A New Voyage (Part 3 of 3)

Writers: Anaria, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th August 2011

Characters: K'hetah, Jylanya
Description: K'hetah takes Jylanya for a little excursion that ends up being more than either expected.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 1 of Turn 6

Jylanya

"It's important, even if you only get to do it some of the time,"
K'hetah said. "Obviously, my life is devoted to Loeth, and to the
protection of Pern. It's also devoted to managing my Wing. But you'd
better believe when none of those things need me that I'm living it
for myself. I think you'll enjoy it."

She nodded in full agreement with him. "It's been so many turns. Not
that I minded the work at all but there was never any one who...
**Loved me.** She couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence.
It would be far too forward besides he was a dragonrider and they...
they what? Of course they fell in love. It was way to much to believe
he was being anything but nice. She was very certain he had plenty of
opportunities and lots of friends. "I didn't have many friends," she
finished a little lamely. That sounded contrived even to her own ears.

"Everyone needs to be loved," K'hetah answered, sensing what she meant
even if he hadn't heard her actually say it aloud. "Dragonriders have
it easy because we have our dragons, and sometimes we can convince
ourselves that is all we need. But there are some needs that a dragon
can't fill, and I don't even mean that in a sexual sense. Dragons
can't appreciate the taste of a lovely wine, or soft bed the way
another person can."

"H...how did you know...?" her eyes grew round and she tilted her head
up to look at him as he finished his thought. She turned her eyes back
toward the sea. "Have you ever been in love?" she asked timidly.

"Call it intuition," K'hetah said. He pondered over her other question
for a moment before answering. "I was once, turns ago," he said
slowly. "She didn't reciprocate my feelings, I fear."

"I'm sorry," she said softly. She didn't understand how that girl
could have rejected such a nice man. She'd never found someone to love
though she'd yearned for it most of her life. Their small hold had
been very structured and she was never exposed to... well there was no
use bemoaning her past. She was here now.

She looked up into his eyes realizing for the first time that she felt
something for him. She didn't have the experience to know what it was
she was feeling but she liked it. She liked his arm around her. It
felt right somehow. She found herself wondering what it would feel
like to be kissed.

"Would..." K'hetah started, then cursed himself internally for not
just coming out with it. "There's going to be a Gather soon at Emerald
Falls," he said, deciding to take a different verbal path. "I was
wondering if you'd like to attend with me?"

"A gather?" Oh at a really big hold. She had never been to one and
here he was offering her a ride? She smiled "I would like that!"

"I think it would be a fun experience for us both," K'hetah said. As
they'd been speaking, he'd been slowly inching closer to her, and
emboldened by her response, he decided to see what would happen if he
took the next step. He approached slowly, giving her the opportunity
to back out if she was unwilling, and kissed her softly on the lips.

Her eyes widened and she watched him come like a wherry caught in the
light of a hunters torch. His lips burned into hers even though the
touch was soft and tentative. She hardly dared to breathe at first,
but she knew she didn't want him to stop. Her arm went around his neck
and she kissed him back even through her mind was jabbering nonsense
at her.

At first, K'hetah was concerned that he'd made the wrong decision, but
as Jylanya responded to the kiss, his confidence grew. He had
forgotten how good it felt to have a woman that he actually cared for
in his arms, to kiss someone outside of a mating flight, and to just
relax and let go.

Her consciousness seemed to focus down to a pinprick but that tiny
shard of focus was incandescent. Heat seemed to suffuse her lips where
his touched them. She was shaken to her core. This... this was what a
kiss should be. In all the Harpers tales she'd heard or read. This was
what was supposed to happen to her. A grin threatened to form even as
a simple tear of joy slid from the corner of her closed eyes. Her arms
tightened around him.

K'hetah ran his hands comfortingly on Jylanya's back for a moment,
before finally, reluctantly breaking away. He had the feeling that
despite the fact that she had been married before that she had not
experienced the kindness of a lover before, and he did not wish to
push her too far. "You're very beautiful," he said softly, pushing an
errant strand of hair from her face.

She sagged against him enjoying the way his hands moved. "Oh my," she
sighed at first as she recovered from the kisses. She relaxed her hold
on him and stared into his eyes to see for herself the truth in his
eyes. "Thank you." She'd rarely heard those words before.

"You're quite welcome," K'hetah said. "I think that it's about time
that you had a man that truly appreciated you," he added softly,
searching her eyes for any clues to what she was thinking. "Because I
don't believe that you ever have."

Her eyes flipped back and forth between his completely puzzled. How
could he even know that, she had no idea but said "No, I never have."
Then she stopped for a moment and her hand rose to cup the side of his
face. "Are you sure?"

K'hetah nodded, "Yes.... yes I'm sure." In truth, that very morning he
hadn't been. He had still been at war with himself over things that
had happened in the past. Over promises that he'd made to himself
never to get attached to someone else again. But there was something
about Jylanya that made him want to put that all aside, and just try
again.

Tears glittered in her eyes and she could hardly speak "I... I would
like that very much." She lifted her face again to his for another
wonderful kiss.

Last updated on the September 2nd 2011

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A New Voyage (Part 3 of 3)