The Guardians of Time

Chapter Thirty-One: Revelations

Kathryn's body tensed and she arched her back as violent passion overwhelmed her quivering body.

Under Ayden's hands, her delicate skin was silky soft and the microscopic hairs invisible to his eyes made her feel like a juicy peach; ripe and ready to be plucked from the tree. Pleasure danced along his spine and bombarded the rest of his nerves, freezing his muscles as he moved with her one final time; her nails digging into his back.

The lovers lay on the beach as the sun seemed to rest on the surface of the ocean on the horizon. Ayden gently pulled himself up from his wife and lay beside her; both breathing heavily. For a long while, neither spoke a single word. Just as the beating of his heart slowed and the pulsing in his ears began to subside, Kathryn rolled back on top of him.

"Again?" He said to her.

"Oh, come on." She teased with a smile. "Is a third time too much for the mighty king?"

"I think you know me better than that." He joked back. "We do have prior obligations." He put her hair behind her ear with his finger.

"You're right." She finally gave in.

Their naked bodies were covered with the soft, coarse sand and it took more than a few minutes to recover before Ayden stood and offered a hand to Kathryn.

"Look at us. The universe is on the brink of destruction and we do something like this. Look at all this sand!"

"Removing it is easy and fun. Of course, not as easy as getting covered in it." She smiled at him again before running to nearby rock formation where she began climbing.

Like a cat, she found footholds and hand grabs as she climbed. Ayden was surprised at how fast she made her way to the top. Her loose hair was caught by the ocean breeze and it danced around her as she walked to the edge of the rock. With a swan dive, she jumped from the small cliff into the cool waters. Ayden didn't follow but instead ran into the ocean's soft waves to meet her; where they floated and kissed.

"I love you, Kathryn." Ayden said to her.

He looked at her through the eyes of the husband he once was. He was happy; in love again. for the first time in years, he was whole.

"I've missed you." He said softly

"I love you too, my king." She replied.

Your Majesty? Jakoba's voice cut in to his moments. Are you alright?

"We need to get back." He said to her.

"You're no fun." She replied with a half-smile before splashing his face.

They moved back to the beach, dressed and made their way back to the cliff face that was high above them. Hand in hand, the floated to the top. When they came up over the edge, Ayden realized they were on the front side of the castle; the opposite side of the grounds from the courtyard where they had started that day.

Ayden gently set them down and they walked the rest of the way around the castle into the magic guarded courtyard. The other Warriors were sitting in small groups conversing. Ayden caught the flash of anger on Jakoba's face as he strolled over with a purpose.

"Where have you two been?!" He shouted in a whisper.

"Sparring." Ayden replied simply. Kathryn had to turn her face to hide a smirk.

"Well, I hope that you two put in good work. The rest of us have been practicing hard." He was still incredulous.

At the comment Ayden couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, Kathryn squeezing his hand.