Ciaran's POV:

I am so thrilled, so fulfilled, after kissing Rowan. I'm shocked I was bold enough to initiate it, but I do not regret my choice to ask him if we could kiss.

It was my first real kiss...

Master forced me to kiss him in the past, but I will stand by my personal truth that they did not count as real kisses. They were forced and a way for him to reach pleasure while I stayed tense and scared, unable to stop him from what he was doing to me.

Rowan was not gentle or hesitant, but he didn't force me in a way I didn't want; he made sure I was comfortable, but he also pushed me and made me feel warm all over.

Gods, he's so perfect.

I want to feel like this every day, for him to touch me and hold me, to never make me fear again, because I know he will protect me as I will protect him. Or, I'll at least try to.

That makes me light up, the thought of protecting Rowan. I am a decent sword fighter, with the training Rowan has given me, but I am well aware that I would be better with another weapon because hand to hand combat is not very comfortable for me.

I leave Rowan and walk down the halls to the room where guards can spar and practice if they wish to be inside, and there are a large group of targets and an array of weapons all hung up.

The room is not used often, because the guards prefer to practice outside, but I assume it will be used more often now that the first snow has fallen and it is not necessarily safe with the ice and snow to be using a sword and get hurt during a practice.

I pick up a bow and a metal arrow, that has clearly been welded and shaped to be a perfect, deadly arrow. Positioning the arrow in the bow, I pull the string back, but I have never used one before, so the weapon falls to the floor as soon as I try to use it.

"Damn," I whisper, leaving the arrow on the ground and practicing using the bow so I can try again with arrow. As I'm about to bend down and pick it up, I hear shuffling behind me.

I whip around, ready to grab the arrow and shoot whoever is sneaking around, but then I see it is Soto and I relax.

"It is late," Soto says, walking over and lifting up the arrow, handing it to me. "What are you doing in here?"

"I am not good at hand to hand combat," I tell Soto, accepting the arrow. "So I decided to practice distanced combat. I cannot rest until I feel confident enough in my skills to protect Rowan, should it be necessary, because I am falling for your son and I wish to keep him safe like he has done for me."

Soto smiles softly, sitting down on the ground a few feet from me. "My husband was very skilled when it came to distance fighting. The day he had to do hand to hand..." He trails off, and I know that it must have been the day that his husband passed. "That bow was his favorite, and he had that arrow, as well as several others, specially made for him that would be more lethal and went further because of their design."

I instantly set the weapons down. "My apologies, I didn't know it was your husbands!"

"Ah, do not worry, Ciaran." Soto has me pick them back up. "It is fitting to me that you learn to use skills that are different than hand to hand, and I believe you will excel."

Thanking him, I grab the weapons and position my arms, Soto verbally correcting me so I am in a proper position. He instructs me to release the arrow and it slams into one of the three boards, not the one I was aiming at, but it is my first time ever doing this.

"Good, now it is all about accuracy."

Soto works with me for nearly two hours, and by the end I am finally getting closer to my mark, though I will still have much more to do to keep the small skill I've built.

"I would like to train you, if you'd like me to," Soto offers, and I agree before I can do something foolish, like turn down such a valuable offer. "Wonderful, we can meet during the evenings once the guards are done training. For now, however, you should go get some sleep, because it is rather late."

I nod and put back the beautiful weapons, the ones that Rowan's dad used when he was alive, before I head for the door.

"Soto?" I ask before I leave, catching his attention, as he had walked toward the weapons I'd just used and began to run his fingers over the wood of the bow. "Why are you not asleep?"

Soto sighs. "There are times where it is unbearable to lay in bed that I shared with my husband, knowing that he will not join me in a few hours. He liked to practice at night, and when I walked in here... gods I was stunned, because you remind me of him at times. I am so grateful that you are here for my son, because you are a wonderful man and I know you will make him happy, and I hope you are happy as well," he says, smiling at me. "Goodnight, Ciaran."

"Goodnight," I say, my heart aching for the king.

I cannot imagine a world without Rowan, even though our relationship is only just developing. If I had to walk to his room and lay down in a bed, knowing he'd never join me again, I would not know what to do.

Gods, Soto is suffering every day, and I am sure his heart soared for a brief second when he saw me in the training room, before it throbbed in pain and longing when he had to once again face the fact that his husband is gone.

Tears are in my eyes when I walk into Rowan's room, my prince, the man I am falling for, asleep in the bed. I wipe my tears away and strip everything off myself except for my undergarments, crawling under the blankets and pushing myself into Rowan's arms. I like when he holds me at night; those are the nights when I am able to sleep the best, and right now I have a wave of sadness crashing on me and need more support than normal.

Rowan groans and I see his eyes open, the glossy orbs shining in the bit of moonlight we have. "Ciaran? What is it?" he mumbles, pulling me closer to him.

"Nothing," I whisper, sitting up and kissing him firmly on the lips, because I know that he will enjoy it and, to be honest, I do, too.

Rowan hums into our kiss and pushes me onto my back, climbing on top of me as he kisses me once again. The feeling of his body on mine is amazing and it makes me want more of him; I want him to hold me as he kisses me, to hug me keep me close so I know he will never let me go.

As Rowan lays his body fully on mine, one of his hands cupping my cheek and the other supporting him so he is not fully on me, I feel him jump a bit, which is strange to me.

Until he sits up, on my thighs, and prods the tiny jewel that has now been in my belly button for over seven years. When he pulls on it, jolts of pleasure run through my body, ones that never touched me when Master played with the ring.

"This is a symbol of sex slavery, is it not?" Rowan asks, and gods, I am completely fine being seen as a slave as long as I am his slave. "Ciaran, please be coherent."

I open my eyes and meet his. "Yes, what of it?"

"Do you wish for it to be removed? I can have that done, so you never have to feel like you are tied to your past," Rowan tells me, and my heart jumps to my throat.

He would do that for me?

Of course he would; that is who Rowan is, but I find myself more amazed with him every time I am with him.

"You like it though, don't you?" I ask, because Rowan definitely has spent his fair share of time staring at it or touching it when we are cuddling in bed together, and every time I feel the delicious waves of pleasure that comes from it.

Rowan sighs. "Do not think about what I like, Ciaran. Does it bring you shame when others see it? It matters what you feel, how you think about yourself with this jewel on it. It does not matter how I feel," he explains, but it matters to me.

"I care about what you like," I argue, sitting up so Rowan and I are across from each other. "If you like it, then it is a symbol of beauty and my choice to keep it, not slavery. And... it feels nice when you..."

Rowan grins and I blush, but thankfully it is dark enough that I don't think he can see it.

"You like when I play with it?" Rowan asks, and he scoots closer to me, pulling my back to his front and taking the jewel between his pointer finger and thumb.

Gods, it feels so good!

I start panting and press my head back into his shoulder as Rowan keeps messing with the ring and I know he is doing it to tease me, but neither I or my cock cares. It's strange because I was never able to seek pleasure from Master, but Rowan has me needy and wanting from only playing with my piercing.

However, even with this, I am intimidated by the prospect of being more intimate with him... it terrifies me!

"I... Rowan, I'm not sure about..."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, he releases the ring and lays down, dragging the covers over us.

"You know I will not rush you, Ciaran," Rowan whispers, kissing the back of my shoulder. "I will wait until you are ready, do not push yourself for my sake."

Gods, could he get more beautiful? More considerate? Probably, and his care is so extreme for me that my heart melts.

I will protect him no matter what, no matter the cost. I will sooner die than let harm become of him.