One Shots for My FAVORITE Ships

Rowaelin Heir of Fire

This is like after she almost burned out on Beltane, when she's like doing her own training early in the morning.

After a long day of training, Rowan Whitethorn was staring at the girl in front of him. she was sweating, and the sweat made her white shirt cling to her body as she was walking down to the kitchens. Rowan coughed pointedly, and she turned around.

What? She seemed to say.

Ears and fangs. Was all he said back, and her eyes widened. There was a flash of light and then her pointed ears and elongated canines were gone, and she was left human. She smiled at him, and she almost shredded his self control right there. Not to kiss her, but to say something stupid. He was surprised he made it this long.

She just continued her walk to the kitchens, and he couldn't stop thinking about her birthday. She had kissed him. There was nothing romantic in a smacking kiss on the cheek, but it still made his face heat to think about. He didn't like her like that, but there was something about her that made it hard not to like her. So he didn't think about the kiss, and journeyed down to the kitchens after her.

He and Aelin walked down the stairs and went to the hearth. They both served themselves plates of food, Aelin practically drooling on hers, and that made Rowan almost smile. But he stopped himself. At the rate she was improving, it was only the matter of her self-enforced bottoms to her magic that was stopping her from being at full potential. And once he fixed that, they would go to Doranelle, she would get her information and leave, and he would stay. 

So he didn't say anything. He just sat down next to her on the steps and listened to Emrys's stories. 

* * *

Rowan and Aelin had finished up their dinner, but were staying down anyway to hear Emrys's stories. She yawned and scooted closer to him. Her scent hit him like a bowling ball. Nothing had ever melted him like that after centuries encased in ice like her scent. So when she scooted so close their sides were touching, he felt a sense of protectiveness. 

All the males who looked her way appreciatively were soon scared away from her by a low growl from Rowan. He would feel bad about denying her anything with anyone, but he wasn't the only one growling. Oh, no. A couple females looked his way and started to come say hello, but Aelin glared at them and snarled. Such a Fae sound, he was surprised she was in her human form.

Eventually everyone stopped looking their way, except Luca, who kept wiggling his eyebrows in their direction, even though Aelin glared at him. But he just raised one eyebrow, and she glared harder, and he just tapped his wrist as if to tap his non-existent watch. Time. Why were they talking about time? And the two of them? Luca just smiled and turned back to the stories. So Aelin did too. Only half of Rowan's attention was on the storyteller, for he was paying attention to the girl next to him.

She yawned again, and leaned over so her head was resting on her shoulder. He stiffened, but soon melted when a breeze ruffled her hair and her scent crashed into him. She was asleep on his shoulder, and had no idea the power she held over him. Luca looked at them and just gave him a look to say, "I told her so." What did that mean?

Soon everyone filed out and it was just Emrys, Malakai, Luca, and him and Aelin.

"You all need to clear out of this kitchen," Emrys said, then noticed Aelin was unconscious.

"I didn't want to wake her," Rowan said as explanation. Emrys nodded toward Luca, so Luca went over and picked her head off his shoulder. The lack of her warmth hit him as he stood up, but he pushed that far down inside him. Luca said,

"I'd carry her to your rooms myself but I'm not the full-Fae here, so." Rowan just looked at him and realized he had to carry Aelin up to his rooms. He had done it before, so why not now? He just went over and scooped her up in his arms. She nestled her head against his chest and he said goodnight to Emrys, Malakai, and Luca. He carried her up to their rooms and laid her down on the bed. He didn't want to undress her without her permission, even though he had seen her naked, so he just removed her jacket and shoes and covered her with the blanket.