Elemental Prince by Megan Fall
Chapter 15
Kell
Kell couldn’t help but admire Emmalyn as she laughed with his men and ate a supper of rich tasting stew and warm bread. She accepted their teasing and banter and entertained them with stories of her world. The technology both fascinated and terrified his men at the same time. When she described the weaponry of her world, they scoffed. To kill someone by firing bullets from hundreds of yards away required no skill and held no honour. There was no reason to be proud of such a kill.
When the hour grew later and his wee warrior showed signs of tiring, Kell called it a night. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration as Emmalyn hugged each of his men and thanked them for a lovely evening. His warriors returned the hug with a smile, but smartly kept their eyes trained on Kell. They could see his body tensing more and more as she moved through the group. The hugs were brief and his men stepped away quickly, but it still infuriated Kell. He would need to have a word with Emmalyn about touching other men.
With the goodbyes finally complete, Kell snagged her tiny hand and engulfed it with his much larger one. He still marveled at the differences between the two, not only in size, but in colour. His was tanned from the hours he spent outside in the sun, while Emmalyn’s was pale from the obvious time she spent indoors.
As soon as they reached the door, Kell pushed it open and stepped inside. He scanned the room, and seeing nothing inside that would cause any harm, allowed her entrance. Emmalyn quickly noticed the tub full of steaming water and hurried over to it. Kell watched in awe as she dropped to the floor, dipped her good arm in and swirled it around. Her whole body seemed to sigh as she hummed in obvious delight. Proving that Kell’s decision to stop at the inn had been a good one, he vowed to take greater pains to see her enjoy more small pleasures. She was a soft woman and not a hardened warrior; he needed to remember that and take better care of her.
“I will step into the hall to give you a moment to undress and jump in, then return to help you wash your hair,” Kell stated as he stepped out the door.
“You’ll what?” Emmalyn cried, halting him as he was about to close the door.
“You still have stitches that need to remain dry. You are also exhausted and I fear you will fall asleep and drown. If you are worried about modesty, leave your undergarments on,” Kell advised as he softened his voice.
She glared at him for a minute, obviously trying to assert some control over the situation. She sighed and nodded, leaning against the tub.
“Do you need help to get undressed?” Kell pressed, as her eyes closed and her body relaxed even more.
He had to fight to hold back his laughter as she pulled her arm from the water and clumsily climbed to her feet. A pretty blush spread across her cheeks and chest and Kell growled at the sight of it. He moved across the room and slid his hand in her thick hair as he gently cradled the back of her neck. Kell tipped her head up and gently brushed his lips against hers. Without pulling back, his next words feathered across her lips.
“I will give you some privacy, but do not take too long sweetheart,” Kell ordered huskily. He turned and strode from the room, closing the door behind him.
Oryn and Behr were standing in the hall and chuckled at the sight of him.
“Kicked you out already, did she?” Behr called attempting to reign in his laughter.
Kell glared at them as he moved towards them. “No, she did not. I am giving her a moment of privacy to attend to herself.”
“Right,” Oryn nodded, not believing a word Kell said.
“Do you two have anything better to do?” Kell demanded.
“We actually cornered two barmaids earlier and are waiting for them to join us,” Oryn informed him. “Torin will take the first shift in the hall and we will switch off over the night. There is also a man at the bottom of the stairs and another in the tavern.”
Kell nodded in acceptance and grinned as two young women mounted the stairs and seductively approached his men. Oryn threw his arm around one and she smiled, moulding her body to his. The other stepped right up to Behr and pushed her hands up under his shirt. Kell grinned, knowing his men would be well taken care of.
“Have a good night,” Kell called as they disappeared behind closed doors with the women.
Deciding it was time to join his, Kell turned back to his own room and pushed open the door. Emmalyn was just lowering herself into the tub and she gasped and collapsed, splashing water everywhere in her haste to cover up. It was too late though, as Kell had seen her in the thin shift. He shut the door and moved forward, but didn’t have the heart to tell her the water made the shift almost transparent. He could see all her shapely curves and only told her to keep it on so she’d feel more at ease.
Emmalyn watched him nervously as he approached. He slowed his steps and gave her a small smile. He tried to take on a relaxed pose as he pulled up a wooden stool and dropped his large body onto it. It groaned under his weight and brought a small smile to her own lips.
“I don’t think that will hold you,” Emmalyn whispered as Kell rolled up his sleeves.
“It will hold me long enough,” he lied, worrying a little. Nothing had cracked yet, so that was a good sign. “Slide forward and tilt your head back,” he ordered, picking up a pitcher and dipping it into the water.
Kell was pleased that Emmalyn did as asked, trusting him to look after her. He gathered her long hair with his free hand, marvelling at the soft feel. He’d never touched hair as soft or as thick as hers. Given the length, Kell was surprised she didn’t get a headache from the weight. When he told her as much, she answered without thought.
“When it was longer, I did suffer some headaches, but I know how long to keep it now so that doesn’t happen,” Emmalyn explained as he drizzled water over it.
Satisfied with the level of wetness, Kell set down the pitcher, reached for the bar of rose scented soap and lathered it as best he could between his hands. Lifting the mass, he began massaging in the soap.
“Oh my god, that feels so nice,” Emmalyn purred as his fingers deftly worked her scalp.
He realized that growing up with Mathias, and not a mother, she likely hadn’t experienced anything like this. Mathias was a hardened warrior, and even though it was obvious he cared deeply for the girl, it was unlikely he had showered her with affection. Kell understood why she accepted this closeness so easily. She craved it. His heart ached for Emmalyn and all that she had missed being sent away.
Kell moved slowly, gathering a section at a time and working the soap through. The rose smell drifted up to him, and although he liked it, he found it disappointing that her berry scent was gone. It was hers alone and no one else wore it. The fragranced soap in Terrasen only contained flowered scents. Kell decided to ask the next soap maker he found to create a berry scented one just for her.
When Kell finished the task she remained still, and for a moment, he was afraid she had fallen asleep. She slowly leaned back and he smiled at the sleepy look aimed his way.
“Thank you,” she sighed with a small pout on her face, proving she had enjoyed his care and missed it already. “I should finish and get out. You’ve taken the last of my energy and I feel like Jell-O.”
Kell did not understand what Jell-O was, but he understood her meaning. He nodded, standing up to grab a towel to dry his hands. Reaching for a bag that one of his men had brought in while they ate, he pulled out a soft cream coloured nightgown. It was knee length with a scooped neck and thin straps. The bottom flared out and the bodice had a delicate dusting of soft lace sewn in.
“Finish up and I will dry your hair as best I can with the towel. We need to get you out of that wet shift and into this nightgown so you do not catch cold,” Kell ordered.
Emmalyn nodded as he turned to the window and leaned against its frame staring out into the dark night. He forced himself to ignore the splashes of the water and the thoughts of Emmalyn running her hands over her warm skin. Still staring out into the darkness, he was thankful the room was at the back of the inn. Kell couldn’t see the rest of his men, but could sense them out there and was calmed. He enjoyed giving Emmalyn some small comforts, but only under strong protection.
“I’m done,” Emmalyn breathed drawing his attention back.
He crossed the room and leaned down, causing her to squeal as he easily lifted her from the bath. Steadied on her feet without assistance, Kell reached over and grabbed a towel. Carefully and efficiently, he dried her hair and held the towel out to block her body from view.
“Push down the shift and leave it on the floor, then slip on the clean nightgown,” Kell ordered.
She quickly, yet somewhat awkwardly with her injured arm, did as instructed. He proceeded to replace the sling and ordered her to sit on the bed. It took almost a quarter of an hour to brush and remove the tangles from her hair. When he finally tucked her into bed and climbed in beside her, she made not a peep. Kell smiled as he gathered her into his arms. Without protest, Emmalyn laid her head in the curve of his shoulder. In less than a minute she was fast asleep, warming Kell’s heart. He could imagine falling asleep with her just like this for the rest of his life.
Kell drifted off not long after. A while later a whisper of wind touched his face and demanded his attention. Something was amiss and he knew right away the wind was a dire warning from the Elements.