He rushed to me as I stepped out the estate entrance, a howling wind tousling through my hair, my arms brace around his neck as Nasir swept me into his arms. The bristles of his trimmed beard tickling the skin of my neck as we embraced tightly, and my heart soars being elevated. Outside is torrent of wind and tiny sharp flinging rocks, a heavy storm is brewing in the making, but I could hear the blades chopping in the distance.

"We have about two hours, my queen, we can wait out the storm here." Nasir says. Behind them were a few guards that stood in position and their heads bowed.

My arms tighten around his neck, "No, I want to leave. Just hold me."

And he does, with a single hand he hooked his palm under my knee, adjusting me at the center and I wrapped my legs around his waist. "Then let's get going my queen."

I'm a feather in his arm, even as he is spouting orders, he held me with only a hand while hauling luggage in the other, his cradle is strong yet tender, until we are in the back seat of the car where he lounged himself, resting his head on the passenger door and his legs on the other end.

"Ray and the rest of the crew will meet us there," he says lowly, his fingers lovingly grazing through my hair and rubbing my scalp, his warm breath fanning the crook of my neck. "They will be taking care of the horses and getting them transported."

I hummed in acknowledgement, my eyes flutter to the tingles of his fingers on top of my head, while cushioned on his solid armor of a body, I am back into the arms I wanted most, concentrating on the steadied thumps of his heart beats.

Baritone voices of men shouting outside of the car, the driver seat is then dipped and the engine roars to life. "Were set for departure my queen." The driver announced.

Nasir and I had been quiet, entangled comfortably around each other. A moment in time when the two of us can drop our guards and fall into each other's embrace without being scrutinized. He inhaled a deep breath then, and his fingers running over my scalp suddenly slowed in pace. "How was Adonai when you spoke to him?" his voice deep and low.

Lazily I peel my eyes open, treading carefully so my body doesn't react in guilt. From what I have observed, Nasir is all seeing and intelligent, even a tiny flinch wouldn't go unnoticed by him.

"He is alright." I muffled, burying my face into his pec, the pace of my heart picked up and I adjusted myself. I can feel his questioning gaze, ready to probe me further and I bite down on my lip.

"I see." Is all he said, his tone lacked empathy or emotion, as if the words were only a way to end a conversation, for now. A long, unsettling silence settles between us, my heart rate picking up fast as ten different scenarios rummaged in my head at once.

But my worry was for nothing. After seconds of muted peace, the graze of his fingers came back, this time it follows by the press of his soft lips on my temple.

"I'm proud of you," he praises. The engine roars to life, and he continued, "But I hate that I made you get involved in this."

I peered up to him, staring right into the hooded lenses, our lips ever so closely, "I chose to be here, I chose to do this ..." my fingers hand reach up to his face, featherily tracing along his strong fascial features. "You would have never needed to convince me Nas, wherever you go that's where I want to be."

His hand uncoils from my waist, his calloused fingers found my face, softly encircling around my cheeks, and he lulls my name, gazing at me as if I were only a figure in a blissful dream. "I waited so long just to be near you."

My fingers curl his hair behind his ear, leaning in closer than before and whispered over his lips. "Because I am your other half. So, in the end, no matter how far we are apart, our homes are with each other Nas. And It's like you said to me that day, whether in this life or the next, we are two souls destined to be one."

Maybe it could have been the tension rising over peak, or the way my heart drummed, but I let go of every sense that I had and dived into him, my head angles as I captured his lips wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. In turn he tightens his hold on me, compressing my breasts further into his chest.

Then he pulled from me with a pop, a thin thread of spit strewn between our lips. "Tiana" he panted ... "I wanted to say it again, what I said in the room I wa-"

I ceased his words, crashing my lips down onto him, my moans of relief filling the backseat as I grind myself over his bulge, and the drifting car swaying us around. It wasn't a daydream, he said it, Nasir confessed his feelings, all this time he really did love me, the same way I loved him. But I wasn't strong enough to face him in the eyes and say the same. Not when he still didn't know my secret.

And how Adonai is now a corpse soon be a feast for maggots.

He searches for the very thing I am, and pretty soon it'll lead back to me someway and somehow.

Just not yet.

I pull him closer, our tongues wrestling for dominance, I grind myself harshly over his bulge feeling the slit of my pussy stretching along with the walls as if preprogramming itself to accommodate him.

"Getting excited?" he chuckled, the rumble of his chest vibrates my nipples.

"It's the adrenaline." I exhale over his lips. The sensation traveling in my blood is hot and raw.

"If you keep doing that, I won't be able to hold back Tiana." His voice deepened, and tone deceptive, the ends of his fingers harshly digging around my waist.

"Maybe that is what I want." My thighs tightening around him, locking him in between.

He chuckled then, and the grips of his fingers loosened. "I won't fuck you for the first time in here. Especially not in the backseat of a car. When I finally have you, it's going to require a wall, a floor, a bed and a counter for what I plan on doing to you."

I bet he felt that. The squelch of my pussy, leaking its fluids down on to his pants.

"I can tell you like that." He purred.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." My mouth moistens to the promise.

Even in the shadowy night I hinted his eyes darkening as he chuckled and spoke. "I always promise and deliver. Just you wait for me. For now, lay on me, and give me your burden. Our next destination will only get more intense."

"Than that only means I need to step up more." My eyes hardens. "Whatever happens, it'll be us in the end Nas. I go no where without you."

"And where else I would be, if I am not beside you, my Tiana."

I lifted my hand and extended my pinky. A past promise that faltered by time, but this time we try again. "Together?" I smiled.

He reciprocated my gesture, and our pinkies interlock, "Forever."

***

I startled myself awake, on the comforter of my mattress, awoken by a thud of the plane due to turbulence. Along the line I dozed off, with no memory as to what happened in between the timeline and was carried to the cabin of the plane. I examine my surroundings and the empty bed aside me, my suitcases neatly stuffed in the closet, and my winter clothes hung, a few breakfast snacks stacked aside me and cranberry juice.

A cold chill nips at my naked arms and I instinctively pulled the furry covers over my body, the window aside me is a blur, condensed by a thick fog, slowly I crawled over and witnessed mountains of white snow blanketing over high naked barks of trees, nearly submerging the earth with its thick white carpet of ice. A land that never thaws even in the summer times. A region located with the northern earth and reconstructed further into the Antarctic.

My heart stilled in that moment, now realizing I am at the trenches of another enemy and I have barely even recovered from Adonai. The island of Essos, where King and Queen Ardenwood reside, and at the mere thought of them a raw taste spreads over my tongue.

Back when I saw them last, I was only a child, their faces are a blur, but I could never forget Mr. Ardenwood's strange fascination for me or how he would glare at me from across the dinner table. Or Mrs. Ardenwood and her touches. After finding their names on this list, I wasn't surprised, only thankful to have dodged a bullet.

And I will have the widest grin on my face, watching the light dim from their eyes when the moment comes.

Cautiously I move towards the edge of the bed, we are within winter regions, my favorite. But I don't think Nasir liked the cold as much as I did. With moments to spare I am all freshened up, eaten breakfast and changed, heading out of the docks and into the center of the plane where Nasir laid. Neatly wrapped in his own fuzzy comforter, he lies peacefully aside the window. Calm and tranquil, his curls softly gusting by the light breeze of the air conditioning above him, his head lazily resting over his shoulder bone as he takes advantage of the serene awakening of a new day.

I sit quietly beside him, lovingly gazing at him and a smile curve over my lips, drawn in by his sleeping serenity, my fingers itch to touch and feel the radiance of his skin as I have always wanted but have been to cowardice o do when he is awake. And now in this moment I had the excuse. A single woven thread of hair is blown from the center and draped right over the left side of his face, split right at the center of his closed eye.

With only a finger I reached forwards, incapable of stop myself from trembling so violently with excitement, a hot sensation rushed into my veins and the silk strand coils around my finger, taking my time to adjust the rebellious strand while being mindful of the soft rise and fall of his chest.

But even after I had finished the assignment, I couldn't pull away, giving into the desire and feel more of him, and my finger touched his warm temple, and exhaled softly when he didn't awaken.

Heavy sleeper, I mused to myself and continued. Softly I drag my touch along the side of his face, my touch awakens racked his steadied breaths and goosebumps arose in the wakening, but still he never woke up. I continued, running over the sharp edges of his chin brushing over the smooth shadow of his beard, and then over his lips, tugging the corners into a smile, using two fingers to extend his lips while monitoring any flinches.

But when his lips twitched, a hot breath rushed from me, and I retracted quickly, and froze in case he awakens. But he doesn't. I quirked a brow, jeez, he is in the mafia, and he sleeps this heavy, I would assume even the tiniest breath would awaken him. It was rare seeing his guard down, and around me. In peace.

With more confidence I reach out again, my breathing calmer than before and I feel his face again, taking my time and featherily ran over the light bristled jaw, the plump moistened lips, the sharp line of his chin until I descend lower and touched the bump of a deep scar. My gaze tears from his closed lids and focused onto the healed old wound, a tattoo sketched around it, but the gash runs deep and horizontal.

And then there were more, and then another, and another. Pretty soon I was running my fingers down as his arm as the blades of the helicopter grated through the mistic clouds on the outside. I have gone too far, felt him up without consent and now I reached the back of his hand, to the dark inks and rings that adorned his fingers.

For the twelfth time I cleared my throat, a heat burned at my cheeks at the size difference of our hands. Now my thoughts brim with erotic details and I looked away in guilt, time to mind other things.

But as I was going to pull away my wrist were ceased with a firm grip and in a quick flash, I barely get the time to react with a squeal when I was pulled downwards with a swift force onto his lap.

In the speed of it all he had opened his arms and now I am thrusted onto him, and he enclosed his strong arms around me and were cocooned into the thick sheets. My head rests onto his chest, my heartbeat is rapid while I trembled. But he was calm and rested his chin over the top of my head, and his breathing steadies as he hugged me tightly.

"I-I didn't mean to -"

"Shhh," he hushed, mumbling the rest of his words.

"I didn't mean to wake you -" I whispered.

"I said shhhh."

I feel the drums of his rapid heartbeat, the warmth of freshly ironed clothes thaws my cold skin, and then I feel his breathing above me steady. I took the hint and softened my rigid body into his, nuzzling my cheek into the soft material of his dress suit and inhaled a lung full of sprayed cologne.

Wait fresh sprayed? I stiffen again, using my nose to bury myself into his sold chest, sniffing him all around until I am at his neck.

"Having fun?" he deeply mumbles, withholding a chuckle, never opening his eyes.

"You smell so amazing." I huffed.

"Don't I always?" The chuckle he held finally flows lowly, his breath minted and warm.

I return to resting my head over the collar bone, adjusting my long silken curls to the other side of my head, comforting myself within him. "I have never seen you so relaxed." I say dazedly, the fur of the sheet enveloping me all around.

"I am near you." he simply said.

His answer melted my heart, and I giggled, "Yea, but I mean, like normally you'd be up before me."

"And I have." he groaned.

My smile widened, "Nas you were peacefully asleep when I came out here."

He buried his face into my hair and I heard him faintly sniff, "I was only resting my eyes my Queen," he mumbled on top of my scalp, his breath warm. "I have been up for a while."

Suddenly I didn't feel cozy anymore, and I lifted from him, his eyes finally peel open to meet mine, and he clarified with a grin, "I have been up for over an hour, bathed, freshened and prepped myself and came back here to wait for you."

I felt nauseous. "So -" the words couldn't solidify and my fingers trembled.

"So?" he mused darkly crooking a brow.

"You were awake this whole time?"

He never answered, but his smile grew wider and his brows jumped.

I scoffed, "You were only pretending, ugh!" I attempt to lift from him but he gripped my arm tugging me back downwards onto him, and another arm tightened around me.

"Nasir, let go!"

"Awww," he mumbled. "What happened to Nas, I was really loving it." he rocked us left to right.

"That was embarrassing!"

He shrugged, "You look like you were enjoying it."

"Only because I thought you were sleeping!"

"Touching a man while he sleeps, hmm?"

"Ugh let go." his hold tightens. "I said let go Nasir."

"Shhhh."

"Don't shush me, I said let go."

"No, stay in my arms, right where you belong, don't go nowhere, or else I'll die."

I ease into his iron hold, my brows still furrowed while looking out the slightly fogged window, the sky is ceiling of only white, our destination is nearing, every level if these elites are viler than the last, now more than ever I will be needing him close to me. I sighed, and mellowed into touch, returning back to the drums of his heart beats

"That's more like," he groaned tightening his arms around me. "Come to me."

"I'm still mad at you."

A silence webbed itself between us for only a second, when his fingers suddenly curled over my rib bone, and I jerked. It repeats again on my right and I squealed, spasming like a worm and released a laugh and then afterwards his tickles became merciless, my squeals and laughter fills the plane.

"Forgive us my Queen," came the voice of the pilot over the intercom. "These flights are indeed dreadful, but great news we are a set to shortly. And we will fine more comforting sheets to accommodate the long dreadful hours." The speaker clicks to a finish.

I rolled my eyes, "Are you happy now Nasir?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Oh. And why is that."

"Because I made you smile."

"Queen Tiana, we have arrived at the Island of Essos. Welcome to the Winter Haven."