by Lisa Daniels
“Only a small bit. It’s like a shadow of events, and it can only be watched a few times before it is too faint to see. If he only plays it once, it may still be too faint to determine his guilt. That is why your father will be able to use the card. He just needs to press his thumb on my name and I will be notified. With that, I will set out to see him.”
“That seems….incredibly useful.” Kerensa looked at the shifter and marveled at a whole new world that she had never even heard of. And her dad was used to it. “But doesn’t that mean that you will have to drop everything and go to my father? You won’t even know when he will get the message.”
“Given everything he has done, I don’t mind,” there was a smile on Heath’s lips as he looked at Kerensa.
“What exactly has he done?”
Heath twisted his mouth and considered how to answer, “I really can’t go into everything. It is something that you should learn about from your dad. He had an interesting youth, which I am guessing you have not heard about, but his family forced him to settle down when he reached a certain age. He has remained incredibly active as many of us are willing to use whatever means required to stay in contact with him. We choose to go to him. Even when it is to help him, it is worth it. And in this case, it will be my pleasure.” He gave her a look, but Kerensa wasn’t quite sure what he meant.
With so many questions, the best she could manage was a short expression of surprise, “Wow, I had no idea. He was always amazing, but I had no idea.”
“Well, it certainly makes sense that he would want to let you have your own life.”
“He basically raised me.”
Heath tilted his head, his expression quizzical, “Didn’t you have a governess or something like that to take care of you?”
“Yes, but when I didn’t talk much, she assumed, like everyone else, that I was an idiot. When my father caught her procreating in my closet, he took over my care.” Heath’s eyes widened, but Kerensa kept talking, “When my mom finally decided to acknowledge my existence, he all but made it impossible for her to drag me into that life. With what you said, that makes more sense.”
Heath looked at her, his expression unfamiliar to her. “So you are the reason for what he’s been doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was quite bitter for a while, and he was unfocused, but then about 15 years ago he started to change. He had less time, but his advice was much more insightful. We had thought it was strange, and now I finally know the reason behind that particular mystery. It makes sense.”
Kerensa looked at the shifter and wondered how to respond. That was a lot of unexpected information, and she wasn’t sure exactly how the man in front of her felt about everything. Needing to get back on more familiar footing, she tried to bring the conversation back to where they had been. “So once Chadwick returns, my father will be able to call you to the home at any time?”
“Yes. I understand if it is a little awkward, so I will make sure you are not around to be uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean? Are you saying you plan to avoid me?”
The shifter frowned, “Is that not what you want?”
“What makes you think that I would want that?”
“Chadwick loves you.”
Kerensa stepped back, “What do you mean? He is just a loyal servant.”
Heath’s voice was soft as he said, “You underestimate his feelings for you.”
Kerensa laughed, “Don’t be foolish. He’s fine.”
Heath stepped up beside her and forced her to look at him, “He’s in love with you.”
Kerensa shook off the hand and looked up at Heath with her brow furrowed, “That is not true. Not even a little bit.”
“Have you not noticed how he looks at you?”
“He’s always looked at me that way! Even when we were small.”
“That does not surprise me. It is hard to change your heart when you truly love someone.”
“There is no way he loves me. I do not even know how many women he has been with. If he loved me, he wouldn’t be doing that.”
Heath shook his head, “He is doing it because he loves you. He doesn’t think he deserves you, and so he seeks comfort elsewhere.”
Kerensa shook her head, “Not possible.”
Heath put his hand under her chin. Despite feeling anger, Kerensa could not help but shiver at his touch, and again images went through her head.
The shifter spoke, “You don’t need to worry, he loves you. You are strong enough to stand up for what you want. Don’t be too afraid to fight for it now, not when you can be happy.
“What?” Kerensa looked up into the shifter’s beautiful eyes trying to figure out what he meant. He had been saying strange things ever since she had spoken to him as a dragon. After what had happened, it made even less sense that he was trying to tell her that Chadwick loved her. That wasn’t what she wanted at all.
“Think about it,” he replied. Suddenly he turned and moved to the door. There was sorrow in his eyes as he turned to look at her, “I have a few things to do, but I should be done by the time you finish. Be careful until I get back.”
Chapter 11
After the Snow Fall
Kerensa did not know how long he was gone, but she was beginning to get concerned about what had happened to Heath. Snow had started to fall outside, and it was now coming down faster than she had ever seen it before.
When the door opened, the young woman nearly sprang off of the bed, “I was so worried!”
Heath looked at her like she was a new species, “You were worried about an ice dragon in the snow?”
“Oh, well, you. I didn’t know where you went. You could have gone anywhere and done something reckless.”
“I think you are mistaking my actions with your own. I’ve never barreled into a situation without thinking.” Heath moved to the fire and began to put it out. “Speaking of thinking, have you made your decision?”
“What decision?” The young woman couldn’t keep up with the change in conversation as she was still stuck on Heath’s disappearance after trying to rush her.
Heath’s eyes were like the ice outside, lovely cold as they bore into hers, “About Chadwick. It is clear you still love him, no matter how much you try to convince yourself you don’t.”
“What?” Kerensa looked at the shifter like he was speaking another language. “I don’t understand.”
Heath sighed, then moved over to her just as he had done so many times before during their lessons. “You told me that story yesterday. After you two kissed. It is obvious you still love him, but you are trying to hide it from yourself because you don’t think it will work. And if something is impossible, you don’t think it is worth trying. But I am telling you that it is not impossible. You just need to open up and let yourself believe that everything will be alright. I can assure you that it will be. You have the brains to make it work, no matter the obstacles.”
“Where did you get this idea?” Kerensa could not follow the shifter’s train of thought. It explained some of what he had said earlier, but she had no idea what Heath was trying to do.
Heath sighed as if the entire thing was a pain, “When I first met you, I thought you wanted to be a man. It seemed obvious to me that you felt more like a man than a woman. You would not be the first woman whom I have encountered who felt that way. I tried to help and support you so that you could become the man I thought you wanted to be. After yesterday, I realized that you wanted to be more, to do more, so that you could find a way to be with Chadwick.”
Kerensa pressed her eyes closed and opened them, thinking that she would wake from a bizarre dream. “Is that why you insisted on calling me he and him, no matter who was around?”
Heath nodded.
“And now you are convinced that I am in love with Chadwick?”
Heath simply looked at the young woman.
Kerensa scratched her head trying to untangle her thoughts and feelings. “If
you believe that I am in love with Chadwick, why did last night happen?”
“You had so many words to convince yourself that love was not worth it. The physical aspect of love is critical for lovers to be together. You needed to learn about the beauty of being physical so that you would stop fighting it.”
Kerensa simply stared at him.
Heath watched her for a moment before continuing, “Of course, it is nothing like what it will be when you are with Chadwick next. It will just help you be comfortable and warm with him. I can assure you that if you take the same passion and desire into your next encounter-”
Kerensa cut him off, “I can’t!”
“See? You are already saying you can’t instead of trying.” He took her hand in his, “Promise me that you will try.”
“Absolutely not!’ She pulled her hand out of his, “I am not in love with Chadwick!”
Heath sighed, “Why do you keep denying it? You are only going to hurt yourself.”
Kerensa stood up quickly as she protested, “I am going to deny feelings I do not have.” Her leg hurt, causing her to stumble.
Before she knew it, Heath’s arms were around her keeping her from falling. He was stroking her hair, his voice melancholic, “Please. I need you to be happy.”
Kerensa gripped his arms, “I am happy.”
“Stop fighting what you feel. I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”
“I am not fighting my feelings, nor am I hurting. I am right where I want to be.”
Heath’s hand stopped moving.
Kerensa felt her hands tighten around the shifter’s arm as she asked, “Why does my happiness matter so much to you?”
The handsome shifter’s voice was almost too low to hear as he whispered, “Because I love you.”
Kerensa couldn’t help but laugh, “Then stop fighting what you are feeling.”
Her teacher pushed her out to arm’s length, “Why are you making fun of me?”
“I’m told it is what you do to the person you love.”
“What?” His expression was hopeful and fearful at the same time.
“I love you Heath. Almost since the moment you started talking to me. You have been everything I never thought possible in a living creature. You are kind and cool, affectionate and firm, intelligent and dear. I love you Heath. Even if you are a bit slow to-”
Kerensa was not allowed to finish talking as Heath’s arms pulled her into him and began to kiss her. A minute later as he pulled away from her, he murmured, “Enough words.”
Kerensa gave him a sly smile, “Please Heath.”
The shifter moaned and lifted her off the floor faster than she could have anticipated. By the time she was on the bed, all of her clothes had been removed. Heath’s mouth was near her ear, “Again.”
Kerensa smiled as she arched into him, “Please Heath. I want you. I want to be physically full of you.”
“Looks like I won’t have much to teach you when it comes to words. But what about actions.” He cupped her breast in his cool hand, and Kerensa responded automatically. As soon as her nipple began to harden in response to the cool, she felt his tongue gently playing with it.
“Oh gods!” She ran her hands through his hair as he began to cup her other breast.
“Try again,” Heath pulled his body away from hers.
“Please Heath. Oh gods, please!”
She felt him slide between her legs and penetrate her as he continued to play with her breast. Immediately her body tensed and she pulled him to her as she peaked.
“Again,” he said. Kerensa began to speak, but felt him plunge into her again. The only sounds she could manage were of pleasure as she peaked again.
Heath let up a little, playing with her body as she panted under him but as soon as she seemed to catch her breath, he ran his cool hands up her sides, causing her to shiver. As her body responded to his touch, he roughly thrust into her again. Each time was a slightly different experience, but after 15 minutes, Kerensa was sweating and panting as if she had just run several miles.
“I-oh gods-I” she arched up into him as Heath smiled down at her. He was intentionally distracting her from getting a thought out of her head. As she moaned and pressed her body into his, the shifter slid his arms under her shoulders. Putting his mouth near her ear, he whispered, “You have thought enough with words. Today I will teach you how to think with your body.”
“Yes! Yes!” She ran her fingers through his hair, and began to kiss his forehead. Kerensa kissed everything she could until he finally covered her mouth with his own.
She had no idea how much time had passed, but at some point Heath seemed to slow a little.
“Is the lesson over?” She asked, holding him to her. Though he was still inside of her, she could feel that he was a little softer than he had been.
“I think you will find that even I get tired after so many days of activity and worry.”
Kerensa tried to roll on top of Heath, but ended up sending both of them over the side of the bed. Reaching up she pulled a pillow down and placed it under his head. “Then I think it is time for me to advance to a slightly harder level of learning to think with my body.” She slid down, gently caressing him with her warmth and wetness. To her delight, he closed his eyes and moaned. Two more times and he was hard enough that she was able to easily slide him into her.
She looked down at him and watched his reactions to each of her movements. Leaning forward, she allowed her breast to be a few inches from his chest. Suddenly, he leaned forward and began to suck on one of them. The unexpected pleasure caused her to tense and press further into him.
Heath groaned and arced his back. Kerensa watched and felt the pleasure of him harden more inside of her. As he peaked, she repeatedly pulsed against him as she matched his tension.
Heath pulled her down and they kissed, even after both of their bodies had relaxed.
Without any warning, Heath stood and picked her up. Throwing her on the bed, he lay down on top of her, pushing her legs apart.
Kerensa began to protest, “I really-really don’t think I can-”
“Don’t worry. I can’t either. Right now.”
Gently he kissed her and let his hand roam over her body. It was arousing, but so soft that Kerensa was content to let him explore without pressing for more.
As he kissed her neck, she finally asked, “Don’t you have something you need to do?”
“I’m doing it.”
Running her hand through his hair, the young woman could not suppress a smile. “I mean you had a reason for being on the ship. Don’t you need to see it through.”
“I do, but they are not expecting me for weeks.”
“Weeks!” she exclaimed.
He stopped toying with her body and looked into her eyes, his showing concern and disappointment, “Does that not work for your schedule?”
For a brief moment, Kerensa had no idea what to say. Then her lips spread into a wide grin, “Well, I do have to let me family know that I am alright. How about a few days?”
Heath looked down at her with a sly smile, “I guess that will do for a start.”
With that, and to Kerensa’s surprise, he began to press into her again. With a grin on her face, she looked into his beautiful eyes, “I love you, Heath.” She continued to murmur his name as he threaded his fingers in her and held her arms above her head.
“I love you too, Kerensa.” They did not need any more words as their bodies merged.
The End
Noely’s Dragon
By: Lisa Daniels
Chapter 1
Chance Encounter
Noely placed her basket to the side and began fighting with her curly blonde hair, which had managed to come out of the tie much faster than usual. It really wasn’t a surprise given how far into the woods she had gone. The branches and twigs left little room for moving about, and even when it was tied back, her hair stuck out. Most women were too afraid to venture into the furthest part of
the forest behind the palace without assistance, but it wasn’t like the woman had much of a choice given her nature. At only 22, she felt an extreme sense of responsibility toward others and she had no fear of the woods. Since she knew this part of the forest well, she was able to use the safest paths to quickly collect everything she needed. In fact, she had finished locating the items required to complete the chore some time ago and had decided to just enjoy being away from the palace for a while. The problem was that she really didn’t want anyone back at the palace to know about the area, so she needed to come up with a plausible lie in case there were any questions about how she was able to find everything without incident. Lying was something she knew how to do, but it bothered her.
As an employee of the palace, in theory the people at her level didn’t have much choice in what they got to do. Noely had always been a little different, though. Of course, she did have a job working at the castle, but so far she had moved from the stables to the kitchen based on her own decisions. It was an improvement, although it was not exactly the kind of job where she was likely to make an adequate living, not unless she found someone who would help her open an inn. Suddenly the young woman was shaking her head, reminding herself that marriage really was not an option for her, even when she was ready to leave the palace. Noely knew perfectly well that she was good-looking enough to get a man. She was rarely the prettiest woman in any room, but there was a charm to her still youngish-looking face that caught more than one man’s eye. Her figure was nice as well. It was relatively evenly proportioned so that anyone who looked at her could tell that childbirth would not be a problem. The cumulative effect of her appearance was to leave a longing in the men who had seen her, but nothing so pronounced that they would pursue her relentlessly. This could likely be attributed to the fact that Noely was a bit odd for a woman.
The first hurdle for anyone who took an interest in her was the young woman’s lack of interest in progressing through the ranks of the palace. That meant the man would have to spend time going to the kitchens to see the young woman, something that few men who lived in or around the palace would do. Though her pleasing figure was obvious despite the unflattering dresses worn by the kitchen staff, it could have been highlighted by advancing to be one of the serving girls. The unflattering clothes were all part of being a woman in the kitchen – or anyone employed to work within the hot confines of the kitchen. The clothing was made for practicality, not appeal. When she was dressed for work, as she was at that moment, the outfit was entirely unflattering, but it still looked good on her. The women who served in the dining areas were dressed with a lot more attention to appearance, but Noely had turned down the offer to be a server on two separate occasions. While it certainly had a lot of promise, it was exactly the kind of promise that Noely never wanted. It was true that serving women got a lot of attention from men, but attention from men was not something that Noely sought. The ill will that some of the other kitchen staff had felt toward the young woman after she had turned it down soon dissipated as they realized that she had not changed. Of course, they thought there was something wrong with her, and the other young women shunned Noely when they didn’t need anything from her, but the foreigner had no reason to care what they thought. The young woman had refused to get involved with anyone because of her own personal situation and some very complicated concerns. As a result of her own circumstances, Noely had always made sure to stay away from any situation that would compromise her body. It had not been easy, particularly in the palace, but she had learned how to avoid the worst potential issues.