Warrior Lover (Draconia Tales)

by Karilyn Bentley

  “Jamie, in front.” Thoren led, Enar bringing up the rear in his formidable duck walk.

  Jamie splashed by the others to stand in front of Thoren. Thoren worked his magic, forming a blue flame that danced in his palm, illuminating the dank walls of the tunnel. The light held steady for a moment and then flickered, growing brighter before returning to its normal flame.

  Since when did Thoren not manage a steady, burning flame? Oh, he forgot. Finding his mate and denying the find would do that to a Draconi male.

  “Best keep it down, Draconi. I have no desire to burn in this tunnel.” Enar chuckled, wondering when his friend would realize Keara was his mate. Thoren’s rock-steady flame-in-the-palm routine didn’t work too well when the red-haired apothecary touched him.

  And she seemed to touch Thoren a lot if the flickering flame was any indication.

  Lily touched him a lot too, her palm sweaty in his. Once they got out of this odorous place he would lay claim to her. He smiled, imaging her lush red lips locked around his shaft, suckling, drawing him deeper as she swallowed him down. Imagined making her peak from his touch.

  Concentrate on the task at hand, Enar. He reached down, adjusting himself. Duck walking was difficult enough without a stiff shaft in the way.

  He watched Lily’s pale hair glow in the dim light. She was the epitome of his race’s beauty, fair haired and fair skinned. Many Watchers had claimed blonde women, but none of those women possessed the pale skin his Lily did. His. He liked how it felt, knowing she belonged to him, knowing she depended upon him.

  Instead of being ridiculed, he would be praised for his choice of a woman. He would protect Lily, not allowing anyone to harm her. Unlike how the other Watchers treated their claims. Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed hard. Some things he couldn’t do no matter who laughed at him, no matter if his father never spoke another word to him.

  “Almost there,” Jamie said, rousing him out of his mind and back into their situation.

  “Goddess be praised,” Enar muttered. Torture time coming to an end.

  The tunnel burst open into the side of the town’s wall, the sewage stream falling over the edge into the river below. Thoren closed his hand, extinguishing the flame, before standing next to the opening. Enar felt the pulse of his friend’s magic as Thoren reached out with his senses, feeling up along the wall and out across the ground, checking for the presence of humans.

  “All clear. Enar, the bags are on the ridge where we first entered this valley. I’ll lead if you’ll guard the rear. They weren’t following us, but they might have figured out where we went,” Thoren said as he helped Keara step the few feet from the tunnel to the river.

  Enar followed him, jumping calf deep into the river, soaking his boots. Ruined. If the excrement from the sewers didn’t do them in, the drenching in the river would. Served him right for being so vain about his clothing.

  Enar turned, offering his hand to his woman, helping her the two feet she needed to step. Lily’s sweat-drenched hand grasped his tightly, refusing to let go. He stood a little taller knowing she must think him a capable leader.

  Funny what respect from a woman, albeit a claimed one, could do to a male.

  “Where are we going?” Lily touched his arm as they walked, a light touch, but one that nonetheless went straight to his groin.

  What was it about Lily that made him feel like a randy bull in a pen full of heifers? Every touch, every movement, every look his way and he felt as if he’d been sucker punched in the chest. Since when did he feel this way about a woman?

  Must be the claiming necklace. Yes, that was it. Somehow the magic in the necklace crept out and affected him.

  “Enar?”

  Had she asked a question? Think with the head on your shoulders, Enar.

  “As Thoren said, we’re camping in a clearing. We’ll stay there tonight and leave in the morning.”

  “I meant, where are we going to go tomorrow? Where are you taking me?”

  She didn’t really want to know the answer to that. “We will go to Draconia. To return Keara to her people.” There, no lies from him. Truth evasion, but no outright lies. Wasn’t he an outstanding reconnaissance specialist?

  “Who are her people?”

  “The Draconi.”

  “The Draconi? The ones you were telling me about earlier who left their children behind?”

  “They don’t all leave their children behind, only a few of the males.”

  “Ah. So Keara is one of those Halflings you were talking about?”

  “She is.”

  “So you were sent here to find her?”

  “No. The Council didn’t tell us about her. We were sent after a male Halfling.”

  “Oh. So what’s so special about these Halflings that you have to return them to Draconia?”

  “They possess magical powers. And the males have other abilities.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  “Male Draconi are shapeshifters.”

  “Shapeshifters?” Mouth gaping, she stopped, froze right up like prey to a predator.

  “Keep moving, woman. Yes, Thoren can change shapes.”

  She lengthened her strides to catch him. “Into what?”

  “A dragon.”

  “A dragon?” she squeaked.

  Enar raised a brow as he glanced down at Lily.

  “Really? So he can turn into a dragon? Can you?”

  He wished. Riding on Thoren in dragon form set his spirit free. To float above the clouds, wind racing through his hair, left him relaxed, calm. If only he had more moments like those.

  “Of course not. Do I look like a dragon?”

  “I have no idea what a dragon looks like. Thoren looks like a man.”

  “Dragons are big creatures. But they normally stay in human form.”

  She stared at Thoren for a couple of steps before turning back to Enar. “If you’re not Draconi, then what are you?”

  “A Watcher.”

  “A Watcher? What’s that?”

  “Woman, you talk too much. Hush, now.”

  Her glare felt like it pierced his skin. Her eyes narrowed, her nose shot upward and she strode forward to walk with Jamie.

  Did he hurt her feelings? He needed to remedy that. Son of a goat. What was he thinking?

  If anything happened to Lily, he’d pull a demented-dragon act and raze everything to the ground.

  He clearly had a problem if his claim affected him this way. Maybe it meant he needed to join with her. Perhaps his crazed thoughts about her would disappear after he took her.

  That had to be it. Because if taking her to his bedroll didn’t solve all those feelings pinging around inside his chest, he had a real problem.

  Chapter 5

  They arrived at the campsite as twilight approached. After a quick dinner using no fire, Thoren laid wards, the magic preventing anything non-magical from entering or leaving the campsite. Enar walked about the site with him, wishing, not for the first time, he had been born Draconi. What he wouldn’t give to be like Thoren, to use magic as effortlessly as most people breathed. Instead, he only possessed the weak magic of his mother.

  Something he hid well, considering Watchers weren’t supposed to possess magical abilities.

  Besides using a persuasive smile at Draconi females until they joined with him, he wasn’t sure what his middling magic could do.

  No sense wondering over the unknown. If the Goddess wanted him to know, then he would. Until then...

  His eye caught sight of Lily sitting on a downed tree trunk with Keara, holding her friend’s hand. His woman’s pink tongue licked over her lips as she watched him from hooded lids.

  And just like that his shaft strained at his laces, wanting to be free.

  Mighty inconvenient of Thoren to make him help lay wards when he could be spending time with his woman.

  “I heard that thought.” Thoren waved his hand over another stone, turning the rock into a ward.

  “What t
hought?”

  “Uh-huh. Don’t play all innocent with me.”

  “You know me better than that.”

  “You’re right, I do.”

  “You shouldn’t eavesdrop on me.”

  “Sorry. Sometimes you broadcast your thoughts.”

  “Sometimes?” How embarrassing.

  “On occasion.”

  “You mean besides when I’m mind-speaking to you?”

  “Yes.”

  Goddess’s toes. “Keep it to the mind-speaking. My thoughts are my own.”

  “I know. But sometimes I just can’t help it.”

  Sure you can’t. “So, how’s Keara?”

  Thoren shrugged and laid another ward. “How’s Lily?”

  “Glad to be away from the town.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Can you believe they have priests?”

  Thoren cocked an eyebrow. “Priests?”

  “Yes. No priestesses, just priests. No wonder the townsfolk were so backward. And they think anything out of the norm is evil. Good thing we’re taking the females away from here.”

  “You’re right. The sooner we can return to Draconia the better.” Thoren walked ten paces, picked up another rock and cast a ward spell over it.

  Enar glanced at Lily. His perfect woman. Given to him by the Goddess. He could never hurt Lily on purpose. Which was something he never understood about his father, or any other Watcher for that matter. How they could abuse their women was beyond him. His woman was a gift from the Goddess, how could he even think of hurting her?

  Bedding her, definitely, but hurting her, never.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Thoren finished laying wards. Enar breathed a sigh of relief as they walked to where Lily and Keara sat on the log.

  Lily raised her eyes to his, her face paler than normal. She licked her lips, her little pink tongue popping out as if to meet his shaft, and swallowed. A streak of lust shot through his body, ending between his legs.

  Oh yes, they would have some fun tonight.

  “Come, Lily. You will sleep with me.” He held out his hand, waiting as Lily straightened her shoulders, placing her small palm in his.

  Enar led her to his bedroll. He grabbed the invisibility blanket and motioned for Lily to lie down. Yanking the blanket over them, he lay beside her.

  “This blanket is see-through!” she whispered, holding her hand to it. “And it doesn’t touch my legs even though it’s lying on them. What is this?”

  “It’s an invisibility blanket. We can see out of it, but to anyone looking at us, we appear like a rock. Enough talking, woman. Tonight you have the privilege of knowing what it’s like to belong to a Watcher.”

  Her muscles contracted, arms stiffening at his words, her eyes shutting hard enough to wrinkle their corners.

  Nice words, Enar. Try not to scare her next time.

  Slow, he’d have to move slow, lest he frighten her too badly. He needed to ease her into her new life. Not scare her away.

  He kissed her nose, smiling as her lids flew open. “You enjoyed me earlier, you’ll enjoy it now. Just a little kiss here,” he pecked her cheek, “then here,” he pecked her other cheek, “and let’s not forget here.” Covering her lips with his, he kissed her, running his hand down her side until she relaxed against him.

  Trailing kisses down her neck, he lightly nipped her silky skin, pleased when she moaned. Too much clothing lay between his skin and hers, but if he ripped off their clothes the way he wanted, she’d probably freeze in fright. A frightened woman was the last thing he wanted in his bed.

  Why was he thinking like this? What was it about his claim that made him care how she felt?

  The why of it didn’t matter. Only the woman lying beside him mattered.

  Running his hand down her hip, he found the edge of her tunic and slipped his fingers underneath. Her breathing stopped the instant his hand touched the smooth skin of her belly, her body tensing. He gave a mental curse. How much slower could he go? Maybe he could distract her, overwhelm her with pleasure so she welcomed his hand on her hip. He had no choice but to kiss her, delving deep into her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers until she relaxed, her fingers curling into his shirt.

  Enar let his fingers roam, walking the ladder of her prominent ribs until he reached her breast. What he would give to see the color of her nipples, to see what his fingers felt. He imagined the color of pale pink roses covering her pebbly nubs. Tomorrow he’d have a look. For now he was content with the texture of her skin beneath his fingers.

  He drew small circles around the peak, lightly touching until he reached the tip. Lily moaned when he rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger, the sound vibrating across his lips. He broke the kiss, continuing to play with her nipple.

  Patience was never one of his virtues. “Take your tunic off, before I rip it.”

  ****

  Lily froze, all the pleasurable feelings zipping around her body coming to a complete halt at his words. Despite the dark, she saw lust ravaging his features, heard it in his voice. She had no doubt he would rip her tunic to get at her.

  In truth, part of her wanted him to.

  But the reality was, she didn’t have many clothes and losing one that way wasn’t worth it. A bit frightened, and yet tingling with excitement, she sat up, the blanket hovering around her as she removed her tunic. What was more bizarre, a hovering invisibility blanket or the fact Enar wanted her despite her coloring?

  Enar stared at her breasts, palming one, the calluses in his hand scraping against her swollen nipples, shooting tendrils of fire through her veins.

  “Exquisite.”

  He pushed gently against her shoulder and she laid spread below him, staring at his face as the moonlit shadows danced across it. Enar scared and excited her at the same time. Her belly knotted, blood pulsed through her veins, pounded in her chest. She knew the basics of this act, but not the specifics. Would he crush her? Would he care if he hurt her?

  He was being gentle. For the moment anyway.

  Lily looked into his eyes, into the blue pools, now black in the moonlight. Never in her wildest imaginings did she think her innocence would be lost to a stranger. Or to anyone for that matter. She figured she’d die with all parts intact. The priests, and all other men she knew, had never been interested in her body for anything other than ridding it of its spirit.

  What was he waiting for? Enar stared at her breasts, flicking a thumb across the nipples, his brows drawn together. She raised her head, glancing down. Had he found something wrong with her? Her gaze met his and she felt heat rise in her cheeks.

  “What color are they?” His voice rasped as his middle finger flicked across one of her nipples.

  “What?”

  The finger flicked again and she bit her lip to stifle the gasp. “What color are they?”

  She felt the heat explode in her face. How embarrassing. “Umm. Pink?”

  “Like a rose?”

  “Umm. Sure.”

  “I knew it. You are truly exquisite.” He glanced at her through hooded lids as his head lowered, his tongue reaching toward her nipple, then circling her bud before drawing it into his mouth.

  Embarrassment forgotten in the sensations, she closed her eyes, reveling in the pleasure that swept through her with each lick of his tongue, each swipe of his fingers. Arching her back, she held his head against her breasts as his tongue played with one peak and then the other.

  The rasp of his unshaven beard against her sensitive skin drew another shudder from her. The man was magic. Each stroke of his hand, each lick of his tongue brought her closer to begging him to crush her. She wanted it, she needed to feel his body press against hers.

  She wanted it until she felt him loosen the tie of her trousers and slip his hand inside, cupping her most private parts. Then the reality of the situation hit her like a pile of grain. She stiffened, shoving his hand away.

  Lily tried to roll away, but he threw a leg over both of
hers, holding her in place.

  “What is wrong, woman? You want me. My fingers are coated with your dew.”

  How mortifying! He’d felt the unusual wetness coating her woman parts and then remarked on it. She clasped a hand over her face.

  ****

  Enar stared at his woman, sexual heat throbbing against his veins. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her and the slickness his fingers felt meant she wanted the same. So why had she pushed him away? And now she lay with her hand hiding her face as if embarrassed. Why should she be embarrassed? Surely she’d been with a man before.

  Then he remembered the priest and the empty shelves in her store. The thinness of her ribs indicative of not enough to eat. The way he had to threaten the shopkeeper to return her paintbrushes.

  Maybe she had never known a man’s touch. Maybe he would be her first.

  Another one of those strange feelings causing an ache in his chest crashed into him. He rubbed his chest as he peered at her.

  “Lily, how many men have you joined with?”

  She put her other hand over her face and shook her head, giving him all the response he needed.

  His. She would only belong to him. His touch would be the only one she would know. What a responsibility. If he erred this time she might never welcome him to her bed. Totally unacceptable.

  He kissed her cheek, pulling her hand down. She closed her eyes against his gaze.

  “Lily, let me,” swive, no she might not like that word, what about, “pleasure you.”

  Her eyes flew open. “But, there’s something...wrong...with me...down there.”

  Enar thought about checking out what was wrong, he hadn’t felt anything out of the ordinary, but his hand hadn’t felt all there was to feel about her sweet core either. “Like what?”

  “It’s all, umm, well you felt it.”

  “Wet?”

  She put her hand over her face again, nodding.

  Enar snorted. “Woman, that’s supposed to happen. Means you want me to swi-um, pleasure you.”

  Lily dropped her hand, staring at him. “Seriously?”

  “Didn’t you enjoy my touches?”