J.A.N.E(book 1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.

Karyn.
He grabs me mid-air, pulling me into his arms. I bury my face into his neck, breathing in. I giggle softly, feeling giddy. He drops me and I smile up at him.
"Good morning." I mutter.
He brushes my hair out of my face, leaning down to place his lips against mine. I melt into him instinctively, tugging on his hair. When he pulls away, he's sporting a slight smirk.
"Someone slept well last night." He says, and I roll my eyes at him. He takes my hand, pulling me gently.
"Come on, I want to show you something." He adds, and we trudge gently down the snowy path.

We walk for a while in a comfortable silence, our hands clasped tightly. Soon we get to a small grotto, from where gentle water flows down gently. The water below is clear and there's a small crevice at the side, where we both can fit if we want to.
"How is this possible? The water's not frozen?" I ask in wonder.
He grins, pulling me along towards the crevice where we sit.
"The water's quite warm. One of the wonders of this Fallis." He replies and I gape at the sight before me. The sound of rushing water fills the area and I lean against him.

"This is beautiful." I whisper softly.
"Hmmn, no matter how cold it gets here, the water remains warm and steady. Quite like you, no matter how tough it gets, you always seem to be strong enough to weather the storm." He remarks, and I lean away from him to look at him.
"Sometimes, I wonder if you're speaking about me."
"You may not recognize it now, trouble but you're quite a lot like this water. Steady, and tough. I see you, miqueriona and someday you will too." He replies, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. My heart flutters and I smile gently.

"You make me feel so good. Like, I can do anything. Thank you." I mumble, leaning back against him to stare at the rushing water, below. A thought occurs to me and I call out to him.
"Hey, Arem. Why do you call me miqueriona? What does it mean?" I ask him.
"Hmmn. It means brave heart, strong one, warrior."
"So you're basically calling me, 'your warrior'?" I ask wrinkling my face at him. He laughs, pulling me close to nibble on my lower lips. When he pulls away, his eyes are full of mirth.
"What, you prefer trouble, trouble?" He asks, his lips curling ever so slightly. I make a face, before giggling.
"Eehn, I guess being called a 'strong one' isn't all that bad, compared to trouble." I tease, wriggling my eyebrows.

"Calen called Jasper a magic maker. I thought you're all Avalons." I say thoughtfully, recalling that day at the cafteria.
"Well, there was a great war in Avalon centuries ago which claimed the lives of most of the male population. After the war, as a way of rebuilding, the women were forced to procreate with other species or risk the extinction of our people. Not our proudest moment in history but, oh well. Now there are hardly any pure blood Avalon left, save the royal family. Which is practically, me." He explains, and my eyebrow shoots up, way up.
"Wait, you're a prince?" I ask, completely gobsmacked and he nods in reply.
. Ohmigosh! .
"Prince Arem Caliethan Imperal at your service." He adds and I can't help but grin.
"Caliethan? It sounds like a girl's name." I tease, and he blushes slightly, making me giggle.
. Arem, blushing?! .

"So you're telling me I just dallied with a prince?" I ask, after my giggles subside.
"Dallying? You call what we did, dallying?" He asks, raising his eyebrows in mock horror. I snort,
"More like intense humping."
With his eyes twinkling with mischief, he leans closer to me, claiming my lips with his and pressing into the rock behind me. He shifts slightly, pulling me towards him such that I'm lying against him. His hand travels across my skin, sending a wave of heat where he touches. He grabs my backside, pressing me closer to him such that I feel the heat of him against me.

His touch evokes a powerful response, making me arch my back and gasp softly. He peppers kisses down my neck, collarbones, pulling my shirt up in a fluid motion. I'm naked underneath and he continues his onslaught. I buck violently, sending both of us off the crevice and into the water below. Through to his words, the water's actually warm. When I raise my head, I giggle, searching for him.
When a pair of strong arms grab me, lifting me up suddenly, I let out a full belly laugh. The kind that starts from deep within your gut and bellows out loudly. He spins me around gently, before pulling me up and out of the water.