both in over our heads, pretending not to have feelings. They’ll try to use it to manipulate us and we can turn it back on them.” If there was one thing Violet was good at, it was creatively coming up with ways around things. Once Brennan’s book had given her that little push, she’d started to twist and turn the game on its head. She’d gotten quite good at it.

“Kiss me whenever you want, it’ll play into it. We’re either lust drunk or hiding feelings in their eyes and either one they’ll think they can use.” Her smirk only grew as he teased her about being exactly that and she leaned in as if to kiss him and then gave his lip a bite as payback for it. He seemed to at least see the brilliance of her plan and she was proud of herself for thinking it up so she grinned again as she sat up again to look at him. They’d make this all work as best they could, and turn every advantage possible to their side. “Anyways, you wish you were the one who seduced me into falling in love with you. Pretty sure that was me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

‘Casual’ was exactly what they had called all of this anyway when first having started to make out so Xaden knew that he could pretend like it was nothing more than just that in front of others, as long as Violet knew that he loved her. Truthfully, Xaden had been quite bad at making it look casual anyway considering that he had left flowers, Violets, on her table in the morning and how he had constantly checked on her through their bond, that not being something others knew about though. “I can’t wait to hear all the questions they’ll ask you” he mumbled with a slight eye-roll, knowing that people would try and get information out of her, using Violet and him against one another while they would actually just manipulate everyone else.

“Or both” he said quietly about being lust drunk and hiding feelings for another. Xaden had known that she was smart, she had proven that very quickly with how she poisoned the others during sparring, also being smart enough to get up extra early to wrap her knees and wounds before everyone was awake, her also with just a little hint from Xaden having mastered the gauntlet with her daggers as help and him still remembering that he had been quite impressed how her team had broken into her mothers office. Her coming up with another clever idea therefore wasn’t exactly shocking. When feeling violet bite his lip as payback, he let out a quiet groan followed by a light grin as he moved her face back to his, pressing a kiss to her lips before also tugging on her bottom lip. “Oh please, you left me no choice. Asking me all those questions, finding me on the parapet. You decided to really fall in love the second I told you not to fall in love with me” Xaden teased her

[lightningweilded]

Violet knew that there would be questions, from both friends and enemies, about her and Xaden. Some she would answer honestly and some she’d let believe what they wanted whether it was true or not. But the fact that he was going to enjoy the game amused her and she laughed as she gazed down at him. This wasn’t an answer to all of their problems but it was the answer to a small one and that made her feel a little less hopeless.

“Or both,” she agreed before he pulled her in for a longer kiss in payback for her little bite on his lip. They never could seem to get enough of one another and that groan he gave sent a pleasant shiver through her at the sound. The way he tugged at her own lip earned him a soft moan from Violet. It was far too easy to want to just press herself against him and keep kissing him until they both needed more.

“Who knew the way to make you fall in love was asking questions?” She teased as she leaned in for another kiss and she found herself melting against him just a bit, giving in to her desire to be closer to him. “Honestly I think I might have already been lost by the time you told me that, if I’m being honest. You were the stubborn one who didn’t want to fall.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Everyone who even just remotely mattered to Xaden knew about Violet and him already or would soon find out that this was not just as casual as they would claim their relationship to be, no one else’s opinion mattering to Xaden anyway so he didn’t exactly care about all the gossip that people would soon come up with, him just hoping that Violet could deal with harsh words as well.

When hearing her quiet moan against his lips, Xaden couldn’t help but lightly grin in amusement as well, also needing quite a bit of self control to not just pull her into another, deeper, kiss again and pull her even closer than she already was.

“It wasn’t the questions, they started getting a little annoying to be honest” he said teasingly “but also kinda sweet how you started to care more about me” Xaden then added on so she wouldn’t feel like asking him questions would be something that would annoy him in the future. “Not wanting to fall for you doesn’t mean I wasn’t already in love with you as well, I was just too busy trying not to fall even harder” Xaden told her, his stubbornness partly being something he regretted now since that had only cost them precious time. Kissing her back the same way, he slowly let his hands roam all over her body again when feeling violet melt against him a little further, him knowing that if they wouldn’t stop with this within the next two or three minutes, they wouldn’t stop at all. At least not anytime soon. Something he was more than fine with.

[lightningweilded]

“Annoying, really?” She gave him a look as she sat there straddling his lap, kissing and adoring him. That word had no business coming into play, so she gave him another kiss that turned into a bite as she laughed. She was getting him back for his teasing because she knew he didn’t mean it, at least not that way. She’d driven him a little crazy trying to get behind the walls he put up and she could admit that. But he certainly didn’t hate it.

“You can’t escape it, Xaden. You claimed me as yours and now you have to deal with all of it, my annoying questions and everything.” For better or worse he’d chosen this and made it clear that he wasn’t going to give her up even when she’d tried to walk away. Violet would always be herself, she would always push him just as he pushed her, she would always be a little bit of a pain in his side, but she would love him and have his back and she hoped that it was worth it to him, that he got enough in exchange. “You said I’m yours, so I’m going to be yours. Good and bad.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and looked down at him with a grin because frankly she’d never be the easiest partner to have but neither was he so they’d make the best of that together.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Very annoying” he repeated himself, making it sound like he was completely serious about her questions having been annoying. Had it been a little strange sometimes for her to ask him private questions through their mental bond while he had been busy until her voice had popped up in her head? Surely sometimes but it had never actually annoyed him, not even when he had told her to stop asking him all those things all day long. “You are a tease” Xaden told her quietly as she kissed him again only to bite his lip again which made him pinch her side a little.

“I think I can handle your annoying questions and your terrible temper” the dark haired continued on teasing her, knowing exactly that nothing Violet could ever possibly do would make him pull away from her. The Sorrengail could break his heart and he’d still want her, Xaden hoping that they would not break each others heart though, knowing it would be incredibly awkward for them considering their mated dragon situation. “Violence there is nothing you could do for me to no longer want this. Which does not mean I want you to drive me insane though” he told her while looking into her eyes, hoping she’d not see this as some type of free pass to provoke him even though Xaden doubted that Violet would be the type of person to make him jealous or anything like that just to check his reaction.

[lightningweilded]

“Lies,” she countered with a grin as he teased her about being annoying. Oh she certainly could be when she wanted but she knew Xaden didn’t think that about her. Besides, by now they enjoyed talking to one another mind to kind through the bond with their dragons. It made things easier to connect, to share information, and to speak in a way no one else could overhear or even knew of. It was theirs and theirs alone. “Am I teasing you, Xaden? Hmm?” She grinned as she felt him pinch her side, settling her hips down on his a little firmer. She was perfectly willing to tease.

“Now the temper I’ll agree on,” she stated with a laugh. She could be a bit hotheaded at times, and she owned up to that much. His promise that he wasn’t going to be scared off by any stupid thing she might do or say though… that made her happy. She didn’t intend on abusing that power of course, it just made her feel good to know that he wasn’t looking for an excuse to run. “I’ll only drive you insane in the ways you like, I promise. The kind of ways that make you groan and curse and throw me in the bed.” She smirked as leaned in for a proper kiss this time, having fun teasing him exactly as he’d stated a moment before.

[ridessgaeyl]

Lightly he shook his head while trying not to grin as Violet defended herself from his teasing and playful insults “annoying” he said again but this told whispering it so quietly that he was basically just mouthing the word while looking into her eyes. Feeling Violet press her hips further against his, a quiet groan escaped Xadens lips, a part of him hating that she had that much power over him while another part absolutely loved it, him never having felt as attracted to anyone before as he did to Violet. Both physically and mentally. It just felt like they were meant for one another in some way. “You are playing a dangerous game” he whispered with a grin as he ever so slightly moved her hips on his to tease her a little as well as her body moved on his.

“And I’ll have to experience your temper for the rest of my life, I’m seriously starting to feel sorry for myself” Xaden joked, actually having to experience it for the rest of his life since her thoughts were connected to his unless she locked him out of her mind, Xaden therefore being the first one to know when Violet was about to lose her temper. Lightly he had laugh at her mention how she’d drive him insane “you are already driving me insane” he admitted quietly, partly hoping violet wouldn’t tease him too much once they were back at the war college or else he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t start making out with her in public. As she leaned in for a proper kiss, Xaden immediately kissed her back the same way as his hands rested on her waist, knowing that violet was doing this to tease him even further which definitely worked well.

[lightningweilded]

“Dangerous? Hardly. I know what I’m getting and I’m not worried about it,” Violet countered with a grin as he encouraged her teasing with his hands on her hips making them rock against his. He might be playing all tough and complaining about it but she knew perfectly ell that Xaden wanted her as much as she always wanted him. They knew one another too well now not to be able to make each other needy with a few glances, touches, and words. Ultimately, Xaden was all that she wanted and she didn’t really see any issue in teasing him until she could have him.

She laughed as he commented that he was stuck with het temper, only shaking her head and giving him an exasperated look. He was stuck with her as she was stuck with him and he;d just have to deal with the occasional moments where she got annoyed with the world around her. “Well I’m stuck with your brooding so I think we’re even. Now stop pointing out all the negative things about me, would you? It’s really messing up my seduction attempts.” She smirked before leaning back in for another kiss, this time not pulling away until they were both in need of a breath. She knew she wants the only one feeling the heat between them at the moment and they had all day together. They might as well do over their interrupted first night as a couple, while they had the luxury. Very soon this would all be a lot harder to manage so she wanted to take as much time for themselves right now as they could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

“You really are a tease, luckily I have a certain amount of self control” he immediately replies halfway joking as he still teasingly moved her hips against his own while pressing his lower body further up against Violets ever so slightly as he watched her reaction very closely, pretending like he wasn’t doing anything at all, acting all innocent.

Seeing the look Violet was giving him even though she had to laugh herself, Xaden lightly rolled his eyes before looking at her with slightly raised brows as he listened to her complaining about him as well. “Brooding?” He repeated her words with a slight frown as he pinched her hip a tiny bit in a teasing way before chuckling a tiny bit as Violet mentioned that him complaining was ruining her seduction attempts. “Then put more effort into your seduction attempts” the brunette teased her. The second Xaden felt her lips back on his, he immediately kissed her back, only for a second giving both of them the chance to take a breath before he immediately kissed her again, adjusting her on his lap a little before he used his hand on her hips to ever slightly rock her hips against his again, not yet taking a step further though in case Violet wanted to take their time with this now that they actually had the time.

[lightningweilded]

“Maybe I enjoy seeing how far that control lasts until you give in,” Violet countered with a grin as she let him press himself closer to her with that innocent face as if he was doing nothing at all. She knew him, of course, knew that wanting her always lingered under the surface, just as it did for her.

“Yes, brooding! Thankfully I like you enough to bear it!” She laughed as he pinched her hip in retaliation and they paused in taunting one another to kiss. He didn’t need her to tell him twice though, clearly, since as they did he used that same hand at her hip to guide her movements, encouraging her to give in to what’s she wanted and start to move. It was all too easy, really. Once that first wonderful drag of friction occurred she moaned against his lips and took over the motion of her hips against his happily. She didnt’ even break form kissing him to respond, simply using their connection to speak into his mind. “You’re the one being a tease right now, Xaden… do you still need more effort or can I consider you seduced?”

[lightningweilded]

So many damned things had changed in the last several months, weeks, gods, days even. Every single thing that Violet Sorrengail knew to be true about her world and the people in it and even herself was thrown out a window and she still hadn’t recovered. It was a hard reality to accept.

Worst of it though was the lies. Even if a part of her understood why not everything had been put in the table while she was still close with Dain, the fact that the one person she trusted with her life, her well-being, and her heart had lied to her up until the last possible second stung her ego. Added to the betrayal of her best friend and the lie of her brother’s death and it was too damned much. She couldn’t even walk away, since Tairn and Sgaeyl were so closely bonded. Even if she tried to run from the knot of emotions that twisted in her gut whenever she so much as glanced at Xaden she’d just have to come right back. It was torture.

“Something new for them to teach riders, then?”

She chose not to engaged with Tairn’s teasing at the moment, flopping into the grass where her dragon would normally lounge. Must be out hunting, lucky bastard. Oh to be a dragon with no one to tell you what to do or where to be…

@ridessgaeyl

[lightningweilded]

ridessgaeyl​:

Going back and forth between Aretia, Basgiath and where ever his post would be would be exhausting but at this point, Xaden was used to secretly flying from place to place to help and support some people. He knew that everyone in Aretia would be in good hands thanks to a lot of help, including Brennan, and yet he’d use those few nights where he wouldn’t be working or making his way to the war college, to fly back to the place he considered home.

“Having a mender on your side is quite useful” he mumbled down to her with a smile, obviously referring to her brother who could build entire cities back up as if they would’ve never been destroyed. “We can come here anytime” Xaden replied at her words about wishing they could stay, knowing they couldn’t stay forever but perhaps the idea of one day coming back without having to leave again sounded as nice to her as it did to him, him hoping that Violet was aware that she could fly to Aretia even without Xaden, this now being a home for her as well. “How fit do you feel? Do you think you can fly back in about two days?” He asked her while pressing a few kisses to her neck before looking back into her eyes, knowing that theoretically Brennan had fully healed her and yet Xaden felt like she needed a few days of rest before she’d climb back onto Tairns back and fly all the way back to Basgiath. “If not we will stay a little longer or we will both fly on Sgaeyl… if she lets us”

“Ah yes, Brennan…” she realized a moment after he said it that of course her brother could have been rebuilding the city. He didn’t only mend bodies, after all. It just still felt unreal that he was alive, living here and caring for the people as he helps Xaden return it to a liveable state.

She smiled softly as he told her she was welcome to join him here, her heart full of love that he wanted her in his home. It was their secret now and she’d keep it with everything she had. “I’d like that… to come here with you once I can. Maybe they’ll post me somewhere not too far when I’m finished.” She hadn’t considered trying to sneak away to come here, feeling like that might put them at risk, but it was a promise of one day that she could hold on to.

“I can probably handle it in a few days. With the saddle, anyway. I’m more worried about explaining Andarna when we get back. And what we’re going to say about what happened to us… and they’re going to take your command away…” she frowned, though his kisses along her neck were keeping her distracted enough that the panic didn’t settle into her chest. “Though… I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you, but I know we have to…”

[ridessgaeyl]

"Without him this place would still very much be a ruin" he told her truthfully as Violet seemingly realized that her brother had been the one to at least mostly make this place look as good as new again, rebuilding Aretia to its former glory.

"You can come here without me as well, just be sure no one follows you" Xaden quickly let her know before humming quietly for a moment they will have to post us at the same place once you graduate or at least they'd be fucking stupid for not doing that" he pointed out, already knowing he'd go against the decision of not letting them work at the same place if that would be the case in two years time. If they'd even make it to that point without the rebellion fully starting, causing Violet to possibly having to leave Basgiath fully.

"Don't worry about explaining Andarna, they hardly know anything about gold feathertails" he told her quietly, figuring that by saying they didn't know anything either, they'd already be on the safe side. “I will handle that for us, I don't think anyone but Aetos knows what actually happened. I will come up with something, say we ran into Gryphons in Athebyne" he explained to her, that being the official plan so far and it not even being a lie since Gryphons had been involved but as their allies. "We will see what they do about it when we get back, just don't get involved, play clueless and try to trust me again" Xaden told her before pressing a kiss to her lips for a moment, obviously using all the kisses as a form of distraction to not let this conversation become very serious again, him purposely telling her to try and trust him, knowing that her trust wasn't something he could take for granted right now. “I want to stay as well, pretend like we all died" Xaden admitted, for the first time ever actually liking the thought of just staying out of everything if that meant he could spend every day like this with Violet, that not being possible though.“Trust me violence, I don't want you at Basgiath either but we don't have a choice" he whispered, his lips touching hers as he spoke, Xaden not being in the position to keep her and the others from Basgiath, not when the lives of 107 children were burdened on him, adding Violet to that list of people he had to take care of and protect it was now 108.

[lightningweilded]

"He's a good one, even if I'm still annoyed at him," Violet commented, but at least she'd downgraded from angry to annoyed. Brennan was doing the right thing, so she could forgive his lies. The same went for Xaden, clearly. After all, she was happily lying in bed with him without a single piece of clothing on and getting completely distracted by his kisses. They were good men, even if they sometimes had stupid methods.

When it came to Andarna, he had a point, but Violet's worry was that they'd realized that she was no longer a juvenile, and put it together that feathertails were juveniles. It worried her for all the others if riders started to think that they could simply overpower a hatchling and make it theirs. How long would it be before they found out about the way they shared power... "True, I suppose I can just keep telling them she doesn't give me answers... Lie to them that she grew larger because of something in their biology instead of that she's literally just not a child anymore." She wanted to protect her sweet girl most of all, and she'd find some way to throw people off the trail of the truth. Surely Tairn and Andarna would help her with that. She just couldn't let Dain ever touch her again and find out.

She rolled her eyes as he told her to play clueless about the mission. Frankly, that was silly since anyone who knew what they'd sent them to face would know what she'd seen and no doubt knew herself now. But she'd follow his lead on this like everything else and hope no one asked too many questions. "Fine, I'll trust you. But I still think it's better if we all have the same story in case they interrogate us or something." She didn't put that past any of them, after all. Besides, he was kissing her, and she could never seem to argue with him when he did that.

"Yeah, part of me wants that, too. Just pretend we all died in their stupid venin trap and never see them again until we're ready to burn them down... but I know we can do more, I can do more, if we keep building alliances." That was, apparently, something Violet was good at. She'd forged friendships with her entire squad almost, and it had gotten them through a lot. If she could keep that up... it might help them. She pressed a kiss to his lips this time when he admitted he didn't want her there either, and she knew he worried for her. "It's okay, I haven't died yet, I don't plant to tomorrow or the next day, or the day after that..."

[ridessgaeyl]

“He cares about you a lot, but both Brennan and I understand that you are mad at him” he told her quietly, truly understanding it. Violet had believed him to be dead for six years now, blaming his death like everyone else on Fen Riorson and therefore also indirectly on Xaden once she had met him. Xaden could still remember Violet and his conversation at the parapet when he had pointed out that her mother had killed his father and Violet had answered that they were even since his father had killed her brother. ‘Hardly’ xaden had answered, something Violet couldn’t understand then but surely understood now.

“Say Andarna doesn’t talk about it to you, they can’t do anything against that” he told her since Andarna couldn’t talk to anyone else as and as long as Violet wasn’t telling anyone anything about her Dragon who was no longer basically a baby now, no one could do anything about it. They could try of course but either Tairn or Sgaeyl would burn them down for trying, possibly even Andarna herself by now. “Keep telling them that she can’t transfer her powers onto you” he kept on telling her before relatively abruptly stopping with pressing a few more kisses onto her neck, hesitating to say anything though since they had just agreed to stop with the worrying and upsetting conversations. “Dain might know, he touched you, didn’t he?” Xaden pointed out, not at all accusing her to having done anything wrong, that being entire on Dain though but if he knew about Xaden flying to Athebyne for a ‘special mission’ when touching Violet a couple hours after Xaden had told her about it, he might as well know about Xaden, Violet, Andarnas, Sgaeyls and Tairns conversation about Andarnas ability to stop the time.

“Don’t roll your eyes, you’d be better off when pretending you have no clue what actually happened. If they know that you know about me trading weapons they will start mistrusting you as well. You will all say that I gave you the order to stay, pretend like we were surprised by Gryphon riders on our way to our actual task. If anyone who knows about the Venin asks, you will also say I gave you the order to stay and protect the people, pretend like you don’t know this was a trap and that Colonel Aetos tried to kill us” Xaden explained the plan to her as if this was the most normal thing ever, his tone about what he wanted her to say being completely calm as if him ‘betraying’ their loyalty wouldn’t potentially have consequences for him.

Xaden knew that she was very smart and loyal, him not having expected that she’d already think about the future though and how to make alliances they’d benefit from. “You are likable and people trust you” he pointed out while giving her a light smile, knowing that would be good for them, Violet having a different effect on people than Xaden, Garrick, Bodhi or Imogen had. “We need as many marked ones to survive and bond to a dragon” he added on, saying the obvious but it just really being important, not just because she wanted them to survive and because Xaden felt responsible for them but also because they relied on them and the dragons. “You better not, I won’t let you die anyway” he told her with a light smile, truthfully being worried he wouldn’t be there in time once something would happen to her.

[lightningweilded]

Violet was well aware that both Xaden and Brennan were choosing to weather her anger rather than pushing her and risking her not forgiving them. She could have let him off the hook but the small vindictive part of her was content to let them stew a while. If the two of them, Brennan had committed the worse crime against her but it was hard not to be relieved that he wasn’t dead after all.

She nodded as he agreed that she should just keep telling them Andarna wasn’t giving her much information. She figured it would continue to work for a while, until they started questioning why she had two dragons if one of them wasn’t giving her any benefits. But Andarna would come into her new power anytime now and they’d be able to lean on that, too, since it shouldn’t be any different from every other dragon now that she was grown. But the thought that Dain knew had crossed her mind more than once and she sighed as Xaden mentioned it, too.

“I’ve thought and thought about it the past few days. I don’t know how far he can see back. He’s always said it has to be recent memories, and I didn’t see him close after we found out, so I’m hoping her doesn’t know but I can’t be sure.” If he knew and had told his father or anyone else, Violet would strangle him herself. That was only if his dragon, or Tairn, or Sgaeyl didn’t get to him first. Even the most conventional of dragons wouldn’t stand for their young being threatened by humans and dragons certainly had the advantage. “If he told, I feel like his dragon would have warned them by now. None of them want their hatchlings at risk. Not even the ones bonded to the people who did this.”

She listened as he laid out the story he expected them all to tell and nodded slowly. It was as good a story as any if he wanted to put all the blame on himself, and he was right that there were probably limited people who knew what they’d been sent to do. She didn’t like him taking the whole burden in himself but it made sense. “Okay, that’s fair… as much as I don’t like you having to take all the blame.” She sighed heavily and leaned in to kiss him, because really all she could do for him was give him her love.

“We’ll survive. As many of us as I can keep alive. We’ll teach them like you taught us, and pray for luck.” That was all they could do, and the conversation just dragged her heart back down into the sad, almost hopeless worry that she’d been carrying. She didn’t want to go there or to think of how she couldn’t do what Xaden did but had to try. It was all so broken… she swallow hard, her eyes welling with tears. “Make me think of something else… please.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that Dain hadn’t touched her immediately after Violet had found out that it had been Andarnas doing to stop the time and safe her life from getting killed by Oren and some of the other unbonded cadets, Aetos couldn’t have touched her since Violet had been with him so the earliest she could’ve seen her best friend must have been some time later the next day, hours after she had found out aber it. Therefore there was a good chance that Dain had no clue about it but he also hadn’t touched Violet right after Xaden had told her about Athebyne and yet he had known about it through her memories. “And you trust him with that?” He asked with raised brows, not trusting a single word that came out of Aetos mouth, not even trusting that he had to touch someone’s face to use his powers. “I’ll keep an eye on him” he added on while looking at Violet, it not being Xaden directly who’d spy on him from now on but rather his shadows who could very much see and listen to things Xaden couldn’t since not being present in that moment. “I wouldn’t put my faith in Cath, I just know that neither Sgaeyl nor Tairn like him” Xaden pointed out about Dains dragon. “But if Cath knows something and didn’t warn them, I’m sure both Tairn and Sgaeyl will handle that with him directly” he added on, knowing the red swordtail wouldn’t survive a fight with either.

“I’m the Wing Leader, I have to take the blame” he told her and kissed her back, him truthfully also just blaming himself for what had happened anyway. Putting everyone’s lives at danger was his fault, Liam’s and Soleils death were his fault and therefore he without a doubt would take the full blame on himself and claim to be the only one who had actually ‘betrayed’ Basgiath with this.

“But mostly focus on yourself, let the others deal with training and teaching them something. I don’t want you to forget about yourself in all this” Xaden told her, just truly worrying about Violet. When hearing her ask him to make her think of something else, Xaden thought of something to say but really couldn’t think of anything positive or overly uplifting to say. “I could think of something to distract you with” he mumbled and pressed a few more kisses to her neck to make clear what he was referring to, not being sure if Violet wanted that right now, especially with still being mad at him.

[lightningweilded]

The whole situation with putting the hatchlings at risk had her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t bear it if, because of her, they were hunted and drained and killed for people like her mother and the Aetoses and Melgren… surely no dragon would let that happen…

“Tairn and Sgaeyl and probably all the others wouldn’t let anything happen to the little ones, I know that. I don’t trust Dain with anything, but I know that the whole reason the dragons even bother with us as riders is to protect those hatchlings in the Vale. If one of them betrayed them that way I don’t doubt for a second that they’d end them and any human it was shared with.” Tairn had practically told her as much when they first decided to explain the unorthodox nature of her bond to Andarna. She trusted him, if nothing else.

“He can’t have… if he did… I’d they die being drained of magic because of me…” she gasped in a few short breaths, trying to push down the panic. It was only the fact that Xaden had decided on distraction by kisses to help her that kept her from losing herself to it completely. She held on to him almost desperately as she made herself focus on the feeling of his lips on her skin instead of the fact that she might have doomed an entire race of beings just because she’d trusted Dain Aetos.

“Yes… distract me. I don’t care how. Becuase if you don’t I’m going to come undone, Xaden…” That was the only way she cold explain it to him. She was at the end of her rope, had pushed false hope and positivity as far as she could, and if she didn’t think of literally anything else she was going to be sick.

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden knew that in theory all the dragons wanted their hatchlings protected from any potential harm which even made them bond to humans in the first place. Even though Andarna was, harshly phrased, not yet fit or good enough to bond to a human due to her size and age, other dragons such as Tairn and Sgaeyl chose to protect her, not having one negative thing to say about the little gold dragon that was now no longer that tiny. “Dragons don’t follow rules though, you’d think there are certain decisions every human would make as well but they don’t” Xaden told her quietly before realizing that he only made her panic even more, something he hadn’t at all intended to do.

“Nothing will happen to them, don’t panic Violence. Take deep breaths” he told her, touching her chin as he said that, knowing that he was making her panic by all this talk about what might go wrong, things just generally not looking that bright right now though. “Just tell me if you’re not in the mood” Xaden breathed against her lips as he kissed her properly for a moment before moving his lips from her lips down to her neck, collarbone and from there down to her chest where he stayed for a moment while his one hand moved down to her legs, making them spread more as he moved in between them, slowly moving his lips further down her body until his lips met her clit, distraction through being intimate apparently being their kind of thing even though it wasn’t a solution to anything.

[lightningweilded]

His gentle words comforted her a little as he tried to chase away the panic. He didn’t mean to make her worry and she knew that, but things were bleak for them. They were facing odds that were almost impossible and sometimes it was hard to ignore that fact. Right now she was struggling with it and the distraction he provided was needed. They wouldn’t have many more chances to indulge themselves like this, after all, and with everything they’d been through, they’d both earned a moment of peace.

“I promise I’ll tell you if I want you to stop, Xaden,” she agreed, knowing she wouldn’t be doing that any time soon. As if she was ever not in the mood for his touch. She always wanted him, even when’s he shouldn’t have. It was what had gotten her into this mess to begin with.

He kissed his way down her body and she sighed softly, her mind focusing in on the feeling of him instead of everything that could and was going wrong for them. This might have been a distraction, but it was a damned good one. Only Xaden mattered right now and when he reached her clit she gasped softly, burying a hand in his hair and stroking through the soft curls. “Gods… I always forget how good you feel…”

[ridessgaeyl]

Pretending to stay completely calm and unbothered was kind of Xadens thing, him truly having mastered to look like his mind wasn’t somewhere completely else or to pretend like he wasn’t panicking when things went wrong. He had to act calm and completely relaxed, having learned that skill the second 107 lives had become his responsibility. Emotional outbursts were incredibly rare and yet Violet had him begging, shouting, admitting feelings and worrying far more than once already. Now wasn’t the time to let her know that he was just as worried as she was, knowing that him panicking would just make her panic even more, distraction definitely being needed for both of them. Perhaps going from arguing to being intimate to arguing to worrying and back to being intimate within basically no time wasn’t exactly normal for others but when it came to Violet and Xaden it seemed to not be anything new or strange, especially considering that they usually had relatively little time for things like this and keeping in mind that they were about to get separated, cherishing the time they had now seemed appropriate.

As Violet assured him that she’d let him know if she wanted him to stop, Xaden just hummed quietly with his lips on her skin, already knowing that she wouldn’t tell him to stop, Violet not even having been able to do that when they had both still agreed that them making out was a terrible idea.

Looking up to her as she spoke and moved one hand into his dark hair, Xaden smirked a tiny bit while adjusting her legs a little so one would rest on his shoulder, giving him better access to her, before he moved one hand up to her breasts and the other moved from her thigh down to her entrance while his tongue stimulated her clit “you have no idea how much I love doing this” he told her through their bond

[lightningweilded]

Whether they were arguing or worrying or whatever else, once Xaden brought his full attention to her body, Violet was always lost to him. He was everything to her, even when she was upset with him, and she melted for his touch. From the second his lips were on her warm skin she shut off the world outside of them and let him take her to someplace better, happier…

“Mm… Xaden… gods damn me you’re too good at this…” she half whined out the words as he adjusted their position, her leg over his shoulder so he could have as much access to her needy body as possible. His smug grin told her he didn’t need to hear the praise, he knew exactly what he was doing to her and he was enjoying himself.

His words came through their bond, mind to mind, and she groaned softly at his admission. Somehow the fact that he liked this, loved it even, only made her more turned on for him. Her hips shifted almost desperately in his hood, greedy for more as his hands added to the pleasure he was bringing her and she cursed softly, replying through their bond just the same.

“You drive me out of my mind, Xaden… please don’t stop.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Perhaps talking things through and letting certain emotions happen was the way to go, communication being key after all which was for sure something they still had to work on. Her being angry with him and both of them being somewhat overwhelmed with the entire situation, was something they could still talk and think about somewhen else though. Xaden had tried to not let Violet get too close and attached to him, even having told her to not fall in love with him even though both of them had clearly already been in love. Letting things happen without trying to keep a certain distance between them would’ve probably been the better option, Xaden knowing exactly that he should’ve handled a lot of things very differently, being convinced that if he would’ve just let himself love Violet sooner, they would’ve be believed to be dead now, returning to Aretia for safety and for Brennan to heal Violet. He couldn’t change the past though, what he could do was let her know and convince her that he did actually love her, Xaden knowing that the second she’d be back in Basgiath there were people waiting who’d try and convince her that Xaden was only using her.

Xaden really didn’t need the praise, knowing that he was good at this and yet he of course didn’t mind to hear it out loud as well, it not exactly being bad for his ego either. “Are you going to tell me that every time?” He asked teasingly with his lips still on her skin, Violet praising him every time so far which he of course liked to hear as well. Feeling Violet push her hips further up, Xaden immediately looked up into her eyes in response to her telling him not to stop, which he didn’t plan on doing anyway, pushing his fingers into her while his tongue kept its rhythm on her clit and his free hand massaged her breasts to stimulate her as much as possible in that moment.

[lightningweilded]

“Would you rather I not?” She fired back, being a smart ass about it as she gave him a little grin. “I’ll have to come up with more inventive ways to tell you.” As long as he got the point, understood how much she wanted him, how he made her feel, they that was what mattered. He didn’t need telling, of course. It was simply what came out of her mouth when he was working his tongue so perfectly against her clit.

Since he teased her about it though, she simply let herself get lost in it, giving up on talking and just letting gasps and moans slip from her lips. Between his fingers thrusting into her and his hand on her breast and the relentless flicker of his tongue against her she was fast approaching her climax and she tugged at his hair a little as her hips hitched with each press of his tongue.

“Xaden… close…”

[ridessgaeyl]

“I’m not complaining about it” he immediately replied with a light smirk on his face as well, liking how Violet always immediately found some words to fire back at whatever he had said, her just always having something prepared as a sassy answer.

Gazing up to her when hearing her moans and quiet gasps while Violet slightly tugged his hair and moved her hips further up against him, Xaden once again quietly hummed against her, keeping on moving his finger in her, his other hand on her breast and his tongue keeping the rhythm to not accidentally throw her off, especially not now that she had said that she was getting close already. “She’s stunning. Absolutely stunning” he thought, meaning to keep his thoughts to himself but without success, accidentally sharing them with Violet, Xaden feeling like for the first time ever he was actually a fool in love and he wasn’t even complaining about it, surprisingly loving to be in love with Violet Sorrengail and for her to love him as well. There was something about her that had made him fall head over heels in love with her, something that had never happened before. Love didn’t necessarily fit into his time schedule or plans but for Violet he made an exception, somehow wishing he could blame it onto their dragons being mates but Xaden knowing exactly that he had been interested in her before Tairn had bonded her. Months before that even.

[lightningweilded]

“Good, since I’m not gonna stop.” She half laughed as her head tipped back and let him see how he was winding her up. She doubted there would ever be a time where she didn’t turn to putty in his hands and she didn’t really mind, at least not right now. It was Xaden, after all. Even when they were arguing he’d still want to protect and care for her.

The simple fact was that Xaden knew exactly what to do and how to do it to make Violet absolutely lose herself. Yes, because he was a talented lover, but more than that because she was head over heels in love with him. And even he was losing a grin on his self control, if the way his thoughts slipped out through their mental connection. She gave a shivered at that, though she didn’t point out to him that she’d heard, instead letting him hear her own mind instead. “Xaden… I love you. I love you…”

For better or worse she meant it. They’d figure out the rest together. Eventually. Certainly not right new. Right now she was losing a hold on her powers again as he built her close and closer to release. The bolts that arcs off of her were small, she hadn’t burnt anything down, but he was certainly driving her wild. A few moments later and her fingers in his hair were pulling as she let go, little streaks of lightning flickering across the room here and there, but none of them striking anything important, thankfully.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her say that she wasn’t going to stop, Xaden had to smirk a little once again, absolutely having expected that answer and also having hoped for it. Yet alone her light laugh was something that made Xaden feel something that others would describe as feeling butterflies in his stomach, the little tingle he felt reminding him that the way he was falling in love made him unusual soft and somewhat vulnerable but it also meaning everything to him to have Violet by his side, not wanting to change that for anything in the world. It didn’t matter that perhaps in two hours time Violet would go back to maybe rather being alone than spending time with Xaden, getting reminded that she was still disappointed and angry which might cause her to be a little distant, as long as she still loved him, he could deal with it and give her as much time to forgive him as she needed.

When hearing her voice in his head, telling him that she loved him, it was pretty obvious that he was smiling even though his mouth was very much busy and had no time to smile without accidentally changing the rhythm. “I love you too. More than you can imagine” he replied truthfully, knowing that loved her more than she could imagine, her mattering more to him than he could even express. Or at least he couldn’t express it out loud to Violet yet, Sgaeyl who constantly had to listen to his inner monologue could probably give Violet a whole ten minute speech about all the things he wanted to say but couldn’t say yet.

Xaden didn’t pull away from her until he could be sure that Violet had reached her climax, slowly removing his fingers again and letting his mouth move to her inner thigh, pressing a few kisses to both her inner thighs while keeping his eyes locked on Violet. “Does you not burning down mean you have more self control or was I not good enough this time?” He asked teasingly and quietly while slowly moving back up to have his face by hers again.

[lightningweilded]

For some reason, hearing him say he loved her back in the height of her release made something in her happy beyond reason. A flash of power lashed out and singed the top of his bedpost as she heard it, Violet doing her best to keep a handle on it even as he made her feel like she was drowning in pleasure. She was, at least, getting better at holding back.

When he finally pulled away and pressed kisses against her thighs she shivered, letting go of his hair as she realized she’d been gripping the whole time. She took several deep breaths and pushed her hand through her braid, sitting up enough to look at him.

“Want to give me more and find out?” She answered him with a laugh, reaching out to caress his cheek lightly. “I think I’m just getting better with control… or maybe my powers just aren’t as strong… I don’t know, test it and find out.” She couldn’t help tempting and teasing him, though she was keeping a tight hold on her powers because she didn’t want to destroy his home. He had so few places he could call his and she didn’t want to ruin it.

[ridessgaeyl]

For a second Xaden glanced up to his bedpost, trying to hold back a light chuckle over the fact that no matter how hard she was possibly trying to keep it together, she couldn’t control her powers fully. Truthfully he didn’t expect her to be able to have full control over them, not with them being a weapon and still new to her but it did amuse him how she sometimes struggled to use lighting the way she wanted to and yet she was able to cause a wildfire when having sex with him.

Staying in between her legs still as he moved back up to properly look at her, Xaden couldn’t hold back a smirk when hearing her response to what he had just asked her, his distraction method clearly working very well for both of them. “Very tempting” he admitted as she caressed his cheek, Xaden for a second glancing down to her body before looking back into her eyes “You are a tease, Sorrengail. Where were we at at Basgiath? Five? Should we top that now?” He asked quietly and looked from her eyes down to her lips, moving his hand to her waist to slightly move her on his bed so she’d properly lay back down again with him still in between her legs but not yet doing anything. “You don’t have to hold back, whatever you burn down or let explode, your brother can fix it” Xaden told her, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke, clearly not wanting her to hold back.

[lightningweilded]

“I think we were working on five when they interrupted us,” she countered with a smirk as she watched him make his way back up so that they could look at one another properly. “Genuinely the worst timing.” She could still recall how she’d been almost on edge when his best friends had come pounding on the door. Xaden’s expression had been fit for murder at the interruption.

He was enjoying teasing just as much, of course. Violet knew it from the grin on his face and the way his gaze lingered briefly on her body, and then her lips. They were both thoroughly distracted now. Honestly they could both use it. They’d been through enough lately that they deserved a little rest, a distraction, some happiness. She grinned as he called her a tease, leaning in to kiss him when he did too.

“Fine I’m a tease… but do you really want to tell my brother he has to undo my destruction from having sex with you?” A laugh came from her as she shook her head. Brennan would at the very least tease them to the ends of the earth. But it would be worth it, to fully let go, and to give Xaden the full response that he definitely wanted. “If you want to explain it to him, I’ll stop holding back.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“For the fucking war games…” he mumbled as Violet brought up how they hadn’t been able to finish and how it had been bad timing, horrible timing even, Xaden having been more than mad when hearing the annoying and unwelcome sound of knocking on his door, followed by the information that they were under attack. If they would’ve at least actually been under attack, he wouldn’t have complained about jumping out of bed and getting dressed within seconds to get to their dragons but when having gotten the information that this was all an exercise for something as unnecessary as the war games, Xaden had felt the strong desire to just cuss everyone out, walk over to Violet, lift her up and carry her right back to his room. Looking back he wished he would’ve just done that, it would’ve surely been a lot nicer than flying into a death trap.

As Violet asked if he really wanted to tell her brother that having sex with his sister had caused this, Xaden pulled a face while lightly shaking his head with a grin on his lips, clearly not being overly interested in explaining that too Brennan. Brennan surely knew about Violet and him by now but pointing out details would just make it a little strange. “you loosing control is hot” he admitted with a light shrug, clearly deeming it worth it as well, even if he had to tell Brennan why exactly he had to fix their mess. “In that case, I’ll gladly tell your brother that you have zero self control when having sex with me. That should be more awkward for you than for me anyway” he teased her before leaning in to kiss Violet again. “So don’t. hold. back.” Xaden mumbled against her lips and pushed his length into her without any prior warning.

[lightningweilded]

“Mmhm… assholes.” She grumbled along with him, just as annoyed to have had their first real night as a couple interrupted in such a way. Maybe they were getting a second chance now though. One that she should take full advantage of. It wasn’t really their first night as a couple anymore, but maybe it was their first night back together. At least, it felt that way and maybe she should let it be.

“So… you have one already, shouldn’t be too hard to catch up to that night, hm?” A playful grin lingered on her lips as he admitted he found her lack of control with him attractive. It was easy to lose control when it was Xaden kissing her, touching her, making love to her. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned in to drop a trail of kisses along his jaw with a soft sigh.

He commented that he’d tell her brother if it meant he got what he wanted and she laughed again, leaning in to kiss him. When they paused their kiss for him to demand her not holding back she had intended to make a smart ass remark back about the awkwardness of her bother knowing, but any thoughts left her mind entirely as Xaden pressed his hips to hers and sunk his full length in her. All that came out instead of words was a needy moan of his name.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Makes me want to stay here even more” he mumbled back, really liking the idea of not getting interrupted by anyone unless it was actually an emergency and not just because one of his friends or one of her friends felt like knowing on the door or because of the War Games. Their first night as a couple had ended somewhat tragic with hours of flying to Athebyne, getting into an argument, basically breaking up and almost getting killed. This night could only get better and hopefully end in them peacefully just falling asleep next to another, Xaden not planning on sneaking out of the room before she’d be awake again even if placing some Violets down in her room had been nice, waking up with Violet in his arm was surely nicer.

“Should be doable” he told her while trying to hide a smirk as he nodded a little, knowing that if someone would knock on their door anytime soon, he’d literally kill them for interrupting them again.

As they broke their kiss for a second, Xaden just knew from the look on her face that Violet had been about to make a smart ass remark back to him, only being able to moan out his name though once he pushed into her. Xaden didn’t hesitate long before immediately starting to move his hips into hers, surprisingly not thrusting into her half as roughly and desperate as he had started off last time. Not because he didn’t want to, surely getting a little rougher again in a few minutes time, but to let her know that he could do gentle as well, even far more gentle than right now if that was what she wanted. Whatever she wanted, he’d do it. He had made that pretty obvious already but Xaden clearly wanted her to know that her pleasure mattered a lot to him, also wanting her to know that she mattered to him, feeling like starting a little more gentle than last time would maybe get the message clear.

[lightningweilded]

“Always so cocky…” she remarked in reply but there wasn’t much actual fire behind her words. She was too busy enjoying the feeling of being with him again. Usually they were rushed in trying it please one another, stealing moments in the heat of things. Today though? They had all the time they could want right now. No one needed them for anything, there were no war games about to start, the city was currently safe and quiet and everyone had other things to keep them busy. They could take their time that alone was a luxury that Violet was grateful for.

Even Xaden seemed to feel that, for once not taking her body desperately until they both lost control in mere minutes. He was being gentle, tender and it was nice, really it was. She let her hands explore him, running over the broad planes on his back, trailing her fingertips over his hips. Her gaze held his as she took in everything, letting him see the love there as he hips rose and fell in time with his. It was lovely, but at the end of the day Violet was needy. They’d have time later to see how long they could draw out their pleasure by adoring one another.

“Xaden… more… please more,” she asked him in a soft moan as she arched her body under his as if she could get more friction from the action. She wasn’t bothering to keep her through a form him, letting his sense the waves of pleasure each thrust brought her and the repetition on her mind of how much she loved him. If he wanted her unleashed he would get all of her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“It’s not cocky when we both know I can make you finish at least five times within very little time” he pointed out, it definitely sounding cocky but also just being the truth after all. If they wouldn’t have been interrupted last time, the two of them would’ve probably continued their lovemaking for even longer, possibly until they were forced to leave his room or until at least one of them would’ve been exhausted to the point where sleeping and resting was the only option left. Now they were in no rush, they could take their time, try and forget about everyone and everything else for at least a moment and cherish what they’d soon no longer have. Unlimited time together. Time for sure being limited once he’d graduate and Violet would stay at Basgiath for two more years.

As Violets hand started to move all over his body, Xadens free hand that he didn’t have to use to push himself up over her, started to explore her body as well even though he had already done that a couple times before, letting his fingers trace over her thigh and from there up her stomach and over her hips and waist while he let out a quiet gasp when moving in her. Hearing her request for more, Xaden used the chance and moved his hand underneath her arched back to keep her pushed up a little which allowed him to thrust deeper into her, something he immediately did before Violet had to say another word, his thrusts immediately getting rougher and harder, desperate like they been in Basgiath. “Not a gentle vanilla girl?” He moaned out teasingly while pushing into her, starting to kiss her neck and leave a few subtle marks on her skin there, purposely keeping it subtle so she could hide them rather easily from others.

[lightningweilded]

“Still cocky, but I love you that way,” she answered half breathlessly. She wouldn’t pretend he wasn’t a pain in the ass who knew he was too attractive for his own good, but she loved him the way he was. Besides, he had good reason to be confident. He was attractive, he was damned good in bed, he was talented and smart and a damned good fighter. Gods she loved him. All that slipped through her mental bond to him, too, nothing hidden right now.

His touch explored her body the same way hers did to his, leaving Violet shivering pleasantly in the wake of his touch. When his hand slipped under her back to keep her hips raised she let out a sharped moan and the crackle of lightning danced across her skin for a moment now that she wasn’t holding back. Apparently he took her request and decided not to hold back either, since he started to move harder, rougher, that was almost desperate way that Violet loved.

“Though you knew that already, considering all the ways you’ve had me…” she quipped back, trailing off as he marked her neck, her nails raking down his back lightly. Definitely not vanilla. If she had her way he’d drive her crazy like this all the time. “Better, Xaden… yes! More, please…” she was not above begging and he did so love when she did.

[ridessgaeyl]

When being able to basically hear her thoughts about him, thoughts about how much she loved him, how he was an attractive pain in the ass, good in bed, talented, smart and a good fighter, Xaden did his best to not chuckle, knowing Violet let him hear all that through her bond on purpose or rather she wasn’t trying to keep this from, letting him know her thought process. When she was letting loose on whatever was on her mind, Xaden decided to do the same, knowing exactly that the only thing on his mind right now was Violet anyway so she might as well also hear how highly he thought of her. Xaden truthfully knew that he wasn’t exactly ugly, for sure not terrible in bed and being well aware that he was one of the best fighters and most powerful riders that were currently at Basgiath, him even being one of the best riders out there when graduating. Until Violet had shown up with Tairn after threshing he had even been the strongest rider of their generation, Xaden not at all minding to pass that ‘title’ to Violet though, not when he knew that no one could live up to Violet and him with Tairn, Sgaeyl and Andarna as a team.

When feeling Violets hands continue on moving all over his body, a shiver came over him as well, letting her trace her fingers down his back that was almost fully covered by the relic Sgaeyl had left on him after threshing and the total of 107 silver looking scars. His hand underneath her back was gentle while his thrusts into her were quite hard as his lips moved over her neck.

“I was thinking you might be a switch when it comes to that, apparently not” he quickly replied in a teasing way, hoping she’d even understand him with his words muffled as his lips were still on her neck. Hearing her beg for more, Xaden moved his one hand to adjust her legs and therefore her overall position a tiny bit, moving her so he could thrust as deep into her as possible while going even rougher and harder than before, leaning his head down just enough so his tongue could move over her breasts. Since neither of them planned on holding back, Xaden figured he wouldn’t even have to tell Brennan what had caused the destruction, chances being high that he heard them already.

[lightningweilded]

“Gentle is fine now and then, but right now… I want it all,” violet managed to get out before he shifted the position of their bodies and a the sound she made as he pushed into her again and brought his mouth to her breast was just short of a scream. He wanted her to let go of her control on herself and her powers and he got it now, the action making a bolt of lightning arc across the room and take out a sizable chunk of the dresser corner. When he was gentle with her she adored it but it didn’t make her lose herself this way, she could keep control then, take him in without drowning in it, but when he wanted her weak for him this was what she needed.

“Yes, fuck, perfect, perfect, right there…” The string of encouragements and curses that came from her mind to his was probably not even intentional. When he’d angled her just right any control she’d been holding onto slipped and she was rapidly approaching her release now. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to warn him, though he probably didn’t need it from the way her thoughts were running around both their heads, making it clear that he’d found exactly the angle and intensity that she craved.

Somewhere in the depths of her kind she knew that everyone in the keep would know what they’d been doing. They couldn’t possibly miss the bolts of lightning that struck both inside and out, scorching the grass in the field and his furniture. The next one broke the door clean off his armoire and she couldn’t find it in her to feel back, because she was too close to bliss. Every thought thrust of his hips and another crack of lightning followed, until a few moments later she was shouting out his name as release found her.

[ridessgaeyl]

“I know exactly why I call you violence” he mumbled against her skin, Violet really being surprisingly fierce and not half as gentle as you’d expect from someone her height and who looked as frail and gentle as she looked. A part of him had at first even been worried that he’d hurt her just because he was accidentally too rough with her, having seen the way Imogen had almost ripped her arm out with ease. Clearly he wasn’t hurting her though or she wouldn’t be begging for more. “Gentle later” Xaden agreed with her before his brows furrowed for a moment as lighting took out a chunk of his dresser, him loving to make her lose control like that.

Being able to hear all her thoughts as if they were his own just in her voice was also something he could get used to, especially with her constant praising and words of encouragement which caused Xaden to stay in that position since she visibly and audibly liked it. “never hold back again in the future” he passively let her know while continuing on thrusting into Violet rather hard, pushing into her as much as he could with each thrust of his hips against hers. Keeping his lips on her breasts for a moment he very slowly pulled away again to be able to look into her face, wanting to watch her for just a moment while keeping on moving, moans and pants leaving his lips as well as he moaned out her name a few times as well, watching her closely as she found her release around the same time as him, a crack of lightning and her screaming his name out filing the room. “After this I don’t think I need to tell anyone the reason for the lighting” he teased against her lips as he kissed her passionately while panting lightly.

[lightningweilded]

“Never, promise… so good! Can’t last…” Mental words were all Violet could manage as he pushed her over the edge though he still somehow had the stamina not to join her yet. She wondered how he managed it. It took him so little effort to make her come but he had self control she could only envy. But he wasn’t immune to the sight of her coming undone for him and when she finally lost all control he joined her, the most stunning thing she’d ever seen when he called her name and let go. If the shadows inthe corners of the room were a bit heavier tan usual, she could only be proud of herself.

“Tougher than I look,” Violet stated in reply to him comment about he he called her Violence, half panting as she tried to recover from the incredible feeling of him bringing her the release she needed. She loved his silly nickname for her now, even though she’d scolded him for it when he first came up with it. In the heat of it all she hadn’t been able to answer but now that she was coming down and indulging in kisses and affection with him she was able to mange words of some sort. She glanced around to look at the shattered door of his wardrobe and the scorch-marked desk with a slight blush on her cheeks. “I guess you don’t… I’m sure they’ll all give us looks for it though.” She wasn’t in a rush to face the teasing of his loved ones and a handful of people she considered friends now, never mind Brennan. They could just stay here for a while and ignore all that.

[ridessgaeyl]

Realizing that she wasn’t even able to think in proper sentences anymore, putting two fitting words together already seeming like a struggle, Xaden once again tried to hold back a grin about how much power he had over her. Xaden himself felt his self control falling apart immensely, something that would’ve happened even if he would try to stay in control simply because of the impact Violet had on him and yet in comparison he seemed to have a lot more control than she did. Probably only on the outside though, having better control over his expressions and also over his powers due to the fact that he had them longer than violet, that not meaning that the shadows in the corner of his room weren’t seeming more vivid than they should be right now. In reply Xaden decided to only let out a quiet hum that turned into a moan, liking the thought of Violet never really holding back, not here and not in Basgiath, him not even minding it anyone or even everyone would hear them, that at least making it clear that she was his and that he was hers.

“A lot tougher” he replied, absolutely meaning it as a compliment while he as well tried to catch his breath again, breathing quite heavily with his heard pounding fast in his chest and yet he looked a lot calmer and in control than he actually was. It either being because he was used to looking and acting rather calm or perhaps it was genetics. Seeing Violet glance around his room for a moment, Xaden kept his eyes on her before once again humming quietly “you were tamer than last time... with the lighting at least, I’m pretty sure you were louder than last time though” he pointed out as he slowly pulled out of her again but remained in between her legs to look down at her, his body still incredibly close to hers

[lightningweilded]

She honestly gave a whine as he pulled out of her, hating the feeling of disconnecting from him in any way. If she was honest with herself, she’d gotten so used to having him near her in every way, mental, physically, intimately, that it felt like something was missing whenever they were apart. She’d have to get used to it though, considering that they were going to be spending quite a lot of time apart soon, whether she liked it or not. She leaned up to kiss him, first gently on his lips, and then a trail of soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She simply wanted the connection of intimacy with him, no matter what they were doing.

“Yeah… it might be because I can’t help worrying about ruining something in here that matters to you, or it might be because taken has kind of been limiting how much power I’m allowed to have ever since.. you know.” She knew that the big black dragon wasn’t giving her full access until she was healed completely. Though Brennan had put her back together physically, she was still not at her full strength and she suspected Tairn was still a bit cross at her for almost burning out on him. But she’d told him she wouldn’t and she didn’t. It was the damn poisoned blade that had taken her out, not the power he’d channeled to her. He’d get over it in time, she was sure of it. But right now she figured he was holding back so she didn’t do something stupid and hurt herself with the pathways he’d blown wide open that day.

“Even if he let me have all of it, I’d still feel bad if I destroyed your room. I know you said it’s not that important but… this is your home, Xaden. It matters.” Even without the full access to the massive amount of power Tairn could give her, she could have smashed the whole place apart. She could have taken out a wall! He didn’t deserve to have the sanctuary of his home destroyed, even by her when she was enjoying herself. She was trying to care for him, in her little, ridiculous way.

[ridessgaeyl]

Hearing her whine as he pulled out, Xaden raised a brow in amusement as he looked down into her eyes “I know, I know” knowing how she felt and how it made her feel somewhat empty for a moment. He wasn’t pulling away though, remaining between her legs, leaning over her, looking down to her and part of his body still touching hers as they both tried to catch a breath still while having a somewhat normal conversation. Kissing her back, Xaden closed his eyes again when feeling Violet kiss her way down to his jawline and from there down her neck while his one hand slowly moved up and down her waist, clearly also not wanting to lose that intimate connection anytime soon.

“Everything is replaced” he told her again before immediately opening his mouth again to add something onto what she had said about Tairn not giving her that much access to her power or rather their power. “As he should, I would argue he shouldn’t give you any of it yet” Xaden mumbled but knew Violet needed at least a smidge or else she wouldn’t just complain nonstop but also not improve her abilities in the slightest, a little power therefore probably being better than no power. “Use the little he lets you have access to but don’t ask for more. You can’t know that but it wasn’t fun to hear Tairn worry about you all day long when I worried myself to death already as well. Even Sgaeyl was worried” he added on, clearly having been scared that she’d die and still being scared she might actually burn out in the future.

“You worry too much. I watched this entire place get destroyed beyond recognition six years ago, I’ll be just fine if my girlfriend destroys it by enjoying herself a little too much” Xaden said in a cocky way, partly to disguise how he was actually feeling about Aretia. Yes, this had been his home and he still considered it such but Aretia had been a lot more than just the buildings and the landscapes. Aretia had fallen and the people who had made this his home had been executed. Not even Brennan who had helped rebuild everything back up to the way it used to look could make this the home it had once been.

[lightningweilded]

It was the first time that he’d said just how worried he and Tairn had both been on that day of the war games. Violet had known they’d worried, had caught parts of the two of them arguing over getting her to safety and apparently Tairn threatening Xaden’s life if he didn’t save her, but neither of them had really addressed it with her directly and she felt a little pant of guilt at how badly she’d worried them both. It had to be done though, there hadn’t been any other way for her to keep all of the enemies busy long enough to end it. No different from the way Xaden had stood alone with a wall of shadows to shield them until she’d asked him to drop them. She gave a soft sigh and reached up to caress his cheek.

“I told Tairn I wouldn’t burn out and I didn’t. You both worried about that but it was the knife in my side that almost killed me, not the power.” They still didn’t even know exactly what kind of poison had been on that blade, but it had drained her in some way, of life and magic. Thankfully Brennan had been able to undo it, as far as anyone could tell. “Aren’t you the one always telling me I’m better than I think and to stop limiting myself? What good would having no power at all do me?”

She softened a little at the way he’d said even Sgaeyl had worried, though she wasn’t entirely sure the vicious blue liked her much, that she’d cared at all was some kind of progress. She sighed and conceded, not wanting to argue with him about her power. Not when they were having a good afternoon and he’d just called her his girlfriend.

“Maybe to do worry too much, but my mother took this away from you. I don’t want to damage it too…” the unspoken part was easy to pick up in her mind. ‘I don’t want to be like her, taking things from good people who don’t deserve that.’ Violet didn’t quite have it in her to say that out loud though. “Especially your bedroom. There are things in here that are yours, fine furniture can be replaced, but what if I burnt something from your childhood or something?”

[ridessgaeyl]

Tairns and Xadens relationship was a constant up and down, while they seemingly tolerated one another and had worked together countless hours already, neither of them could or wanted to stop with the constant bickering and criticizing, Tairns smart comments having been quite hard though when Violet hadn’t yet woken back up. Allowing three dragons in his bedroom would’ve been rather difficult, yet alone space wise so Tairn had constantly dropped comments and threats through his bond with Xaden why Sgaeyl had to listen to all of her riders worries, something that would’ve surely made her want to kill him under different circumstances and yet she had at least attempted to comfort Xaden. Something he knew to not take for granted, not when it came to Sgaeyl. “It doesn’t matter if it was the knife or the amount of power you used, both could’ve killed you. You used too much of it and I know you had no choice but it could’ve killed you” he pointed out, still vividly remember how he had seen her fall from Tairn only a few days ago, completely unconscious and already halfway dead. Lightly he nodded as she mentioned that he was the one who usually told her not to limit herself which was true “yeah and like I said, use whatever power you have right now-“ Xaden said and let his eyes move to the furniture she had damaged, proof that she was using her powers even without having proper control of them, it still being practice after all “-but don’t reach for more until you feel like it won’t weaken you” he finished his sentence.

“Well it wasn’t just your mother and you are not her.” He quickly said before moving one hand up to her cheek when hearing the words she rather shared through her mind instead of saying them out loud. “You are not your mother, you are not taking anything from anyone” Xaden assured her with a light nod, his tone serious but still soft. “Everything that truly matters is in my memories anyway” he told her quietly, memories being the one thing no one could take from him no matter what. Before speaking again, he made a gesture over to his desk and the object, a book, he had moved to the side earlier. “Those are some pictures and letters, as long as you don’t burn them down, I don’t care about anything else in this room” Xaden admitted, deciding to open up quite a bit today, knowing he had to and it just feeling right.

[lightningweilded]

The last thing Violet wanted right now was for them to end up arguing again, even though the stubborn part of her was annoyed that they thought she was going to hurt herself again. It had been a desperate situation, and she'd done what was needed, but it wasn't something she intended to do regularly. "I will, I will, but you have to trust me to know my limit, alright? I'm not going to collapse the first time I use it." She shook her head, giving him a look before kissing his cheek. "Thank you for caring enough to worry so much, but I'm healing, and I'll be fine. I'm not planning on dying, remember?"

She gave a sigh as he reminded her that she wasn't her mother. Of course, she wasn't but she'd already thrown enough anger at him for what she'd blamed on his father and in the end it was all her own family that was doing horrible, maybe even evil, things. She felt bad for all of it, even if she hadn't known.

"Still... she's the one who gave orders, including the one to force you all into service. She could have stood up for the right thing, but she chose to put you and 107 other people through hell... You don't deserve to lose more because of her blood." Violet's gaze drifted away from him, almost ashamed at the fact that she'd been raised to think and act that same way, to think of him and all of the children he tried to protect as monsters and treat them accordingly. Now she had to help him protect them, and this place, all of it. She looked at the book he pointed out and nodded, using a little of the channel power for lower magic to lift it and move it under the bed they were in, for now. It was the most likely place to shield it if he really wanted her to give in fully. "At least under there, the worst that'll happen to it is the bed falls in on top of it. Maybe later you can show me some of it?"

[ridessgaeyl]

Just from the look on her face Xaden could tell that him telling her to be careful with using her powers or rather the amount of power, this could cause an argument. Something they didn’t need and surely neither of them wanted either. “I do tryst you. Use them, keep training, do what you think is right but know your current limits, we both know that you are still weakened. Push the limits if you must but don’t push too much” Xaden told her so she’d hopefully understand that unlike Dain, he wasn’t trying to tell her what to do or not to do, Xaden even wanting her to use what she had to use, just being worried that she might not actually know her limits yet. “You better not, else I’ll be the first person to know” he told her, forcing himself to smile a little even though this wasn’t really a topic that made him feel like smiling.

Letting out a sigh as well, Xaden could hardly believe it himself but he would for once actually choose to say something sort of kind about Lilith Sorrengail, not because he felt like defending anything she had done, quite the opposite even, but because that cold woman was still Violets mother so mentioning the one ‘nice’ thing General Sorrengail had done seemed appropriate. “She was also the one who didn’t want any of us to watch our parents get executed. And she was the one who had the idea with the rebellion relics, surely they weren’t meant to help us in any way but at least they keep Melgren from seeing what will happen” Xaden told her, not being sure if Violet had been aware of that. She had already figured out that moving in bigger groups than allowed kept Melgren from seeing their future but Xaden wasn’t sure if the relics and her mother voting for them not to see their families execution was common knowledge for everyone. Or perhaps only for those who had been present at the executions anyway and who had heard certain conversations. “And don’t forget that you are going through the same hell right now” he added on in a softer tone since she as well, had been forced into the riders quadrant, in some way also having lost her parents even with her mom still alive and her now abruptly learning that those she had believed to be the bad people, were seemingly good and those she had trusted could no longer be trusted. Violets world came crashing down as well.

Watching her use magic to move the book, Xaden had to smirk a little with raised brows when realizing that she was moving it underneath his bed, reasoning that it would be safest there which was somewhat logical actually. For a moment he stayed quiet as she asked to see the book later, it seeming like he was hesitant to answer before Xaden nodded a little “if you want to, of course” he decided to reply though, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

[lightningweilded]

“I know, and I’ll be careful, alright? I can’t just give up because we had a bad mission. We weren’t even meant to survive it so it makes sense that it took something drastic…” Violet sighed and shifted a bit in the bed, feeling their conversation tipping into that realm of seriousness and disagreement and she didn’t want it. This whole thing was meant to distract them and they were back to harping on the damned war games and that led her back to her own failures. Xaden and Tairn didn’t want her burning out, but maybe if she’d tired harder, figured that out faster and been able to pour out every ounce of power she had then they wouldn’t have let people die.

At least his comment about being the first to know if she got herself killed was enough dark humor to make her half laugh about it. She didn’t plan on going down so easily. Every day since Parapet had been a mantra of “I’m not going to die today” and she intended to carry on not dying.

As he mentioned her mother being the one to shield them from the executions of their parents she raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear it. Oh sure, she’d heard the official story, but once she’d learned about Xaden’s deal with her mother she had assumed sparing them from the executions was part of it. Besides, Liam had still been forced to watch his fathers, how many others had been the same?

“Honestly, I assumed she was lying about that. Or that you negotiated it. Liam told me he still had to watch his father be executed and… I assume he’s not the only one.” It didn’t soften her to her mother one bit. Whatever love and drive to make her mother proud she’d had once was pushed so far down now that she hardly felt any connection at all to Lilith Sorrengail. “Though I’ll grant you that the relics keeping things secret is a blessing they didn’t see coming.”

Violet had spent so long pushing through the things happening in her life that she hadn’t really considered that she was in the same position as the children of the rebellion. Well… she wasn’t likely to be killed on sight if she’d refused to become a rider but otherwise, mostly the same. As he pointed it out, she shrugged, simply stating “I’m where I’m supposed to be,” And moving on as quickly as she could. She didn’t need tot honk about her own sorrows, too. She couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep going. So she focused instead on his hesitant agreement to share the book with her.

“Well… I want to know what you value enough to keep, so… yes. If you’ll let me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Xaden also hadn’t expected them to survive this, so loosing only two people was actually pretty good and impressive, it not making him feel any better about Liam and Soleils death and Violet almost dying though. Also feeling this conversation get somewhat serious and upsetting again, Xaden nodded a little before pressing a kiss to her lips “okay. I just don’t like to see you hurt” was all he decided to say since that statement definitely wasn’t debatable. Hearing her laugh about his joke that he’d be the first to know if she was dying, Xaden had to laugh a little in response as well, shaking his head a tiny bit as he did so. Thinking about it, what had happened in the past couple of months was quite literally just crazy, him having expected a lot of things to happen in his last year at Basgiath but falling in love with Violet Sorrengail, their lives bonded to another through their dragons and her laying in his bed in Aretia had not been something he had expected to happen.

“Well like I said she was the only one who said we shouldn’t have to watch that” he explained with a light shrug before continuing on talking “the younger ones got to leave and everyone old enough to handle it had to stay” Xaden added on, ‘handle it’ being very much an unfitting term since no one, no matter what age, could simply stand there and handle seeing their family getting executed. No matter if you were seventeen or fourteen. Quietly he hummed as she mentioned that at least the relics were partly blessing then, apart from the fact that everyone who had an rebellion relic got treated horribly. “Every dragon made relic comes with some form of magic, so thank you Melgren, for not just making my arm look a lot nicer but also allow me to hide things from you” he joked in an attempt to lighten up the mood again, Xadens relic really being hard to miss since it was by far the biggest, one that was still visible even when covering up his entire arm.

When hearing Violet say that she was where she was supposed to be, Xaden had to smile a little again, letting his thumb brush over her cheek “you are” he simply agreed with her, knowing she wanted to move on from that topic. “Then get prepared for awkward childhood pictures of me” he whispered at Violets words that she wanted to see what he seemed to value enough to keep it. Skillfully Xaden moved the two of them so Violet was now on top, allowing her to do whatever she wanted to do right now, whether that was to continue their conversation, focus back on intimacy or even reach underneath his bed to grab the book of she felt like it.

[lightningweilded]

Xaden at least managed to joke with her a bit and that helped ease the edge of tension that they’d been dancing around for most of the conversation about her use of power. She couldn’t and wouldn’t stop sing it because of one deadly fight, that just wasn’t possible for them. She was a weapon and they’d need that, and so would she if she wanted to survive because people weren’t going to stop trying to kill her just because she made it to her second year.

As for her mother, she appreciated what he was trying to do. He didn’t want to defend the woman who had caused him and all of his friends pain beyond measure, but he didn’t want Violet to think herself a monster either and this was his way of helping. It warmed her heart just to see him try. She traced her fingers lightly over the relic on his arm and then across the scars on his back that marked the lived he carried responsibility for and she wondered if they’d been carved into him with the same kind of blade that had left her silvery scar. They looked so alike… and considering who’d done the damage to him…

“Oh yes, the most important thing, looking like you have a full arm tattoo,” she teased back, laughing as he rolled them over so that she sat straddling his hips now, able to look down at him with a smirk. She was happily enjoying the view. “And baby portraits of you sounds adorable. You’re really only making me want to look even more.” With the grin still on her lips she bent to kiss him, settling into it for a few long moments and simply enjoying the feeling. She was not in any hurry to move on from their one little chance at the evening they’d deserved so she was going to stay right here in his lap and take as much as she could get.

[ridessgaeyl]

Feeling her fingers trace over the relic on his arm, Xaden gazed to her hand for a moment before looking back down into her eyes, raising his brows as she teased back about it looking like he had his full arm tattooed. “Don’t tell me you don’t like it” he kept on joking in a dramatic way. “The entire arm does look better than a small relic though” Xaden pointed out, being used to having the biggest relic that even moved up to right where his neck started, there being other children of the rebels who had far smaller relics on them.

The second he made her move on top and straddling his lap, Xaden moved his hands to her waist, letting his eyes move up and down her body for a moment before he looked back into her eyes, clearly enjoying what he was seeing as well. “Want to check if I have always been that handsome? Check anytime you feel like it” he offered teasingly since Violet had called him good looking through their bond earlier. Feeling her lips on his, Xaden immediately kissed her back, moving one hand from her waist up her arm and towards her face while shifting just enough to sit up a tiny bit more with him still starling her so Violet wouldn’t have to lean down that much, him letting out a quiet hum against her lips.

[lightningweilded]

“I don’t like what it means, but I’ll grant you that you look good,” Violet countered with a laugh as he continued to joke about his relic. She so rarely got to see Xaden laugh or smile so it felt like a treat to be joking with him about something like this. Maybe it was just that it took some of the weight of guilt off of her shoulders, but whatever the reason, she was grateful for it. It allowed them a minute just to be people, two people in love with each other, not riders, not children of enemies, just Violet and Xaden laughing about his exaggerated vanity. “If anyone can wear their entire arm and shoulder marked, it’s you. And Sgaeyl’s relic is even bigger somehow.” She laughed a little thinking of the massive nay dragon that took up his entire back. Clearly his dragon wouldn’t be outdone by anyone. She was going to lay the biggest claim on him and make sure everyone else knew it.

She glanced at his large hands on her waist, always a little amused by the sheer difference in size between them. Violet had never really grown tall or strong, and Xaden wasn’t anywhere near small or delicate. They always seemed to be opposites, in size, in personality, even in coloring where Violet was awkwardly pale with silver hair and faded eyes, and Xaden was all warm tan and night dark hair and eyes. But he was handsome and she shrugged as he teased her before kissing her back, a pleasant shiver running down her spine at the content hum he gave. “Yep, that’s definitely the reason. Not because I’m curious about baby Xaden.”

For a moment again she wished they could stay here, like this. Tell the world they had died in that battle and lie happily in Aretia, sharing their bed every night, making jokes about stupid things. It felt like the life they should have had, but there wasn’t any changing they life they did have. She’d just take what time they had and hold on to it, knowing they might never have this again. “I do love you, Xaden Riorson. More than I ever thought I could.”

[ridessgaeyl]

The rebellion relic wasn’t going anywhere so truth be told, Xaden was actually glad that it didn’t look bad on him, just adding to his looks and somehow making him look a little more threatening even, probably because everyone knew who he was thanks to it. Disadvantage and advantage at the same time, Xaden being everything but ashamed to be Fen Riorsons son though. “Thank the gods because I doubt it’s going anywhere” he said quietly with a light grin, actually for once letting his guard almost completely down and allowing himself to joke around with her. If not now, when then? If not in Aretia, then where else? Violet was still angry at him, overwhelmed with the situation and needed distraction. If he could give her that distraction and make her smile and laugh for at least a moment, letting down his guards and smiling and laughing as well was definitely worth it even though he’d for sure go back to rarely laughing once they were back in Basgiath. Something he hoped Violet knew, that just not being a place where he could act like this, not unless he could be sure it was just Violet and him. “The one Tairn and Andarna gave you isn’t exactly small either” he pointed out since it really wasn’t small but for sure also not as big as the one Sgaeyl had given him, covering his entire back.

Look wise, the two of them were really polar opposite’s, generally an unlikely couple and yet alone because of their families for sure also one that shouldn’t even exist and yet they had fallen in love, Xaden not ever not wanting to have Violet around him again, her being far to important to him now. He hadn’t told her that, also not knowing how to explain it but when he hadn’t yet been sure if she’d survive the poison on the blade and all the power she had used, he had felt incredibly hollow, as if something was missing. “If you have any, you have to show me pictures of yourself as a child as well then though” Xaden pointed out with a light smile.

When hearing her say that she really loved him, Xaden immediately sat up a tiny bit more, fully wrapping his one arm her waist to hold her even closer. “And I love you, Violet Sorrengail. A lot more than I ever intended to do and thought I could” he told her as well since he had really tried not to fall in love with her and to pretend like he hadn’t already fallen for her once he knew he had

[lightningweilded]

His comment about his relic not going anywhere was enough to get another laugh out of her. It was a horrible thing that had been done to him and the others but apparently it had two advantages; hiding them from General Melgren, and making him look more sexy and intimidating. For some reason that amused her and she pressed a kiss to his cheek as she giggled about it. The chances for them to be open and playful like this were few, and far, far between, so violet was making the most of it while she could. They’d have to go back to Basgiath soon and put up their walls, but right now this comforted something unsettled in her. They wouldn’t couldn’t be falling apart if Xaden was there with her, smiling, laughing even.

“True, Tairn did beautiful work, but it’s not as huge as yours. I think the lady Sgaeyl just wants everyone to know you’re a force to be feared and so is she. Which, really, is fair.” She sometimes wondered about the bond between them. His dragons was intimidating and hard to read but she seemed to have a fierce protectiveness about her, especially when it came to Xaden and Andarna. It made Violet wonder if she mothered them in a way. But she wouldn’t dare ask Sgaeyl that.

When he told her that she’d have to reciprocate with the pictures Violet simply shrugged. She wasn’t sure anything like that still existed of her and if it did it was in her mother’s quarters, where she was not taking Xaden if she had any choice in the matter.

“Honestly, Mira and I both expect that mother burned everything of mine once I left. It was why Mira saved dad’s book. So I doubt there are any images of me when I was young left. Those would have been with my things of my fathers and none of those are likely around anymore.” It was a cold reality but one she expected. Her mother didn’t think she’d live through this, so why keep her things? Mira had clearly foreseen the same. But, fuck it. Violet would show her otherwise. She didn’t need her motherMs approval right now, she just needed to keep going and the hold on to the people who did love her. Mira, Bren, Xaden, Rhi… not a long list but a good one. As he wrapped her in and embrace she lay her head on his shoulder and held him tightly, just for a moment.

“I believe you. I’m sure you’ve been though hell since deciding to love me but I’m glad you did it.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Speaking about his relic that Sgaeyl had left on him after Treshing, he could remember seeing it on his back through his dragons eyes and Xaden immediately ironically asking him if she had wanted to keep it small and humble. Even when just now thinking about it, he could hear a huff in his mind that without a doubt came from Sgaeyl who for a split second listend to what Violet and her rider had to say about her, Xaden for now now making an effort into not letting her be a part in this conversation, knowing Violet wouldn’t dare insult Sgaeyl, still being way too scared that she’d just eat her as a snack. “She definitely enjoys the reputation we have” he agreed with her as Violet called both of them a force to be feared. “Too bad you weren’t there that day, my threshing I mean. There was a lot of tension, people hoping I wouldn’t get picked or even get killed. I think both Sgaeyl and I liked the looks we got a little too much when they saw me fly in on her” Xaden told her since Violet obviously hadn’t been present at his threshing, her being aware though that blue Daggertails were ruthless and Sgaeyl being massive, especially for a female, the second biggest dragon currently at Basgiath. Tairn being the biggest.

“I promise she didn’t burn everything” Xaden told her, knowing that her mother was a very cold and not at all loving person but burn everything that had to do with Violet? Surely not. There would be at least one or two pictures left of her, possibly hidden though. If there were any, he’d find them if he’d ever break into General Sorrengails private quarters. Feeling Violet rest her shoulder on his head, Xaden moved his hands over her back in a loving way while also holding her as close as possible in a protective way, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and another one to her shoulder before he spoke. “You didn’t give me much of a choice” he reminded her in a whisper since Violet had not just accepted him telling her to not fall in love with him, her not having let him keep his distance, especially not when his self control to not be around her was obviously crumbling. “I’ve been through hell trying not to love you, I should’ve let myself love you sooner” Xaden admitted knowing he should’ve caved in and be honest with her sooner, just a week would’ve probably been enough and maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt then and she’d not feel betrayed by him right now

[lightningweilded]

“I think she maybe loves you a little, too. Though I doubt she’d say so. She’s very protective of you.” Violet recalled the way the Sgaeyl had assessed her, deciding if she was worthy of Xaden and Tairn and Andarna or not. It had been honestly terrifying and she still wasn’t sure the dragon liked her but she tolerated her. That was enough. “I’m sure everyone was a little shaken up when you showed up on her back. She’s impressive.” She could imagine the looks he’d gotten on that day and she wished she’d been there to see it, to cheer him on and celebrate with him.

When he assured her that her mother hadn’t burnt all of her belongings she simply shrugged. If she hadn’t, Violet would be shocked. It was t the type of this her mother would do for her least wanted child. She loved Brennan, respected Mira, but Violet was her burden. They all expected it of their mother and it would have been a shock to see anything of her life left.

“Maybe, but don’t count on that, Xaden. You’ll find yourself disappointed.” Violet had learned a long time ago not to expect sentiment or care from her mother. It was just part of her life. She would share anything she had with him, she just didn’t expect to have anything left to share. But that was alright. She had her father’s book and her corset from Mira, and she had friends and two dragons, and the man she loved. It was enough. She grinned as he admitted he should have let her in earlier and leaned in for a kiss before speaking.

“You should have, it was kind of stupid to pretend you didn’t. But you have me now so it worked out.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“A tiny bit maybe” Xaden said and just had to chuckle about the way she had said that Sgaeyl must love him a little as well. “She’s a ruthless bitch who does as she pleases and can’t take any criticism at all or she’ll definitely have that person as a snack” he added on, describing what Violet probably already figured out about her anyway. “But she’s good nonetheless. She’s not going to tell you that or make you feel like it’s the case but if you ever need her help with something Tairn or Andarna might not be suitable for, you can rely on her” he told Violet, knowing Sgaeyl would probably deny that but she’d help Violet. Because of Xaden and Tairn. “I think pissed describes the look Melgren’s, Aetos’ and your mothers face the best” he added on, having to smirk a tiny bit at the memory.

Humming quietly as Violet doubted her mothers attachment to anything sentimental when it came to her youngest child, Xaden tilted his head a tiny bit before replying. “Then I guess I’ll just have to ask her directly if she kept anything, wouldn’t be fair if I’d be the only one to share childhood memories” he joked since he obviously wasn’t going to walk up to General Sorrengail to ask her that, it probably even being for the best if she wouldn’t find out that he’d daughter had grown fond of Xaden. It would maybe keep her safer.

Immediately he raised his brows as Violet agreed with him on it being stupid to try and not love her. “You don’t have to actually agree with me, Violence” he mumbled teasingly and playfully pinched her waist while speaking. “Blame it all onto our dragons, if you wouldn’t have been annoyingly horny thanks to them, I wouldn’t have kissed you that night, outside” Xaden added on in a teasing way, knowing it was only halfway the truth.

[lightningweilded]

Violet couldn’t help but laugh at the way he described his dragon. It was accurate but she wondered if Sgaeyl would take offense. Either way, she was glad that he confirmed that at least Sgaeyl was willing to help if it came to it, surely more for Tairn and Andarna and Xaden’s sake more than her own but it was still helpful.

“As long as she has your back I have nothing to complain about. Especially now that you’ll be away at your station and we’ll have to worry about you.” Violet brought a hand to his cheek, not wanting to think about him being sent away and now stripped of his command so he’s be at the mercy of whatever commander they put him under. It worried her.

“I’m sure they all looked ready to scream. They were probably hoping none of you would make it and then here comes you on the biggest, baddest dragon on the field. Bet they thought twice about their choice to force you into the riders after that.” She finished her sentence with a kiss for him, just imagining how far he’d come and how strong he was. If the world had been a better place, his parents surely would have been proud of everything he’d done.

As he mentioned asking her mother about childhood pictures of her she winced and shook her head. Every if he was kidding she didn’t want him around her mother for a second longer than he needed to be. “Please, don’t do that. She’ll probably try to throw you off the nearest retaining wall.”

“As for agreeing with you, I definitely did have to. Sorry! Not sorry actually. And I guess I have to thank Tairn for choosing that night to have some fun. Gods, I wanted you so damned bad that night and you just wouldn’t give in.” She laughed as she lamented her frustration that night. He’d been a gentleman not to, but she really hadn’t wanted him to be a gentleman then at all.

[ridessgaeyl]

Sgaeyl would definitely not take offenses, at least not from anyone but Xaden and probably also Tairn. Anyone else insulting her in her presence was as good as dead, her being used to Xaden calling her a bitch or telling her to fuck off though. "You don't have to worry about me, I’ll be more than fine" he assured her, placing his own hand on top of hers that touched her cheek for a moment, knowing that depending on where he'd be sent to and who would be there, it would maybe not actually go that well, that not being something he wanted Violet to worry about though.

“They were hoping I'd be long dead before threshing. Sounds familiar to you though? Flying in on the biggest and baddest dragon when they all thought of hoped you wouldn't make it?" He asked her with a grin since exactly that had been the case for Violet as well. They had hoped Xaden wouldn't make it purely because of his dad and they had believed Violet wouldn't make it because she was physically the weakest. Yet here there were, with the two biggest and baddest dragons. Feeling her soft lips on his, he immediately kissed her back while moving his hands back down to her waist.

"Well good luck with that" he more or less joked when hearing Violet say that her mother would try and throw him off the nearest retaining wall. "I'm not exactly interested in talking to your mother anyway" Xaden added on, absolutely meaning that. The thought of awkward family dinners in ten years time, that would for sure never happen, made him smirk a little though.

As she teased about absolutely having to agree with him on that, Xaden once again pinched her to tease back while looking into her eyes in a very innocent way. "Of course I didn't give in, you definitely would've regretted spending the night with me the next morning" he told her, knowing that maybe she had already fancied him back then but to know that this all had possibly just happened because of their mated dragons would've been reason enough to regret, there being no doubt that Xaden would've actually felt horrible about it, feeling like he had used her. Especially when he couldn't be sure if she iust wanted him or literally anvone thanks to Tairn in that moment. "I was actually worried you might run into someone else on your way back to your room" Xaden added on with a light grin.

[lightningweilded]

“Xaden, I love you, and I know people want to harm you, so I’ll always worry about you. You’re the same with me,” violet answered back as he tried to tell her not to worry. Of course she would. She knew at least two people who had actively tried to get him killed a few days ago. Worry was normal. “But I know Sgaeyl will watch your back and that you’re tough. You’ll be okay. For all of our sakes.”

She gave a laugh as he pointed out that she knew what I felt like to show up with a terror of a dragon when everyone expected you to or hoped for your failure. It had been thrilling to see the looks on people’s faces when she’d landed with Tairn, and then again when she’d announced Andarna’s name as well. Both she and Xaden were not expected to last yet here they were. She leaned into they kiss briefly then straightened back up a bit in his lap to gaze down at him with a roll of her eyes at his teasing.

“Alright, you got me there. It was fun seeing them all stare. And so long as you stay clear of my mother and Colonel Aetos and General Melgren and, come to think of it, the king, too, then I can worry less.” She shuddered to recall that conversation where the king had, assuming she was like her mother, pointed out how he liked to see Xaden on the day of his fatherMs death ‘to remind me of his place’. It had bothered her then and it still did now.

Thankfully he turned to teasing her about that night when they’d first kissed and she reached out a hand to lightly thump his chest in a playful strike. She’d already been lost to him then and she’d been so annoyed when he denied her. “Is that so, we’re you jealous that I might find someone else to make it better? If it makes you feel better, I only wanted you. And I don’t think I would have regretted it at all.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“Of course I’m the same with you, you made yourself an enemy on your first day, chose Aetos as your best friend, continued pissing off Barlowe and people tried to kill you in your sleep” he pointed out but nodded a little as she added on that he’d be fine, something Xaden hoped to be the case, wanting violet to focus on herself and her abilities instead of worrying about him. “For all of our sakes, are you worried I’ll get us killed?” He asked when repeating her words as he continued on looking into her eyes.

As Violet listed all the people she wanted him to stay away from, also listing the king, Xaden dramatically rolled his eyes, doubting he’d see them that often anyway, especially not the king. “I can’t promise you that I won’t piss them off when seeing them but I’ll try my best not to. For all of our sake” Xaden told her, once again using her words in a playful and teasing way. He wasn’t going to say that, especially not right now that Violet was still mad at him, but dating her or at least being bonded to her and having her trust him was in some way an advantage. At least if she was still trusted by others, people who didn’t trust her.

When feeling her light push against his chest, Xaden pulled her even closer in response as he moved his hands over her back, tracing his fingers over her skin. “I was worried you would do something you’d regret which then would’ve made me jealous” he admitted since finding out she would’ve simply slept with someone else that night would’ve driven him insane. “But I would’ve regretted it. It already took me a lot of self control to not just take you against the wall, especially when you tried to argue with me” Xaden added on with a light grin on his lips as he told her that. “You still seemed quite torn on whether or not you actually wanted to hate me, so have you wake up all sore because of me, wondering if it had just been Tairn and Sgaeyl or more than just that, wasn’t exactly on my to-do list for that night”

[lightningweilded]

“Hey! I did nothing at all to Jack Barlowe. That’s all on him.” Violet huffed in annoyance at the reminder of the man. If he hadn’t been so intent on making her the weak link he might be alive right now and so might have Oren and all the rest of the cadets who’d broken codex to attack her in her sleep. She could hardly be blamed for their insistent desire to harm her, for reasons she barely understood. Hell, in Amber’s case it was probably jealousy over Dain and frankly Amber could have had him if he wanted.

“I’m not worried you’ll get us killed. I just… I like Sgaeyl, but she could probably survive losing you, no offense. But I wouldn’t be alright if you died and if something happens to me… it’s a domino effect as we’ve established. So just stay alive and I will, too.” She sighed as she finished speaking, not wanting to think of that alternative. How could she go on without Xaden? She knew she’d get reckless and sooner or later something would happen when she had no one left to fight for. The list of people who wanted him dead was as king or longer than her own, with some higher ranking members on it, and she couldn’t help but worry.

As he pulled her closer and let his hands roam her back she relaxed a little, leaning into him and pressing a handful of kisses along his jaw and down his neck as he spoke. Thinking of him jealous and worried over who she might spend her night with was sort of cute actually, and she sat up enough to grin at him as she spoke.

“See, wanting to hate you and actually doing it we’re very different things. Even then I thought about you all the time and scolded myself for how badly I wanted you. Even before that night. But I get why you didn’t, even if I wish you had and we could have had more time together.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“And I’m glad he is dead but I heard that you almost cut his balls off after the parapet… that might have provoked him a little” he mumbled jokingly with a light smirk on his lips, Violet absolutely having his entire respect for that and she’d have even more if she would’ve actually done it but it surely hadn’t made Barlowe like her any more than he already did, Violet already having been on his kill list.

Listening to her words about Sgaeyl probably surviving Xadens death but her not surviving it, setting off a domino effect, Xaden nodded a little as he looked at her, letting her finish talking before he spoke as well. “I wouldn’t risk something happening to you, Violet. I will make sure I don’t die” Xaden told her, absolutely meaning it. He wouldn’t risk dying since that meant that she could die as well and even if she’d be able to survive it, he didn’t want to leave her behind like that. Considering that they were still young, he was sure that on the long run she’d be fine and able to fall in love with someone else but it would never be the same as with them, there would never again be Xadens cocky voice in her head.

When feeling her kisses on his jaw and neck, he moved his head a tiny bit so she’d have more room for the kisses while his hands continued on roaming over her back, slowly moving over every inch of her body he could touch in that moment. “So you wanted me while wondering if I was going to kill you?” Xaden asked in amusement, knowing exactly that she had at first been scared he’d use every chance to kill her. “You will still see me every other day” he assured her as she mentioned that if he would’ve given in sooner, they would’ve had more time together which was true but not something he could change anymore. “When we are back in Basgiath, stay in my room” Xaden told her while pressing a few kisses to her shoulder, hoping she’d agree to sharing a room with him for as long as he’d still be there, them not needing two rooms after all or Xaden at least not wanting to fall asleep in his room alone while Violet would be in her room, liking it better to share a bed with her even though their beds weren’t exactly big at their war college.

[lightningweilded]

“But he started that, too! Wanted to kill me before I even crossed. I didn’t do anything to him until after tried and he deserved his balls cut off.” Violet grumbled, annoyed as she thought of Jack and his little gang yet again. Him being gone was safer for everyone, especially the two of them and their dragons. She didn’t move form where he held her, pressing kisses to her shoulder while she listened to what he had to say. “So we’ll both stay alive, and that’s what matters.”

Slowly she pushed herself up enough to look at him, a curious expression on her face. He’d just asked her to half move in with him, hadn’t he? It was something she’d never expect to hear. “You want me to stay there with you… or stay there all the time?” She tilted her head and watched him with interest. She wouldn’t mind staying in his room when he was there, of course. Or every when he wasn’t, considering it was safer there than in her own. People were less likely to look for her there and in fact even if they did she doubted they’d be able to get past the wards he had on his room. Plus, it was his space. Everything felt like him, carried his scent.

“If you want me there, that’s where I’ll be. I sleep better with you next to me anyways.”

[ridessgaeyl]

“He did. No doubt about that, you should’ve just cut them off if you ask me but you still made yourself an enemy on your first day already” he pointed out, considering that she had also killed him though, it had surely sent quite the statement, especially because everyone who had actively tried to kill her was dead now, something while Basgiath knew.

Seeing the look on Violets face as he asked her to share his room with him in Basgiath, Xaden raised his brows with a light smile, shrugging a tiny bit before he answered. “I want you stay there with me and I’d like you to stay in it even when I’m not there” he told her. “We can also take your room if you want, mine is bigger though” Xaden added on. With less riders surviving and less dragons being willing to bond with humans, there were always at least a couple rooms that happened to be free, first year riders always having the rather small and unspectacular rooms while older riders got to stay in the slightly bigger and nicer rooms. Everyone knew that Sgaeyl and Tairn were mates so Xaden having to fly to Basgiath after graduation wasn’t exactly news, meaning that he’d get to keep his room for whenever he was staying at the war college. “We wouldn’t have to tell anyone so you can still keep your room for whenever you are mad at me and no one would suspect anything or see us sneaking from room to room” he suggested halfway joking, just generally liking the thought of his room becoming their room and him knowing that he could keep her safer in there, even though he had put wards on her room as well so only a few people could actually get in there.

“I want you there” he immediately assured her with a light nod, wondering if she was actually surprised about it, especially considering that she was currently in a place everyone expected to be a ruin, being naked in his bed and Xaden having said out loud that he’s in love with her.

[lightningweilded]

“I guess there aren’t really any rules against me staying in your room, whether you’re there or not, so…” Violet grinned as she agreed, leaning down and taking several long moments to kiss him. It was slow and sweet but there was a edge of wanting under it. He wanted her, with him, in his home in her room at Basgiath, and her heart squeezed to think about it. He really loved her, even if he hadn’t told her the whole truth. He loved her enough to trust her with all of this.

She found herself pressing closer to him, rocking her hips gently against his, before she collected herself enough to sit up and look down at him again. It was so easy to get lost in him. She paused to catch her breath and smiled down at him.

“It’s a good idea, sharing your room. And I want to be there too. I’m going to miss you ever time you’re away but at least being there will feel like you’re close.” She admitted it all softly but she meant it all. When she’d become so attached she wasn’t exactly sure but thinking of a life without him was impossible. She would stay wherever he wanted her to stay, and yes they might argue sometimes but even then she doubted she’d leave to sleep in her own room if he was there. “I love you, Xaden.”

[ridessgaeyl]

With her staying in his room they at least wouldn’t have to walk around after curfew, not that Xaden really cared much about it but with her being there already, they wouldn’t have to be somewhat sneaky about it. “Since when do you care about following the rules?” He asked with raised brows and an amused smile since Violet had broken the rules a couple times already, Xaden probably not even knowing about all of her rule breaks.

When feeling her lips on his again, Xaden didn’t hesitate a single second before immediately kissing her back the same way, keeping it soft and gentle as before deepening their kiss a little more when feeling her press closer and rock her hips against his, him immediately responding to to that by pushing his hips up a little to press against her again even after she moved to sit back up and look down to him.

“You can always change your mind about it, just so you know” the dark haired told her, being glad that they both agreed on this idea for now, Xaden understanding if she’d change her mind about it at some point though. “You won’t even realize that I’m gone, I’ll be in your head all day long” Xaden said, knowing that their voices would probably be quite faint though due to the distance, him being aware that they’d be able to feel the distance and only hear each others thoughts as maybe a whisper but it was still better than not getting to communicate at all. “I love you too, Violet” he told her as well, absolutely meaning it.

[lightningweilded]

“I care about them sometimes. But not when it comes to you, or any of this, or me staying alive…” Violet shrugged, mumbling the words between kisses, realizing just how often she did actually bend or break rules. First it had been using Brennan’s book to stay alive, but now it was a longer list of all the things shed done for people she cared about, too. She would have to be careful now though, without Xaden to shield her when she screwed up she could end up in a much deeper pit of trouble. She’d have the protection of the wing leader and people either respected or feared him, but he’d be gone now and she would have to stand on her own and carry both of their secrets.

When they finally paused their kissing long enough to get out words properly she looked at him with a laugh as she shook hear head. If he thought he was getting rid of her now he’d made a critical miscalculation. She was his and he’d have to put up with her in his room and his life until he got sick of her.

“You’ll be far away, though. And I’m not going to change my mind, but I know if I did you’d let me. But there’ at least three reasons it’s a good idea and only one that it’s not so I don’t think I’m going to go back to sleeping in my little room where I almost died if I can be sleeping in your bed instead.” She didn’t want to think about him being gone, about how faint his voice would be inside her mind, none of that. She would hold on tot he fact that she could hear him at all. It made it easier not to worry herself sick about him. Not that he needed her to. She was definitely the weak link in their little group. Xaden would be alright no matter what came at him, unless someone found out about the rebellion starting again. Violet was… well an easy target. She was becoming less of one but she was still someone whose bones could be snapped with little effort and leave her helpless and that would never change. She had to be smarter. But not right now. Right now she jsut wanted to be with him for the tiny sliver of time they had.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Rules are meant to be bent and broken anyway” he immediately answered, being glad that Violet wasn’t too focused on following the rules, her luckily not being as obsessed with it as Dain who seemingly hadn’t broken a rule even just once while Xaden on the other hand had probably broken every single rule at least once. Just like her, he also mumbled every of his words in between their kisses while moving his hands to her hips, ever so slightly moving her hips against his in a playful and teasing way while keeping his lips on hers.

“Three reasons for it and one against it? What would that be?” He asked her while repeating her words, raising his brows a little as he looked up to her, the look on his face making it quite clear that he had absolutely fallen for her. “Yeah about that… would you be mad if I make someone else look over you again once I’m gone?” Xaden asked her, knowing how angry she had at first been when he had asked Liam to not just become Violets friend but also basically her bodyguard and shadow, Xaden already having thought about asking someone else to do that now that Liam was dead and he was about to graduate. “And before you immediately say no, think about it for a minute. It could be Imogen if you are more comfortable with that. I don’t want to see you passed out with the healers again, a fucking orange being what kept you alive” he pointed out, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to be there in time to help her or even to be there in time if she’d pass out again. Wanting someone to watch over her didn’t mean that he felt like Violet was weak and needed the protection, she was still physically more vulnerable than others though, someone people saw as a target and her generally just being someone he wanted to be safe and sound.

[lightningweilded]

Violet let out a soft groan as he gripped her hips and guided her movements just enough that they were both a little flustered after a few moments of heated kissing and her moving against him. He knew how to tease her, that much was for certain. She half suspected he meant to keep her distracted since he hesitated to ask her about assigning someone else to have her back. When she thought of Liam her heart squeezed and threatened to break again, thinking of him lying there with his dragon, fading before their eyes. It was unfair, he didn’t deserve it…

“I… don’t want to be the cause of anyone else’s death…” she started slowly, not directly wanting to look at him out of fear she might break down crying. He’d lost his chosen brother, after all. They were both grieving it. “But I kind of expected you would whether I agreed or not. I just want them to be able to prioritize their own life if it came to it… no one needs to die for me… but I know they can’t because that would mean letting you die, too. And you’re too important to this whole thing.”

It was hard to accept the simple facts. She needed the backup, she understood that now, but accepting the help meant potentially putting someone else in the path of her enemies and that felt wrong. Still, if it meant it kept her, and more importantly, Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and Xaden alive, she should do it. “Look, the orange juice was a good idea and you know it. But yeah, I know I can’t always rely on stuff like that and I’m getting stronger but I understand why you need someone to look out for me. So… okay. Maybe not Imogen… I don’t think I could lose her, too.” As kuch as she’d come to like the other woman and think of her as a friend, putting her in Liam’s position after what had happened to him made her anxious.

[ridessgaeyl]

When hearing her soft groan, Xaden had to lightly smile against her lips, obviously knowing exactly what he was doing. Under different circumstances this would’ve absolutely been distraction enough to not let serious conversations appear half as serious as they were but since Liam was somewhat involved or used to be involved in what he was asking her to agree to, Xaden had expected that this would turn serious again, no matter the distraction and sexual tension between them.

“You were never the cause of anyone’s death” he quickly told her in a serious tone, one hand simply resting on her hip while his other hand moved up to let his thumb brush over her cheek, for now accepting that she wasn’t looking at him right now. “I never told anyone to risk their life like that for you or for us and I won’t start doing that now. Liam offered to do it, he wanted to be your friend and do me a favor” Xaden told her truthfully in a soft but serious tone so she’d listen properly. “Whoever is going have an eye on you now will do it because they chose to do it, not because they think they will have to” he added on before sighing quietly as he continued on listening to her and how she said that everyone would risk their life anyway because of Xaden.

“And I’m not asking people to have an eye on you because I think you are too weak but because I just don’t want or can’t risk anything. If something happens to someone, blame it on me. It wouldn’t be your fault. Nothing is going to happen to Imogen, don’t worry about that. I will just ask them in a group at some point and someone is going to agree to it, okay?” He offered

[lightningweilded]

It took a few long moments for Violet to. Choke back tears when Xaden crupper her cheek and told her that she wasn’t to blame herself about losing Liam. She couldn’t help but feel that if he hadn’t been trying to protect her and others, to warn her specifically, he might have been able to get away. She didn’t know if it made her feel better or worse that Liam had volunteered for it all. He truly had been her friend, more so than almost anyone else, sharing in most of her secrets and always keeping her laughing when things got hard. He could make anyone smile and she wondered how she’d tell Jesinia when she got back and her “shadow” no longer came down to flirt with the young scribe anymore.

Blinking her eyes a few times to try to get the tears to fade, she too a deep, shaky breath and leaned down to lay her head against Xaden’s chest and shoulder. No matter how much he said it wasn’t her fault, she still felt guilty. Liam wouldn’t have had to be there if she hadn’t insisted on going, blindly trusting the man she loved to lead them all safely. How could he have though? They’d all been set up, and reminding herself of that made anger burn hot in her chest. She’d find a way to punish Dain for this… somehow.

“I know it’s not because you think I’m weak. We all need to be safe and I can admit I’m not… the best of us for defending myself. It’s not just my life on the line anymore. I have to be smarter, too. I can’t rely on you or anyone else to make it okay anymore. Not because you wouldn’t try, of course you would, but you can’t be there all the time and even if someone is there constantly, I shouldn’t put them at more risk by being stupid.” The stubborn, willfulness she’d carried for all of her first year seemed to have been bruised a little by the loss of her friend. She still intended to survive, but she understood that she couldn’t really do that alone. Not when they were this deep in so many things that could get them killed. She needed to rely on people, trust someone other than herself and Xaden. “I’ll be better. Whoever volunteers themselves for this deserve that much.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Seeing that she was trying to fight the tears that slowly but surely appeared in her eyes, he gently caressed her cheek “crying doesn’t make you weak” he whispered so quietly that she probably couldn’t hear him, Xaden just wanting her to know that she didn’t had to hold back her tears or act stronger than she actually was, that not being something she had to do whenever he was around. Letting her just rest her head on his chest, he gently wrapped his arms around her, stroking the back of her head while closing his eyes for a moment, very much still grieving the man who had been as good as family to him. Especially considering that Xaden really didn’t had much actual family left.

“Liam was part of my group in the war games before you even agreed to come with me. He wasn’t just there because of you but also generally because I wanted him there. No one could’ve known about what happened…” he mumbled, it being quite obvious that Xaden was blaming himself as well though. He had told everyone that he’d stay and try and help. Of course he had told everyone that they could leave and get to safety but it had been rather clear that they’d all stay, especially when Xaden was staying. It had been the right decision without a doubt but by deciding to stay and fight he had also more or less made a decision for Violet, something he shouldn’t have done.

“You are making great progress and you did very well in the past year. Don’t change anything and keep on making the same decisions, just be aware of who you can trust” he told her with a head shake, not wanting her to lose any of her stubbornness or sass and pride, everything having worked out well for her after all. She just needed to accept the help of certain people. People who were not Dain Aetos. “I know it doesn’t look like it right now but sooner or later everything will work out” Xaden whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

[lightningweilded]

Violet heard, or maybe just sensed his reassurance. Whatever the case she wiped the tears away quickly and looked up at him. “I know… but I don’t want all our time together to be me breaking down in tears.” It was a silly thing he wouldn’t have cared, but who knew how much time they had, today, this year, who knew if she would even make it to graduation. She didn’t want this to the the last memory they held of one another, ever. She had to get stronger, in every way. Even if crying wasn’t weakness, it wasn’t want she wanted him to remember her for.

“Of course they couldn’t have known… but if I’d been suspicious of Dain for even a second, questions why he was fighting you to keep me there, maybe we would have both been safe. I don’t know. I just feel like I could have done something differently that didn’t end in… this. Been faster, or smarter, or… something.” It was survivors guilt that ate at her, not that she had any idea of the concept. That and the gnawing feeling that her brother was right about her and she’d never be cut out of this, never be able to put aside death as part of the way things had to be. But if she didn’t she’d be a liability for them all. She needed to figure it out.

“I won’t stop working on it. When you’re there, you can drill me on fighting like always and Imogen won’t let me slack on weights. As far as trusting people goes, that’s already settled. Rhi, though I’m not telling her any of this until I have to because i don’t want her to be in the middle. You, and the others here. That’s it.” Her list of trusted friends had gotten small and she’d only trust most of the people who he was responsible for solely because of that, not because they knew one another well. She knew she could trust Sawyer and Ridoc to have her back, too, but they weren’t deep enough in to know about the rebellion. Everyone had different levels of trust now and she had learned to keep her mouth shut when she’d seen people start to die because she’d trusted the wrong person. Never again. As Xaden gave her a kiss she sighed deeply, trying to keep herself calm. It was a skill she’d need in front of the rest fo the world now and she was getting plenty of practice, even if all she wanted was to lay in his arms and cry it out. “Yeah… it’ll work out somehow… it has to.

[ridessgaeyl]

“All the time would be a bit of an exaggeration” he quickly told her, not wanting Violet to think that he saw her as whiny or that she was ruining the situation by getting upset over something that was completely valid to get upset over, especially considering that Xaden was upset as well. “You don’t have to pretend like you are fine, not around me” Xaden told her softly, knowing she needed the softness right now.

“Why would you’ve been suspicious of Dain? He was your best friend, you know him your whole life, don’t blame yourself for trusting someone who has been that important for you” Xaden told her and stroke over her head with his hand before lightly shaking her head. “You couldn’t have done anything differently, this is on Dain and his dad” he quickly added on, knowing that Violet wouldn’t stop blaming herself because of this but he still wanted to keep telling her that this wasn’t her fault at all. “Imogen will keep training you and I will find you someone who practices fighting with you while I’m not there. And we can also train together while I’m there. Don’t worry about that. I trust you and I trust your instincts but keep in mind that if the wrong person finds out about this, I’m as good as dead” Xaden said quietly but with a calm tone as if this wasn’t a big deal when it was really a dangerous game they were playing.

“I’m sorry you are part of this, I know it’s not exactly something you wanted” he whispered while still stroking the back of her head, knowing she wasn’t complaining about that but violet after all just having wanted to survive all this, not having meant to fall in love with Xaden Riorson and be part of a uprising rebellion.

[lightningweilded]

“As much as I believe you… if I let myself crumble I don’t know how I’ll get back to normal again. I don’t know how I’ll face the people that did this if I let myself feel all of it.” It was hard enough to keep a straight face around him, Violet was still wondering how she’d do so around the entire war college, especially people like her mother, or either of the Aetos’.

She could only really nod at he pointed out again that she shouldn’t blame herself and that Imogen would keep training her, which she definitely needed. It would be strange without him there but at least that small part would stay the same. She was still worried about them taking command from him right before graduation. Perhaps there was something she could do to shield him form that, blame herself for insisting they help once Liam far-sighted the Venin attacking the town. They could claim that Xaden intended to turn back as he was ordered but she charged in, something… anything to not have him stripped of his rank that acted as a shield for them both.

She sighed softly and kissed his shoulder as he continued to stroke her hair, trying to comfort her. It wasn’t typical for Xaden to choose to be soft with her so she knew he must be worried. She didn’t like that, even if she was still upset with him for not telling her everything. “I’m not sorry. I wish it had been a choice I got to make freely, but I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Quietly Xaden hummed as Violet told him that she just couldn’t let herself crumble right now, her not even being sure how she was supposed to face the people responsible for all this. “It will come crashing down on you at some point” he told her truthfully, knowing that it wasn’t exactly encouraging or uplifting but it was the truth after all.

When being back at Basgiath, Xaden knew that in front of everyone else he’d act like nothing ever happened, him being very good at acting neutral and emotionless, as if he wouldn’t care about anything at all. Even Violet knowing that. It perhaps wasn’t how he wanted to act after what had just happened but it would be the option that kept everyone involved safe, especially with him taking the entire blame on himself and claiming that everyone had just acted under his orders. Of course he knew that it would have consequences but at least he’d be the only one to face those consequences, everyone at Basgiath already mistrusting him anyway so it probably didn’t make that much of a difference, or at least he hoped for that.

Hearing her say that she didn’t regret any of her choices and that she was right where she was supposed to be, he hummed once again while still stroking her hair in a calming way. “When we are back, we should act like we are no closer than two people with mated dragons, you know that, right?” He asked her, not being sure if Violet even wanted others to know if they were more than just that, Xaden theoretically not at all minding everyone to know about them but he knew that she was probably better off when acting like she didn’t actually care about him, yet alone so no one would start mistrusting her or questioning her loyalty.

[lightningweilded]

“It will, probably… but I have to make it long enough that they don’t suspect anything,” Violet countered with a stubbornness that he was surely used to by now. She was trying to protect herself and also them, being engagingly angry at Dain and his father and her mother and Melgren and even the damned king wouldn’t do anyone any good, it would just draw attention to what was happening here and that was the last thing she wanted. So she needed to not show any reactions to them for now and that meant not letting herself feel all of it either.

Besides, it wasn’t like Xaden wouldn’t do the same thing. He, too, hid what he felt and kept it all pushed so far down. Apparently the only one to break his resolve in that regard was Violet herself. They really had no other choice at this point. the only person hey could really be open with was one another. She still wasn’t entirely sure if that was something she was alright it’s but it was simply the state of thins currently and she couldn’t really change it. Not without putting everyone they both cared about at risk. She would make it work. She couldn’t risk any of them, and especially not Xaden, so making it work was the only option. She at least didn’ stop him from trying to comfort her, leaning in to the entry feeling of him stroking her hair.

As he mentioned they should act like virtual strangers when they got back she glared, not about to play that game again. They’d already been through that once, trying to pretend they didn’t want or love one another. She wasn’t going to do it again.

“No, Dain already knows, he saw me in your clothes. So I’m sure he’s already told his father, which means he’d told my mother. And Rhi knows. And Ridoc. And Sawyer. There’s not keeping it hidden, they’re going to gossip about it. If we’re hiding it then we have to tell them all that we broke up and come up with a convincing reason and I can’t sleep in your room at all. Once any of them catches on that I’m not in my own bed that game is over, and the leadership is going to be watching whether we pretend to have split up or not. We’ll be spending every day you’re back form whatever shithole they post you in as punishment ignoring each other and wishing we didn’t have to. For the next two years. So, is that what you want?” That was the simple fact. If they wanted to act like they weren’t close at all they were going to actually have to appear distant and give up any time they might have had together. The idea of it made her stomach twist uncomfortably. If that was what they were going to act like they might as well have stayed broken up and not spent this afternoon in bed together.

[ridessgaeyl]

When listening to her, Xaden let out a quiet sigh while giving her a look because she was once again staying stubborn, something he very much loved about her but it potentially being a little difficult since they were both pretty stubborn individuals. “Keep in mind that you’ll only see Dain for one more year” he attempting to say in an uplifting way since Dain would graduate next year. Potentially they’d be free of him even sooner if someone lost their temper with him and killed him before that, something Xaden saw as a somewhat likely possibility.

Seeing the glare Violet gave him as he mentioned acting like strangers, Xaden immediately raised a brow as he looked at her, his hand slowly but surely stopping in its motion to stroke through her hair, resting it on the side of her head as he listened to her words. “Not sure Dain is telling anyone about it, that would be pretty embarrassing for him considering that he kissed you after threshing. His ego is very much bruised right now” he quickly said, more or less interrupting her before he continued on listening to the rest she had to say. Violet was right though, if Dain had told his father about Violet and Xaden, even though Dain didn’t know what was going on since he had only seen Violet in his clothes, her mother most certainly knew as well. “That’s the very last thing I want” Xaden answered her question while looking into her eyes, moving both his hands to her face to make sure that she’d really listen to him. “The very last thing I want is to lose you. If I’d have to decide between all of this-“ he said and briefly gestured around the room, by that meaning Aretia and the general rebellion. “- and you, then fuck all of this. I’d choose you” Xaden told her, just wanting Violet to know about that. “We’ve spend enough time pretending like there’s nothing between us and I don’t want to go back to doing that” he added on with a light nod before continuing on talking. “But you are pretty good at getting yourself in trouble, Violence. Being with me, especially when I’m in some shithole hours away from you, might get you into more trouble, especially with the leadership watching every step you make” Xaden pointed out, only really having suggested to be distant with her in public to possibly keep her safe.

[lightningweilded]

Honestly Violet was relieved when he agreed that he didn’t want to go through it all again. She didn’t want that either. They’d already been through enough. But she knew they couldn’t be this affectionate in front of the rest of the world, obviously. At least not until things changed and that was going to take a while. So she leaned down to give him a kiss and sighed in relief. What surprised her was that he said he’d give everything up for her, even the rebellion. It made her stomach fill with butterflies.

“We’re not going to give this up either, so… middle ground. They know we’re sleeping together, they now we spend time together because of the dragons or not. So we let them think that’s what it is, friends, attraction, letting off steam like any riders?” She raised an eyebrow. They wouldn’t have to pretend they weren’t interested in one another and they wouldn’t have to tell everyone that they were in love, and draw the attention of people they didn’t want. Surely her mother and the others would just assume it was a young woman making mistakes and being driven by sexual desire. They’d think she was an idiot but they’d probably also think they could use her against him and she could give them whatever false information they wanted while pretending to be oblivious.

“They’ll think I’m an idiot who’s been seduced by big bad you. I used to kind of think that too, after all. We might even be able to use it against them one day. But we wouldn’t have to hide.”

[ridessgaeyl]

As Violet leaned down to give him a kiss once he told her that he didn’t want pretend that they were broken up either, Xaden kissed her before tilting his head a little when hearing her sigh of relief, having thought that she had known that staying away from her in public wasn’t something he wanted either.

“let them think there are no feelings involved? Just physical? Can you do that?” he asked her with raised brows, Xaden felt pretty confident that he could act like there were no deeper feelings involved, him generally being rather good at hiding his feelings so acting attracted and still like he cared, being able to blame that on the dragons, but not necessarily acting like he was in love with her sounded like something he could do. It maybe wasn’t ideal but it also wasn’t terrible and maybe made things a little easier, not for them but for the overall situation with everyone else having an eye on them. “When I said I don’t fuck first years, not even when I was one myself, I meant that. People know I’m not sleeping around Basgiath which means they will know that you are special… so we will also have to blame that on Tairn and Sgaeyl” he told her quietly while looking into her eyes.

“Are you not exactly that?” He asked her teasingly while trying not to grin a little as she referred to herself as an idiot who had been seduced by the great betrayers evil spawn. “I like your way of thinking” Xaden then added on, really not wanting to hide either and also liking how maybe they could even benefit from this. “I’m not going to not kiss you in public though. If we are not going to actually hide I won’t miss out on that” Xaden added on, figuring that if anyone would know that they were sleeping together he could go as far as just kissing her in public as well while just making it look like it was a kiss out of desire and not out of love while he truthfully also hoped it would send a message that no other guy should try his luck with Violet Sorrengail even when she was theoretically believed to be single.

[lightningweilded]

“Honestly I think that can all work in our favor. Officially to them it’s ‘casual’ but if they put that together they’ll assume that we’re both in over our heads, pretending not to have feelings. They’ll try to use it to manipulate us and we can turn it back on them.” If there was one thing Violet was good at, it was creatively coming up with ways around things. Once Brennan’s book had given her that little push, she’d started to twist and turn the game on its head. She’d gotten quite good at it.

“Kiss me whenever you want, it’ll play into it. We’re either lust drunk or hiding feelings in their eyes and either one they’ll think they can use.” Her smirk only grew as he teased her about being exactly that and she leaned in as if to kiss him and then gave his lip a bite as payback for it. He seemed to at least see the brilliance of her plan and she was proud of herself for thinking it up so she grinned again as she sat up again to look at him. They’d make this all work as best they could, and turn every advantage possible to their side. “Anyways, you wish you were the one who seduced me into falling in love with you. Pretty sure that was me.”

[ridessgaeyl]

‘Casual’ was exactly what they had called all of this anyway when first having started to make out so Xaden knew that he could pretend like it was nothing more than just that in front of others, as long as Violet knew that he loved her. Truthfully, Xaden had been quite bad at making it look casual anyway considering that he had left flowers, Violets, on her table in the morning and how he had constantly checked on her through their bond, that not being something others knew about though. “I can’t wait to hear all the questions they’ll ask you” he mumbled with a slight eye-roll, knowing that people would try and get information out of her, using Violet and him against one another while they would actually just manipulate everyone else.

“Or both” he said quietly about being lust drunk and hiding feelings for another. Xaden had known that she was smart, she had proven that very quickly with how she poisoned the others during sparring, also being smart enough to get up extra early to wrap her knees and wounds before everyone was awake, her also with just a little hint from Xaden having mastered the gauntlet with her daggers as help and him still remembering that he had been quite impressed how her team had broken into her mothers office. Her coming up with another clever idea therefore wasn’t exactly shocking. When feeling violet bite his lip as payback, he let out a quiet groan followed by a light grin as he moved her face back to his, pressing a kiss to her lips before also tugging on her bottom lip. “Oh please, you left me no choice. Asking me all those questions, finding me on the parapet. You decided to really fall in love the second I told you not to fall in love with me” Xaden teased her

[lightningweilded]

Violet knew that there would be questions, from both friends and enemies, about her and Xaden. Some she would answer honestly and some she’d let believe what they wanted whether it was true or not. But the fact that he was going to enjoy the game amused her and she laughed as she gazed down at him. This wasn’t an answer to all of their problems but it was the answer to a small one and that made her feel a little less hopeless.

“Or both,” she agreed before he pulled her in for a longer kiss in payback for her little bite on his lip. They never could seem to get enough of one another and that groan he gave sent a pleasant shiver through her at the sound. The way he tugged at her own lip earned him a soft moan from Violet. It was far too easy to want to just press herself against him and keep kissing him until they both needed more.

“Who knew the way to make you fall in love was asking questions?” She teased as she leaned in for another kiss and she found herself melting against him just a bit, giving in to her desire to be closer to him. “Honestly I think I might have already been lost by the time you told me that, if I’m being honest. You were the stubborn one who didn’t want to fall.”

[ridessgaeyl]

Everyone who even just remotely mattered to Xaden knew about Violet and him already or would soon find out that this was not just as casual as they would claim their relationship to be, no one else’s opinion mattering to Xaden anyway so he didn’t exactly care about all the gossip that people would soon come up with, him just hoping that Violet could deal with harsh words as well.

When hearing her quiet moan against his lips, Xaden couldn’t help but lightly grin in amusement as well, also needing quite a bit of self control to not just pull her into another, deeper, kiss again and pull her even closer than she already was.

“It wasn’t the questions, they started getting a little annoying to be honest” he said teasingly “but also kinda sweet how you started to care more about me” Xaden then added on so she wouldn’t feel like asking him questions would be something that would annoy him in the future. “Not wanting to fall for you doesn’t mean I wasn’t already in love with you as well, I was just too busy trying not to fall even harder” Xaden told her, his stubbornness partly being something he regretted now since that had only cost them precious time. Kissing her back the same way, he slowly let his hands roam all over her body again when feeling violet melt against him a little further, him knowing that if they wouldn’t stop with this within the next two or three minutes, they wouldn’t stop at all. At least not anytime soon. Something he was more than fine with.

[lightningweilded]

“Annoying, really?” She gave him a look as she sat there straddling his lap, kissing and adoring him. That word had no business coming into play, so she gave him another kiss that turned into a bite as she laughed. She was getting him back for his teasing because she knew he didn’t mean it, at least not that way. She’d driven him a little crazy trying to get behind the walls he put up and she could admit that. But he certainly didn’t hate it.

“You can’t escape it, Xaden. You claimed me as yours and now you have to deal with all of it, my annoying questions and everything.” For better or worse he’d chosen this and made it clear that he wasn’t going to give her up even when she’d tried to walk away. Violet would always be herself, she would always push him just as he pushed her, she would always be a little bit of a pain in his side, but she would love him and have his back and she hoped that it was worth it to him, that he got enough in exchange. “You said I’m yours, so I’m going to be yours. Good and bad.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and looked down at him with a grin because frankly she’d never be the easiest partner to have but neither was he so they’d make the best of that together.

[ridessgaeyl]

“Very annoying” he repeated himself, making it sound like he was completely serious about her questions having been annoying. Had it been a little strange sometimes for her to ask him private questions through their mental bond while he had been busy until her voice had popped up in her head? Surely sometimes but it had never actually annoyed him, not even when he had told her to stop asking him all those things all day long. “You are a tease” Xaden told her quietly as she kissed him again only to bite his lip again which made him pinch her side a little.

“I think I can handle your annoying questions and your terrible temper” the dark haired continued on teasing her, knowing exactly that nothing Violet could ever possibly do would make him pull away from her. The Sorrengail could break his heart and he’d still want her, Xaden hoping that they would not break each others heart though, knowing it would be incredibly awkward for them considering their mated dragon situation. “Violence there is nothing you could do for me to no longer want this. Which does not mean I want you to drive me insane though” he told her while looking into her eyes, hoping she’d not see this as some type of free pass to provoke him even though Xaden doubted that Violet would be the type of person to make him jealous or anything like that just to check his reaction.

[lightningweilded]

“Lies,” she countered with a grin as he teased her about being annoying. Oh she certainly could be when she wanted but she knew Xaden didn’t think that about her. Besides, by now they enjoyed talking to one another mind to kind through the bond with their dragons. It made things easier to connect, to share information, and to speak in a way no one else could overhear or even knew of. It was theirs and theirs alone. “Am I teasing you, Xaden? Hmm?” She grinned as she felt him pinch her side, settling her hips down on his a little firmer. She was perfectly willing to tease.

“Now the temper I’ll agree on,” she stated with a laugh. She could be a bit hotheaded at times, and she owned up to that much. His promise that he wasn’t going to be scared off by any stupid thing she might do or say though… that made her happy. She didn’t intend on abusing that power of course, it just made her feel good to know that he wasn’t looking for an excuse to run. “I’ll only drive you insane in the ways you like, I promise. The kind of ways that make you groan and curse and throw me in the bed.” She smirked as leaned in for a proper kiss this time, having fun teasing him exactly as he’d stated a moment before.

[ridessgaeyl]

Lightly he shook his head while trying not to grin as Violet defended herself from his teasing and playful insults “annoying” he said again but this told whispering it so quietly that he was basically just mouthing the word while looking into her eyes. Feeling Violet press her hips further against his, a quiet groan escaped Xadens lips, a part of him hating that she had that much power over him while another part absolutely loved it, him never having felt as attracted to anyone before as he did to Violet. Both physically and mentally. It just felt like they were meant for one another in some way. “You are playing a dangerous game” he whispered with a grin as he ever so slightly moved her hips on his to tease her a little as well as her body moved on his.

“And I’ll have to experience your temper for the rest of my life, I’m seriously starting to feel sorry for myself” Xaden joked, actually having to experience it for the rest of his life since her thoughts were connected to his unless she locked him out of her mind, Xaden therefore being the first one to know when Violet was about to lose her temper. Lightly he had laugh at her mention how she’d drive him insane “you are already driving me insane” he admitted quietly, partly hoping violet wouldn’t tease him too much once they were back at the war college or else he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t start making out with her in public. As she leaned in for a proper kiss, Xaden immediately kissed her back the same way as his hands rested on her waist, knowing that violet was doing this to tease him even further which definitely worked well.

[lightningweilded]

“Dangerous? Hardly. I know what I’m getting and I’m not worried about it,” Violet countered with a grin as he encouraged her teasing with his hands on her hips making them rock against his. He might be playing all tough and complaining about it but she knew perfectly ell that Xaden wanted her as much as she always wanted him. They knew one another too well now not to be able to make each other needy with a few glances, touches, and words. Ultimately, Xaden was all that she wanted and she didn’t really see any issue in teasing him until she could have him.

She laughed as he commented that he was stuck with het temper, only shaking her head and giving him an exasperated look. He was stuck with her as she was stuck with him and he;d just have to deal with the occasional moments where she got annoyed with the world around her. “Well I’m stuck with your brooding so I think we’re even. Now stop pointing out all the negative things about me, would you? It’s really messing up my seduction attempts.” She smirked before leaning back in for another kiss, this time not pulling away until they were both in need of a breath. She knew she wants the only one feeling the heat between them at the moment and they had all day together. They might as well do over their interrupted first night as a couple, while they had the luxury. Very soon this would all be a lot harder to manage so she wanted to take as much time for themselves right now as they could get.