How The Warrior Fell (Falling Warriors series Book 1) (43 page)

“Why did you do it? Why did you stop me?” Leawyn whimpered when Xavier lowered his fingers, dipping to gather the wetness there before continuing his ministrations until he had her gasping and writhing beneath him in need.

“Why, Leawyn?” he asked again, bending down to capture a nipple with his mouth. She groaned when he sucked hard, tongue swirling around the puckered bud. Her body started to shake, her climax building rapidly.

“Xavier,” Leawyn whimpered in need, her eyes squeezing shut.

“Tell me,” Xavier said against her skin. His hand dipped to slowly thrust a finger in and out of her, curling it inside her as his thumb brushed against her clitoris with each stroke.

“Because,” Leawyn gasped out, her whole body jerking when Xavier added another finger inside of her, pumping faster. “He’s your brother. I couldn’t let you,” Leawyn cut off with a moan, eyes closing when Xavier added a third finger, curling it upwards. “I didn’t want—”

“You didn’t want to lose me,” Xavier interrupted, ignoring her frustrated cry of “no!” when he stopped moving his fingers. “Answer me,” he demanded, his other hand gripping her chin and making her look at him. Leawyn’s eyes were hazy with lust when she met his own.

“You said you didn’t want to lose me,” Xavier said seriously, eyes blazing with emotion. “Did you mean it?”

“I didn’t want you to do anything you would regret. I couldn’t watch you destroy yourself, and if you killed Tristan, it would haunt you for the rest of your life. I couldn’t do it.” Leawyn’s eyes watered. “I couldn’t watch you kill someone you love. So whatever you plan on doing to punish me, do it. Because I’m not sorry . . . not about that.”

Leawyn blinked as Xavier leaned forward. He watched in near fascination at the tear she felt trailing down her cheek. For once, this tear wasn’t
because
of him, but
for
him. She had never cried for him before.

Xavier wiped said tear away and lifted his eyes back to hers.

“I’m going to make you love me,” Xavier whispered roughly, his eyes fierce.

“You can’t make someone love you, Xavier,” Leawyn whispered back. “It has to be their choice.”

“Then I’ll make you choose me.”

“Why?” Leawyn breathed, closing her eyes as Xavier started to slowly rock against her, mere inches away from entering her.

“Because I want you to . . . I need you to,” Xavier said, kissing along her ear and trailing down to her neck.

“I didn’t think you needed anything, or anyone.”

“I didn’t,” Xavier replied, pulling away from her neck to ensnare her eyes with his. “Until I met you.”

Leawyn was silent, searching his eyes. He was a fierce warrior—she saw proof of that today. His body was riddled with scars, the canvas for his art of war. But, for the first time, Leawyn saw past the hardness in his eyes. She saw past the cold depths of merciless feelings shielded by the absolute loneliness within. In that moment, he was a lost boy to her, trapped inside a man’s body he couldn’t escape due to expectations and responsibilities.

Having no words to offer, Leawyn simply lifted her head, claiming his lips with her own in a soft, sensual kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down so he was flush against her while her legs snaked around his waist.

Xavier gripped her thighs, his nails digging into the soft flesh as he brought his lips to her ear.

“Choose me, Leawyn,” Xavier whispered, and then he shifted, pushing into her slowly, inch by inch. Xavier didn’t stop until he filled completely, and Leawyn didn’t know if she could survive the pleasure of it all.

His hips rocked into her with soft, unhurried movements. The pleasure was a slow build, bringing them higher and higher with each thrust. Their heavy breaths mingled together, bodies slick with sweat as each minute passed. They grew more desperate for each other. They used each other to chase away the pain inside of their hearts they didn’t know they possessed until fate brought them together.

“Xavier . . .” Leawyn whimpered, fingers digging into his shoulders at her peak. He reached up and cupped the back of her head, fingers fisting in her hair as he brought her up to meet his mouth, swallowing her cry of release. Xavier wrapped both his arms around Leawyn, lifting her by her ass. Leawyn had no choice but to dig her fingernails into his back and hold on as Xavier pounded into her, no longer being able to be gentle as he chased his own release.

“Xavier! I can’t . . .” Leawyn moaned, the familiar heat rising within as she felt another orgasm coming.

“You can, and you will.”

Xavier reached between them, pinching her
there
as he continued to pound into her.

“I’m going to own your heart, Leawyn. I’m going to make you want me. Make you crave me. You’re mine. I claimed you the moment I saw you, and now I’m going to make you need me. Because this?” Xavier drew back until he was almost all the way out of her hot, needy warmth. He watched in rapt desire as he gripped his length and rubbed it up and down her slit.

“This wants me. This needs me, and sooner or later, you will too. I’ll make sure of it.” Xavier continued his assault, rubbing himself until he was covered in her juices. Xavier caught Leawyn’s hands and held them above her head.

“Look at me,” Xavier ordered huskily, staring into her pleasure-filled eyes when they fluttered open. He thrust back into her, burying himself to the hilt and causing Leawyn to cry out, gripping his hands tightly. His hips slammed into hers in rapid succession, his hand squeezing her hands tightly as he came closer and closer to his own climax. It only took a few minutes of Xavier’s pace inside her for Leawyn to orgasm again, her mouth open in a silent scream.

It didn’t take much longer for Xavier to follow. As Leawyn felt her pussy muscles squeezing his cock tightly, she watched as Xavier’s eyes rolled back in his head. His thrusts were disjointed, growing more urgent the closer he came to climax.

He squeezed Leawyn’s hands tightly as he stilled, going rigid as he pulled out, watching his cum shoot onto her stomach. Marking her.

“Do you still hate me?” Xavier panted down at her, smoothing back her sweaty hair from her face.

“Yes!” Leawyn groaned, low in her throat. Her body was still thrumming with the after effects of her orgasm.

Xavier’s grin was absolutely carnal. “No you don’t.” Then he flipped her over onto her stomach. Leawyn shrieked when his palm swatted her ass, hard.

“Xavier!” Leawyn yelped when he swatted her again, trying to wiggle away from him.

“Don’t ever come between me and my sword again when I’m in battle,” Xavier growled, swatting her other cheek. She could feel the heat of his slaps, no doubt leaving red handprints on her skin.

“Stop!”

“By rights I should take my belt to you, like any other husband would,” Xavier growled. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if I didn’t stop myself? I could have killed you!”

“I’m sorry!” Leawyn gasped, jerking when he slapped her ass again in quick succession. He brought his palm down one more time before he flipped her back over, gripping the back of her neck.

“I mean it. That cannot happen again. No matter what the reasons are. I don’t want to risk hurting you,” Xavier told her gravely.

“I understand,” Leawyn sniffled. Xavier sighed, using his grip to bring her head down to his chest as he lay down, pulling the covers over them both to ward off the chill.

“I definitely still hate you,” Leawyn mumbled petulantly against his chest.

Xavier let out a low chuckle in response. “No you don’t.”

A few moments passed in silence, both of them lost in their thoughts. Even though it was still early, Leawyn was too emotionally exhausted to stay awake.

“Xavier?”

“Hmm?” Xavier hummed, his fingers pausing in her hair, tilting his head down to look at Leawyn as she propped herself up on her elbow.

“I’m sorry about Tristan,” she said softly.

Leawyn lay back down when Xavier didn’t say anything back after awhile. She was moments away from sleep when she heard his whisper.

“Me too.”

“Some might not be as accepting of me breaking tradition by sparing Tristan’s life,” Xavier told her, lifting his head to look at her as he finished cinching the straps of his belt that held his swords. He made his way over to her, stopping in front of her and tying the rest of the strings that held her dress.

“You’ll have to be careful,” Xavier told her seriously, dropping his hands when he finished.

Leawyn’s brows furrowed. “You think someone will try to hurt me?”

“You did stop me,” Xavier pointed out. “It could put a target on your back.”

“Because I stopped you from killing your brother?” Leawyn frowned.

“Because I listened.”

Leawyn swallowed at the look in Xavier’s eyes she couldn’t quite place. She didn’t think that by stopping Xavier she could potentially endanger them both. That was the problem, wasn’t it? She didn’t think.

“Well . . . what about you? Wouldn’t you be in danger too?”

Xavier smirked. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself.”

“Yeah, but I’m still going to. I can handle myself too, you know.”

“
You haven’t been trained like I have,” Xavier pointed out. Leawyn watched in interest as he went to where he kept all his weapons. Xavier plucked up a short bow and its quiver of arrows. He held them out to Leawyn, and she tentatively grabbed them. Looking up at Xavier, she saw he was smirking at her confused expression.

“I want you to start carrying that with you, as well as a small dagger you can hide in your dress.”

Leawyn raised a slim brow. “You trust me with a bow?”

“I’ve seen what you can do with a bow,” Xavier replied wryly. “I think you can handle it.” He watched as Leawyn swung the bow and quiver onto her back, settling it in place.

“Carry it everywhere, I mean it. It’s not just the tribespeople you have to worry about,” Xavier said gravely. “It’s only a matter of time that they attack, and it won’t be to test our strength. This attack will be for annihilation.”

“
I understand,” Leawyn whispered with just the slightest tremble. “How do you know this?”

“Because my gut is telling me so, and it’s never wrong. Something is coming, soon, and it won’t be good.”

Well, that certainly is comforting,
 Leawyn thought, but nodded in understanding.

T
HE IZAYGES WON
the competition, which wasn’t really surprising. They always won.

All the tribes were set to celebrate before they made the journey back to their homes. Everyone was in good spirits, the huge feast well on its way.

Yet . . . Leawyn could feel the stares many gave her as she walked past. Whispering about her behind her back, some merely curious and praising her for her bravery—she stopped two brothers from killing each other, after all. But it was the other looks and whispers that bothered her and made her hand itchy for her bow.

Leawyn knew what they were saying about her. How she ruined tradition, their laws. But what really bothered her was what they said about her husband. How can a man be chief if he was swayed by a woman? Xavier wasn’t powerful, he was weak in their eyes now.

Because of her.

The whispers were like a disease, spreading through her mind and consuming her heart until Leawyn felt like she was going mad. She had to escape, which was how she found herself on top of a modest hill that overlooked the camp and the celebrating bodies below. The sounds of laughter and music floated up to her as they ate and danced around the multiple fires.

She would have to return soon. Xavier wouldn’t be happy to know she wandered off.

“It’s a funny thing, isn’t it?”

Leawyn jerked in surprise at the sudden husky voice behind her. She turned around and was met by the stare of a woman Leawyn had never seen before.

Her skin was dark, darker than Leawyn had ever seen. It was the color of wet soil. She had long, thick, straight black hair that fell over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. One side of her hair was shaved, revealing a spiraling tattoo on the side of her head.

She was exotic, but what was most shocking about her was her eyes. They were multicolored, the right eye a vivid green that was the exact color of grass, while the other one was such a light grey it looked almost white. The color of the sky right before it rained.