Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Kelan, the rowan guard.
They were in the garden situated on a bench so as not to cause to much harm to each other. Donia shifted and dared to get closer to Keenan despite the discomfort from his heat. She felt comfortable in his arms despite it and despite the fact that being this close to him did more than physical harm to her. Her eyes snapped open when she felt another's heat enter her domain. One of Keenan's rowan guards was making his approach. When he reached them he dropped to his knee.
"Sire, the queen sends for you."
Donia felt Keenan stiffen beneath her. The peace that had surrounded them snapping at the mention of the Summer Queen. Keenan began to shift away from their position and Donia tried to mask her disappointment. All of his focus which had been on her was now focused on the guard before them.
"Is she okay? Did her wounds get worse?"
She could hear the concern in his voice and though they were sitting next to each other she could feel the distance that he was putting between them. His fist had balled when he mentioned Aislinn's wounds before she saw that it relaxed. He would never strike out against her but she knew that it was taking everything in him to move past this. And Donia knew that some part of her should feel guilty but she wasn't. She doubted that she would ever feel guilt over it.
"Her majesty wishes for her king to come back to his queen. She says that there are matters that you must discuss."
Donia scowled at the emphasis that he put on Keenan being Aislinn's king. There need be no reminders of the fact. Her scowl intensified when the guard turned his gaze on her. All of the admiration that had previously been in his eyes when he spoke to his king was gone replaced with unabashed hate.
"Queen Aislinn sends Winter her warning. Do not strike against her again."
She responded immediately to his threatening tone, her demeanor turning icy.
"The Summer Queen has no command over my court and certainly not me. Winter does not take kindly to threats."
A smirk began to make its way to her face when she saw the rowan guard bristle but it quickly fell at the wave of heat that seemed to engulf them. She looked up into Keenan's eyes, they held barely contained rage.
"Do not threaten my court or my queen, Donia." He stood, leaving her sitting on the bench, and motioned for his guard to do so as well. "Kelan, return to the loft, I shall follow in a moment." Kelan gave a sharp nod and turned to leave. Donia, however, did not miss the glare he sent before he followed Keenan's orders.
The heat surrounding Keenan was beginning to melt all the ice in her garden, but she ignored it. He could throw a tantrum if he wanted to he wasn't going to get a rise out of her.
"Donia, I do not want our courts to war."
Sighing, she took a step forward and held out a hand placating. "Neither do I."
Keenan stepped back. "Then we are in agreement."
He turned and started heading back to the cabin, there was no glance back. Anger crackled like breaking ice in Donia's heart. "Do not bring her into my winter again, Keenan."
There was a brief pause and a barely perceptible nod from him before he continued, opening and closing the cabin's door behind him.
Donia stared at the door trying to keep her emotions in check and calm herself. There would be no war for now but she didn't know how long this tension could go on before it snapped. Her court was calling for it and it was at moments like these that she felt her heart calling for it too. It was always brief but the feeling was beginning to lengthen.
A/N: I'll be posting the first chapter of 'Becoming Queen' at the beginning of next week.