Volcant watched her with a knowing smile on his lips as she tugged his pants off.
“It’s too bad we don’t have some of that flavored lubricant,” he said, pillowing his head with his arm. “It would make this more enjoyable for you.”
Misty had to laugh. “Are you saying that you taste bad?”
She pulled his pants down as he shrugged. He was already semi-erect and when she took him in her hand he twitched. A grin spread across her face as she leaned over him, taking him into her mouth. Her clit throbbed as she sucked gently, then licked his length. She gave him a saucy smile and winked at him.
“You taste pretty good to me.”
Volcant’s hand wrapped around her ankle. He tugged on it, grinning. “Bring that over here, I want a taste of you.”
Misty was more than willing to oblige. Their height difference made it a little difficult, but soon enough his hands were on her hips, groans echoing from his throat as he feasted on her. Shivers spun through her body as jolts of pleasure filled her core. She found it hard to concentrate on her own work, not when his tongue was so skillful and wicked.
Eventually, she couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled herself away from him. Volcant moaned in protest, then grinned when she turned around and straddled him, facing him. She took him in her hand, hard and ready and eased herself down. The feeling of him filling her took her breath away and once she was fully seated, she found herself unable to even move, the promise of pleasure almost too much.
“Look at me.” Volcant’s deep breath commanded her attention and she met his eye. His hands moved over her body slowly, then he pulled her down over him, so their lips were brushing, and he began to move. Even though there wasn’t much space between them, he managed to hit every spot just right.
Her eyes rolled up into her head as he picked up speed and she found herself glad that he had such a firm grip on her. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and her head dropped. Her teeth clenched around his pec muscles and he gave a little grunt, but only picked up speed.
Seconds later, everything inside of her exploded. It rocked through her, making her writhe and whimper over him. Volcant kept thrusting until his movements became jerky. His hands tightened, he thrust madly and then it was over.
Misty clung to him, panting, as everything shivered inside of her. His hands threaded through her hair and he kissed her shoulders gently.
“Sorry,” she whispered, touching the marks she had left in his skin.
“Don’t be. I’m sorry that it didn’t last longer.” He shook his head, looking disgusted with himself. “Like an inexperienced teen.”
Misty laughed and rolled off him. “Still better than any of my boyfriends ever gave me. And you’ve been out of practice for a year, plus you’ve been ill and dehydrated and malnourished. All in all, I think you did pretty good.” She winked at him. “Better than me.”
“Ha.”
They settled down in each other’s arms. Misty let out a slow breath, glad to have this moment of stillness. She knew that it wasn’t over, not by a long shot. But right now, all she needed to do was breathe in Volcant’s smoky scent and ignore everything else in the world. It was just the two of them, together, and that was all that mattered.
As her eyes were starting to shut, reveling in the sensation of relaxation, the thought crossed her mind that they hadn’t used a condom. But she had a three-month-old daughter and was still breastfeeding. Her period hadn’t even started up again. She wasn’t going to get pregnant—was she?
Chapter Ten
Volcant
When he woke in the morning, Volcant knew what he needed to do. It could not be a coincidence that he was attacked in the timestream right after his lines of inquiry turned up something. So, what he needed to do was access his search information. Even though it would be a year old at this point, there had to be something that he could use.
He rolled over, checking the bed for Misty. She wasn’t there, and he frowned as he lifted his head. Her side of the bed was still warm. She couldn’t have gotten up very long ago.
Heading downstairs, he found her with Cara in her arms, her face pale as she stared at a note on the table. When she saw him, she gestured limply to the note. There was no sign of Sylvia. Volcant could already guess what the note would read.
He was right.
I’ve gone to get help. He’s not safe. You need to get away.
“That’s about what I expected,” Volcant said, crumpling the note. “But will she go for humans or dragons?”
“She’s an idiot,” Misty seethed.
“She’s acting the best way she knows how. We can’t fault her for that. But we also can’t stay here. Get your things. I’ll leave the room as rented. It might be able to split up our pursuers, at least.”
He didn’t mention the possibility that if Sylvia went to Hendric and Hendric was part of the assassination movement, she would most likely end up dead. No, that wasn’t something that Misty needed to hear right now. The last thing he needed was for her to run off after her friend and get herself hurt or killed, as well. Perhaps that made him cold, but better cold than to have Cara grow up an orphan.
They moved quickly to leave the hotel and Volcant decided that they needed to leave the city, too. After stopping at several ATMs and maxing out his credit cards so they wouldn’t be short on cash, Misty headed towards the coast. They drove a day and a night without stopping, except to pick up supplies and so Misty could feed Cara.
Once he was satisfied that they were well away from their hunters, Volcant told Misty about his plan to check up on his old information. She bought a laptop and they went to the library to use its internet. Booting up and running through all the setup on the computer was a pain, but soon enough Volcant was able to access the old internet files.
Everything was still there. Except for the program that was running the search. The information that he had come to this world to find? Was gone.
“Hendric must have followed me through that day,” he growled under his breath. “He must have deleted it all.”
Misty handed him Cara. “Let me take a look.”
Volcant cradled the baby, rocking her. She squirmed, her face bunching up until he adjusted her, so she was sitting. Then a happy smile burst over her face and she eagerly swiveled her head this way and that, taking in the sights. Volcant had to chuckle, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m not technologically savvy enough for this.” Misty slumped back in her chair, looking pissed off. She kicked the floor and turned a glower on him. “How the hell did you write a search algorithm when you can’t even drive a car?”
“I didn’t write anything. I hired one of your mages—sorry, nerds—to write the spell for me.”
Misty’s glower lifted. She giggled.
Volcant frowned.
“It’s not a spell.”
“What?”
Misty pointed at the computer. “This isn’t magic. You didn’t hire a mage to write a spell.”
Volcant shrugged. Magic, technology. Same thing, both outside of his realm of understanding. He set Cara next to the computer, keeping a hand on her back and neck so she could still sit straight. She waved her hands and stuck her fingers in her mouth. She really did look a lot like Wildref had at that age, with her big eyes and curly hair.
Something pinched at his heart. Volcant had come to terms with the fact that he wouldn’t ever have children long ago. In some males, their fires burned so hotly that it left them infertile. He was still able to have sex just fine, but his seed was burnt dry, unable to create the necessities for children. That didn’t mean that he didn’t have the longing to be a father from time to time. With his life, he thought he’d be satisfied never having a mate, never settling down to devote himself to one person, especially since he was unable to give any woman he was with children.
Times like this, though, when he looked at a baby and saw the love with which that baby’s mother gazed at her, it made him feel… inadequate
.
“Well, what now?” Misty leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “If we can’t access your information, how are we going to know if Hendric is part of the assassins? For that matter, how do we know any of this was due to the assassins? How do we know it wasn’t just a tragic coincidence? It’s not like anybody has come after you since you arrived here.”
“I’m not crazy.”
Misty folded her arms as she narrowed her eyes at him. “And what did I say that indicated you were?”
Volcant glared back at her. “You don’t have the experiences I do. I am centuries old and—”
“And whatever happened in the timestream did a number on you. You thought that it was right after the queen was killed and you thought I was an assassin. You shifted in the middle of the city, letting all humans know that dragons are alive. Shit, we should check the news about—Skype!”
Volcant jumped at the loudness of her voice. Around them, patrons of the library gave them dirty glances. Cara laughed, apparently amused by her mother’s exclamation. For her part, Misty’s expression was utterly gleeful as she hunched over the computer. She looked exactly like Vilma did when the mage was creating a new spell.
“What’s skype mean?” Volcant asked her under his breath.
“It’s a video conferencing—basically the telephone, except you can see each other. And...” She laughed in triumph when a new image came onto the computer’s screen, this one a picture of Anna and Indulf. Volcant yelped.
“Your Majesty—”
“They’re not there yet. I have to call them.” Misty winked as she clicked a button. A ringing noise came from the computer and moments later the screen changed yet again, this time showing Anna moving in front of familiar walls. The hotel room.
“Misty!” Anna let out a sigh. “Thank God. And Volcant, too. Indulf! It’s Misty and Volcant.”
Cara leaned forward, reaching for the screen. Volcant picked her off the table and held her in his arms as Indulf came into the computer. Relief washed over him to see his king alive and well. The niggling worry that Hendric might have done something to him had been at the back of his mind this whole time. But Hendric hadn’t done anything.
“Gods, man!” Indulf’s face broke into a wide smile at the sight of them. “I thought you were dead.”
“So I’ve heard,” Volcant replied dryly. He managed a grin back at him, though. “I’m glad that I’m not.”
“I am, too. But, you’ve caused quite a bit of trouble for us.” Indulf frowned at him. “What’s been going through your head? You can’t possibly think that it was a good idea to shift in public like you did. It’s all over the human news and everything we’ve done to try to convince them that it was just a hoax has failed. So, not only have I had to worry about you running around with Gods knows what in your brain, but I’ve been working on how to contain the situation.”
Volcant flinched. He knew that the king was right to chastise him for his reckless behavior, even if he hadn’t been in his right state of mind. He opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could, Misty broke in.
“Are you freaking kidding me right now?” She leaned forward, eyes blazing. “He went through a traumatic experience, ended up missing a whole year with his brain all scrambled up like he’d been mummified, and you’re having a go at him?”
Volcant put a hand on her shoulder. “Misty—”
“You’re the one who called us and said something wasn’t right with him,” Anna rebutted. “And in the current situation.”
“Can we please focus?” Volcant tasted smoke on his tongue and swallowed it down. He held Cara a little closer, suddenly finding himself chilled. With a start, he realized that his fires weren’t burning as hotly as they ought to be. Was he still sick?
Indulf grunted and nodded. “Yes. I need the two of you to come back right away. Sylvia’s gotten the human peacekeepers involved and I fear that without Misty’s testimony, the situation will continue to worsen. Come back and we can discuss where to go from here.”
It would take another day and a half to get back. Longer, probably, because Misty’s eyes were bloodshot, and she was in clear need of a solid rest. Volcant frowned for a moment. Yes, it would be best to get the complications with the police solved and put to bed, but they weren’t going to go anywhere when Misty was in this state.
“We will return when we can. I’m afraid it might be a couple of days.” Volcant ran a hand through his hair. “In the meantime, your Majesty, I wanted to ask you about Hendric—”
“Sylvia told us what you feared with him. I know that it’s difficult for you, having been gone a year but Hendric has proven himself more than capable of heading security.” Indulf frowned, his eyes glinting with that familiar look telling Volcant not to question him. “As such, he is an invaluable member of my staff. And yes, he took your position, but it was not a decision I made lightly. He was the best candidate for the position.”
Volcant nodded, though he was unconvinced. What better way to leave the king open to attack than to become the head of his palace guard?
They ended the call and left the library. Misty had to pay for the hotel room this time since his cards were maxed out. Once inside, she collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes. Cara kicked her feet, starting to grizzle.
“I’ll get her, you just rest.”
Volcant retrieved the baby. She started looking to nurse and so he took her to her mother. Misty adjusted herself so that she could feed the baby while lying down. Volcant sat on the edge of the other bed, watching. There was something incredibly beautiful about seeing Misty nursing her child. Even though both her breasts here in plain view, there was nothing sexual about it.
“You’re staring,” Misty murmured, giving him a saucy smile. “Wishing it was you?”
Volcant laughed as he shook his head. “No. Although… may I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“I have caught traces of what smells like smoke around her. Is Cara’s father a dragon?”
Misty went rigid.
Chapter Eleven
Misty
“How do you know?”
Misty’s heart pounded. Volcant knew that Cara was the child of a dragon. He knew that they had been together a year ago and that Cara was the right age—had he figured it out on his own now? Her stomach clenched as she stared at him, half-hoping, half-dreading he’d say that he knew because he was the father, that there was some innate sort of dragon-bond thing that let him know who his children were without having to think about it.
Sensing a change in her mother, Cara released her breast and gave an unhappy wail. Misty turned her attention to the baby, sitting up now so she could cradle her closer, rather than laying on the bed. It took a couple seconds to get Cara to start drinking again. Once she had latched on, though, there were no more excuses. Misty looked up at Volcant, the knot in her stomach growing.
His brows disappeared into his hairline. “So, her father is a dragon?”
His expression was confused. Misty relaxed a little. That probably meant that he hadn’t figured it out. Good. Because she knew she needed to tell him, but with everything that was happening, there was always a reason not to. Now, she wanted to know what would happen when she told him.
“He is,” Misty said slowly, watching his face carefully.
A dark look passed over his face briefly, but his expression smoothed out. “Who?”
“Just someone I met. Who convinced me that maybe dragons weren’t so bad. That they weren’t going to invade us.”
That dark look came again. Was it… jealousy? Volcant grunted and looked away. “That doesn’t tell me who.”
“He doesn’t know.” Misty propped a pillow under her arm and settled Cara more snugly. “Actually, it was something I wanted to talk to you about. I’m human and I’m a single mom. If this dragon found out that he has a daughter… would dragon laws or whatever take her away from me?”
Volcant’s brows furrowed. “Of c
ourse not. According to dragon law, children of unwed parents must spend an equal amount of time with mother and father, but the father must live near the mother to ease the burden of travel. This doesn’t account for instances of abuse, though, in which one parent may bar the other from the child’s life.”
“I see...”
Volcant grunted and shrugged. “Your situation will be different, I suppose, since you’re from different worlds. I imagine that it would be good for Cara to grow up in Byrelmore, among her own people. Although, my revelation to this world that dragons are real might change things.”
He let out an annoyed huff, accompanied by a puff of smoke, and folded his arms.
“Do you have any kids?”
“No.”
Misty wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or more worried. “Why not?”
A flash of pain crossed his face. Like the looks of jealousy before, it was gone before Misty had time to process it. He shrugged with a smirk. “Why is having kids so important? I mean, you have a child and you’re bound to the mother or father of your child forever. Even if you don’t stay together, it’s not something that you can just leave behind. Right now, I’m free to bed whatever pretty girl I want to scratch my itch. With children in the picture, you have to be more careful. Your actions affect them, too.”
“That is true,” Misty agreed, though her heart sank. Was she a pretty girl scratching an itch to him? She knew that she shouldn’t expect anything different. After all, she hadn’t gone into it expecting more than one night of fun, either. Maybe it was these past few days since he had returned. She didn’t know.
But she wished that there was something more between them than an accidental pregnancy.
“So… you said Cara’s father doesn’t know he’s her father?”
Misty brought her mind back to the present situation. She shook her head. “No. He came to this world only briefly. We had a great night together and I never saw him again.” Not exactly the truth, but now that she had the opportunity, she didn’t know how she was meant to tell him that he was a father. What if he didn’t believe her? Cara was finished nursing on that side, so Misty covered herself and held the baby to her shoulder to burp her. “I asked Indulf about him a little bit, but I didn’t want to say that Cara was part-dragon. I was afraid that he might want to take her away.”
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