It would be more difficult to get to the open tunnels below while carrying Mia, but there was still a witch after them. He glanced back once, wincing as he thought of Dr. Perry lying dead on his office floor.
But there was nothing he could do for his colleague. He could save Mia, though–and find out what the witch was after. He hurriedly stripped off his soaked clothing, hoping Mia wouldn't regain consciousness, and shifted. He held her close to his back, wrapping his wings around her, and crawled down into the elevator shaft while holding his clothing in his mouth.
There was no time to answer questions, and if they stuck around there would be plenty of them. Right now he had questions of his own that needed to be answered…
And a young woman who needed to be protected.
Chapter Five
Mia
There was a woodpecker drilling at her skull.
Mia groaned as light filtered blood-red through her eyelids. She must be dead. No way could life hurt like this–this had to be hell. Although why exactly she should go to hell escaped her. She was a good person, helped others when she could. Was this because she grumbled about Celia being a slut under her breath? It didn't seem right to be sent to hell over something she didn't mean–mostly.
"You're awake."
The voice was rich, deep, and Mia opened her eyes despite knowing that the pain would increase if she did. Leaning over her was the most beautiful face she had ever seen. Full, kissable lips. Strong jaw. Melted chocolate eyes. Lee Tennet. No way this could be hell with him here.
Lee helped her sit up and held a glass of water to her lips. After a few sips, the headache diminished. What had happened? She was at the party… a girl kissed her… and then the next thing she remembered was Lee, in his office. And she was throwing herself at him.
A gasp caused the water to go down her trachea. Mia coughed violently, trying to get her breath back. Lee held her shoulders with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. It was soothing, rhythmic.
"How are you feeling?" Lee was so close she could smell his scent, like smoky cedar.
"Uh…" Her face flushed beet red and she took another gulp of water, to soothe her rough throat and to give herself time to think. She remembered the kiss. It was electric. It fired her blood, bringing it to a boiling point in a matter of seconds. She had wanted nothing more than to rip off her clothing and ravish the handsome young professor on his desk.
Had they? What was she meant to say if they had?
She quickly glanced down at herself. Wearing the same clothes she was last night. Didn't appear to be ruffled. She squeezed her thighs together. No soreness down there. Did that mean anything? Even if they hadn't slept together, she was with him, in a strange room…
To buy herself more time, she glanced around the room. It looked like a motel room. A noisy air conditioning unit buzzed near the window, which was hung with generic brown curtains. The walls were painted beige, and she lay on a hard mattress with a thin comforter over her.
"Do you need some aspirin?"
Mia nodded meekly. Lee handed her a couple tablets, and she swallowed them down with some more water. She had bought herself as much time as she could, and cleared her throat. "Um… I'm not entirely certain what happened last night. How did we get here?"
"More like this morning." He gave her a smile that had her clenching her thighs tighter together. "You came to my office right as I was getting there and—"
"Oh, no!" Mia buried her face in her hands. "I think I remember that. Ugh! I'm so humiliated.
"Don't be. You weren't thinking straight."
She glanced up at him, chewing on her lower lip. The blanket was tucked firmly just under her armpits, and she wished it would wrap around her like an anaconda and strangle her. "So, um… I don't really remember what happened after that…"
Lee sat down. "I recognized you weren't yourself, and so I suggested I take you to the nurse. You didn't want to go… Nothing happened between us, Mia. I swear."
"Good." She let out a sigh of relief. When that happened, she wanted to be able to remember it.
Wait, when? Where had that come from? There was no when in this situation. She had already embarrassed herself enough, she needed to kick all her lustful thoughts out of her head. If she had died and gone to hell, they would have been the reason she went!
She slipped out of the bed, holding an arm across her chest to hide her cleavage. Honestly, she needed to get a shirt or something. Having so much exposed skin was doing strange things to her mind. She cleared her throat and attempted a smile. It felt like more of a grimace.
"Thank you," she said awkwardly. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have done what I did last night… Or this morning, whenever it was. Ugh, this is so embarrassing. I swear, I don't usually go to parties. All I had was a ginger ale, I guess I must have been drugged somehow. I'm really sorry."
Lee nodded. "You were drugged. But it's not how you think."
Her brow furrowed but she shook her head. "I have to go home. My parents are going to be going crazy with worry." How did she even get to the campus? She couldn't remember. "Thank you… I guess bringing me here instead of the nurses' office." Why had he brought her here? "But I really have to go."
Lee's hand shot out. He gripped her wrist and stared intently at her. Mia's heart shot to her throat. What if now that she wasn't drugged out of her skull, he wanted to do what she had been suggesting that morning…? She licked her lips. Would she say no? Of course, she had to go home and reassure her family.
Although she could call them. And see them later.
"This is more complicated than you realize," he warned. "Mia, I need you to sit down and listen to me. It's going to be hard for you to understand, but every word is true."
She sat down, eyes wide.
Lee took a deep breath. "You weren't just drugged last night. It was a spell. You were attacked by witches."
"Witches?"
"Yes."
Mia snorted. She got back to her feet, shaking her head. And to think that she thought he was serious! It was just his silly nature coming through again. Witches. As if. "I have to go home."
"You can't. They'll find you there."
Mia snorted again, until she saw the look in his eyes. Her smile faded away. He was serious. Dead serious. It was impossible, and yet she believed every word he was saying. She swallowed hard, looking at him with wide eyes. Was this how she acted the previous night? Clearly, she wasn't the only one who had been drugged.
Although she suspected that his drugs were self-consumed, rather than slipped to him.
"Um… okay," she said. Best keep him calm, right? "So there are witches coming after me. Why?"
"I don't know. All I know is that they're there."
"And how do you know that they're there?"
Lee sighed. He stood and turned away for a moment, clearly deep in thought. After a minute, he shook his head. "We were attacked by a witch. The string of murders that have happened on campus? I'm certain that they are related to the magic, and that you are their next target. I don't know why they chose you, I'm not sure what they're after… I just know that a witch came to the campus looking to learn more about the geology of our foundation, and she went after you. She…"
He trailed off, and Mia twisted her hands. Great. Just her luck. She was stuck here with a guy who thought witches were real. Or maybe it was worse than that. Maybe he was the killer… maybe he had drugged her somehow, to get her to… what? Maybe he had some sort of psychosis, and he was drugging people and trying to recruit them into his delusions, then killing them when it became clear they didn't see what he did.
She wasn't going to sit around and find out. She stood up, hands clenched. "If there are witches after me, then I really do need to go home. I need to make sure my family is okay."
"You can't," he insisted. "Look, I know this is difficult for you, but whatever those witches did, you're marked. I can smell the magic on you. Sweet and cloying, not at all like cinn
amon…"
Cinnamon? Was he saying that she smelled like cinnamon? It would have been sweet, except it was clear he was completely crazy. Probably was a killer. So she had to play this smart, keep him calm and make sure he didn't freak out and kill her, too. At least until she was able to get a phone and call for help. Actually, she needed him to stay calm after she did that. She needed him calm until she got away from him. She wasn't going to end up dead out of this.
"So, I'm marked by magic and can't go home," she said, trying to infuse belief into her voice. "Okay. It's hard to believe, but what you're saying makes sense. I only drank ginger ale last night."
Relief washed over his face. "You believe me?"
Mia nodded.
"Good." Lee gave her a half-smile as he ran his hand through his hair. "This will be a lot easier for it. Now, I know that you're worried about your family, and we'll find a way to let them know you're safe soon. I just want to make sure that the witches can't get at you… We'll have to get you some new clothes, those will draw attention to you."
Mia glanced down. "Yeah. So maybe you should go get some while I wait here?"
He shook his head, dashing her hopes. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. "We'll figure that out. Right now, we just need to put as much distance between us and the campus as possible. I know a safe house, once you're safe there, I can get some clothes for you."
"Right." Mia nodded, heart pounding. How was she supposed to get away if he took her out of the city? "Let's do that, then."
Chapter Six
Lee
His sweatshirt pulled tight across her breasts, but it was less distracting than the deep V of her cleavage. Lee kept his eyes on the road. Or at least, he tried to. His gaze kept flickering over towards her, taking in the way she chewed on her lower lip, the twisting of her hands, the hem of her dress riding up on her thighs.
Even though it was wrong for him to think this way, he couldn't stop. Maybe it was residual magic. Maybe it was that they were in such close proximity, and the taste of her lips kept drifting over his… He wanted so bad to just wrap her in his arms and kiss her until the magic left on her body was all burned away.
And then continue kissing her until both of them were spent with exhaustion. The sparks dancing under his skin would not be satisfied until she was in his arms again.
"Where are we going?" she asked suddenly.
"Somewhere safe."
There were houses set up for dragons who ended up in precarious situations away from clan territory. All had magic wards around them to ward off enemies and keep them all in neat, tidy order for when they were needed in a pinch. The nearest one was a two-hour drive away. It would block out the magic that marked Mia, allowing them to have a good breather and decide where to go from there. He had only gotten the hotel room because he was worried about her choking or something while he drove.
In hindsight, waiting for her to regain consciousness had been a mistake. He should have just powered through and gotten to the safe house as quickly as possible. Every minute that the mark on her wasn't blocked, it grew stronger.
"I have to say you're taking this really well," he mentioned. "I didn't expect you to believe any of it. I know it sounds crazy when you're not used to magic."
She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "It's not crazy."
Her tone gave it away. She didn't believe him.
Lee tensed. She saw and tensed up right back at him. The dragon repressed a sound of frustration and the urge to slap the steering wheel. Yeah, okay, so she wasn't taking it that well. She thought he was crazy and was trying to act like she didn't because she was afraid that he'd kill her. At least, that was what he assumed was going on in her mind. If the tables were turned, that's what he would think.
Maybe if he showed her what he could do, his alternate form… But revealing himself as a dragon to her would go against the highest orders of the clan. It would put them all at risk. He had to do this without her finding out that he wasn't human.
He bit back a sigh. "You don't believe me."
"No! Of course I do." Her voice pitched higher.
Lee shook his head. He pulled into a little off-road area that had a couple of outhouses and turned towards her. Mia's eyes were huge in her skull, her chest heaving. He could smell her fear and tried to force himself into a smaller area to not be as threatening. Not an easy task when he was as tall and stacked as he was. Maybe he shouldn’t go the gym as often.
"As soon as we're in cell service range again, you can call your parents and tell them you're okay," he said. It would help the witches track them down if they had any type of surveillance, but that was hardly the biggest concern right now. "I am not going to hurt you, Mia. I'm trying to protect you."
He could actually see her pulse racing in her throat. She really thought that he was going to hurt her. Okay, scratch showing her what he really looked like off the list–the last thing she needed was to see that he was a giant—
"Where did they come from?"
Lee tensed as he followed Mia's gaze. Four figures stood before them, hands pressed together. Though the day was bright, they were dark, as though it gathered around them. Which it probably did. They shot their hands towards them, chanting, and a bolt of darkness sped towards the car. Lee threw himself to one side, shielding Mia with his body as she screamed. He felt the impact of the spell, cracking against his spine, driving the breath from his body. The chanting got louder.
His fires roared, rising up his throat. Lee held his breath, willing them not to erupt, and threw himself back into the driver's seat. He shifted the car into gear and stomped on the gas. The witches broke their formation; he hit one of them, driving her up and over the roof of the car, and got back on the road.
Streaks of light followed them, but none hit.
Mia's face was white. Her eyes bugged out of her head, her hands clenching her seatbelt. Lee opened his mouth to reassure her–and she let out a loud scream enough to cause his eardrums to burst and his heart explode in his chest. He didn't dare stop again, though. The witches had a tracker on Mia, like he suspected, but they could only find her if she was standing still.
When her face was blue from lack of oxygen, Mia's scream tapered out but she still held her jaw open and stared straight ahead, like she was paralyzed. Lee touched her hand, concerned, and she flinched back from him violently.
"Let me go!" she rasped.
"Mia, the witches—"
"There are no witches!" she shook her head firmly. "You drugged me. You gave me something that's making me hallucinate. This is how you killed the others, isn't it? They thought that witches were after them, and then you gave them too much and you killed them!"
Even though Lee knew her brain would be going a mile a minute, trying desperately to cling to anything that fit in her narrative, he couldn't stop a growl. She flinched back from him and her hand actually went to the door handle. He reached over and grabbed her wrist. This was the last thing they needed right now.
"I'm not going to hurt you, but if you try to climb out of a moving car—"
"At least then they'd know it was murder! I'm not going to let my family think that I ODed!"
Lee sucked in a deep breath. "Mia, we can talk about this at the safe house. They won't be able to find us there, but if we stop while we're out here, especially so close to where we just saw them, then they'll find us again. I know that you're frightened—"
"Stop the car and let me out!"
"I don't know what they want from you, but they've already killed. Students… and Dr. Perry." He shuddered as he thought of his colleague dead on the floor. Mia wasn't the only one who was going to think that he was a murderer. His career was ruined. Instantly he felt bad. People were dead and he was bemoaning a career he didn't actually need?
Mia huddled away from him, whimpering.
"I do know that witches are methodical," Lee continued. "Whatever they need you for, you've been marked and they won't be able to use anybody else. Please
just trust me."
Mia scratched at his face, causing him to swerve. It was a good thing there was no other traffic on the road, or they'd end up dead for sure. Lee fended her off while trying to keep a good grip on the steering wheel. Frustration and desperation rose through him. In a sudden fit, he slammed on the breaks and turned to her. He caught her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her mouth.
She went still at once. She may have even kissed back a little–and then Lee pulled away from her, horrified at what he had done. What a way to be a grade-A creep! Here she was thinking that he was going to kill her and he forced kisses on her? He pulled back from her, shaking his head. What had he been thinking?
"I'm sorry," he blurted, but even as he did so, Mia threw herself at him.
The kiss was hot, passionate. Mia's tongue plundered his mouth. Something stirred and tightened inside of him. Her hands dug into his hair, fingernails scratching in his scalp but the slight sting only increased his desire for her. He reached to wrap his arms around her, to pull her tight against him. She jerked away and threw herself against the door, panting, eyes wide.
"I'm sorry," Lee croaked, hardly able to make his throat work as he panted. "I shouldn't have kissed you like that."
"N-no," Mia squeaked. "It's my fault. I shouldn’t have thrown myself at you like that. It was… I don't know why I did it."
She looked mortified with herself. Lee shook his head, remembering that they had to keep moving, and started going forward again. His heart pounded and his face felt flushed. A soft moan sounded from beside him and he glanced over to see Mia with both hands pressed firmly against her face.
"Why did you kiss me?" she whispered.
"I shouldn't have," he said. "I just wanted to stop you from trying to jump out of a moving vehicle."
He wanted to ask her why she kissed him back but had a feeling the question would not be appreciated. They drove in silence for a moment, the tension boiling thick between them. Lee kept a firm grip on the steering wheel, determined not to let himself get distracted like that again. What had he been thinking? The situation was already tense enough! Did he really think kissing her would make her trust him?
Her Dragon Professor Page 3
