Broken Jewelry

Adeline Verlice

With the loss of the last battle rumbling around the masses, her ears would pin and her heart would lurch more and more into her chest as she tried to grasp how severe that might be. The idea of the monarchy falling was everything if not terrifying, feeling as though Jacob would only make the world worse by his ideals that don’t match the crown in the slightest. Her breathing was a bit labored with anxiety, her fur ruffled as she felt hot yet had chills. She felt utterly miserable as her tail thrashed at the fact even Ryker had been captured in that last fight, according to Kenzo and it made her stomach lurch with nausea, uncertain how to feel about any to handle any of this. If the very ones she married can't even keep their ground, how was anyone going to be safe? They were all highly trained individuals unlike those in parliament or herself and it shook her core.

What was worse, she was pretty sure she had smelled the man that had attacked her near her parent’s home and that returned a side of paranoia that had only just started to subside.

Drawing in a breath, she tried to defuse that anxious festering as she paced around the house, drawing the attention of every servant as they watched her mumble things to herself as if she was just about to partake in handling the biggest case of the century. Even Matilda seemed uncertain how to handle her right now and just kept out of her way.

The only assemblance of peace she had to her name right about now was that Kenzo was home, he was safe. For now. No dire injuries like so many others that had come back, he was very much whole and it made her life a little easier to think he was capable of staying out of the range of death. Her lips parted just a little, unhappy he had gone out almost as soon as he got home and her gaze kept zipping toward the door in wait for his ultimate return from whatever pulled him away again. Much to her fortunes, he would come back within the same day and it caused a pep in her step as she ran over to him the moment he crossed the threshold back into the house to bury her visage right into the fluff of his chest.

As much as she wanted to just cuddle and make all her worries flee temporarily with the smell of sex in the air, she would murmur something she never thought she’d say in her lifetime. “Kenny…I relent. Teach me to fight,” she said with a shaky beg cloaked in a demand.

Everything I Touch Turns To Gold

table by rae - manip by wisper

He was tired. He hadn’t intended on coming home, not once he learned that Ryker had been taken prisoner after they lost the battle. His loyalty to his sister had kept him in the lowlands, barking orders and trying to come up with a feasible plan to sneak into the highlands, a damn near impossible task. Not to say he wasn’t torn, he longed to go home, to return to Adeline. Paired with his fathers crippling injury, he was at his wits end. So one morning he awoke and left with barely a word, except for a grumbled answer to his squire, telling her where he was going. The trek home had been grueling on already aching paws. But he didn’t stop until he hit Yorkshire. Kenzo passed the barracks and walked familiar streets until he pushed open his front door. Crawling into bed that night, beside a surprised Adeline had been a soothing balm to his wounds. But of course just because he had snuck home didn’t mean that work stopped.

Today when he walked in the front door, he was once again full of restless energy. But it was different this time. Things were changing. If Jacob actually won this war, he didn’t know what that would mean for them. At least his restlessness wasn’t wrapped up in the secrets he kept from Adeline. After laying it all out on the table for her, he had mellowed out once more. It was a weight lifted all his shoulders and he found peace beside her. He was still wary, still not convinced he wouldn’t come home one day to find her gone, but he was too tired to fight her too. Giving in was so much easier and in the moment, so much more rewarding. Sinking into his obsession, he lived and breathed for her.

That very obsession was fed when she rushed to meet him at the door, pressing into his chest with an eagerness that he devoured. It was revitalizing. Pressing his nose to her neck, his tongue rasped against her skin, insistent in his demand for her affections. But she was making demands of her own. Her shaky voice had him pulling back just enough to look her in the eye, a brow arched in surprise. ”Teach you to fight?” He repeated before looking around, as if he were searching for something. ”Who are you and what have you done with my wife?” He teased, a grin hanging off his lips. But he would sober, knowing she was serious if she was asking. He wasn’t always around to protect her, she needed to know how to defend herself at the very least. With a quiet command for her to follow, he would lead her outside to a small clearing where the ground was semi soft.

Turning to face her, his paws shifted beneath his mass, squaring to secure his balance and center of gravity. His head would drop instinctively, pale jaws covering his soft throat. ”Attack me.” First he needed to see what she knew, though he suspected it was nothing. Despite the seriousness of what he was teaching her, fluorite eyes glittered with primal delight as a predatory smile curled his lips. This would be a new experience for the both of them and he’s be lying if he said he wasn’t a little excited to tumble around with his wife. Ruffling his wife’s feathers was an enjoyable pastime and he would never pass up the chance tangle her silken locks. This was the first time that she would permit him to smear dirt across her skin, to leave grass stains on her dress and he was eager for the chance. It was also the first glimpse she would get into what he was capable of, of skills he had honed over the years. She was so accustomed to his gentle touch, what would she think of darker side? Never would he hurt her, his teeth wouldn’t break her skin, he wouldn’t leave her bleeding at his feet, but he wouldn’t go easy on her. For her own sake, he would teach her and if that meant repeatedly knocking her into the dirt, then so be it.




art + code: clae

Adeline Verlice

Relief would fill her the moment their bodies were drawn close, pressing into him and burying herself into those cream colored furs that lined his neck and chest. Her ear would curve back with the smallest sheepish tilt when he didn’t push her away or acted in any means cruel this time. She’d be lying if she didn’t think he might be cold like last time he had returned from war, casting her into despair and confusion again and thoughts of him hating her. Her tail would sway when it seemed none of that was in the cards right now, basking in his musk and warmth for at least a few moments before she had spoken up her peculiar desires. She waited for some chastising to spew from his maw, some kind of mockery about how she had evaded such teaching after her attack all that time ago. She never thought she would fold at any point in her life and seemed he felt the same as she watched his brow betray his thoughts the way they framed his eyes with mild shock.

One of her ears tipped down while the other rose, grimacing at the sound that had accompanied her voice, drawing in a breath to try and calm that discomfort in herself when he reiterated the question. She would only nod, looking away from him then as if she had just said something awkward or vulgar. She didn’t like feeling shy but he brought that out in her in ways others could not ever hope to see, wanting to sink into her own furs and disappear at the intensity of his gaze. That sheepishness would be replaced with mild irritation at his shift to teasing her, causing her to pout as both ears fell back as she looked up at him with a ferocity. “I ate her and I’m about to eat you too if you don’t stop picking on me,” she let out a bratty huff, reaching up to try to snag his ear and give it a pull that was gentle but firm enough to pinch a little.

She didn’t want to feel weak anymore and yet she felt both weak and strong in his arms, making her not want him to pull away from her, craving a different kind of wrestling she hadn’t asked for. Much to her satisfaction and dismay, he would draw away from her to guide her out of their home. Her cheeks felt a bit warm, admittedly embarrassed if someone saw anything when they were so out in the open. All the same if a passerby did see anything, at least it would be Kenzo illustrated in the story and not some other wolf.

All those thoughts were quickly surrendered when he didn’t even hesitate to get in a defensive stance, demanding violence from her to be used on him. She looked like a deer in headlights, staring at him with no thoughts behind those eyes beyond uncertainty and apprehension. His smile was about the only thing to snap her out of it, glad his stance and expression didn’t match, not so sure she’d ever be able to move if he actually made a gruesome face that ticked a box of fear in her. Where he was predatory, it made her think far more like when they were making love rather than him trying to be an abusive dick. Taking in a breath, she giggled, trying to ground herself out of a prey mindset. She had no clue what to do physically in a fight, so she just went for a vital point without any regard of how much she was leaving herself open in the process as she went to bite him on the neck.

Everything I Touch Turns To Gold

table by rae - manip by wisper

She wasn’t as amused by his joke as he was. Irritation colored her words before she reached out to tug at his ear. A smile lifted his lips slightly even as she caused a twinge of discomfort with her pull, making his ear twitch. But jokes aside, they would leave their home together, he’d walk back the way he had just come from with Adeline in tow. Where she silently worried about wondering stares from passerby’s, the notion didn’t even cross his mind. Just as he had been at her parents party, Kenzo was comfortable with eyes upon him. But he didn’t anticipate an audience today, not with the locale and the time. He’d have his wife all to himself, just how he liked it. Though he did wonder how he was going to teach her to fight without getting her dirty or mess up her hair.

At first, her eyes grew round with apprehension and she froze. ”Come on, love.” He murmured soft words of encouragement. Soon enough, a giggle would escape her lips, chasing off the uncertainty she had held. Gentle amusement hung from the edges of his smile at her excitement. He wasn’t sure he had ever held such a feeling towards learning to fight. It had always been a job, something that was expected of him and he would do well not to fail. Now the only high was when he truly stepped into the arena with a real opponent. When he taught others, it was usually life or death. Their survival was dependent on his ability to teach them, to make them strong enough to endure. The stakes were still high with Adeline, maybe even higher, but it was also different. She wanted to learn to defend herself but if he had his way, it wouldn’t be her stepping into the octagon to defend herself, he would be the one to stand in front of her, sword drawn and ready to protect.

Launching herself at him, he schooled his expression, reining in his amusement to keep her from getting self conscious. A cadet would have been forced to endure his ridicule. She rushed towards him, not a care in the world and not a single defense ready. He wouldn’t move as she rushed towards him, not even when she sank her teeth into his neck. It didn’t hurt so he didn’t flinch. A low rumble formed in his chest, clawing its way up his throat, the sound more playful than aggressive. ”You’re leaving yourself open.” Tugging free of her grasp, he would prove his point by striking back. Pushing off with his hind legs, he sought to collide with her, pressing his substantially heavier weight into her to knock her off balance, not hard, which was a feat itself, but just enough. This level of restraint when training was new to him. Pale jaws parted, striking with the speed of a viper. Brazenly, he would attempt to wrap his jaws around her delicate throat. His grip was as commandeering as it ever was, holding her with the certainty that she would not escape him, but not nearly enough to hurt her. Training or not, he couldn’t help but flick his tongue against her skin, tasting her while also offering a quiet reminder that this was play.

art + code: clae

Adeline Verlice

For this being a lesson to fight, he was being abnormally gentle, having expected him to be barking rage at her like she always thought the military was like. It sure sounded like a lot of yelling at least, sometimes able to hear drills from the safety of her home in the early morning hours due to living comfortably in range of the barracks. Away enough to not be smelling blood and sweat constantly but close enough to where she felt safe from if anyone tried to attack the city. Maybe that was why she accepted moving here of all places after the marriage, just the idea of a safety blanket instead of sticking solely to luxury she had aspired to have in the big city of Rionna. They still had a nice place here, even if she wasn’t a huge fan of the civilians so close to home. They weren’t prim and proper but that just highlighted her own elegance without even having to try to be perfect.

It only caused amusement more, realizing a lot of things weren’t as they seemed at surface level, not everything was a court case either. Things could be relaxed, playful even when they were serious. Kenzo wasn’t a judge here to criticize her every action in a way that was humiliating, she was free to be herself with him so long as they were truly concealed away from all eyes. She wasn’t so sure she would behave so merrily if she was being watched by a jury as her tail flicked as her teeth sunk into his fur. Her jaws didn’t bite down very hard, in part because there was more fur than skin she couldn’t really do anything with and because he was just so much bigger than her. Even completely open, she didn’t have the jaw power to likely inflict as much damage as she could do on someone smaller and the noise that sounded from him was a bit condescending, making her nip down harder onto just fluff, shaking her head just touch to pull out a hair or two in frustration.

Then came her first lesson and she let out a little squeak when he suddenly moved and swept her off her feet in an entirely new way than she was used to, grimacing at the dirt that would get entangled into her frame. “You’re washing th-” she started a small complaint, though quickly shut up as he flowed into a second motion. She let out a startled yelp then, eyes closing tightly as she felt fangs in a place of scars from a past she wanted to move past. She trembled a little in his grip, waiting for the break of skin but it never came.

Her eyes slowly peeked up at him as his tongue gently lapped against her, the complete opposite of the horrors she expected. “That tickles you big lug!” she huffed though couldn’t help a few giggles as she pushed her paws against his chest. The position she was in reminded her of the first time their desire won between them, and she couldn’t deny it was tempting to turn it into such a thing but instead she would jab her hind paw into his gut to scrape talons as if to disembowel him, of course it wouldn’t be hard enough to do anything other than maybe leave a trail of little markings.

Everything I Touch Turns To Gold

table by rae - manip by wisper

He felt her frustration more than he saw it. Her jaws tightened, though all she really did was pull at his fur. The brush of her fangs were slight against his skin, hardly a pinch. It was cute. Tempted to utter that thought out loud, he figured it was best to keep it to himself, at least for now. Besides, she didn't have long to be frustrated. It was damn near effortless to knock her off her feet, for her to tumble immediately to the dirt. Even it was easy, victory glittered like a challenge in his eyes. Attempting to draw on her need to win, to be on top, his lips wrinkled slightly, barely letting his teeth peek out from behind his lip.

The complain on her tongue and the outrage on her face was quietly replaced with a yelp. Startled, she froze briefly, her body stiffening with anticipation. Ever since she had been attached, her throat had been a trigger point, one that he often treaded carefully across. But it was her weakest point, it was where most would strike first, she needed to learn to protect it.

Slowly, she relaxed, peeking up at him from beneath her lashes. Soon she was giggling, claiming he was tickling her. A playful growl vibrated in his throat though the sound was cut short when she kicked him the stomach. He grunted. He hadn't anticipated her kicking him, of all things. She didn't stop there, her nails scraping at the sensitive skin of his belly, causing abdominals to tighten against the sensation.

Releasing his hold on her throat, his nose brushed against the shell of her ear as he pulled away. "Good girl." He crooned, also remembering the first night they had consummated their marriage. But then he was stepping away from her. "Get up." No reprieve was offered. "Again. And this time, you need to drop her head, protect your throat, its the easiest way to kill you." Painfully blunt, he faced her again, though this time desire simmered in his eyes.

art + code: clae

Adeline Verlice

How at ease he was having her questioning why, not sure if he was just enjoying himself or happy she actually finally agreed to this out of her own volition. Maybe he just found it humorous to see her fail so hard like she was, so used to way more violent and tactically smart enemies. Whatever the case, she kind of wanted to wipe off that smile from his face, to see him possibly wide-eyed and in shock that she could actually do something more than this. Chances were though, even if she had been training for months there would be no outdoing him when he had taught her everything and had so much more training. His title said it all, he earned it and she believed that to be true. No just tossed around metal he happened to scoop up or he wouldn’t be the catch she thought he was. She had seen him handle that man that attacked her, how intimidating it had been on both sides.

He was a force and he wasn’t showing it now, she could tell he wasn’t even trying. He used more of his muscles in bed than he was training her like this. Not that she wanted to be injured. Everything she did seemed to be met with something more playful, feeling like they were just two children having a game of wrestling instead of learning anything.

Then suddenly he actually seemed a bit surprised, the playfulness would dissolve for but a second for him to grunt when she dug her toes into his belly. She got a vague bit of sass on her face at that, getting a little cocky for no good reason. Even if she had used full force and this was a real fight, she probably wouldn’t have done nearly as much damage to him as she would be hoping for especially when all he’d really have to do is stand up a bit taller for her to not be able to reach his tummy. She did feel a bit of resistance against her scratching as he steeled himself, causing her to worry she might have hurt him.

Before she could even contemplate that for long, a shiver would run into her entire body as his breath and lips caressed her ear in an intoxicating cocktail, topped off with a set of words that made her squirm internally with silent desire. Instead of pushing further with it, he would instantly take that feeling away with a release and command. She laid there wanting for a few seconds with her fur fluffed up, her tail tucking not out of fear but feeling suddenly exposed. She wouldn’t lose her head all the way, though, as she hopped back to her paws with a grace, she didn’t have a second ago. No pursuit to satisfy an itch.

Ears tilted back at the instruction, wondering how to tuck her head and attack at the same time as she bobbed her head up and down a few times, not fully understanding but too prideful to sound like an idiot by asking. Then suddenly it clicked, he didn’t mean to nod. Okay she really did feel dumb. The second half of the instruction made her stand there, raising a brow on where to even attack then if she had to keep her head lower. “I’m rather petite already without doing that. Are there even any vital points I could go for on you then? To get your neck I’d have to be vulnerable by reaching up,” she earnestly asked. Things were not adding up in her head. Her craft had nothing to do with physical prowess and combat knowledge.


Everything I Touch Turns To Gold

table by rae - manip by wisper

The thoughts that churned in her skull were a shadow across her face. Despite her inexperience, she was trying and he'd give her credit for that. Kenzo didn't expect her to suddenly topple him and stand over him victorious, he ventured to guess this was the first time she'd even stepped into a makeshift training pit. The sand soft beneath his toes was a familiar sensation, so familiar that it barely even registered anymore. He had spent his life honing these skills and his job required he be nothing short of excellent. Unsheathing his sword and clashing with another was nothing new to the Lieutenant Major. Nor was it something he shied away from.

But teaching his wife to fight was something else entirely. He wanted her to be good, to be capable, to sure of herself should she even find herself in a predicament that required her to defend herself. Adeline always had a way of getting under his skin though. He didn't miss the desire that made her shiver beneath him or the way her eyes warmed just for him. Combined with the dirt and dust that she now wore, it was a new and heady cocktail.

She was hellbent on learning though and wouldn't be deterred. Picking herself up a moment later, she began to ask questions. Valid ones. "You need to use your size to your advantage, though it will leave you vulnerable at the same time." She was small, light on her feet, capable of being quicker than a larger opponent. But that also meant she'd have a larger wolf looming over her.

Kenzo would dive in head first, giving her tips and tricks, offering the guidance he had an abundance of. Again and again he'd send them tumbling into the dirt until they were both panting and dirty. He would give her a crash course in what she needed to know, along with the promise that they would do this again, that he would teach her more.

exit




art + code: clae