by Sariah Skye
“Leo.”
I about jumped out of my skin. Maxxus emerged from the woods—in human form. Fully exposed. Fully. I gasped sheepishly and slapped my hands against my face. “Maxxus!” I scolded.
He scoffed. “Dangit Leo, I couldn't take being scraped and poked by those trees again! Come on, quit being so embarrassed. You have seen it before.”
I groaned, feeling my heartbeat quicken thinking about his nude, human form over the top of me, under that—
“Ack! Stop reminding me!” I cried out with frustration.
Maxxus sighed. I tossed the pack down with his clothes and I heard footfalls lightly trudge through the clearing. “Okay. Are you happy?”
I pulled my hand away and reluctantly peeked. My breath was choked in my throat; he had on the pants and nothing else, yet. I know it was ridiculous, but I still felt insanely guilty staring. Maybe it was human modesty, or, more likely, it was the thought that I liked it and I wasn't sure if I should be liking it anymore.
A pair of strong hands pried my palms away and pinned them down at my sides. I was looking directly at Maxxus' bare chest right now. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “You're determined to make me look, aren't you?”
He dropped his hands and allowed his fingers to graze gently up my sides and my arms, over the exposed skin on my neck and finally cupping my chin in his palms, craning my gaze upwards. I shivered at his touch. “It's not about that, it's about not being embarrassed. You're a dragon. I'm a dragon. You've seen me—all of me—many times before. I've seen you before.”
I bit my lip, but finally allowed myself to look at him. It was somewhat harder to be looking at him straight in the face at this close proximity then it was to see his naked body. “Stop being embarrassed of yourself. Even if nothing ever happens again—it's still not a big deal.”
I sighed reluctantly. “You're right. Of course. I've been on Earth way too long, I guess.”
He smiled warmly. “Well, I hope it's still somewhat of a big deal, okay?” I felt his body shudder slightly next to me. I dared to sneak my arms from their pinned position at my sides and allowed them rest on the warmth of his abdomen. I felt the slight pucker of skin underneath and I had to fight a grimace once again at the notion that he had gotten hurt, because of me. I pulled away, but he caught my hand and pressed it against the scar firmly. I warred inside, a battle of shame and guilt and of pleasure at touching the heat of his skin with my freezing cold hands.
“Don't. Don't shy away. Don't ever forget what I'd risk for you—ever. I'd risk everything to keep you safe, no matter how you feel about me,” Maxxus lowered his head slightly and brushed his lips gently across my forehead.
Against my better judgment—or maybe because of it—I finally gave myself permission to sink into him. Waves of emotion flooded over me when I finally allowed myself to feel it all. With one finger, I traced the heart-shaped outline of the scar, and the other hand snaked up around his neck, urging him down towards me.
His mouth met mine and the world around us went fuzzy. Forget that we were embarking on a dangerous mission. Forget that we were standing in the middle of freezing, cold woods. In my mind, we were safe, back in our little shack hidden near that river, where we talked and laughed and felt free. We shared hopes and dreams and stolen moments we felt we didn't deserve to have.
I had to stop the moan from escaping my throat as he deepened the kiss, my pulse rapidly quickening. The hand that had been at his stomach wrapped around his back and pushed forcefully, shoving him closer to me—it wasn't close enough.
Maxxus’ breath caught as the air around us charged with heat and emotion as he abruptly pulled away. “We really shouldn't be doing this right here.”
Not realizing I'd been nearly breathless, I gasped for air, breathing in deep and hoping to quell the warmth building up in my core. Not now, Leo. He was right.
Reluctantly, I let my arms drop and stepped back. My pulse quickened once again, seeing the swell of his bottom lip, knowing I'd done that and dammit, wished I could continue. “Well, then...” was all I said, finally pulling my gaze away.
“Well then.”
I raked my hands through my hair and clutched tightly, trying to ease the frustration that had built up inside.
“Shall we?” he said after a few moments. His shirt, shoes and robes were back on and he was trying to smooth out his hair with his fingers.
“Right.” I imagined our glamour once more for emphasis—picturing him blonde, with brown hair with dimples instead of cheekbones and a full, blonde beard. And even though I knew it’d bother him, I glamoured him about six inches shorter—his height was one of his defining features and I made him much more average and forgetful.
He took my hand in his and let them swing between us. “There's not a lot of females here right now, I don't think, and most of them are flings of the various guards who live here. It's not unusual to see someone bringing another back here for a tryst or two, so try not to appear too concerned if someone sees us. It's no big deal, happens all the time.”
I cocked a brow. “To you?”
He scoffed. “No. You know that. There’s been no one else but you—unless there was, and someone hid that memory from me too,” he muttered grimly.
I scowled. I didn't like that idea.
“Let's go.” We left the safety of the woods and tried to appear nonchalant as we crossed the clearing. We didn't have to appear amorous or anything—I was sure that was apparent—but it was harder not feeling apprehensive as we reached a single, iron door with a large iron pull.
He yanked open the heavy door with confidence, and I tried to swallow my fear as we stepped in. The hallways were simple—gray stone—with doors every thirty feet. There were no identifying markings to tell them apart so I did not understand how Maxxus would know it was his, but I allowed him to take the lead.
We heard a click as a door we were passing opened and out emerged a stocky male of average build and weight, but with skin as dark as night. His mark barely showed, a blue outline of a pair of wings and Celtic knotwork on his bicep.
He stopped and looked at us quickly. Maxxus offered him a nod, revealing no anxiety, but the tight grip of his hand on mine said otherwise.
“Baron,” Maxxus spoke, trying to alter his voice as best he could by disguising his British sounding accent with a more indistinguishable American one.
The blue dragon gave him a puzzled look and I closed my eyes briefly, willing him to not take notice in us.
His gaze snapped to me briefly, but he looked away after only a second. “Baron,” he responded in his deep tone and gave a nod. His gaze fell over me briefly, but didn't linger, and he disappeared down the opposite end of the hallway.
I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. “Well. At least we know the magic works.”
Maxxus furrowed his brow. “Or, he just doesn't know us or pay attention to wanted posters.”
“You didn't know him?” I asked.
“No.” We only took a couple more steps down the hallway when he stopped us in our tracks upon hearing faint footfalls from nearby.
“Shit. I recognize that walk. Pardon me for this,” he said, before spinning me by the waist and pushing me forcefully against the wall. He stared intently at me, leaning his tall body over me, hands placed on either side of me against the wall.
A shot of pure heat engulfed me instantly in my core and my breath caught. The footfalls grew louder; a very distinct shuffling sound of heavy boots. Maxxus looked into my eyes deeply one second and crashed his mouth onto mine the next.
I didn't have time to question it, but my body instantly responded despite my inner protest, everything about me was screaming to be pressed against him.
One of his hands roughly clasped my cheek as the kiss grew more intense. He trailed his lips gently across my jawbone and up to my ear and I had to force myself not to moan; every nerve in my body was electrified.
“Make sure the glamour is working,” he whispere
d softly into my ear. The footfalls grew heavier and closer and I nodded slightly, understanding his meaning. “And act like you're enjoying this.”
I nearly snorted out loud—like I had to act—but that would ruin the moment. I just closed my eyes and thought momentarily of our individual disguises and exhaled deeply, letting the magic flow around us. I hadn't realized that the breath came out as a light moan.
“Easy now,” Maxxus whispered, flirtatiously, as he lightly nibbled on my earlobe.
I dared to look briefly, feeling sheepish at my untoward loss of momentary control. The owner of the heavy boots was nearly upon us and I felt a new sense of panic quickly replace my excitement.
Lorusto. The black dragon that had tried to barbecue me all those years ago. The same one that Maxxus nearly beat the ever-living guts out of not long after. I had no idea he was a portal guard, but I know he'd surely know who we were.
“It's okay. Just focus on me,” he said so softly in my ear I could barely hear him. My hands were trembling and I nearly panicked, sure they would give us away. I found the first spot of stability I could grab: the pockets of Maxxus' black jeans. I grasped tightly, inadvertently pulling him closer, all the while staring deeply into his blue eyes. He smiled out of the side of his mouth and nodded slightly for encouragement. He kissed me once more feverishly, and I fought to keep my eyes open, the intensity of the kiss relaxed me and they nearly closed. One eye remained slightly squinted as Lorusto was nearly upon us. He wore an expression of disgust across his thin-lipped, narrow face with beady black eyes.
I snapped my eyes shut once more, as Maxxus wrapped one arm around my waist tightly, his mouth still exploring mine, his tongue briefly brushing across my bottom lip. I let out a small peal of giggles—totally unexpected—as he did it. Apparently, he forgot where we were—or did he? Clearly, he was remembering some things he used to do in our “younger” days that drove me insane, and he was using them against me.
Damn him.
“Hey!” Lorusto's large voice boomed. All bark and no bite; same Lorusto as always. He stopped right behind Maxxus and pulled Maxxus away by the shoulder.
Oh fuck. Once more that heat inside was quickly replaced with panic. I breathed in deep and imagined our cover once more, and opened my eyes again.
“Hey! What man?” Maxxus spat venomously at him. “Don't you see I'm fucking busy, here?”
I pretended to glare at him, like I was pissed he had to interrupt our tryst (okay, it wasn't much of an act...I was pissed).
Lorusto snorted. Crossing his arms across his narrow chest, he glared at us both. “Could you at least take that in your room, please? I just had dinner; I don't want to throw up everything I just ate.”
Maxxus let out a low, guttural growl that even intimidated me. “Hey, I'll do whatever I want, to whoever I want, wherever I want. Got it?” Maxxus released his grip on me and balled his fists at his sides. He stepped towards Lorusto, glaring menacingly.
Lorusto, who was at least five inches shorter and thinner than Maxxus—even with his glamour—tried to return the intimidation, but as Maxxus cracked his knuckles and took another step forward, he relented.
Lorusto snorted. “Whatever man. I ain't seen you around before, so I'm gonna give you a piece of inside info. There's wanted dragons around Anarach, and they're dangerous. So, take your piece of ass in your room, lock the door and keep it out of here. Okay?”
I scoffed. “Oh please. You won't even remember we were here, anyway.” I squinted my eyes in concentration and focused on the irises of his eyes. We aren't here. Move along.
Lorusto suddenly appeared confused. “What the...” He appeared to look at us, but not at us—like, past us to the wall. “Whatever...” he grumbled and walked once again down the hall.
“Holy—” I said, my heart pounding in my chest, my stomach somersaulting and churning as a nervous burning sensation crept up my throat. That was really too close for comfort.
He put a finger to his lips, and grasped my arm, pulling me quickly down the hallway a few steps before stopping at an indiscriminate door. He reached out to turn the metal knob and it didn't budge. He muttered a curse under his breath, and waved his hand over the knob slowly. We heard a click as the lock released and he shoved the door open fast, pushing me inside first.
I stopped just short of the doorway in surprise of the surroundings. Maxxus shut the door behind us, waved his hand over the knob once more, securing it and he sighed when he turned around to see the state of his room.
It was a simple room. Nothing frivolous for the Guard. A humble full sized bed sat in the middle of the wall, under a window cut out of the gray stone, with a single pane of glass inside. The brown blankets and pillows were strewn about; a pillow was ripped open on the floor, it's cotton bursting out of the tear and spilling onto the ground. A simple pine dresser against the opposite wall had all the drawers open, their entire contents strewn about: pants, shirts and skivvies tossed everywhere. The bottom drawer was off its track and on the floor, cracked down the middle. A matching pine armoire to the right was open, and all of Maxxus' personal belongings were haphazardly thrown out; papers and documents littered the floor. Boxes of random objects were tossed everywhere, robes that had been hanging were ripped to shreds, falling off their hangers. The only thing that remained untouched was a chair next to the armoire with several articles of clothing on it messily.
I let out a low whistle. “Damn.”
Maxxus sighed, closing his eyes tightly in a moment of tension. His fingers rubbed his temples and he groaned.
Feeling sympathetic, I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his middle, resting my cheek against his chest in a tight hug. “I'm sorry.”
He absent-mindedly returned the hug; I could sense he was taking in the destruction around us. He sighed, offering me a brief peck on the top of my head before dropping the embrace. He crossed the room to the bed, fingering several belongings strewn about, and starting clearing the top of the bed. He smiled wryly at me and patted it, urging me to sit down.
I did so, tossing the pack I'd been dragging on the floor beside the bed. “So...” I said, looking around, feeling uncomfortable as Maxxus folded himself onto the head of the bed, inches from me. “This is your room.”
Maxxus nodded. “What's left of it. I should have known they would have searched it after I went missing, but somehow I hoped, foolishly, that they wouldn't.”
“Anything important missing?”
He shrugged. “All I really care about is the clothing.” Maxxus looked down and pulled at the legs of his tight black jeans and grimaced. “Daniel's pants really don't work on me.”
I grinned, smirking playfully out of the side of my mouth. “Oh, I don't know...they seem okay.”
Maxxus rolled his eyes briefly, but he shoved me playfully. “Stop,” he said, his cheeks reddening slightly. He leaned back against the wall, with his arms behind his head for support and sighed. “Now, we wait.”
“What exactly are we waiting for, and how long do we have to wait?” I questioned suspiciously.
He snorted. “Not sure. But I have a feeling we'll know when we see it. Someone should be suspicious. We weren't quiet coming in here, and me unlocking the door with my magic probably triggered some magical ward somewhere—I'm sure this room is being watched.”
“Watched?” I yelped, grabbing at the blanket and putting it over me, stupidly, like it would really hide me.
Maxxus pulled the blanket off me and shoved it aside. “Not actually watched, but I'm sure the magic will trigger some wards somewhere. It'll be awhile before Nicodemus hears about it; though how long, I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Meh,” I grumbled in dismay. I slid off the side of the bed, intending to gather up the bits and pieces of what remained of Maxxus' life on the floor, but he grasped my forearm and pulled me back down, nearly onto his lap.
More heat blazed inside at his forcefulness. Really, this was getting
ridiculous. I shouldn't be so easy to turn on that just a simple gesture sends me reeling. I groaned in frustration.
Seriously, Leo. Just strip down and have your way with him. It's okay. You've done it before, and clearly, you need to do it again so you can stop feeling like this.
“What are you thinking?” Maxxus asked.
“Oh.” I tried to cover my blush and sheepish look. “I, um...”
“About that—stuff in the hallway. I was just trying to...umm...” Maxxus laughed shortly, uncomfortably, biting his lip and looking away. He let out a peal of nervous laughter as he covered his face with his palms.
“That bad, huh?” I retorted dryly.
“No!” he said quickly, flustered. “It's not that, I just—” he scrubbed his face with his hands and let out a groan. “I didn't want to be too, um, solicitous before you were ready. If you're ever ready. I know you're in a dilemma with Gabriel and I just don't want to add to that.”
“Uh-huh.” I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at him. “So you didn't like it?”
“Leo!” he scolded, slapping his forehead and crying out in frustration. He shook his head and let out a strangled noise, grasping his hair and pulling slightly. He turned back to me, defiant. “Look, if you'll forgive my crassness, let's just say I'm extremely relieved for these tight pants, because if they weren't, you would get a very good glimpse of just how much I liked it, okay? They sorta keep everything smashed in place.”
I winced, slightly taken aback. Oh, and at the idea that he was smashed in... places. Ouch. I was still getting used to our having been intimate before, and I was still used to that gentleman who put his trenchcoat down on the ground for me to sit on in that clearing. This new, more forward Maxxus was still...surprising.
You could cut the tension with a knife. I fought to keep control of my hands that desperately wanted to see just how much he enjoyed it by unzipping his pants, but I restrained. So, in true Leorah fashion, I cracked a joke.
“Well, I guess now we know why Daniel wears them, then,” I nodded to his pants.
He grinned widely, the tension melting off his face as he laughed. “Somehow, that is not helpful,” he wrinkled his nose.
