Almost as if he could read her thoughts, and didn’t want to leave either, Clint propped himself up on his elbow and smiled at her. “Want to watch another movie?” he asked.
Sunny hesitated. She hadn’t even cared about watching the first movie, so she wasn’t exactly excited about watching a second one. But she did like the idea of having Clint lie next to her for the next two hours. A quick glance at the clock, though, told her that a second movie wasn’t really an option. It was nearly midnight, and she needed to be well-rested for tomorrow. She couldn’t afford to be performing at anything less than one hundred percent of her magical abilities.
“I better not,” she said. “It’s late.”
Clint glanced at the clock, and he nodded somewhat sadly before reaching for the remote and hitting the power button. The blue glow from the television screen disappeared, replaced instead by the warmer light streaming in the window from the moon. Clint sat up and looked over at her, his face illuminated beautifully by that moonlight.
“Well, good night then,” he said.
“Good night,” Sunny said softly. Her heart had started pounding for some reason, and her breathing was growing rapid and unsteady. Instead of getting up to go to his own bed, though, Clint sat watching her, his eyes intense and searching. Sunny felt like she should say something else, but she had no idea what. What she really wanted to do was to beg him to kiss her again, but that seemed a little too desperate.
In the end, though, she didn’t have to ask him. After looking at her for several long moments, he finally let out a long, exasperated sigh, and said, “Damn it, I can’t help myself around you.”
Then he leaned in and put his lips on hers. Sunny gladly melted into his kiss. She knew she should resist. She should tell him that she needed to focus on her mission, and that this wasn’t a good time to start some sort of love affair. But was there ever a good time? If the last several years had taught Sunny anything, it was that you better grab the good things in life while you could. You never knew what tomorrow would bring.
She was pretty sure that Clint was a good thing, and she was grabbing on to this.
His touch was gentle but firm, authoritative but loving. He ran his hands down the side of her body while he let his tongue dance in her mouth. It had been too long since Sunny had felt the touch of a loving human. She had craved this, like a drowning person craves air. She hadn’t realized until this moment just how much she’d felt like she was drowning in life itself, being pulled under by the weight of too much fear, too much uncertainty, and too much responsibility.
Clint was pulling her up for air.
Her body responded to his touch, just like her heart. She could feel a tingling warmth spreading all through her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. She forgot about tomorrow, about counter spells, and about the Dark Warriors. She forgot about everything except the dragon in her bed.
A dragon! How had she of all people been lucky enough to win the attention of a dragon? She was always a little awkward around men, but for some reason she felt at ease around Clint. He calmed her. And if the way he was running his hands over her body right now was any indication, he also found her quite attractive. Sunny giggled at the thought. A dragon actually found her attractive. She never would have thought that would happen.
“What’s so funny?” Clint asked, pulling back to look at her. His eyes were more intense than she had ever seen them. They almost seemed to be swirling, like green lava.
“I just never thought a dragon would end up liking me,” Sunny said. “But, uh, you seem to like me quite a bit.”
“Quite a bit, yes. I’m about to show you how much.”
Clint let out a low growl and then reached for the hem of her shirt. He pulled it off, then pulled her pants off as well. He moved with authority, like a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t going to waste time getting it. Sunny felt a shiver of pleasure as he started pulling off her bra. It felt good to be wanted like that. She could feel the desire rushing through her body. The warm tingling sensation started in her core and seemed to explode like fireworks, spreading all the way to her fingertips and toes. She could feel herself growing wet between her legs as her body begged for more of Clint.
A little voice in the back of her head, somewhere in the rational part of her brain, tried to tell her that she was crazy. She hadn’t known Clint very long, after all. Was she really ready to sleep with him, because it looked like that was where this night was going. And even if she was ready, was it a good idea when they were on a work mission together? What if things got awkward between them?
But as the minutes passed by, and as Clint’s lips moved from her lips to her neck to her breasts, Sunny was finding it harder and harder to listen to any sort of rational thought. All she could think about was the fact that she wanted Clint. However ridiculous and rash this night might be, she wanted him. She wanted him inside of her.
He had fully taken off her clothes now, and he moved to take off his own clothes as well. He tugged off his shirt, his pajama pants, and finally, his underwear. His erection sprang free, long, stiff, and larger than anything Sunny had ever seen. She let out a soft moan, and felt a fresh wave of moisture between her legs. She wanted him so badly. She had never wanted anyone like she wanted Clint. It felt like a fire inside of her, a fire that would consume her if she didn’t give in to its power.
Clint seemed to feel the same. He let out a low growl, a primal sound of desire. And then he moved to hover over her.
“Sunny,” he whispered, his voice husky and thick.
“Clint,” she gasped. It was all she could say, but it was reassurance enough to him that she was on board with what they were doing. He closed his eyes, and slid into her.
Sunny closed her eyes too, even as her mouth flew open. He filled her perfectly, pushing against her inner walls in the most delightful way. His large dick reached deep into her, bringing heat and tingling pressure with it. Sunny moaned, and felt herself beginning to tremble. The cocktail of sensations she felt was almost too much to take. But damn, was it wonderful.
Clint let out another low growl, and then started to move his hips back and forth. Sunny could feel his hip bones pressing against her as he thrust in and out of her, and the feeling of his bare skin against hers gave her a fresh thrill. She kept her eyes closed as his movements intensified the sensations within her. She could feel everything building to a crescendo, but the moment it all came crashing into a release still took her off guard.
She threw back her head and screamed, thrashing beneath him as the waves of intense delight swept over her. Her body pulsed, clenching at Clint’s body inside of her. She felt his heat filling her, and she could smell his scent—a woodsy, fiery scent. He was burning for her, she knew. That was all she could think as the most wonderful pleasure she’d ever known continued to rock her body. Her trembling increased and she let herself just ride the waves. She never wanted this incredible feeling to end.
A few moments later, Clint joined her. He let out a long, loud roar, and then came into her. She could feel him stiffen as he let himself find the same pleasure she just had. His body did not tremble like hers, but Sunny opened her eyes for a moment and knew from the intense way he had scrunched up his face that he was feeling sensations just as strong as the sensations she was feeling.
As their bodies both slowly settled, Sunny let her eyes slide over Clint’s perfect, muscular form. The moonlight shimmered off his large biceps, which had a thin layer of perspiration on them from the exertion of lovemaking. His broad chest rose and fell with the deep breaths he took, his whole body gasping for air after what it had just experienced. Sunny knew the feeling. She herself felt completely spent, but in the best way possible.
Clint finally opened his eyes as he slid out of her. He smiled, and then settled beside her with a happy grunt, draping his arm over her torso. Sunny felt a deep warmth in her core, and she felt more at peace than she had even known was possible. For the moment, at least, she
was safe and content. She would enjoy this feeling while she could.
Who knew what tomorrow would bring?
Chapter Fourteen
Sunny’s sleep that night was deep and dreamless. She might have slept until noon of the next day if it hadn’t been for Clint gently shaking her awake early the next morning. A glance at the glowing display on the hotel room’s digital alarm clock told her it was just past seven o’clock. Groggily, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The smell of coffee and donuts filled the room and she glanced around hungrily. Clint was standing by the tiny hotel room desk, which now held two large to-go cups of coffee next to a giant box of donuts.
“I got us some breakfast. I know it’s not the healthiest of options, but I thought maybe you could use a little treat before the day ahead.”
The day ahead. The words brought reality crashing back down on Sunny, and she pulled her blanket up tighter around her body. She was still naked underneath it, but the happiness of the night before suddenly felt far away.
Today was the day she had to perform an ancient magic counter spell that she wasn’t quite sure she could pull off. Her stomach immediately started twisting up in nervous knots, and her anxiety must have shown on her face, because Clint came over to sit beside her on the bed. He reached for her hand with one of his hands, and used his other hand to push back a few stray strands of hair from her face.
“Hey, don’t worry so much, okay? Just do your best today. That’s all that matters. If things don’t go as planned, we’ll try again next time.”
Sunny could only nod. She was afraid if she tried to speak that her voice would come out in horrible nervous squawks.
“How do you take your coffee?” Clint asked as he brushed back another strand of hair. “I brought plenty of cream and sugar.”
“Just two creamers, please,” Sunny managed to say. Clint nodded and gave her an encouraging smile, then went to doctor up her coffee. Sunny got up and pulled on one of the hotel’s fluffy bathrobes, then went to peek at the donut box. Inside were way more donuts than she and Clint could hope to eat this morning. Despite everything, she had to laugh.
“It looks like you were trying to bring breakfast to a class of high school boys or something. How many dozens of donuts did you buy?”
Clint shrugged. “Hey, don’t underestimate how many donuts I can eat. I am a dragon, after all. But really, I just wanted to make sure you had options, so I bought a couple of each type.”
Sunny selected a jelly filled donut and went to sit on the edge of the bed with her donut and coffee. As the coffee washed away the last dregs of sleep, though, even the donut could not comfort her. The day ahead loomed too large. She looked over at Clint, wondering if he felt nervous, too. But he looked confident as he munched on his donut and peered out the window. How could he feel so calm?
He hadn’t said anything about last night, either. Sunny found herself suddenly nervous about that, too. Did he regret what they had done? Or had it just been a one-time moment of fun for him? Because Sunny knew, as she watched him now, that it had been much more than a one-time event for her. When she looked at him, her heart flip-flopped in new, funny ways. As crazy as it was, she felt like she loved him. Was it possible to fall in love so quickly? Sunny wasn’t sure. All she knew was that he made her so happy it hurt. And she didn’t think she’d be able to bear it if he didn’t feel the same way. She was scared to ask, but she had to know.
“Clint? About last night. I was just wondering…” she faltered unsure of quite how to word things.
He looked over at her and smiled, and her heart felt like it was literally melting in her chest.
“Last night was quite possibly the best night of my life,” he said. “I’d love to repeat that night over and over and over. I actually have a lot to say to you about the future, and about us. I hope that we can build a future together. But those conversations will have to wait, I think. The clock is starting to tick on when the Dark Warriors might attempt the disappearing spell.”
Sunny nodded. As much as she would have loved to spend the morning discussing her future with Clint, she knew he was right. They needed to be ready for the mission at hand. Sunny quickly wolfed down her donut and drank her coffee, feeling more awake, and more nervous, with every passing second. She took a quick shower and got dressed in a Torch Lake military uniform that the High Council had given her, even though she wasn’t technically military. She liked the uniform though. The black fabric was surprisingly soft and comfortable, and she loved the way the Torch Lake seal was embroidered into the left chest of the uniform in shimmering golden thread.
Clint dressed in a military uniform as well, and Sunny allowed herself to admire how handsome he looked all suited up. She didn’t say anything, though. They didn’t talk to each other much as they got ready, both of them lost in their thoughts about the day ahead. Sunny had taken a lot of tests in ancient magic while earning her master’s degree, but this was going to be the biggest test of her life. She must not fail. She would not fail!
At just past eight o’clock, Sunny cast an invisibility spell over herself and Clint, and the two of them started making their way toward the woods. Their plan was to get as close to the dragon shifter’s home as possible while staying under the cover of the trees. Clint would stand guard while Sunny did her best to watch for signs that the disappearance spell was being cast. If all went well, she would be able to sense when the spell started and then effectively deploy the counter spell.
If all didn’t go well…the consequences could range from merely another dragon disappearing all the way to that dragon being killed, or Clint and Sunny being killed. Clint was a strong dragon, and could defend against a lot. But there was no way to know how many enemy wizards and shifters they might be facing, or what other magic spells the Dark Warriors might have up their sleeves. Sunny did her best not to think too much about it while she sat with Clint and waited. And waited, and waited.
By midday, her nervousness was starting to fade into boredom. She wasn’t the kind of person who liked to sit still for long periods of time, and neither, it would seem, was Clint. He was pacing back and forth, occasionally snapping twigs or leaves off nearby trees, and asking Sunny every five minutes whether she’d felt any magic yet. Finally, Sunny couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why don’t you go get us some lunch or something?”
Clint looked at her with a horrified expression, as though she’d just suggested he sacrifice a child or something awful like that. “It’s way too dangerous. What if the Dark Warriors find you and attack while I’m gone.”
“I can take care of myself, honestly. I know quite a few ancient magic spells that are far better than your everyday, run-of-the-mill attack and shield spells.”
But Clint refused to leave. “The whole reason I’m here is to protect you. If I leave and something happens to you, I would never be able to live with myself.”
And so they waited. The day stretched into late afternoon, and Sunny could feel her stomach growling. The donuts from this morning had long since worn off, and neither of them had thought to actually bring lunch. They had both assumed, foolishly, that whatever the Dark Warriors were going to do would be done early in the day. Sunny had envisioned everything being neatly wrapped up in time for her and Clint to run into town and grab a burger before all the lunch specials ended. How silly that idea seemed now.
At some point, Clint was going to have to go get food. They couldn’t stay out here indefinitely without nourishment. Sunny got grumpier and grumpier as the day went on, and she became far less vigilant about searching for signs of magic in the air than she had been earlier in the day—so she almost missed it when it happened.
She was daydreaming about where things with Clint would go, and whether he might want her to move in with him someday, when the sound of a bird sneezing caught her ear. She sat up straight, instantly alert. Clint didn’t seem to notice, but Sunny knew that many birds reacted to ancient magic by sneezing uncontrollably. T
he forces that were required for many ancient magic spells irritated avian creatures, a fact that even first year students at the Academy of Ancient Magic had known well.
Sunny’s senses were instantly on high alert. She closed her eyes and tried to feel magical disturbances in the air. She couldn’t feel anything, which was strange. The bird still sneezed. Something was going on, but what? Sunny’s heart pounded in her chest. Was it possible she was just rusty and out of practice? She hadn’t needed to use her ancient magic abilities in quite some time. Maybe she wasn’t as skilled at feeling magic in the air as she used to be.
She didn’t want to do the counter spell too soon, making it ineffective. But doing it too late would be a waste, too. She had to time it right, but that was going to be hard to do if she couldn’t sense when the Dark Warriors were casting the spell.
The bird still sneezed. Sunny noticed, even with her eyes closed, that Clint had stopped pacing. His footsteps no longer crunched across the ground. He must have realized that she was concentrating, waiting for something to happen.
And then, something happened. A rush of magical force reverberated through the air, so strong that even Clint noticed it.
“What was that?” he asked, his voice tense. Sunny didn’t answer him. She was too busy holding her magic ring high in the air, shouting out the words to try to get the counter spell done in time.
“Magicae exsto! Magicae exsto!” she could feel her magical powers, pushing against the magical powers that were trying to make the dragon disappear. But she could tell that she wasn’t strong enough. No matter how much she concentrated, and no matter how many times she repeated the spell, the magic of the other wizard was stronger. It pushed back against her, overpowering her with such force that she could hardly believe what was happening. Sunny had only known one wizard who could perform magic at that level—Barnabas, her old mentor and the head of the Academy of Ancient Magic. But he would never have helped the Dark Warriors. He would have died before he used his powers to help anyone evil.
Dragon Protecting (Torch Lake Shifters Book 4) Page 8