“Draconi live for five hundred years?” She would live that long?
“Around about there, yes. Because we live so long we don’t usually have many offspring.”
Five hundred years? Keara’s mind stuttered trying to think of that many years. Might as well give the poor brain a break and ask what will happen to Lily.
“I’m sorry. That’s going to take me some time to get used to. Five hundred years? Back to Lily. Why did Enar claim her? What’s going to become of her?”
“I don’t know. Enar won’t hurt her, he’s my best friend and I know he loves females almost as much as he loves a good fight, but although I know Watchers claim women, I have never seen a claimed woman and Enar changes the topic every time I go near it. There’s a lot about Watchers I don’t know.”
Judging by the hard set of his lips, there was a lot about Watchers he knew and didn’t care to tell her. Hopefully his lack of knowledge didn’t bode ill for her friend.
Back to more questions. If she filled her head full of new information, she wouldn’t have to dwell on whether or not the Draconi would accept her.
“And the what-did-you-call-it ceremony?”
“Unlocking?”
“Yes, that one. What’s that?”
“All female Draconi have limited powers until they reach puberty. After puberty, they undergo a ceremony to unlock their powers. You must have strong powers because you can see through the invisibility blanket with your powers locked.”
“And that’s good?”
“Oh, yes. That’s very good. Females usually have the strongest powers, but the males change into dragons.”
“Dragons?” Big scary mythical creatures? That was what he shape-shifted into? Until his hand clamped on her forearm, she hadn’t realized she’d scooted backward.
“Like the shape of your mark. Don’t be frightened.”
Relaxation coursed through her veins. Why was she backing away from Thoren? She should be trying to get closer to him, to join with him as one being, to become his.
What on earth was she thinking?
“You’re casting a spell on me.”
A hint of white gleamed as he smiled. “No spell. Just my touch.”
“It puts me at a disadvantage because whenever you touch me I want to do whatever you want me to.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” His grin widened, showing even white teeth, but he stopped touching her.
Keara blushed, thinking about what she’d like to do with him. About how she wanted to start with kissing his lips, then work her way down his body, licking and stroking every inch. But she felt that way only because he touched her. Wait, he wasn’t touching her now and she still wanted him, wanted his touch.
Talk, Keara, talk.
“Uh-huh. What’s your home like?”
“That will take all night to describe. Suffice it to say, you’ll fit in fine. There are other Halflings like you...”
“How do you know I’m a Halfling?”
“Draconi have green eyes. We look for green eyes coupled with red hair since all Halflings have red hair. Well, almost all, very rarely there’s one that doesn’t. It hasn’t happened in some time, but the last time a Halfling didn’t have red hair, they had incredible powers.”
“What happened to him?”
“It was a female and it’s a long story. We need to go to sleep.”
“Oh. So Halflings like me are common?”
His face tensed. “Lately they are.”
“And this makes you unhappy?” Did he resent her?
“No, no. It’s complicated. But it has nothing to do with you. Don’t worry. You’ll be welcomed in Draconia. Draconi are friendly to those with Draconi blood. Enough talking. You should try to get some sleep. We’ll be leaving at first light and it’s a long journey.”
“How long?”
“About two weeks.”
Ouch. Her feet already hurt and they hadn’t even started walking.
“All right. Good night.”
She rolled over into her original position, turning her back to him. Luck walked with her. He didn’t want to bed her. But if she was so lucky, why did she feel so disappointed?
****
Thoren watched Keara’s ribs rise and fall with her breathing. He doubted she slept as her body still held tension. How difficult this must be for her. Learning who she was, discovering an entirely different race she never knew existed. He could tell it made her nervous, all the new discoveries, but she possessed a bravery he admired.
Glints of moonlight sparked red rubies in her hair. One hand hovered over her head, wanting to touch, wanting to comfort. Thoren yanked his hand back. What was it about Keara that made him want to touch her? Made his blood thrum when she smiled? Laying this close to her, his body demanded he touch her, turn her toward him, stake his claim on her.
He stuck one hand between his knees. Maybe the knee crunch would stop him from grabbing Keara.
What in the name of the Goddess was wrong with him?
Unfortunately, he suspected he knew. But if he took her for his mate, he’d have to stop his work, the work that gave him a purpose. And where would that leave him? Without a job, sitting around mindlessly watching his female and wishing he was out spying in another land.
Time was on his side. Only one female existed per male. Only one. And if fate decreed Keara his, and he wasn’t completely sure it did, then she wouldn’t find a mate until he was ready to quit his job.
He gritted his teeth as his imagination saw other males touching her, covering her with their bodies. Steam leaked out his ears and he rolled onto his back, hands pressed against his ears.
“Are you all right?” Keara mumbled, starting to turn over.
No. “I’m fine. I have a hard time falling asleep.” When I’m in pain from wanting you.
She rolled back onto her side, facing away from him. Praise the Goddess. If she had continued rolling over, he might have acted on instinct. He moved onto his side, facing away from Keara’s back. Maybe that position would help.
Or not. Only one thing would help his below-the-belt ache and it wasn’t staring at tree branches. Think about pain, catching your finger in a door, getting into a fight.
He cursed. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 6
“Thoren!” Enar’s bellow woke Thoren with a start.
Blinking his eyes for good measure, he stretched before throwing the blanket off. The rising sun meant he had somehow managed to fall asleep the night before. Shame he didn’t feel like he’d slept. Being in proximity to Keara fired his blood.
But, outside of whatever caused Enar to bellow like a bull in heat, today would be better than how he felt lying next to her last night, burning with desire. If he repeated those words long enough, they would come true. Keara rolled over and stared out of sleep-swollen eyes, a puzzled look on her face as she glanced between him and Enar.
So much for high ambitions. One look and he turned into a simpering idiot.
So stop looking.
Pushing himself to a sitting position, he glared at Enar. “What is worth bellowing about this early in the morning?”
“The lad is missing.”
“Missing? Are you sure?” Thoren hopped to his feet and immediately wished he hadn’t. He didn’t need to glance down to see the cause of Enar’s grin.
Hopefully Keara wouldn’t notice.
At least Enar refrained from being a wit.
“Yes. He’s nowhere in the warded area.”
“I saw him head that way.” Keara pointed toward the woods. “It looked like he needed to relieve himself.”
How could a non-magical child get over there? The wards were at least six feet from the woods.
“Are you sure?”
Keara huffed. “I know what I saw and he walked over there.” She pointed again at the woods, head tilted, eyes glaring at him.
Then that would mean...
Cursing, Thoren mentally smacked himse
lf on the head. Why hadn’t he seen what Jamie was? What kind of a reconnaissance expert can’t tell when his prey is sitting under his nose?
Because he looked for red hair and green eyes, not brown locks and gray peepers.
His first mistake. The number one rule of reconnaissance was things were not always as they appeared. That rule saved him on many occasions. And then he obviously forgot all about it once he saw Keara.
“Goddess’s teeth.”
“That about sums it up,” Enar said.
“We have to go after him, you know.”
“Of course. Pretty amazing, no red hair. That’s awfully rare, right?”
“You have no idea.”
The last time a Draconi Halfling had brown hair her powers had been greater than those of the High Priestess, or so the stories said. No other Halfling had been found with brown hair since.
Until now.
Goddess’s teeth.
“Can you walk through the wards?” Thoren gestured to Lily. Maybe she possessed some powers too. Oddities seemed to abound in this village in the middle of nowhere.
Lily came to a halt when she started to cross the ward line. She put her hands up, feeling the invisible wall, before turning to him with her mouth gaped, eyes wide.
“It’s a solid wall! Amazing!”
Praise the Goddess. Something went right. Only magical beings could walk through wards.
“How long have you known Jamie?” Thoren ignored Lily, who continued to run her hands over the “wall,” and focused on Keara.
“Three months. He’s going to be all right, isn’t he?”
“Where did you find him?”
“The woods outside the town. I told you he said his parents were dead and I claimed him. Shouldn’t we be out looking for him?”
“Does he have any...special abilities?”
“Special abilities?” Keara tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow at Thoren.
“Like yours. He’s the Halfling we’ve been looking for.”
“Are you sure?” Keara stared wide-eyed at Thoren.
“There is no other explanation for how he got through the wards. Only Draconi can get through wards. Notice how Lily was stopped by them?”
“But Jamie? He’s just a boy. And he’s lost. You need to do something about that.”
“We’re going. Don’t worry. You and Lily stay put.”
“No! I’m going with you. He’s my apprentice.”
“Simon could get his hands on you again, so you’re staying here and that’s that.”
Keara crossed her arms, eyes narrowed, steam curling from her ears. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt and you won’t get hurt if you stay inside the wards.”
Two heartbeats and her glare narrowed. “Fine. Just bring him back.”
“We plan on it. Stay here.”
She nodded, lips pressed together.
They found missing Halflings for a living. It shouldn’t take long to track down one small boy.
An hour or so later it became obvious that finding Jamie was harder than he imagined. Despite searching the clump of bushes Keara directed them to, they found no signs of the boy.
A vague scent, similar to the one Thoren had smelled about the town, led a trail away from the campsite. Why would Jamie wander away from safety? Probably for the same reason he and Enar got into trouble as children. Things needed exploring. Although what in the name of the Goddess needed exploring in the middle of the night in hostile territory, he didn’t know.
Thoren started walking in the direction of Jamie’s scent, head up, sniffing the air. Enar walked in front of him, staring at the ground, looking for tracks. So much for getting an early start home. The day was rapidly heading downhill. Jamie’s scent led back to town. The lad either forgot something or was captured. Just his luck. Draconi boys were trouble.
He should know.
“Look at this.” Enar pointed to the ground.
“What?” Thoren walked to where Enar stood, looking at a patch of grass.
“It’s trampled. Jamie’s tracks lead here, where they are joined by several others. Then his tracks disappear and the larger ones move off in that direction.” Enar pointed toward the town.
Thoren looked at the trampled grass, barely making out what Enar described. Good thing he used his nose to track. Enar, though, confirmed what Thoren scented, Jamie’s trail led back to the town.
“Draconi boys are too curious for their own good.”
“And they get their friends in trouble too. I remember.” Enar laughed.
“We’ll use the invisibility balls...”
“No. I can’t fight holding one of those things. Cast a spell, sorcerer.”
“Good point.” Thoren chuckled at the mental image of Enar trying to wave a sword while holding the invisibility ball. Funny, but not the most effective way of fighting. “I’ll cast a spell rendering us invisible, we’ll sneak into the town, grab Jamie and hightail it out.”
“Sounds like a plan. Then you can get back to your female and continue what you started this morning.”
“She’s not my female and nothing was started. Things are always ready for action in the morning.”
“Mmph. Especially with a pretty female around.”
Thoren’s lip peeled off his teeth and for the second time in his life, he snarled at his friend. He really needed to get in control of these emotions. Enar paid Keara a compliment, there was absolutely no reason to stake a claim on her.
So why was his lip still up around his cheekbone?
Enar stood, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised.
“Sorry. I seem to be a little upset right now. Maybe you have a clue why?”
Enar snorted. “I’ve yet to meet a Draconi who could fight the mating once he found his female.”
“She’s not my female.” Or was she?
“Whatever, fool.” Enar smacked him on the arm. “Let’s go get the lad. I’d rather see my woman instead of chasing after imps.”
****
Keara paced from one end of the warded ground to the other, ignoring Lily who sat against a tree, wrapped in a blanket. Thoren had pointed out where the ward-lines stood, telling her to stay inside them so that she would be safe from harm. For the past hour she had done just that, not daring to step outside the lines for fear of what might happen. But now her fear for Jamie overruled her fear for her own safety. She shouldn’t be at the campsite, pacing uselessly, while Jamie was lost and alone. She should be out trying to find him.
She marched back to Lily, determined to find Jamie on her own.
Lily poked her head out from the blanket, eyes wide. “Don’t even think about leaving me here alone.”
“You have the blanket. No one can see you. Jamie needs me. The men don’t know their way around these woods. What if they get lost?”
“They won’t get lost. You on the other hand...”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I grew up around here. Grandmother used to take me to these woods for herbs.” Once, when she was little, but still. “I’m going to find Jamie. He needs me.”
“And I don’t?”
“You have the blanket. And you’re sitting in the wards. Jamie’s by himself in the woods. What if something happened to him? I can’t leave him alone out there!” Keara gestured to the woods.
“Are you sure nothing can get to me?”
“Thoren said nothing non-Draconi can get through those wards. You can’t get out can you?”
“No.”
“Then nothing can get in to you. You’re safe. Jamie needs me.”
“Thoren won’t be happy about it.”
Keara sighed. “I know. But I have to. You understand, don’t you?”
“I understand. Don’t worry about me. I’ll hide under this invisibility blanket.” She pulled the blanket over her head, disappearing from view. “Be safe.”
“Thanks, love. I won’t be long.”
Tracking the men wasn’t
as hard as she feared. Strangely enough, it seemed easier to track their scent rather than the marks left on the ground. Did dragons track by scent? She shook her head. Who would have thought she was part—dare she say it—dragon? Until yesterday, she didn’t realize dragons existed outside of fables. What did a dragon look like? Thoren claimed to be one, but he looked like a man.
Maybe dragons were sexy, good-looking, raven-haired men.
A woman could get used to dragons like that. Especially one like Thoren. Over the course of a day, she went from being frightened of him to excited whenever he was near. Her entire body tingled when he touched her and she had this odd urge to throw him down and bite him on the neck.
Why was that? Maybe dragons did that type of thing. She’d have to ask. Or not. How embarrassing would that conversation be? Hey, Thoren, I want to bite your neck. Right. He’d think her some sort of evil night creature.
Looking up from the trail she followed, Keara saw the wall surrounding the town of River’s Run. Talk about being lost in thought. Had she actually walked all the way back to town and not noticed? What a way to be careful and watch where she walked.
Was she in danger? Did Lord Simon want her enough to chase her? He wasn’t that ambitious, right?
Probably not, but to be safe, she probably should return to Lily. If her nose proved correct, Jamie and the men were in town, not in the woods. And if she could scent Jamie, no doubt Thoren could too and do a better job of it. As hard as it was, she needed to trust him to return Jamie.
Taking one last look at the town, she turned, only to come to a complete stop. Her lungs stopped pumping, her heart double-timing it.
“Hello, Keara,” Lord Simon leered. “Nice of you to find me. Saved me a lot of trouble.”
Keara tried to scream, but someone grabbed her from behind, slapping a grimy hand across her mouth. The scent of stale sweat and overripe bodies assaulted her. Time slowed, until her awareness focused solely on her useless struggling and the frantic beat of her heart thudding in her ears. Her feet kicked against the shins of what had to be a tree. Despite her efforts, he didn’t budge. What was Lord Simon going to do to her? Why did he want her badly enough to capture her?
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