by Dakota Brown
He shuddered as I ran my hand softly over the length of him, his jeans an annoying barrier.
Nikolai groaned, his eyes shutting for a moment.
"I'm going to try something I've never done before," I said. "If you don't mind."
"You may do whatever you wish," he breathed out.
"You'll tell me if you don't like it?"
"Yes."
Grinning, I watched his eyes widen when I slowly undid the button on his jeans. I rolled up until I was sitting on my knees and slowly worked his zipper down. He gripped my thigh with his strong hand, callouses catching on my smooth skin as he slid his hand up my hip. Delicate shivers of pleasure traveled up my back, and I took a moment to savor his touch.
Before I lost my nerve, I refocused on Nikolai. He lifted his hips when I slid my fingers between his pants and his hips, and I tugged at his jeans until I pulled them off. Tracing my fingers up his muscular calves and thighs, I admired what a lifetime of intense physical activity had done to him. He moaned softly as I again brushed my hand over his hard length, this time without his pants as a barrier.
"Sofia," he gasped and clutched at my thigh as I leaned forward and gently ran my tongue along his soft skin. He groaned as I took him into my mouth, the taste a little salty but not unpleasant. Nikolai shuddered, his breath coming faster as I ran my tongue over his tip before taking as much of him into my mouth as I could and wrapping my hand around the rest of him. He panted as I found a rhythm with my hand and mouth, his hips thrusting, fingers digging into my shoulder.
"I am close," Nikolai groaned, voice husky.
I let him slip from my mouth, and continued to rub with my hand, he thrust harder against me, breath coming in short gasps. He grabbed my wrist, and I let go of him. He shuddered, coming on his stomach.
Laying back on the soft moss covering the ground, I pressed up against him while he got his breathing under control.
He ran his hand over my shoulder and turned to kiss me.
I could taste myself on his lips, and I hesitated for a moment, before deciding I didn't care. He cupped my neck, and I opened my mouth, letting his tongue explore, before I did the same to him.
Eventually, he pulled away. "How did I get so lucky?"
"Maybe it's us who got lucky."
"No, definitely me." He smiled. "We should maybe get back, though," he said a little reluctantly.
"We need showers." I sighed, not really wanting to put clothes back on while I wasn't clean, but also not wanting to wander around naked. That might be a little much.
Nikolai's eyes glinted with amusement. "There is a spell for that. I will teach you."
His words warmed me. I finally had a teacher. Now if he could just show me everything I needed to know before the Andersons caught up to me, everything would work out fine.
Beyond that, I was looking forward to getting to know the Russian more. He was very good with his tongue, among other things.
Smiling, I watched as he shaped his magic, memorizing the spell, but also enjoying the grace of his movements and looking forward to the next time we would get to explore each other more.
∞ ∞ ∞
I sank down on the couch and stared at my hands. Doc found me a few minutes later. He sat next to me and put his arm around me. I pressed into his embrace.
"Is he going to help us?"
Needing some form of reassurance that everything was going to be all right, I curled into his chest. He hooked my legs with his free hand and pulled them over his legs so I could snuggle into him.
"Yes," I replied.
"Good." He clutched me close, taking a deep breath. "Enjoy yourself?" he asked, his voice low.
I groaned, not exactly having forgotten how good his sense of smell was, but I wasn't used to thinking in those terms.
"No?"
"Yes. It's just an adjustment. I haven't even gotten used to having the three of you yet, and now I have four."
He kissed the top of my head. "It will be an adjustment for all of us, but I think it will work out just fine."
I tilted my head back, and he kissed me, even though the scent of Nikolai had to be all over me. Doc didn't seem to mind as his mouth devoured mine.
We both looked up when Nikolai came in the front door.
"Must we send her back to school tomorrow?" The Russian mage sat in the armchair he seemed to prefer, his eyes consuming the two of us. His expression sent tingles down my spine to gather low in my core.
Doc tightened his arms around me, and his breath quickened. Apparently, I wasn't the only one affected by the heat in Nikolai's gaze.
If I'd had any doubts that Nikolai would be willing to share me, they were gone. At least with Doc, but then, he had admitted he had a thing for vampires, anyway.
"We all need to get back tomorrow," Doc grumbled. "But we can keep her tonight."
"Do I get a say in that?" I teased.
"Only if you're going to say yes," Nikolai replied, eyes twinkling.
"I've got news for you, Nik," I teased. "Modern women don't take orders well."
He chuckled. "No mage takes orders well, no matter what century they were born in."
Doc nibbled on my neck, and I tilted my head back to give him better access.
"I can't imagine you're hungry," Nikolai said through a laugh.
"For once, not terribly," Doc replied, though he continued to tease me, his lips traveling along my neck, biting gently.
Moaning, I clutched his shirt. "Jealous?" I had to ask.
"Perhaps," Nikolai answered, though he probably knew I was teasing him.
"Of which one of us?" My snicker turned into a cry of pleasure when Doc bit me just hard enough to draw blood. If that was supposed to be a reprimand, it didn't work. Nikolai replied, but I didn't hear what he said as Doc's tongue caressed my neck, driving other thoughts from my mind.
He relented after that. Kissing me on the mouth again, a faint coppery taste on his lips, before he went back to simply holding me.
"Before I am completely distracted…" Nikolai cleared his throat. "I do have a question."
I glanced at the mage. Blue motes sparkled in his otherwise dark brown eyes. I wondered if that always happened when mages were aroused.
"Yes?" Doc shifted his attention to Nikolai.
I hoped whatever he wanted to ask wasn't going to be emotionally difficult to deal with. I was already tapped out for the day.
"Do you know how to shoot a gun?"
The question was so far away from what I had expected him to ask that I stared at him in surprise. He was a mage, what did he need a gun for?
"Yes," Doc answered.
"Do you have any?"
"Several. Why?"
"I am used to fighting with various weapons, but these modern firearms I've not dealt with. I wish to practice shielding in case it becomes necessary. Is there a place we can do this?"
"Yeah. It's a bit of a hike from here, but there's a natural backdrop not far into the national forest. We can practice there."
"Excellent. As for the Andersons, if you won't allow me to kill them, the best thing we can do right now is keep her safe long enough for me to teach her sufficiently, so she is no longer useful to them."
"What if they try to expose us?" That was one of my bigger fears.
Doc's arms tightened around me. "Then they'll learn the hard way they should not have, and then we'll disappear for a while, if we can't talk our way out of any repercussions. Hopefully, the older Andersons are sufficiently afraid of me, and they'll keep Alex in check."
"What did you do to them?"
Doc clenched his jaw. "I'd really rather not talk about it."
I pressed into him. "Okay."
Doc tensed, and I glanced up at him. He tilted his head, as if listening, brow furrowed.
"What?" Nikolai stood and faced the door, as if ready to defend us.
"Sam's car."
I didn't want to move, and Doc didn't act like he wanted me to either, so I stayed
put.
Nikolai answered the door when Sam knocked.
"I need your help." She didn't offer any other greetings, though she did look confused when she saw me on Doc's lap.
"What's wrong, Sam?"
"The fae are screaming about death metal blocking them from their land. Who else knows how to get to the portal?"
Doc shook his head. "I don't know."
"If the Andersons are determined to use Sofia, they may have attempted to trap some of the fae to use in the binding," Nikolai cautioned. "They are useful for such things. Their demon could have found the entrance to the fae lands. The demon realm and the fae realm have much in common."
Sam rounded on Nikolai. "And how do you know all that?"
He glanced at Doc, who shook his head.
"Perhaps it is best if you trust that I know what I speak of."
She glared.
Ed and Allan burst into the cabin, both shirtless and covered in sweat.
I licked my lips as I enjoyed the view, despite Sam's grim words.
"What's wrong?" Ed glanced between all of us while Allan kept an eye on Sam.
Ed, looking for reassurance, Allan, keeping his eye on the potential threat.
"Sam said the fae are in trouble and wanted our help," Doc answered.
"Oh. Well, let's go," Ed replied.
"It is most assuredly a trap." Nikolai crossed his arms and glared at Sam.
I glanced up at Doc. His eyes narrowed.
"For the fae," Sam replied.
"For us," Nikolai clarified. "And the fae. Is the expression, two birds with one stone?"
"So, you've joined their happy little pack then?" Sam glared at Nikolai.
The Russian didn't answer.
"Well, if you're not going to help them…"
Nikolai waved his hand dismissively. "Of course I will help them. I am simply pointing out that it is likely to be a trap. We must be prepared."
I swung my legs off of Doc's lap and stood up. He did the same. "Excuse me for a minute," he said, and headed into his bedroom. I guessed to get weapons.
"Sofia, you will stay close to me?" Nikolai made his order sound like a question, and I smirked. Maybe he did have practice dealing with women.
Going over to his side, I watched Sam's eyebrows raise as I slid my hand into Nikolai's callused one.
She finally looked at Ed and Allan, and if anything, her eyebrows rose even further.
"What happened to your arm?" She gestured toward the bandages on Ed's forearm.
"Allan and I were wrestling. He bit me a little harder than normal. I'll be fine in another day or two." The lie came easily, so he must have rehearsed an excuse.
"Need to remind him who is older every once in a while," Allan said lightly.
Sam didn't quite look convinced, but she let it drop.
Doc returned, wearing a flannel shirt over his T-shirt, and his cowboy hat. "We'll follow you there."
"Okay. Sofia, do you want to ride with me?" Sam looked at me.
Nikolai tightened his hand, but relaxed when I shook my head. "I'm good riding with the guys. We can squeeze in the back seat."
She gave us all another curious look before shrugging. "All right. Let's go."
Chapter 16
Sofia
"It is most assuredly a trap," Nikolai insisted once we were all in the pickup.
I had squeezed into the back seat with Ed and Allan. Allan had his arm around me, and I leaned into him while Ed held my hand.
"Yeah, but does Sam know it?" Doc's voice was grim.
"I cannot decide." Nikolai shrugged. "It is no matter. We will be prepared."
"Is it just me or is anyone else a little worried about our mage feeling a bit overconfident?" Allan muttered.
Nikolai twisted around to look at us and grinned. "I think we are about to find out."
"You don't have to look so happy about it," Allan grumbled without any real annoyance.
"I am bored, and a good fight always relieves the boredom."
"If you're bored already, then maybe we need to lock you in Sofia's grove with her more frequently," Ed quipped.
Nikolai's brows raised, but his grin widened. "I would not complain." He winked and turned back around.
My cheeks heated, and I buried my face in Allan's chest. Ed squeezed my hand.
After that, we drove for a while in silence until Doc turned off into the parking lot for the trailhead. Sam was already there.
"The last time we were here, there weren't any other cars, either. Is this not a popular trailhead?" I slid out of the truck on Ed's side, and he kept a hold of my hand. I leaned into him, and he turned and pressed his lips to my head, inhaling after he kissed me.
Sam watched us, confusion clear on her face. I did my best to ignore her while I pressed against Ed.
"It's far enough away from the valley that it's not super popular. It's also a weekday. There are a lot of closer trailheads," Allan answered.
"Smells like snow." Nikolai studied our surroundings.
The air did smell crisp and had a distinct chill to it. The morning coolness had lingered today, especially at this higher elevation.
"Stay close," Doc ordered as he headed for the trail.
Sam trailed behind him, and suddenly, I didn't trust her there. She was leading us to a trap, if she knew it or not, and she didn't seem terribly worried. Sam knew the danger the Andersons posed. Maybe she had been outside of their notice before, but it was possible her loose association with the guys had changed that.
I glanced at Nikolai. He may have been having similar thoughts, because he fell in behind her, walking almost too close. Ed tugged on my hand until I was walking behind Nikolai, and then he let go, dropping back a little until he and Allan were trailing us. Not as far as normal, but far enough back that they could keep an eye on everything more easily.
Nikolai subtly cast a few spells, and I wasn't sure Sam noticed. I didn't sense him do it through magic, only noticed because I saw him move his hands. Even the color of his magic was hidden.
He glanced at me and winked. He was definitely teaching me that later.
Though the surroundings were still beautiful and the pine forest we walked through smelled divine, the hike was not nearly as enjoyable as the last time I had been here. I knew I wouldn't be much use in a fight, and that scared me. I didn't want to hinder the guys, but I also knew it wouldn't have been wise to leave me alone, either. Splitting up might have been what they were hoping for. Either that, or they thought they were well enough prepared for the guys, that taking them on all at once didn't worry the enemy mages.
Of course, they had Ash. He could level the playing field a lot if properly commanded. Alex didn't seem to be very good at that yet, but it was hard to tell if that was because he was lazy, or he actually didn't know he was leaving commands open to interpretation.
In a short time, we reached the turn off the trail. Before, I couldn't tell there was another path. Now, it had been heavily trampled, the trees damaged, and the underbrush disturbed. Even I could tell something had crashed through there without a care to the noise it, or they, made and the damage they left.
Ed growled as we stared at the damage.
Nikolai and Doc shared a glance before the mage waved Doc back and stepped slowly into the woods.
Doc fell back to stand next to me, and we both watched Sam while also trying to pay attention to everything else.
Ed and Allan watched our backs.
Though we were prepared to be attacked, it still shocked me when Doc grabbed my arms and shoved me behind a tree, sheltering me with his body as he pulled me low to the ground.
I heard a sharp crack, and dirt sprayed from the ground where Doc and I had been standing.
Ed grabbed Sam and dragged her off the path. Allan had already disappeared into the woods. Nikolai came over to us, crouching, but studying the surrounding forest.
"Trap," Nikolai stated, smiling slightly. "And it looks like I get to practice again
st firearms after all."
The dirt around us erupted in an orange and green light show. Unless they had other mages with similar magical signatures, that would be Alex and Ash.
"You are surrounded," a male voice shouted. I thought it sounded familiar, but it wasn't someone I actually knew. Maybe someone from when I had escaped Alex's home not long ago.
"If you hand Sofia over to us, we'll let you live."
Sam looked startled, but not completely surprised when I looked over at her to see how she was taking all this. We warned her it was a trap, so maybe that was all it was, but I couldn't help but feel she had sold us out for her own safety.
Nikolai squeezed my shoulder before shaking his head. "It is weak attack. Trying to intimidate us." He shrugged. "It is not working."
I managed to smile. "If I was alone, I'd be intimidated."
"But you're not," Doc pointed out.
"No!" Ed yelled out for all of us.
"Have you located their positions yet?" Nikolai whispered, and glanced at Doc, who nodded.
Sam was watching us closely, though she probably couldn't hear what we said if we stayed quiet. I didn't like her expression at all. Ed still crouched by her side, and I wasn't sure where Allan had disappeared to, but I knew he wouldn't be far. I hoped Ed kept an eye on Sam and not just to keep her safe.
Nikolai was used to working with vampires, and his familiarity with their powers would certainly be an asset here.
Doc leaned close and whispered their locations, and the mage nodded.
"You and Sofia stay here and cast this shield. I will scout." Nikolai pushed a bit of magic into me, and I caught the shape of the spell from it.
"Support Sofia," he ordered Doc, before he held his hand over his head and sprinkled blue motes on himself. Moments later, he vanished.
Sam gasped. "That's not supposed to be possible."
Ignoring her, I formed the spell like Nikolai had shown me. Doc fed Nikolai's magic into me, and we expanded the shield until it surrounded us, Ed, and Sam. I hoped Allan knew what he was doing.
"He's taught you quite a bit already," she murmured.
"Not really the time," I muttered through gritted teeth. Maintaining the spell wasn't actually as hard as I was acting, but I didn't want her to be able to judge my capabilities. I also didn't want her to know Doc was feeding Nikolai's magic to me, though she could see his signature in the spell. Hopefully, she couldn't tell where I was getting it from, or if she knew about Doc's bracelet reservoir, maybe she thought it was from that.