Hip Deep in Dragons

by Christina Westcott

  Keep going west, and don’t panic.

  I reached over to brush my fingertips along a white paw now crusted with blood and sand. “You still with me, Robby?”

  The cat didn’t answer, not even a whimper in my mind, so I jammed the gear lever into first and stomped on the gas. The glow on the horizon drew closer, eventually resolving into the individual lights of porches and streetlights. The white strip of a packed-shell road appeared in the headlights. Soon I reached pavement and floored it, the Jeep’s knobby tires rumbling on the roadway.

  By the time I reached home, it was well after ten o’clock. I considered taking Robby to the emergency clinic, but whichever vet was on duty would want to know how the cat had been injured so badly. Admitting he’d been in a fight with a dragon would only earn me a night of observation at the mental health clinic. And what if Robby began to heal miraculously in front of a stranger? How would I explain that? Oh, he’s not a cat, just a wizard from an alternate universe. Best to take him home and check out his injuries myself.

  The kitchen table was once again pressed into service as an impromptu exam area. I got out my stethoscope and listened to his heart and breathing. Both seemed stronger now, but he was so still. My cats kept vigil like a concerned family, Jasmine creeping close and helping me clean him up like a mother with an injured kitten.

  The burns looked better now, but he needed more energy to heal them. I searched the cupboard to locate the bear-shaped bottle of honey. Emergency first aid for a diabetic cat in a hypoglycemic coma was to rub honey or syrup on his gums. I squeezed some of the golden liquid onto my finger and applied it to his gums. With my fingers covered in the sweet stickiness, I could only brush my face against my shoulder to wipe away the tears streaming down my cheeks.

  After several minutes, his tongue began to move, scraping against my finger.

  “…more…” The word whispered in my mind.

  His licks grew stronger as strength flowed back into him with the glucose. He raised his head, and his green eyes opened to flicker around his surroundings. Confusion swirled through his thoughts as he realized where he was.

  “Dragon?”

  “Dead. I blew its head off.”

  I felt surprise that quickly changed into a chuckle as he licked the last smear of honey from my fingers, and then he let his head drop back.

  “Enough, milady. Must rest. Restore.”

  I made a cup of Earl Gray and sat at the table, cradling the mug in trembling fingers until my head began to droop in exhaustion. His heart and respiration seemed to have stabilized, and he appeared to be asleep. Since I hadn’t seen how long his last recuperation took, I wasn’t sure how much time I had. Long enough to shower, I hoped, as I swiped a hand through my hair and dislodged a piece of debris I suspicioned was charred dragon. I shivered.

  I placed Robby in a nest of soft towels at the foot of my bed and slipped into the shower to scrub away the day’s battle. And scrubbed again and again until I was sure no trace of that creature remained on me. I dabbed an antibiotic cream on my burned hand, took a couple of aspirins, and then slipped into my pajamas. I returned to the bedroom to find Jasmine snuggled against Robby, washing his face and ears. I crawled into bed and stuffed all my pillows behind me. Leaving the light on so I’d see him the instant he awoke, I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapped my arms around them, and prepared for a long vigil.

  Chapter Seven

  I jerked awake, the last sparkles of colored light whirling away into the darkness as a hand caressed my face.

  “Wake up, Laura.” Robby traced my upper lip with a fingertip.

  All I could see of him in the darkened room were his eyes, glowing softly in the reflected light of the clock. I reached out and felt the hard curves of his chest against my palm, taut and warm and naked.

  “I fell asleep…”

  “Aye, that you did. Sitting up with your head lolled down against your chest like an old granny snoozing the afternoon away. It looked most uncomfortable. You were exhausted, so I cast a wee sleep spell on you, turned out the light, and tucked you in nice and cozy. While you slept, I used your shower and searched the kitchen for a bit more to eat.”

  “How do you feel? Have you regenerated?” My hand drifted down his body, feeling the rippled muscle of his flat abdomen before gliding across his hip. He felt wonderful to my exploring fingers. Warm and hard and so very close.

  “Aye, but a tad sore, as if some giant beastie has been beating me…” His voice caught and he gripped my wrist, steering my hand away from his hip. “Some parts are just a wee bit more painful than others.”

  I realized the sensitive spot corresponded to burns on the cat’s flank. “Oh, Robby, I’m so sorry…”

  He shushed me, his breath warm against my face, and then his lips stilled any further apology. Softly at first, he brushed a series of kisses across my mouth, leaving a trail of moist heat. His tongue, tracing the outline of my mouth, sent frissons of desire through me, and I answered with a fire of my own. We explored each other, our tongues entwined in a slow and intimate ballet. Behind my eyes, colored lights exploded, spinning and arcing like fireworks on a summer night, and filled me with the beauty and ecstasy of this moment. Far too soon, he lifted his mouth from mine.

  “Wow, was that more wizardry?” I asked.

  “Nay, only the ancient magic between a man and a woman.” His voice was husky, rumbling in his chest. He brushed his hand along my ribs and pushed up my nightshirt.

  I nibbled at his chin, teasing him. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just magic away my clothes?”

  His chuckle held heated promises. “Some things are better done by hand. Else I would not have the pleasure of this.” His palms skimmed across my flesh, leaving behind a lingering fire as he slid my shirt over my head and tossed it away in the darkness. He cupped my breasts, catching my nipples between thumb and forefinger. I shivered, pushing against his hands. Then his mouth replaced one of his hands, his tongue worshiping my breast. All his silken hair, loose across my chest and arms, was an exquisite torment. His hands started on my panties, fingers gliding down my thighs and calves like heated velvet.

  I tangled my hand in the softness of his hair and pulled his lips back to mine, drinking in all the sweetness they could give. Eventually, he broke the kiss, nibbling at my lower lip before he licked and nipped his way down my throat to the hollow of my shoulder and back to my breasts.

  A delicious shudder rocked me as took his time at the bud of each nipple, pulling my body against his mouth and lapping at the sensitive peaks. An electric current boiled through me like unseen lightning. When I thought I would spin apart from the power of it, his mouth moved on, down my stomach, my belly, and further to tease the center of my passion. His lips and tongue wrung an elegant melody from my senses, thrumming across my nerves in a building crescendo.

  Just as I thought that wave of passion would break over me, he began his slow, sweet trip back up my body to recapture my mouth. The heat of his hard body stretched across mine, skin to skin, intoxicated me. I felt the hardness of his erection against my thigh and longed to feel it deep inside me, stroking me, touching the very essence of my being.

  “I need you now, Robby. Please.”

  “Nay, my love, slowly, slowly. There will never be another first time for us, so I want it to be all you could ever imagine.”

  His slow, shivery kisses carried me once again into that star-strewn sea of passion, pulling me back each time before I fell. He lifted his head, his eyes incandescent in the darkness. I took his maleness in my hand, guiding him to the moist heat between my legs. He thrust into me, finding all the empty recesses of my being and flooding them with his desire. We moved together, driven by a primal need, meshing like two halves of an immense, passionate whole until an orgasm crashed over me in waves of sensation. Fireworks exploded inside my head like the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one. Driven by Robby’s thrusting cadence, each surge grew stronger and deeper until m
y mind was ablaze with rainbow light. A satisfied growl erupted from Robby’s throat as I felt his pulsing release.

  We slumped together in a dreamy intimacy, the sheets damp and twisted around us. My body still quivered with the echoes of our pleasure. Robby claimed my mouth for another soul shattering kiss and then studied my face. His thumb traced a lazy circle on my jaw.

  “For years I dreamed of being with you like this. I told myself that it would never happen, but I could not stop my thoughts from turning to you. Wondering what you were doing at that very moment. Many a night on the trail, wrapped in a cold bedroll, I warmed myself with thought of holding you. I feared I was but a fool for refusing to give up the dream, but I see now even a fool’s dreams can come true.”

  I captured his chin in my hands. “And was I everything you dreamed I would be?”

  I felt his lips turn up in a grin before he answered. “Nay, my love.”

  “What?” I shouted, trying to push my way up.

  He laughed, twisting around to pull me on top of him, forcing my mouth against his for a deep, satisfying kiss.

  “You were much, much more than a lonely fool could have ever imagined.”

  I could see his face in the dawn glow seeping into the bedroom. His dark hair lay fanned out against the white of the pillow.

  “And what do we do now?” I captured one long silver lock and twisted it around my fingers.

  “As soon as it is light, I will have to go out and destroy all traces of the dragon and its nest. It would be unfortunate if some hunter stumbled across those remains. Your Natural Inquirer would quickly spread that tale to all corners of the land.”

  “National Inquirer. And yes, they’d love that kind of story.” I giggled. “But I was thinking about after that. Will I see you again?”

  “Oh, aye.” In the half-light, I thought I noticed a frown crease his features. His words were hesitant. “That is, if you wish to see me.”

  “Now you are being a fool. Of course I want to see you. Every. Chance. I. Get.” I punctuated each word with a kiss. “But I was afraid your job would keep you away, on the trail of a yeti or something. And you do live in another world.”

  “Another world which is only next door. Through the arbor in your back yard and down the Road but a dozen leagues. Only a few minutes’ walk. Close enough for some of that lasagna you spoke about. Or you could come visit me.”

  “But what about your master?” I remembered my last run in with the old man. To a twelve year old, he was scary. Even now I didn’t look forward to meeting him again.

  “Procyon Bey has moved on to find another apprentice. I am now the Master of Starhollow, and I say you can come visit anytime you want—as long as you remember to not bring any technology with you.”

  I snuggled my face into his shoulder and felt the rise and fall of his chest beneath me. This was where I had belonged all my life, and I’d only now discovered it. His hand massaged the muscles of my back, traced a line down the valley of my spine, and caressed my bottom.

  “As I recall, Laura, your birthday is next month.”

  “Yeah, the eleventh. You remembered after all these years.”

  “I never gave you that birthday present. It is late—sixteen years late—but how would you like to meet a unicorn?”

  My squeal was every bit as loud as it had been that distant summer. “A real unicorn? Robby, that would be wonderful.” My kiss kept him from replying for long, joyful minutes.

  “You said it was the bestest gift I could give you.” He laughed at my fractured grammar.

  “I was wrong, Robby. You are the best thing that could have happened to me. I love you.”

  Beneath me, a rumbling purr filled his chest, and his hands kneaded the muscles of my back and tangled in my hair.

  His mouth, moving against mine, promised one more trip into the heart of passion. My last coherent thought before surrendering to the honey of his lips was that he gave all new meaning to letting my cat share my bed.

  About the Author

  For as long as she can remember, Christina has had strange people living inside her head. Wizards, cyborgs, mercenaries and cats—lots of cats. She finally gave in to their demands and decided to turn them loose on the world through her science fiction and fantasy books.

  She’s ridden in rodeos, driven racecars and flown airplanes. All good experience for becoming a writer. These days she lives in sunny Florida and proudly wears the moniker Crazy Cat Lady.

  http://www.christinawestcottauthor.com

  Taliesin Publishing thrives on introducing you to new authors and great stories. If you enjoyed this book, please continue reading for excerpts of other stories releasing soon we think you’ll love. And, please spread the word.

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  Where great stories give birth to legends.

  Conflicts of Interest by Nulli Para Ora

  Her friends were right, she did need it.

  When she cried out, he gave her what she wanted. He suckled, nibbled, licked, and swirled her sensitive flesh. When her first orgasm rocked through her, he held her hips in place until her breaths calmed. When she released her death grip on his hair, he chuckled, masking his satisfaction. “Still in a hurry?”

  He didn’t give her a chance to answer; he started right back in on her, learning her, memorizing her preferences, enjoying himself. Sara came to life in his bed, and for the first time ever at The Palace, so did he.

  The agreement he had with Jake was based on the vampire just working. No feelings, no real enjoyment, just fulfilling fantasies for clients. What the hell am I going to do now? How would Jacob react when he found out?

  Could this just be a freak occurrence?

  I need to finish her sessions and decline any future visits she may want beyond the package. There’s something off about this woman.

  •●•

  Vasily drove home with thoughts of his lion floating through his head. The shifter wasn’t the only thing on his mind. The events of the evening played through his thoughts. His last client caught him off guard, made him want to help her.

  But he was home now, and work was over. Right?

  When he walked in, Jacob was in the kitchen. As soon as the shifter spotted him, he pulled the vampire close and kissed all rational thought from his brain. Vasily leaned into his lover, more than happy to let things progress over the nearby island. That is, until Jacob’s body went rigid.

  The lion pulled back, eyes glimmering, canines extended, and breaths short. “Who were you with?”

  “What?” In fifty years, Jacob had never asked such a thing. “Clients, you know that.”What spooked him?

  “Why do you have that smell?” Jacob sniffed at Vasily’s chest and all but jumped backward before covering his eyes. “No. No. No!”

  The only time he’d seen Jacob so upset was when his coworker died. He understood paramedics had a special bond, but this distress wasn’t work-related. “What’s wrong, durak? Talk to me.”

  “This can’t be happening.” Jacob’s golden gaze bored into Vasily before he closed the distance between them and gripped his shirt. “Tell me who you were with. I need the names.”

  Vasily stepped back, more than a little confused at this cross-examination. “No. That’s confidential, you know that. What’s going on? Why are you freaking out?”

  Jacob took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to the floor. “I need the names because— He hesitated. “Shit, why the hell is this happening?”

  “Why is what happening? Jake, you need to tell me what’s wrong.”

  “One of your clients is my mate.”

  Beneath a Sicilian Sun by Lynette Rees

  She wrapped her large beach towel around her and came above deck to find Dante had already changed into a pair of white swimming trunks. She held her breath when she saw his tanned, trim body. He had a smattering of black hair on his chest and looked very muscular. His chest was broad and she longed to run her fingers over its contours and lay her
head on it. She inhaled, exhaled and tried to keep her composure.

  “Come on, Joanne,” he teased. “Drop the towel….” His chocolate brown eyes glinted devilishly.

  She let her towel fall to the floor and watched as his eyes widened, with desire she presumed.

  “Mamma Mia. Why do you fear showing your body to me? You are beautiful…and that gold chain around your stomach, it makes you look very sexy…”

  No one had ever called her sexy before, ever. Her mouth dry, she licked her lips. “I haven’t let a man see me in a bikini for years, Dante. I’m not as slim as I used to be.”

  “No, no, Joanne. To me you look fabulous. I love your curves. They suit you. A man needs somewhere comfortable to land.” He laughed, making her laugh too and it helped to ease her heightened nerves. He pecked her quickly on the cheek and then, much to her astonishment, he turned, walked to the side of the boat, climbed on the edge and dived into the water, sending up a huge splash of sea spray.

  She stood and peered over board but couldn’t see him for a few seconds and her heart beat wildly. Where had he gone? Then there was a splash as he emerged and wiped the water out of his eyes, laughing and bobbing up and down in the water. “Come on in here, join me please, Joanne…” he urged. She hadn’t been expecting this at all.

  Gingerly she sat on the side of the boat. “Will you help me into the water?” She bit her lip.