Unquiet Slumber

by Paulette Miller

  Tianna remembered the discussion she had with Gabriel about Draak customs. Her cheeks became warm, and she decided that she wasn’t ready for that conversation with Nathaniel.

  Tianna put both hands on his leg and squeezed. She was touched by his trust in her. “I’m glad that you’ve confided in me, but I must ask, why are you telling me and why now? You’re a very attractive and unmated Draak. What you do in private is none of my business.”

  He cleared his throat. “What you think of me is extremely important. My heart aches when I see the look in your eyes as I walk away with someone in my arms. In Willow, the feeling was so strong I couldn’t lay with another without seeing your face. And then when you kissed me...” He trembled at the memory. He placed his hands gently on both sides of her face and said, “I never want this face looking at me in disgust ever again. I want this face to look at me the way other women’s do. The way you did when we kissed.”

  He knew what she might be thinking so he quickly added, “My mind powers, for some reason, don’t work on you so if you’re going to look at me with desire, you have to do it all on your own.”

  At his touch, Tianna’s heart skipped a beat and she swallowed hard. Was he telling her that he actually wanted her? An inner voice urged her to kiss him senseless.

  Nathaniel could see the look he wanted to see starting to appear on her face. “That’s the look I want.” He pulled her toward him and kissed her gently on the lips.

  As their lips touched, her mind swirled and she broke away from the kiss. Part of her mind yelled its approval and filled her thoughts with urges that made her want to blush. But another, deeper part of her mind, couldn’t believe that a male, any male, truly wanted her. Maybe this was all a trick and he was just toying with her affections.

  Nathaniel could sense her inner conflict. “What’s wrong?”

  She hung her head. “I’m having a hard time believing you.”

  Nathaniel quickly replied, “I swear to you, what I’ve told you about my need to touch is real.”

  She shook her head. “I believe that part. I can sense you’re telling me the truth.”

  Nathaniel was confused. “Then what part don’t you believe?”

  She sighed and decided to tell him the truth. “I don’t believe that you truly want me. No one has ever wanted me that way.”

  Nathaniel’s jaw dropped at her words. Her response took him completely by surprise. How could this beautiful female still think males didn’t want her? How could she think he didn’t want her? He lifted her chin so he could look at her face. ‘I’m not a human man from your village. You must trust me when I tell you that I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any other. Your kiss proved that to me. I’ve had to fight the urge to take you into my arms, but I can no longer contain my feelings. I want you by my side.”

  Tianna said, “I want to believe but…” She started to pull her face away from his hand. Nathaniel could feel her doubt like a bad taste in his mouth. He decided the only way he was going to convince her was to show her how he felt. He took her face back into his hands and held on tight so she couldn’t squirm away. He leaned in and kissed her. First the kiss was gentle but quickly grew in passion.

  Tianna thought of making him stop but when his tongue touched hers, she tasted him and all hesitation left her. She began to kiss him back as hard as he was kissing her. She could sense his honest desire for her.

  Without breaking the kiss, a voice in her mind guided her and she crawled onto his lap with her legs straddling his body. Their kiss became even more intense as she put her hands on either side of his face and began to practice what she had learned from Gabriel. Nathaniel moaned and pulled her body tighter against his chest. He decided at that moment that he was going to just sit there and kiss Tianna for the rest of his life.

  When she felt his desires flare, she broke away from their kiss, unsure what to do next. She felt so young and naive. Since he had been open with her, she wanted to be just as honest with him. “There’s something you must know before we go any further.” She squared her shoulders and said, “When we first met and I talked about how to attract a man, I wasn’t speaking from personal experience. I’ve absolutely no experience with men. I’ve been on only one date in my life and that was when I was very young and that ended in disaster. Gabriel was my first real kiss and, until meeting all of you, I had never even been held in a warm embrace. Any comments I’ve made about relationships is strictly from what I’ve observed. I long to be in a real relationship but I’m nervous. You have so much experience… maybe you would be better off with someone more knowledgeable. I don’t want you to be disappointed.” She averted her eyes as her admitted inexperience made her cheeks flush.

  He turned her face so she was looking at him again and smiled. “Disappointed in you? Not possible. You make me feel things that I’ve never felt before. I won’t lie to you. I have been with a lot of women but, like you, I’ve never been in a real relationship. I’ve been afraid to let anyone near my heart. Now I can’t imagine a day going by without you at my side. I’m not exactly sure how to do this either, so I guess we’ll have to figure this out together.”

  He caressed her cheek. “If I’m to be disappointed in anyone, it would be with myself. Seth gets to be the first male to play in and braid your hair. Then Gabriel gets to be your first real adult kiss. I’m such a fool. Both of those firsts could’ve been with me.”

  She said with hope in her eyes, “There are other firsts in my future. Will you teach me?”

  “Put your trust in me. Although, given how you just kissed me, you require no lessons. You’re a natural talent.” He took her into another embrace, wrapping his arms around her tight.

  She relaxed into his kiss and let her instincts guide her. As their kiss became more passionate, her inner voice pushed back her inhibitions and she welcomed the new sensations now flowing through her body. She pressed him back onto the ground and began practicing more advanced lessons.

  He sensed Tianna was losing control. He needed her to know that his feelings for her were genuine and he wanted his relationship with her to be different than what he had with any others. He knew he couldn’t take her body and just walk away. It required him to move forward slowly.

  He forced them to sit back up and he held her body back while he explained. “Wait a minute Tianna. I want something to be very clear. I do have strong feelings for you and my body aches for you, but I won’t act on this need. I know that being physically intimate with you means I must make a commitment on my part. I’d have it no other way. As you have admitted, you have no experience in the ways of males and mating. You need time to learn about yourself and the magical world. You need to explore what’s right for you and that includes what male you want in your arms. It may drive me insane, but let’s take our time.”

  His dragon growled at him. Tianna was his and he wouldn’t allow another male to possess her. Nathaniel had to concentrate hard to calm him. All of his life he had manipulated situations to get females into his arms. For once in his life, he was going to put a female’s needs before his. He refused to try to coerce Tianna into a physical relationship before she was ready. He wanted her to come into his arms because she was absolutely sure it was right for her.

  He shifted his body again and put his hand on his mark. “I promise that you and we won’t share bodies fully until we know without a doubt that it’s right for both of us.” His eyes flashed to bind the oath.

  She knew he had just given her an unbreakable Draak oath. That showed just how seriously he meant what he was saying, but she still couldn’t stop a look of disappointment from appearing on her face. “I may lack experience but I’m not a child. I want to embrace an adult life.”

  Nathaniel caressed her cheek. “I, more than anyone, know that you’re no child. You’re going to find that you’ll be perceived much differently in the magical world.”

  Tianna stared at him like he was crazy. Except for her Draak companions, no one w
as going to look twice at her unless they were running away in fear. Soon he would see that she was right.

  Based on the look on Tianna’s face, he knew that she didn’t believe him. He shook his head in disbelief and said, “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.” Soon she would see that he was right.

  Tianna smiled. “I like the idea of you watching over me.” She pulled his arms back around her waist so he could hold her tighter. “May I still practice my kissing lessons with you?” She gave him an innocent smile.

  Nathaniel growled. “Oh yes. Lessons are required every day. Several times a day in fact.” He flipped her over so she was on the ground with him hovering above her. He bent down and they practiced for a very long time. He found her kissing exceptional. She incorporated her whole body, not just her lips and tongue. She also seemed to anticipate his every desire, knowing what he wanted, when, and giving it to him.

  Her taste and scent was making him dizzy and he tingled wherever she touched his skin. The feeling was similar to when he used the touch. He figured this was her Faye nature and his inner dragon roared his approval.

  After Tianna thought that her lips were actually becoming bruised, she broke away and gave him a serious look, “Can you use me to regain your energy?”

  “Yes.” He responded while kissing her neck.

  Tianna wiggled under him and sighed. “You won’t use other females except in emergencies?”

  “Only in emergencies,” he said as he moved his kisses to the other side of her neck.

  “Good,” she replied softly.

  He started to nibble at her skin and he felt the vibrations of a purr start in her chest.

  Tianna wrapped her legs tight around his waist and pulled him into her, arching her body and giving out a quiet moan. The sounds she made drove his body crazy. To Nathaniel, the scariest thing about her actions was that she had no idea that she had such an impact on males, especially on him.

  He knew they were going to have to stop what they were doing if he was going to maintain control of his dragon and keep his oath. He lifted his head and kissed her on her nose. “My Sweet. We had better head back to the camp. Your body is driving me to the edge of my sanity.”

  Her pulse was up and she was breathing hard. She didn’t want to stop even though she knew he was right. She pulled him down and kissed him one last time before letting him rise.

  He started to step away when she grabbed his arm and he turned to look at her. She asked, “Can you show me how you draw energy from someone else?” She quickly added, “Without us getting naked of course.” Her cheeks turned pink.

  He reached up to feel the heat on her cheeks and his mind wondered what her other body parts felt like when they heated up. He shook the images out of his mind and tried to remember what her question was. “Actually, I draw energy from you every time we touch. I’ve tried to be discrete so you wouldn’t notice. You may feel it like a slight tingling sensation.”

  She had felt this many times from him, but she also felt it whenever she touched any of the other Draaks. Her mind pondered on the reasons why.

  Nathaniel smiled down at her. “Let me show you how it feels when I do it in earnest.” He opened his shirt so his chest lay bare. He gently grabbed one of her wrists, willed his fire to come to his raised hand, and then pressed it onto the palm of Tianna’s hand. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

  The feeling was unlike anything Tianna had ever felt, warmth passing quickly throughout her body. She could feel some hidden part of her move into him and she loved the feeling. He took the palm of her hand and placed it on his chest near his heart and held it here. His chest was now on fire.

  Tianna threw her head back and let out a small cry of pleasure. Nathaniel had to catch her so she didn’t fall. The sensation was overwhelming, but she never wanted it to stop. She concentrated hard on their connection and Nathaniel was the one to moan. His body was tingling just as much as Tianna’s.

  Nathaniel took her hand away from his chest and held her for a few minutes until they were both back in their own minds again.

  “Amazing,” was all Tianna was able to say. She was swaying so Nathaniel continued to hold her tight.

  After Tianna was again steady on her feet, they walked quietly hand-in-hand back to the camp. Tianna broke the silence by saying, “You know you must confide in your brothers. They need to know. We can have no secrets between us. They also need to know why we’ll be touching more often.”

  She stopped abruptly and turned toward Nathaniel. “We will be touching more often, right?” she asked with hope in her eyes.

  “Oh yes.” He pulled her toward him and put his arm over her shoulder. “And, yes. It’s time for me to share my secret with my brothers.” He kissed her on the top of her head.

  When everyone returned from their trip to the village, Nathaniel wasted no time. He sat them all down and told them of his need for touch and his feelings for Tianna.

  They were all very surprised but supportive. Seth was disappointed as he had raised Nathaniel up to god level when it came to his prowess with the ladies. It was good to know that Nathaniel wasn’t as good as he had imagined. It gave Seth hope for himself.

  Tianna stepped forward. “Since Nathaniel is being totally honest, I need to tell you all something as well. Actually, I need to show you something.” She held out her hand so it was suspended in the air. She willed her healing fire and her hand began to glow with blue flames.

  Everyone gasped and jumped to their feet. Nathaniel walked over and took her hand and accepted her flame. He closed his eyes as he felt warmth shoot throughout his body. When he opened his eyes again he asked, “When did this power surface?”

  “I’ve had this power since I was very young. When Zarin told you the story of the white haired man, he left out the part of how exactly I started his hair on fire. It was blue fire. I just wasn’t very good at controlling it at that age. My skills have steadily improved ever since. Healing with fire is one of my best skills.”

  Seth was confused. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? It shows that you ‘re part Healer Sett.”

  “At first I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to think I was any odder than you already knew. I didn’t know about Healer Setts. Then after I watched Nathaniel using the fire, I guess I was afraid to admit that I really was part Draak. It’s just so hard for me to believe.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “You need to tell us about all of your surfacing powers. We’re here to help you learn to use them. You can’t let us be surprised when you use them unexpectedly. Things could go very wrong.”

  Tianna shifted nervously. She had something else she wanted to say. “I guess then I should tell you that I’m more like Nathaniel than just the ability to wield blue fire. I do believe I share his need for the touch. I really didn’t grasp this until Nathaniel shared his need with me today. I realized that I was doing the same thing. Every time I touch any of you, I also gain energy from that connection. It’s the tingling feeling you’ve all mentioned when I touch your skin. I think it was being near all of you that caused it to fully surface. I now know for sure that it’s a part of me and I can’t live without it.”

  Marcus took Tianna’s hands in his. “Thank you for telling us.”

  Seth also came forward and gave Tianna a big smile. “You can touch me any time you want.” He winked at her.

  Nathaniel growled and pulled Tianna to him. “I think I’ve taught you too well, my young Draak.”

  Tianna leaned into Nathaniel, loving the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, and she prayed that she wasn’t dreaming.

  Later, Tianna pulled Gabriel to the side so they could speak privately. Gabriel had never tried to hide his feelings for her so she wanted to be just as honest with him. “I want you to know that I care for you deeply, but I need to pursue my feeling for Nathaniel. There is something between us that I don’t quite understand but I want to explore.”

  “I won’t lie and tell
you that I’m not disappointed that its Nathaniel and not I in your arms, but I do understand. The heat generated between the two of you makes it painfully obvious that you have a strong physical connection. It’s right that you pursue these feelings.”

  “No matter what happens between Nathaniel and me, you’ll always have a special place in my history book. You taught me how to kiss. I’ll always cherish that you were my first adult kiss.”

  His eyes flashed as his mind replayed the memory of the touch of her lips on his. “Trust me. The pleasure was all mine.” He kissed her on the forehead and ended their conversation with, “Even if you and Nathaniel are together, know that I’ll always be here for you whenever you need me.”