Young Writers Society

Brad watched Kiera sleeping, the glow from the fire flickering over her dark skin. He smiled as she shifted, hugging his shirt closer around herself. It was far too big for her and hung almost to her knees. He had insisted that she keep it. It really was more comfortable for him without it, and he was warm enough despite the fact that they were in the foothills of the Crane Mountains. Brad sighed and stretched out on the ground next to Kiera. He wasn't at all tired, content to simply watch Kiera sleep. She was so beautiful she bordered on dangerous.

His hand seemed to take a life of its own as it reached out towards her arm, then ran up her shoulder. He watched his fingers trail lightly over her face and down her neck, feeling smooth, soft skin passing under his calloused fingertips. He swallowed as he caressed the back of her neck under her soft braid. He'd never let himself enjoy her touch, her presence, and now he reveled in it.

"Brad?" Kiera's faint, sleep-fogged murmur broke his concentration and he blinked, surprised to feel his eyes burning fiercely. "What's wrong?" she asked, halfway sitting up. "Your eyes - I've never seen them so bright."

Brad closed his eyes and thought about everything but Kiera, willing his blood to cool, his eyes to return to normal. When he had some semblance of control he opened them again and smiled warmly at Kiera. "Nothing, I was just...did I wake you?" He was glad of the darkness that concealed his flushed cheeks.

"No, I was having a dream," Kiera said, lying down again. Brad's eyes sharpened in the darkness and he started in surprise. She was blushing harder than he was, absently lifting one hand to the back of her neck.

Brad settled next to her, their faces close together. She had closed her eyes, but when she felt his presence she opened them again. She started at his nearness, then her eyes took on a dazed, dreamy quality. "Brad, I'm..." she trailed off, confused.

Brad inched nearer, looking her in the eye. "Kiera, are there any rules in your family about - marriage?"

"What do you mean?" Kiera asked, scooting back a little.

"Well, you know," Brad looked down. "Like, who you can marry, or when, or anything like that?"

"N-no," Kiera said in a small voice. "I d-don't think so."

Brad's face loomed inexorably closer and her eyes drifted shut, her lips falling open slightly. Then, abruptly, he rolled over, away from her, closing his eyes and groaning.

"What is it, Brad?" Kiera asked anxiously. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he said, his voice muffled by his arms as he threw them over his face. He loved Kiera, but he had no idea if she felt the same about him. What was he thinking, talking about marriage? Besides, he had promised the king that nothing would happen between he and Kiera during the journey, and he had come so close to breaking that promise. She was so enticing in the firelight. So enticing at any time, for that matter. But she was a human and he was a...a thing. A monster. How could she even be attracted to somebody with four arms and wings, let alone love them? Tulan - he gritted his teeth at the thought of the insolent Peacekeeper - would be a much better match for her. If Brad really cared, he'd keep his distance.

He kept his arms over his face until his breathing had slowed to normal and his heart rate was under control. Then he sat up and looked over at her apologetically. "Um, let's get some sleep, shall we?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kiera asked, brushing her fingers against his forehead.

Brad closed his eyes and swallowed heavily at the feeling of her soft fingers, so light against his skin yet awaking even more of these disturbing feelings deep inside of him. He'd never felt like this around a woman before, and it frightened him. He pulled away sharply, stepping over the fire and lying down again. "I said I'm fine," he snapped, pulling his wings around himself. He heard her sigh, and after a moment, turn over and curl up again. He stayed inside his cocoon of feathers until he felt absolutely normal, then furled his wings, turned onto his stomach and deliberately ignored Kiera as he tried to get to sleep.

~

Kiera woke with flushed cheeks and a pounding pulse, her mind filled with images from her dreams. She had dreamed all night of Brad - dreamed that Brad had caressed her skin, touched her softly, looking at her with love and desire burning in his eyes. She felt guilty about the dreams, but they were too nice to force herself to wake up from them. She sighed, unwilling to open her eyes and banish those feelings just yet. She felt daylight burning into her eyelids and unwilling dragged them open, knowing that Brad would be impatient to move on. Looming directly overhead, far too close for comfort, was Brad's face, with a tender look on his face which disappeared so quickly that Kiera thought perhaps she had imagined it.

"Good morning," he said softly. He straightened abruptly and held out his hand.

Kiera gripped it firmly, feeling his large, calloused palms engulfing her hands and blushing when she remembered her dreams. She dropped it as soon as she was upright, ducking her head to hide her red face.

"Is something wrong?" Brad asked curiously, bending to catch her expression.

Kiera turned to the packs and started digging through them, ignoring the question. Of course something was wrong! She was having disturbing dreams about a creature she barely knew, who probably wasn't even attracted to human women. She couldn't handle his touch on her hand without all the blood in her body rushing into her cheeks. It was embarrassing, inexplicable and frustrating. She wondered why it had hit her so suddenly - as if an electric bolt had struck her during the night and suddenly she couldn't resist Brad's utter attractiveness. She bit her lip as she realized that she'd gone all the way through the pack without getting anything out, and Brad was still staring at her, puzzled. She looked in the pack and pulled out a large, flat brush and a bit of jerky. She took a fierce bite of the jerky and began to undo her braid, struggling to close the pack, hold the brush, eat and comb out her hair with her fingers at the same time.

Her fingers stilled in her hair when she felt a large warm hand on her shoulder. Brad's eyes looked into hers, warm, kind, still puzzled but supportive. Kiera relaxed, shaking her head at her foolishness. Brad was just a friend - a wonderful, handsome, attractive, amazing friend, but just a friend nonetheless.

"Let me help," he said quietly.

Kiera grasped at the 'friend' concept as firmly as she could, but it flew out of her head as soon as Brad's hands started running through her hair, from her scalp to her waist, undoing the braid before holding out his hand for the brush. She handed it to him in a stupor, lost in the feel of the long, smooth brush strokes, the gentle touch of his fingers against her hair...she winced out of her daze abruptly when the brush hit a tangle and jerked her scalp.

"Oh, sorry, Kiera," said Brad, patting her head paternally. "Your hair is so thick," he marveled, holding a lock of it into the light.

"Thanks," said Kiera. She pulled away, trying to grab the brush back. Brad's grip was like iron on the handle and Kiera blinked in surprise, tugging at it again. "Um, Brad? The brush?"

"Oh, sorry," said Brad. His grip loosened and she retrieved the brush easily.

"I keep forgetting how strong you really are," Kiera tried to laugh off her embarrassment at this new physical awareness that was going to get her into trouble if she didn't reign it in.

Brad shrugged. "I'm not really that strong compared with...with Erik." His voice caught as he spoke the name. He stared at the ground for a moment, a frown creasing his features, before he straightened, taking a deep breath. "So, I've decided that I can't keep carrying you with that blasted belt thing."

"What? Why not?" Kiera was surprised. She had thought she was hiding her stiff and weary muscles well.

"I'm a Seer, Kiera," Brad reminded her, winking. "One of my worst traits is that I see more than anybody wants me to. I appreciate your effort, but I know you're aching and tired. If you've no objections, I'll just wear my weapon belt in its normal place and carry you like I did that first time."

"If you're sure," said Kiera.

"Of course. That way we'll have more freedom of movement, and when you start to get stiff you can shift positions."

Kiera nibbled at her lower lip. A whole day of flying against Brad's bare chest, in full view of his all-too-sharp gaze...it sounded like a combination of heaven and hell. She would just have to be very firm with herself and concentrate on something else, that's all.

"Where are we going today?" Brad asked as he gathered up their scattered items and stuffed them into the small traveling pack.

"Well, we only have two more cities to visit - one over to the South, and one in the opposite direction. Then we can go straight home," said Kiera.

"How long do you think it will take us?" Brad asked, slinging his weapon belt over his back and buckling it over his shoulder.

"Not more than one day to visit both cities, and one more day to fly home," said Kiera cheerfully. She never thought she'd admit it, but she would be glad when this confusing trip was over.

~

Brad groaned inwardly as Kiera turned her face in towards his chest as they flew threw a cloud. Though the cold, clammy drops clung to his skin, her breath warmed him from the inside out. He was holding her with his lower pair of arms, tightly against himself. It was easier to fly that way, but not nearly as easy to ignore Kiera's intoxicating presence. Her hair fluttered in the wind, brushing lightly against his chest and he sucked in his breath, growing dizzy for a moment. He couldn't stand much more of this.

Brad cursed and flapped his wings violently as a sudden cold breeze buffeted him, causing Kiera to fling her arms around his neck to keep her balance. She clung there a little longer than she needed to, even when the turbulance was over. Brad breathed in the infuriurating scent of her hair and felt her arms around his neck, and something inside him snapped. He needed to tell Kiera how he felt before he went crazy.

Spiraling downwards, he ignored Kiera's inquiring glance, turning upright and landing smoothly on one of the small boulders that dotted the grassy, flat terrain. He set Kiera down, holding her firmly by the shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. He spoke quickly, afraid he would lose his nerve before he had his say.

"Kiera, I know that you probably think of me as a friend, and I'm glad. You're a wonderful person; kind, generous, calm, easy to be with, and just all around amazing. I would love it if I could think of you as a friend, too." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the stunned look on her face. "But I can't help but notice that you're beautiful, and I have trouble thinking straight when I'm near you, and I get jealous when you're with other men, and I really have this theory..." he swallowed. "This theory that, against my better judgement, I'm beginning to fall in love with you." There. He'd said it. Well, maybe not all together honestly - he happened to know very well that he was completely in love with her. But there was no need to scare her with the knowledge of his obsession.

Brad finally dared to look directly at Kiera and saw that her mouth had dropped open. He nibbled his lip, trying to read her blank, frozen features. He shifted from foot to foot. This was awkward - he hadn't really thought past this point. "I mean, I would completely understand if you never wanted to have anything to do with me after this - for all I know, you're disgusted by the fact that I'm not precisely human." He gestured helplessly at his second set of arms. "Obviously. But I had to have my say." He stepped closer to Kiera's still form and carefully put two hands on her waist, pulling her gently towards him.

He watched her face to be sure it was all right. She wasn't objecting, so he slid his hands slowly up her back, securing her firmly to his chest. He kept one hand on her back and trailed the other up to her neck, bending so their faces were almost touching. He slowly traced circles on the warm skin at the nape of her neck, holding his breath as he waited for her to shake him off, or slap his face. She had a dazed half-smile on her face, and her eyes had dropped half-closed, drowsy with pleasure.

Brad spoke softly, afraid to break the spell, his breath washing over her slack features like a soft, warm breeze. "I'd like to kiss you. Please let me kiss you?" He waited one moment as Kiera's head moved up and down in a slow, dreamy movement. He sighed, happiness rising up into his throat, making him want to laugh loudly, to do tricks in the air or sing. She must like him a little, if she was letting him kiss her. Instead of doing something crazy, he let his eyes drift closed and bent even further, fingers stilling on her neck, concentrating totally on the kiss. He felt his lips touch soft skin, just to the side of her mouth, and he moved a little until their lips were lightly touching.

The kiss was indescribable, the most wonderful thing he'd ever felt. Her lips were warm and tasted just like Kiera smelled - like green things growing, and mint, and woman. A small moan escaped from her throat and her paralyzed arms came to life, winding around his neck and deepening the kiss, tilting her head to the side and letting her lips part gently. Brad wasn't ready to go any further, not wanting to spoil the beautiful purity of this perfect first kiss. He reluctantly pulled back a little, touching his lips lightly to hers twice more before straightening, brushing her hair back from her face tenderly. He watched, lips tingling, as her mouth closed and her eyes slowly opened.

"Amazing," Brad murmured shaking his head. "It was even better than I imagined." His fingers began their slow circling again, moving forward to her neck and running up and down, from her ear to her shoulder.

"Brad, I'm...I don't know what to say," said Kiera. She swallowed and looked up at him, eyes wide, fillied with wonder and excitement.

"Is that so?" Brad said absently, moving his hand around further, tracing her collarbone with one finger, circling the hollow of her throat.

"Yes, Brad, I..." her voice trailed off as he leaned down and dropped a kiss beneath her, moving his lips along her jawline and up towards her mouth. "Brad," she said plaintively, trying to pull away.

"What is it?" Brad asked, worried.

"I can't concentrate when you do that," she said, frowning. "What I'm trying to say is -" she pulled away from him completely and looked up at him, conflict in her eyes. Brad folded his arms and waited, his heart sinking. She didn't look as in love as he felt.

"You see, I've never been in love before," said Kiera haltingly, trying to choose the right words. "I'm not sure exactly what it feels like. All I know is that I like being with you more than I like being with anyone else in the world. I don't want to commit to anything big right now, because I'm so uncertain of my future - and yours, for that matter." Kiera stepped closer to Brad again and her eyes softened. She wound her arms around his neck, despite the fact that she had to stand on her tiptoes to do so. He bent obligingly and she laid one hand along his cheek. "What I'm really trying to say is - I don't know anything about love, but I think I'm falling in love with you, too, and I'm definitely willing to explore the possibility."

"Excellent," Brad said, sweeping her tightly into his arms. He pressed one hard kiss on her lips, pulled back, looking into her eyes with fierce exultation. Then he dropped her, shot up into the air and twirled, joy carrying him higher and higher until Kiera was only a dot on the ground. Then he let himself tumble towards the ground, flipping in the air and laughing wildly, landing lightly on his feet in front of Kiera and pulling her to him.

She shook her head, rubbing her nose against his chest as she did so and laughed with him. "You crazy man," she said, and pulled him down for one last kiss. "Now that all this has been settled, we really should get going," Kiera said regretfully. Her face was alight with joy and relief and getting it all out in the open.

Brad took a deep breath, forcing his excitement down. When he was in control, he picked Kiera up darted off into the air, cutting through the clouds faster than he'd ever flown before.