I gritted my teeth and tried to keep my temper in check. The last thing I needed to do was to lose my shit all over my Warden. That wouldn't look good for me. Not at all. But the fact that he was questioning my leadership, essentially questioning my fitness for command, infuriated me. But I had to hold it in check. If I ever wanted to be a Warden, I had to prove myself to be unflappable – even in the face of things that really pissed me off.
“Respectfully,” I said through gritted teeth, “I believe that you are wrong.”
He gave me a slight shrug. “I don't think I am,” he said. “Your skill with a blade is incredible, Deyro. There's no question about that. But there's more to being a leader than being able to wield a sword.”
“I honestly don't know where this is coming from, Warden,” I said.
“I'm very well in tune with what's happening, Deyro. With what's being said,” he replied. “I see things. Hear things.”
I took in a deep breath and silently let it out, willing my frustration and anger to settle. Doing my best to stuff it down deep.
“And what are you hearing, Warden?”
He crossed the room and dropped down behind his desk again, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the desktop. He looked at me for a long moment. And the longer the silence dragged on, the harder it was to keep my temper in check.
“What I'm hearing,” Quint finally said, “is that you're exceptional in the field.”
I nodded. “I've been trained well.”
“I also hear that you're something of a – showman.”
“A showman?”
Quint nodded. “I've heard that you like to put on a bit of a show,” he said. “That you sometimes drag out a kill much longer than necessary just to impress people with your skills.”
I felt my face grow warm. “Is that what Alex is saying?”
“Not in so many words,” he said. “She's a very good partner and bends over backwards to cover your ass, Deyro.”
“I don't think –”
“But something you should be aware of, is the fact that she's not the only one saying that,” Quint continued. “That's something that's being said all through our ranks.”
I knew my face was a scarlet color and it felt like it was burning up. I know that Alex had gotten on me about being a – in her words – a showboat. But I honestly never thought of it like that. I simply enjoyed what I was doing.
“Warden,” I said. “I take pride in what I do. It gives me a sense of satisfaction unlike anything else I've ever done. I enjoy being a Ranger. I enjoy protecting humanity from these creatures we battle. Is it so wrong to have a little fun doing my job?”
He shrugged. “It's not for me to judge,” he said. “Until you start endangering yourself or the lives of those in the field with you, I'm in no place to tell you how to do your job. I'm only letting you know what's being said. And giving you a reason that you're nowhere near ready to be a Warden.”
I sat back in my seat feeling like I'd been kicked in the gut. What Quint was saying had completely blindsided me and I wasn't sure how to respond. The idea that the rest of our little army didn't respect me, thought that I was a showboat – it wasn't sitting well with me. Not at all.
I knew I was going to have to wait a little while before I'd be given my own territory. I knew becoming a Warden wasn't an overnight deal. But I believed that I was on the fast track. That I was on pace to become the youngest Warden in Dragonborn history.
But Quint said I was nowhere near ready to be a Warden with such finality, with such an ominous tone, that I feared he was going to bump me to the back burner. That he wasn't going to endorse me to become a Warden – something I'd taken as a given since I was assigned to him.
“Warden, I – I don't know what to say to all of this,” I said. “It's obviously upsetting. But, I –”
“You're young, Deyro,” he said. “I was your age once as well. And I actually see a lot of myself in you. I was cocky. I was arrogant. Believed I was invincible and was second to none. And like you, I could be a bit of a hot dog in the field too.”
“But, I don't think I'm a hot dog, Warden,” I said, my voice terse. “I get the job done. I put the monsters down. I do my job and I do it well.”
“And nobody is saying differently,” he said patiently. “Everybody acknowledges your skill. They respect that. I just want to give you something to think about. Leadership doesn't come from the sword. It comes from the mind and it comes from the heart. Win those, and you'll be ready to lead. But first, you need to learn to humble yourself, Deyro.”
My blood was running hot and I just wanted to get out of there. I couldn’t' remember a time when I'd been so pissed. I got to my feet and faced Quint, doing my best to keep my face neutral.
“Am I dismissed, Warden?”
He looked at me a long moment and then nodded. Turning on my heel, I headed for the door when his voice stopped me.
“One more thing,” he said. “It wasn't until I got somebody killed – somebody I cared about – that I realized maybe people were right about me being a little too arrogant. Just something to think about.”
Without another word, I left Quint's office and headed out into the night, furious and more disturbing to me – embarrassed.
Chapter Four
Alexis
The moment I opened the door to my apartment, I knew I wasn't alone. I didn't know if it was a sixth sense, a simple change in the air pressure or what, but the minute I crossed the threshold and stepped into my entryway, I felt the presence of another person in my home.
All of the training I'd done with the Rangers and Warden Quint had not only honed my body into a killing machine, but it had also helped heighten my senses. I was always alert. Aware of my surroundings. And on guard against any threat.
In the field I'd chosen to work in, it was kind of a necessity for the job.
I dropped my keys on the table beside the door and my bag at my feet. Closing the door behind me, I walked down the short hallway from the entryway to the living room. My body was tense, alert, and I was ready to fight if it came to that – though, I hoped it wouldn't.
When I stepped through the archway into the living room, the light in the corner turned on and revealed my mysterious intruder. And it was who I kinda figured it would be.
“Took you long enough,” Deyro said from his spot in the overstuffed chair.
“I don't recall asking you to come by tonight,” I said.
He shrugged. “I wanted to see you,” he replied. “I thought we could talk.”
“I'm tired,” I said. “I just want to go to bed.”
Deyro smirked. “Come on,” he said, flashing me a grin. “We barely broke a sweat tonight.”
I sighed. “What is it, Deyro?” I asked. “What is it we need to talk about so badly that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?”
He leaned back in the chair and looked at me. “Quint gave me a talking to tonight.”
“Yeah, he gave me one too,” I said. “So, what of it?”
“Do you really think I'm arrogant?”
“I've told you as much.”
“And you think I'm a showboat out in the field?”
“Again, I've told you as much.”
He leaned forward in the seat, an inscrutable expression on his face. “Do you respect me?”
I sighed and shook my head. The mighty Deyro, fishing for compliments. I had no idea what Quint had said to him, but whatever it was, it seemed to have shaken him to his core. Deyro wasn't one who asked for reassurance or a kind word to make himself feel better. He was confident. Cocky. He was somebody who seemed to enjoy having his ego stroked, but was full of himself enough to not really require it.
“I respect your abilities,” I said. “I respect you as a warrior. You have no equal that I've seen.”
He gave me a long, steady gaze. Unlike Quint, I didn't fear Deyro. I didn't feel the need to be deferential to him. And it was because I didn't view Deyro as my sup
erior. I didn't see him as anything but my equal. I knew he was in line to become a Warden, but even knowing that, I still didn't feel like he held power over me.
Unlike with Quint, I didn't feel the need to back down from his obvious challenge. I didn't feel the need to avert my gaze or cower before him. I felt strong. Confident. Powerful. And as Quint's words from earlier echoed through my mind, there was some small part of me that thought maybe, just maybe, I actually could beat Deyro in one-on-one combat.
The other voice in my mind – the voice of reality – quickly swooped in and squashed that thought though. Deyro was a Dragonborn Ranger. He had powers and abilities I could never dream of having. As well as the Children of the Dawn had trained me – and they'd trained me incredibly well – I would never be Dragonborn. And the idea that I could conquer a Dragonborn in single combat was ludicrous.
“Would you follow me though?” he asked. “If I were a Warden, would you follow my command?”
“I would have no choice,” I replied. “If you were Warden.”
“But not because you want to,” he said. “And not because you believe in me.”
I cocked my head and looked closely at him. Although his tone was still the same brash, cocky, and arrogant tone he always used, looking into his eyes, I saw something I'd never seen in Deyro before – uncertainty. Whatever Quint had said to him had clearly gotten under his skin. Had clearly rattled him. It was completely unexpected and I had to say – I was enjoying seeing Deyro squirm a little bit and have some doubts about himself.
He was always so cocky and sure about everything, that seeing the doubt flashing through his face was as enjoyable as it was unexpected.
Excuse me for being so petty as to enjoy a little Schadenfreude at his expense.
“I took a vow to serve the Warden of this city,” I said. “And I will fulfill my vow to the best of my ability.”
He nodded as if he'd heard what he needed to hear. Although, the look on his face said he clearly didn't like it.
“I'm tired, Deyro,” I said. “I want to get some sleep.”
I turned and walked back down the short hallway and into the kitchen. I fished a bottle of water out of my refrigerator, twisted off the top, and took a long swallow. When I turned around, Deyro was standing there. I hadn't even heard him come in behind me.
Taking the bottle from my hand, he finished off the bottle and set it down on the counter, his eyes never leaving mine. He closed the distance between us and pulled me to him, pressing our bodies together tightly. Leaning down, he kissed me and despite my weariness and desire for sleep, my body responded to him.
Deyro and I had been involved in a physical relationship for the last month or so. Nothing personal, nothing committed – just plain, unemotional, sex. We were there to scratch each other's itches when we got them. And the sex was amazing, I had to give Deyro credit for that. He may not have been much of a leader in the field, but in bed, he was fantastic.
Which was probably why my body was already reacting to him.
I leaned into his kiss, running my hands through his long, black hair. He pulled me even tighter to him and I could feel how hard he was for me already. Which only served to stoke the fire already burning down in the center of me.
Our tongues swirled and danced in my mouth and I reached down, stroking him through his pants. Deyro let out a small groan as I gripped him, squeezed him, and ran my hand up and down the length of him. With my other hand, I clawed at his rock-hard chest, feeling the ripple of muscle beneath the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
He slid his hands down my back, cupping my ass and squeezing it. A soft moan escaped my lips as he ground himself against me, his hard cock pressing against my belly. I pulled away from his kiss and looked him in the eye.
“I shouldn't be doing this,” I said, my voice a bit breathier than I would have liked. “I'm still pissed at you.”
A small roguish grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “And I'm still pissed at you,” he said. “So, what are we going to do about it?”
I pushed him back against the counter, standing on my tiptoes, and kissed him hard, forcing my tongue into his mouth. At the same time, I worked at the belt on his jeans, frustrated that I was having a hard time with it.
Deyro pulled my shirt and sports bra up over my head in one smooth motion, tossing them to the floor behind me. His mouth was on my breasts in an instant, his tongue swirling, his mouth nipping at my hard nipples. I pressed his face to my breasts, urging him to keep licking and sucking on them as I continued to work at his belt.
I finally managed to get his belt undone and quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Sliding my hand down inside of his pants, I took hold of his thick, firm cock. He gasped and bit my nipple a little harder than intended, drawing a small squeal from me.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
“It's fine.”
With his help, I got his shirt off of him and tossed it onto the growing pile of clothing on the floor. I ran my hands over his torso, quickly following it with my mouth. I slid the tip of my tongue across his toned, chiseled chest, swirling it around his nipples like he'd done to mine. His skin was warm, bordering on hot – the Dragonborn burned with an inner fire and their bodies, when aroused, grew warm to the touch.
As I kissed his chest, he slid his hands down the back of my yoga pants, his strong, rough hands cupping my ass, his fingers digging into my flesh. I grabbed his cock, squeezing it tight and gave it a vicious tug. He gasped as I stroked him harder, squeezed him tighter.
Looking into his eyes, a vicious little smile crossed my face. “I really am pissed at you.”
“That's fine,” he said. “We can use how pissed at each other we are as motivation.”
Deyro ripped the yoga pants off of me – as in literally tore them off of my body. The sound of the fabric tearing echoed around the small kitchen. I opened my mouth to protest, but he quickly kissed me, his tongue sliding into my mouth roughly.
He tossed my shredded pants aside and picked me up, setting me down on the counter. As he stepped forward, I parted my thighs to accommodate him. Deyro kissed my neck, nibbled on it as he slid two fingers inside of me. The fire between my thighs was burning out of control and I was already so wet, his fingers slid in without ease.
I moaned as he slid his fingers in and out of the warm, wet center of me. I threw my head back and called his name as he fingered me harder and faster. I grabbed his wrist and made him take his fingers out of me. I wanted to have him inside of me. Needed to have him inside of me. And nothing else was going to suffice.
I pulled him forward, wrapping my legs around his waist. Intuiting what I wanted – not that it took a rocket scientist to figure it out – Deyro guided his stiff cock to my opening. That small roguish grin touched his lips again as he thrust himself forward, slamming himself deep inside of me. I gasped as he filled me up.
He opened his mouth to say something, but I quickly put my finger to his lips. I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to hear his voice. All I wanted from him in that moment was for him to get me off.
Deyro gave me a lopsided grin and started to pump his hips, thrusting his cock deep inside of me. I squeezed him with my thighs and dug my fingers into his shoulders as he pounded me. He pumped his hips harder and faster, slamming himself into me again and again.
The sensations rolling through me were like electricity and my every nerve ending felt like it was on fire. The sound of flesh meeting flesh as our bodies slapped together filled the room, blending with our groans and moans that created a symphony of passion.
But underneath the passion, there was something more. There was an anger that seemed to energize our sex. Our movements were a little harder. A little more animalistic. I thrust myself back at him as he sheathed his cock inside of me harder. Faster. Everything just felt more primal. More – raw.
And it was hot. So damn hot.
I dug my fingernails into his back, drawing a hiss from him. But he pounded himself
into me even harder, drawing a long, loud cry from me. There was a dark look in his eyes – one I was sure matched my own. He was angry and he was taking it out on me. And I was perfectly fine with it. We were using each other to alleviate our frustration and anger and it was amazing.
I felt the pressure building up low inside of me. Like a wave out on the ocean, I felt it building up and building up. I knew I wasn't going to last much longer – and judging by his ragged breathing, frantic movements, and the tenseness in his body, I knew he wasn't going to either.
I slid my hands down and dug my nails into the flesh of his ass, pulling him toward me harder, encouraging him to move faster. He filled me up and stretched me open and I spread my thighs a little wider, taking every glorious inch of him into me.
I barely had time to prepare myself, but I realized it was happening a split-second before it did. My orgasm built to a crescendo and then came crashing down. Hard. My body spasmed and jerked as I came. I felt like I was on fire as waves of pleasure rippled through me. My body pulsing and tensing, I tightened up around Deyro's cock as he thrust himself deep one last time – and that was it for him.
He grunted and cried out as his body tightened. And then I felt him explode within me, his seed spurting deep and filling me up. We clung to one another as our bodies cooled and we finally managed to catch our breath. Deyro took a step back and smirked at me.
“Ready to shower?” he asked.
“That was great,” I said. “Now, get dressed and get out.”
A look of surprise crossed his face, but it was soon replaced by that roguish grin and he just shook his head as he got dressed. A couple of minutes later, he turned and headed for the front door without a word, clearly understanding that he'd been dismissed.
“And you owe me a new pair of yoga pants,” I called after him. “Those things don't grow on trees, you know!”
Chapter Five
It was a little after noon by the time I'd dragged myself out of bed, got cleaned up, and walked into the training house. I was a little stiff and sore from my session with Deyro last night, but it wasn't a bad feeling. In fact, I was feeling pretty good – better than I had in a little while.
No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5) Page 41