Shadow

Raedwulf Dolph

The next morning came and I found myself in bed with my mate. We were both clothed and besides a few kisses, nothing happened. However, this has been the best night of my life. She still slept, even as I woke up. The morning sun hadn’t even made her debut in the sky when I climbed out of bed.

I was used to waking up at this time for training. If I’m not mistaken, Danal and Rikki should be awake too.

Then Idonia stirs, she sits up and looks over to me at the window. She gently rubs her eyes before moving to the edge of the bed. Her dress is a bit wrinkled and her hair a bit tousled. When her feet hit the floor, she retracts them quickly. Her socks still sit by the dying fire.

Before taking them to her, I throw a few spare logs on the fire. Ashes spark around the fresh wood as I take Idonia her brown socks. She quietly thanks me before slipping them on her feet. I watch her pull them up past her knees and tie her guarder around their top.

I gulp, my beast howling and growling at the sight of her bare skin. Her eyes sparkle as they look up at me. “You should get dressed,” she says while looking over my chest that was covered in just a thin white tunic.

While nodding, I move to find my dark grey tunic and belt. Once I am dressed and my boots are laced on, I look at my hair in the mirror. It is getting long. I’ve been traveling for five months without proper grooming. My dark red locks have grown past my shoulder blades, almost too long for me to manage.

“Do you want it cut?” She asks me cautiously as she stands from the bed. She had watched me dress as she slowly tied her own boots.

“It’s getting long, but a cut can wait until we get back to your homestead.”

“If it’s bothering you then...”

“It’s fine,” I reason back with her, cupping her cheeks and kissing her lips gently.

“Let me at least braid it back for you,” she offers with raised eyebrows.

My heart jumps at her offer, slowly I smile and nod. We end up with her sitting on the bed and me on my knees on the floor. Her hands run delicately over my head and she parts my hair. Two braids are made at the top of my head before the rest is pulled into a tie.

A knock at the door sounds at the perfect time. I stand and open the door to reveal Rikki.

“Danal is getting the horses, the innkeeper has made us a meal before we leave.”

I nod. Idonia, Rikki, and I meet Danal in the tavern area of the inn. As we sit, a barmaid comes and we are served a large breakfast of toast, beans, ham, and mead. Idonia sits next to me, eating quietly as she watches Rikki annoy Danal some. These two had always been this way. When Rikki mated with Disa, Danal’s sister, he had becomes slightly less annoyed with Rikki. That didn’t last long, however, as not too long after that did Rikki end up breaking Danal’s arm with a mead cup (don’t ask how).

Once breakfast was done, the four of us were on the road again. Rikki engaged in conversation with Idonia, with Danal and me simply listening. I would throw in a question or comment when the time needed, but I mostly listened. Rikki had a way of making Idonia talk about her past that I hadn’t figured out yet. On the road, with him, she would talk about her childhood, her training, and even a bit about becoming Khanelea.

Though I have learned certain lines of conversation that are off-limits; her first hunting trip, another is leaving for Bethlianna and her eldest brother.

“So,” I move my horse to be next to hers. “Have you thought any more about your Viker? I will need Rikki back eventually.”

“I know he is young, but I can train Olen to be everything I need in a Viker.”

“You’ll need at least three personal Viker as Khanea,” Danal states, quite rudely I may add. He has always been blunt, but he is much more brazen with Idonia. It drives my beast crazy how he treats her, and I will be giving him words about it. He needs to start treating her like a Khanelea, not some Madam from Theris.

“What about your other brothers?”

“Egil and Ingolf are set as Eske’s Viker already. As for Inghram,” she shakes her head mindlessly. “He is useless in many ways.”

“What do you mean?” I ask before Rikki can. I watch as he closes his mouth as I say the words he was thinking.

“Inghram is a clumsy fighter, a pathetic rider, and a poor military leader. He spends most days in our library.”

“He is smart?”

“Very, probably the smartest of us all. Book smart, history smart, but he knows nothing of leading or strategy.”

“Sometimes knowing our history is better than knowing military strategy,” I tell her.

“You don’t know Inghram as I do, he is useless even with all that book knowledge.”

“We’ll have to host a tournament when we return then. Males will travel from the north and south at the chance of being your Viker. I will also need to add another before I become Khannun.”

“So I will have three and you will have three, but only two will sit on your council?”

“Precisely.”

“Unless he decides to add his third,” Danal adds in. “Depending on who it is that he decides.”

I watch her tense up at Danal, something must have happened between the two. “Who we decide,” I correct Danal, directing my words at Idonia. Last night was amazing, and the two of us made headway with our relationship. Danal is making it sound like my mate will have no decision in the ruling of the Bethley Isles when she will. “We will decide who sits on our council.”

She looks at me and nods gently, a small smile appearing on her luscious lips.

Hello my lovely readers. I would love some feedback on what you guys think of the book.

So, who's your favorite character?

What can I be doing better?

Sorry this is a short chapter, it be that ways sometimes, but I promise there are long chapters too!

All my love,

Rosie🥀