The Lowlander Pt. 01

"No."

Hanna halted in front of Jem, staring her down. "Let's say I do find another mate, someone who makes my soul feel afire. You'll be fine with the knowledge that I'd belong to them? That I'd be moaning loud and long in their bed, night after night?"

"Don't."

"You'll be fine with the knowledge that they'd cup these breasts like they owned them?" Hanna fondled her breasts as an example. "You'll be fine with them touching, tasting me between my legs, my wetness on their lips, my hands in their hair, holding them there because I simply can't get enough --."

Jem's hand enclosed Hanna's throat before she could finish the thought. Hanna's back hit the wooden door of the bedroom, pain reverberating through her body.

"What do you want from me?" Jem hissed.

Hanna didn't struggle against Jem's grip. Instead, she wheezed, "I want you to see that I'm yours, completely. Just as you're mine."

A flash of pain crossed Jem's features. "How can I ever trust you?"

"You can trust that I'm here, in Goldhurst, for you. I'm here because I... love you."

Jem's hand dropped from Hanna's throat as she backed away quickly. "Don't."

Hanna leaned heavily against the door. "Don't what? Tell you how I feel? I love you, Jem. I love everything you stand for. I love the gruff Commander and the insecure woman you hide. I love the way you touch me -- even when you're angry, you take caution not to hurt me."

Hanna's voice softened. "You can't deny you feel the same way."

Jem simply stared, unable to respond. Words of denial lodged in her throat -- false words, anything to deny the depth of emotion she truly felt for this woman. Anything to ignore how close she teetered at the edge of vulnerability.

She closed her eyes.

"I just want some peace," Jem said.

"I'd like that, too. With you."

Jem felt arms around her waist and took a deep breath. Hanna rested her head on Jem's chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, strong and comforting against the chaotic river of emotions in the room.

"We could start over." The voice was small and muffled against Jem's undershirt. "No lies, no pretenses. Just us."

When Jem didn't respond, Hanna tilted her head and said, "Please."

Jem swallowed hard. Try as she might, there was nothing she could deny those eyes, that hopeful face. She sighed.

"I'll consider it."

Hanna smiled and reached up to cup Jem's cheek. "Good."

Jem shut her eyes and leaned into the caress, letting the warmth of that touch seep into her soul. She wanted this -- no, she needed this. Someone to love. Someone to love her.

But could she open herself up to being hurt again?

*

When Hanna awoke the next morning, she found the bed empty. Jem was long gone; there wasn't even a hint of her body heat left on the sheets. Hanna pulled Jem's pillow up to her nose and inhaled the earthy, familiar scent. After their argument last night, Jem had simply held her, occasionally stroking her hair and sighing aloud.

A quick peek at the horizon told Hanna that it was several hours past dawn -- she winced. It wasn't like her to sleep in so late.

She knew where Jem would be. After days of following the Commander around like a lost puppy, Hanna knew her schedule by heart. Jem and Finn took turns with their duties. Today, Jem would be training the new recruits while Finn took over the seasoned warriors.

The tribe started recruitment at a young age, Hanna was surprised to find. While in Caverna, she'd only been eligible to join the Coven at sixteen, here in Goldhurst, she'd seen a five-year-old wielding a tiny wooden sword. Although she understood that Goldhurst was relatively small and needed to utilize all its resources, five was a little too young for her tastes. Whatever happened to children enjoying their childhoods?

Hanna washed and dressed herself in one of Jem's vests, tucking the ends into a pair of loose pants. Then she reached under the bed for her bow and quiver, slinging both across her shoulders in a practiced move.

Jem had left a thick slice of bread and some cheese on the dining table for her. It was a small gesture but it made Hanna smile. Progress, she thought as she stuffed the bread into her mouth on the way out the door.

She sat on a low branch near the training field, watching as Jem instructed the recruits on the basics of hand-to-hand combat. The kids, probably ranging 12 years and up, watched with awe and fascination as Jem demonstrated the foundational defense moves. Hanna smiled, pulling apart a slice of bread. It was just like Jem to teach caution first instead of offence.

Hanna watched the recruits try out the different moves individually under Jem's watchful eye. She stopped every few minutes to correct each one on their stance and technique, speaking directly to them instead of yelling what they were doing wrong across a field like Hanna's instructor used to do.

Hanna finished her breakfast and brushed the crumbs off her britches, ready to start her day. If she was going to stay in Goldhurst, she needed to find her place in the community. And the only thing she was truly good at was archery and combat. In the past, she'd often wished she was born book smart like Kara or some of her other sisters but she'd made peace that each person had their own strengths. That's just how the world worked.

She pushed herself off the branch and landed comfortably on her haunches. She waved to the soldier on guard before he could sound the alarm. After a few seconds of intense squinting, he waved back in recognition.

As she walked onto the field, Jem said, "I don't know how things work in the highlands, but here, we wake early for training."

Hanna tilted her head and pursed her lips. "Well, if you'd woken me when you left this morning, I would've been here much earlier."

A hush fell across the recruits as they waited to see how their Commander would react to those words -- words that were meant to provoke.

A small smile curved Jem's lips. "Since you're here, perhaps you'd like to perform a simple hand-to-hand combat demonstration for the new recruits?"

"I'd love to," Hanna said, slipping her bow and quiver over her head and handing it to a recruit.

"So," Jem instructed her audience. "There is a difference between the techniques you use while fighting a man or a woman. Or fighting as a man or a woman. Men tend to stand their ground more -- I'm not sure if it's their ego that doesn't allow them to fall back as often as they need to. Do not make that mistake. If you need to fall back, take a defensive stance and do so.

"On the other hand, women tend to be more nimble on their feet. Because of their general shorter stature, they sometimes have a surprising advantage over men. So if you're shorter than your opponent, you'll get the best results if you aim below the belt. We'll demonstrate. Ready?"

Tongue-in-cheek, Hanna asked, "Just to clarify, who will be reenacting the man here?"

A snigger ran through the crowd. Jem didn't react.

"On my command," she said instead.

"Simple" had nothing to do with the demonstration. It was an all-out genuine combat. Hanna's arms hurt from defending herself against Jem's targeted blows -- and she knew that Jem wasn't even using half her strength.

But the Coven had drilled into her the motto of perseverance. So she put into practice everything she'd learned but nothing seemed to put the Commander on her ass.

She groaned aloud when her back hit the ground and Jem's weight pinned her there. Curse the Goddess but Jem wasn't even panting! Surely, there was another way...

"Do you yield?" Jem asked.

"What?"

Jem leaned closer. "Do you yield?"

Hanna leaned up and kissed her, slanting her lips over Jem's. She slid her tongue between Jem's generous lips, feeling a slight tremble begin in Jem's arms.

The second she felt the tremble, she took the opportunity to push Jem to the ground and straddled her in one quick move. Hanna might not have brute strength but she sure as hell had the smarts.

With a sly smile, she asked, "Do you yield, Commander?"

Jem stared at Hanna intensely, pushing herself up onto her elbows. Hanna swallowed thickly -- she recognized that look. It was the look that had passed across Jem's face the second before she'd claimed Hanna. Lust. Raw passion.

"Dismissed," Jem called without breaking eye contact. The recruits lingered uncertainly for a few moments, but when Jem repeated the order, they dispersed like flies.

Hanna sat back on her haunches.

"Not you," Jem said, her voice low.

A sly smile crossed Hanna's lips as she stood and backed away quickly.

"Want me?" she taunted, watching Jem get to her feet in one quick move. "Catch me first."

She tore through the clearing of the woodland, running as quickly as her feet could take her. She heard Jem behind her -- close but not too close. Hanna dodged several low-hanging branches and cursed when she heard the sound of water rushing closer. Swimming hadn't been on the agenda for today.

Her feet skidded into tiny pebbles as she reached the edge of a small waterfall. She turned and watched Jem emerge from the woodland, ducking a branch, a determined look on her face. Her movements were slow, leisurely, as though she knew Hanna had run herself into a corner.

Hanna looked over her shoulder. It was a ten-foot drop -- not too far -- but how far did she want to take this little game? She bit her lip.

A triumphant smile crossed Jem's face as she reached up and tugged on the leather straps of her armor, loosening it enough to pull it over her head with ease.

Hanna watched Jem strip down with stirrings of anxiety mixed with desire. The sunlight was streaming through the trees, catching the dark perfection of Jem's skin as she slipped her undervest over her head and reached for her leather britches.

Hanna felt an undignified amount of saliva pool in her mouth as Jem revealed the sculpted perfection of her thighs, painted gold in the streamers of sunlight. She couldn't get a decent breath and it had nothing to do with her impromptu sprint.

Hanna whipped her shirt over her head as Jem strode toward her. She barely had enough time to shuck her britches before she pushed herself off the side of the edge, bracing for the impact of the water.

She felt the support of Jem's arms around her waist a few seconds later, pulling her to the surface. She breathed hard as she pushed wet hair out of her face.

"Now that I've caught you," Jem said, pulling Hanna close. "What do I get?"

Hanna slid her arms around Jem's neck as she said, "Anything."

Jem's slow smile scared and excited her at the same time. "That's a very dangerous offer, little girl."

Hanna threaded her fingers through Jem's wet locks. "It might be dangerous but I know you'll keep me safe, Commander."

Jem took Hanna's lips slowly. As though she had all the time in the world. But Hanna could feel the coiled aggression of Jem's desire just under the surface. Hanna liked Jem's gentle side -- it drove her wild. But she felt the need for something a little more intense brewing in her gut.

Jem's lips were blissful -- warm and soft against the slight chill of the water. Hanna wrapped her legs around Jem's hips, bringing their bodies closer together. Jem became her only anchor in the water and she was more than happy for her to take the lead.

Slowly, deliberately, the tip of Jem's tongue coaxed Hanna's lips apart. Hanna's made a surprised sound at the back of her throat as her back hit the smooth surface of a warm rock -- she hadn't even been aware that they'd been moving.

Jem's feet found purchase on an underwater ledge and the kiss deepened, from soft and gentle to insistent and demanding in a heartbeat.

Hanna found her wrists trapped over her head in one of Jem's hands -- unsurprisingly unyielding. She bit her lip as she tried to gauge what Jem intended to do next.

"I like that look on your face," Jem murmured as she placed kisses along the length of Hanna's neck.

"What look?" Hanna asked, eyes half-closed from the tingling sensations.

"Worried about what you've gotten yourself into. But too far gone to really care."

Hanna's smart retort was replaced by a moan as Jem bit down on a fold of flesh on Hanna's shoulder -- the same spot she'd marked weeks ago. Desire spiraled from the pit of Hanna's stomach and overruled her mind.

I'm yours, she thought. I've been yours since the night you touched me.

But she didn't voice those words. Instead, she pressed a kiss to Jem's temple as Jem explored the sensitive length of her collarbone.

Jem was beautiful like this, up close with the sun streaming around her like a halo. Her dark skin glistened with little droplets of water, making Hanna ache to catch them with her tongue. But her hands were still caught in Jem's grip. She closed her eyes, choosing instead to experience the burn of desire Jem's lips caused.

When Jem lifted Hanna, her legs immediately surrounded Jem's lean waist. Her hands were finally free to hold on to those glistening shoulders, fingers digging into those sculpted muscles. She moaned low in her throat as Jem's fingers found her nipples under the surface of the water.

"You are my vision of perfection," Jem whispered. Hanna's eyes blinked open, taking in the vulnerability in Jem's eyes. She knew it took a lot for Jem to reveal anything she was feeling.

"And you are mine," she whispered, trailing her fingers through Jem's wet locks. "Every inch of you sets me afire."

She felt Jem's fingers move over her bottom, seeking. Her core clenched as Jem's fingers found the sensitive nub of her sex.

"Love me, Jem. I need you," Hanna breathed, holding Jem's gaze.

Her lips parted as Jem's fingers slipped over her entrance and slipped in slowly. This slickness had nothing to do with the water. Hanna's breath jerked out of her lungs and she felt Jem's fingers probe lightly, trying to fill her without hurting her.

As Hanna tried to level her breathing, she heard Jem's voice in her ear, soft and low: "How do you feel like home already?"

*

The words had left her lips without Jem even realizing it. With her fingers buried deep in Hanna, her breaths colliding with Hanna's harsh pants, the sweet scent of roses surrounding them, Jem seemed to have no control over herself. All she wanted to do was possess Hanna in the basest way.

She wanted to mark Hanna again, as stupid as the thought was. Every fiber of Jem's being ached to sink her teeth into Hanna's supple shoulder as her fingers thrust home, again and again. She knew Hanna wanted it; her eyes alone begged for it -- for a deeper connection.

But the first time had been the biggest mistake of her life.

Instead, she bit down on a fold of skin on Hanna's neck, making her gasp and tighten her legs around Jem's waist. Hitching breaths of pleasure cut through the tranquility of the waterfall as Jem held Hanna's hips steady and curled her fingers deep in Hanna's sex.

"Oh goddess, Jem..."

Hanna shuddered against Jem's strong form, feeling each stroke of Jem's fingers snap strings of pleasure in her. Her breathing was harsh; her body vibrated as she crested sharply, fingers buried deep in Jem's hair.

Her heart was thudding as Hanna buried her face in Jem's neck, letting the langor take over her limbs. She heard Jem's voice in her ear, a pleasant buzz in the distance, soothing her soul and making her feel safe. Hanna nuzzled closer, placing weak kisses along Jem's sculpted neck.

Hanna felt herself floating, being carried in the water, and then her bottom met a mossy bank. She wasted no time leaning back, letting the warmth of the rock spread across her back.

Jem lifted herself out of the water, flicking wet hair out of her eyes, biceps straining. Hanna watched through lowered eyelids, caught in an odd trance as she watched Jem's every movement like a hawk. Jem's small breasts lay flat against her chest, nipples thick and hard from the cool morning breeze. Tiny droplets of water dripped off her short locks and trailed down her neck and chest, finding their way back to the waterfall as Jem hefted herself onto the bank.

Hanna felt a low murmur of pleasure creeping up her throat as she watched the sun play with Jem's dark skin, casting a golden glow over her profile. The sun was such an oddity to Hanna -- although the Highlands and Lowlands shared the same life source, she'd never felt the sun's rays as keenly in the Highlands as she did in Goldhurst. There was always tall tales about how the people from both places had come from the same stock but the heat of the sun had changed them over generations and created a divide between the Highlands and the Lowlands. Hanna had always thought the tale a myth but after experiencing the sun in all its glory, she wasn't so sure there was some truth in that.

Jem stretched her tall form along Hanna, balancing her head on a raised elbow.

"You're frowning," Jem commented. "What's wrong?"

Hanna turned to face her, placing a hand on the slight curve of Jem's waist, fingers absently stroking the smooth flesh.

"I'm thinking about the Feud. Why do you think our people have been fighting for centuries?"

It was Jem's turn to frown. "We're not fighting anymore. It's peace time."

"Yes, yes," Hanna hastened to correct herself. "But why is there still such a prominent divide between us? I grew up with tales of Lowland Beasts."

A small smile quirked the corner of Jem's lips. "Did you? Here, we tell the tale of Highland Slayers -- cold-blooded killers who feed on human flesh."

Hanna gasped, appalled. "No, we're not! We're mostly farmers who grow fruits and-."

Jem's laughter stopped her short. "You're so easy, Hanna," she said, eyes alight.

Hanna's rebuke died on the tip of her tongue when Jem said her name.

"You've never said my name before," she whispered, as though she was afraid Jem would take it back.

Jem raised a hand to Hanna's cheek. "Haven't I? The Gods know how many times I've thought it -- about you."

Hanna tilted her head and pressed a kiss to the inside of Jem's palm. "I like hearing it."

She let her fingers trail down Jem's hard shoulder, feeling the muscles bunch.

"Say it again," she said, and took Jem's lips.

*

If Hanna had to choose a time in her life to relive for the rest of her days, she'd choose the weeks following her reconciliation with Jem. Each day, she knew things would be just fine when she awoke nestled on Jem's chest, their mingled scent now the new scent of their shared accommodations.

She finally felt at peace with Jem. The Commander was now free with her smiles around Hanna, as though she had made a conscious decision to allow Hanna into her life with nothing standing between them.

They spend their days on the training ground -- Hanna having pledged her skills and loyalty to the Chief. She was now in charge of teaching archery to the young recruits, along with Kara.

Bonnie had surprised them all by refusing a combat position entirely. She now tended to the children of warriors who trained on the field all day. Hanna had noted with considerable shock that her smart-mouthed sister was much more patient with children than she'd ever been with adults.

To each their own, she supposed.

The day had started off unremarkably. Hanna had prepared their first meal while Jem cleaned her sword and armor and arranged everything in the order in which she'd need them. While Hanna appreciated Jem's preparedness, she'd also come to realize Jem was a creature of rigorous habit. She'd once told Hanna that this was how her parents had lived -- with strict rules -- and Jem had adopted their ways after they'd passed.

Hanna respected that and tried to keep her mess to a minimum -- but it was hard. The villagers had been busy making clothes, food and even a new bow for the archers who'd helped with the marauders. Hanna now had a trunk that was overflowing with clothes... which sometimes found their way to the floor, chair or bed. Sometimes the kitchen.