Unquiet Slumber

by Paulette Miller

  Tianna had watched Seth kiss Hollee earlier and longed to know what it would be like to be in an affectionate embrace. She had only kissed one person before. He was just a boy and, given that they were both young, they had no idea what they were doing. She was tired of feeling like such a child and wanted to start behaving like a real adult female. She had seen adults kiss a million times. Gabriel was a teacher, and she felt safe in his arms. She wanted him to teach her.

  She spoke in a low whisper. “Gabriel.” She hesitated. “No fear,” she told herself to get the courage to continue. “I’ve only really kissed once before and he didn’t know what he was doing. I want to learn how to do it right. Will you teach me?” Her face turned pink.

  Gabriel was shocked to learn that this beautiful female in his arms had never been really kissed. A smile involuntarily crept up on his face.

  Before he could speak, Tianna started to ramble. “It’s just that you’ve been mated several times and you’re a teacher and a mentor and you know much of the world, but if you don’t want to I’d understand and we can just go to sleep.” She finally paused to take in a breath of air. Seeing the look in his eyes, she added quickly, “Kissing, nothing more.” Her face turned from pink to red.

  Gabriel loved that she was still innocent enough to blush. Other than Tianna, no one had blushed for him in a hundred years. He lifted his hand to her face to feel the warmth and caressed her cheek. “My lady, put your trust in me. Just follow my lead.”

  He leaned toward her and then stopped abruptly and asked, “You don’t have any bugs in there, do you?” He gave her a playful smile.

  She giggled and shook her head.

  He continued his path forward and gave her a nice, but firm, kiss on the mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed her back so that she ended up flat on her back with him leaning over her. He broke away for a second and gently kissed her on her cheek and chin before he returned to her mouth. He kissed her again and then pulled back enough to see a twinkle in her eyes. Seeing her interest in continuing with his lesson, he leaned back in. With the gentlest of touches, he ran his tongue along her lower lip. Tianna let out a sigh that caused her mouth to open slightly and Gabriel took this as an invitation. He pressed his mouth tight against hers and gently guided his tongue into her mouth, caressing her tongue with his.

  He whispered, “Hmmm. You taste so sweet.”

  Tianna loved the feeling of his tongue on hers and responded to him in kind. He guided the kiss to be more aggressive, and she was up for the task. He thought she was an excellent student. She realized how important the tongue, hands, and position of the rest of the body were in kissing. When she thought she had the general idea mastered, she broke away from the kiss and pushed him back just enough to gaze into his eyes.

  Gabriel prayed that she wanted more lessons.

  Tianna smiled at him. “Let me see if I’ve properly understood your lesson.”

  She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him over so he was lying on his back. He let Tianna lead and offered no resistance. She was now in charge of the lesson. She moved in, not just with her mouth, but with the rest of her body as well. Given their size difference, she adjusted her position on the bed so, when she leaned over him, they were still face to face. She left her hip on the bed, pressing her leg over his body and hugging him tight.

  Like a caterpillar when it slinks its body to inch forward, she slowly began to lower herself against him. When she pressed her breasts against his chest, Gabriel let out a quiet moan. She tried to increase the sound of his pleasure by pressing herself even tighter against him. It worked. She put her arms on either side of his head and leaned down. To Gabriel‘s surprise, she turned at the last second and used her hand to tilt his head away and kissed his neck on the mark of his warrior group.

  Gabriel growled. He could feel heat building within him. He had to start concentrating hard to maintain his control.

  Tianna kissed a path up his neck, over the line of his chin, and then moved his face toward her. She surprised him again by licking a slow circle over his lips.

  Gabriel realized she was teasing him, making him wait. With this realization, his growl grew a little more urgent.

  She could feel an inner strength emerging from within, and it was intoxicating. She giggled at the power she was feeling and kept playing with him with her tongue to make him wait just a little longer. When she thought he and she had waited long enough, she pressed her mouth tightly against his and released her instincts. She gave him a deep, not so gentle, kiss.

  He started to lift his arms to wrap them around her and pull her in tight, but she grabbed his wrists and pinned them down next to his head. Tianna was being completely dominant and she loved the feeling. She let out another giggle.

  Gabriel thought, “Ahhh, the student has become the teacher.”

  As Tianna continued her rather aggressive assault on his mouth, he had to clench his fits to keep from throwing her over onto her back and start more advanced lessons. When she showed no signs of stopping or even slowing, Gabriel’s dragon started to stir. Not since his young days had he felt so overwhelmed and out of control. She was making him feel young and alive again.

  A single red scale appeared on his chest just as Nathaniel burst into the room.

  Chapter 14 – Intentions

  When Nathaniel entered the room, he was furious and grumbling something no one could understand. He quickly glanced down when he saw Tianna jump back from Gabriel. They all stared at each other silently for a moment, Nathaniel quickly realizing what he had interrupted.

  Tianna stared at him confused. “What are you doing here? I thought you were staying someplace else tonight.” She swayed since her head was still spinning from the kissing.

  “Obviously,” Nathaniel said with a growl. He stomped over both of them. “I’m coming to bed.”

  He laid down in his favorite spot behind Tianna and pulled her close to his body, while Gabriel tried to recover from Tianna’s lesson. She quickly pulled Gabriel toward her so she could rest her head on his shoulder and put her arm and leg over his body. She whispered, “Thank you,” and she kissed him on his chest. He put his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze and let her snuggle in.

  Nathaniel wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but he was going to find out from Gabriel first thing in the morning.

  Tianna wondered why Nathaniel had returned since he had left with several very attentive villagers in tow. Maybe he didn’t like magical females as much as human. The thought bothered her more than she liked to admit given she was now in the category of magical.

  Gabriel only had one thought, “Damn.”

  Nathaniel hugged Tianna closer to him and smiled. He was glad he came back to the hut and thrilled for interrupting Tianna’s newest nighttime activity.

  There was an uncomfortable silence between the three of them, since no one knew what to say. Tianna thought to herself that she would have something interesting to write about in her journal.

  The next day, after a very quiet and awkward morning meal, Nathaniel pulled Gabriel aside. “Brother Gabriel.” Nathaniel bowed to his brother in arms.

  “Brother Nathaniel.” Gabriel returned his greeting, never taking his eyes off of Nathaniel’s.

  Nathaniel took a deep breath and blurted out. “What are your intentions with Tianna?”

  Gabriel knew exactly what Nathaniel was asking but decided to toy with him. “What do you mean?”

  Nathaniel growled.

  Given the look in his eyes, Gabriel decided not to push him too hard. “You mean since Tianna and I kissed.”

  Nathaniel thought that a kiss had better have been the only thing he interrupted. Out loud he said through clenched teeth. “Yes.”

  Gabriel knew how much this conversation was costing Nathaniel so he responded honestly. “Tianna is a beautiful creature and I enjoy her company. She makes me feel young. She even makes me consider taking on a new mate.”

  Gabriel saw a
distress appear in Nathaniel’s eyes that he had never seen in him before. He put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “Ease your mind, brother. Nothing other than a kiss happened last night. Nothing else will happen.” He couldn’t help himself from adding, “Unless she asks.”

  Nathaniel’s posture eased, but he vowed to never let her be in a position with Gabriel to be able to ask.

  Gabriel continued, “Tianna had never kissed a grown male and wanted to try. I was happy to give her lessons.” To himself he added, “Although she doesn’t require lessons.” He shivered at the memory of her kiss.

  Gabriel was the recipient of her first adult kiss. Nathaniel about crawled out of his skin, and he had to breathe deep to calm his dragon.

  Now it was Gabriel’s turn to ask the questions. “Why do you ask so intently, brother? What are your intensions toward Tianna?”

  Nathaniel thought that was an excellent question and one he really didn’t know how to answer.

  Gabriel knew that Tianna held some feelings for him but, based on the discussion of the night before, he knew her feelings were stronger for Nathaniel. They had a mental connection that he could never have with her. He had seen how they looked at each other when they thought the other one wouldn’t see. Now Gabriel also knew the extent of Nathaniel’s feelings and, worst of all, Tianna believed that Nathaniel really didn’t care for her.

  “Nathaniel.” Gabriel put his arm over his brother’s shoulder. “Now isn’t the time for secrets. There must be complete trust and honesty between us.”

  Nathaniel sighed in frustration. “Do you want to know why I was angry when I entered the hut last night? When I was with the other females, all I could think about was Tianna. I felt no desire for either of them and left without ever touching them. I just couldn’t get Tianna out of my mind. Until meeting her, I was enjoying my freedom. Now, I don’t even want to look at another. I’m not sure I’m ready to mate, but the thought just keeps popping into my head. I haven’t even kissed her, yet she draws me to her. I’m not sure I want to be tied to any one female.” He added quickly, “Especially one that loves to live in trees.” He peeked down to the ground way below him and shivered.

  Gabriel loved Nathaniel like one of his many sons and this son was being stupid. He shook his head in disgust. “Mating isn’t a death sentence, Nathaniel. It’s just the next stage in our lives as males and as future fathers. It’s time for you to embrace your future and open your eyes to the possibilities. You must be honest with her and tell her how you really feel. She’s lost and confused and thinks she has no future with anyone. Show her that she has doors open to her if she wants to step through them.”

  From another tree, Tianna saw Gabriel and Nathaniel having a very intense conversation. She was afraid that it was about the events of the previous night. When she approached them, they stopped talking, smiled, and went about their business. They seemed to have worked out their differences since she didn’t see any additional outbursts from either of them.

  Over the next week, they settled into a daily routine. Tianna thrived and tried to do everything. She spent a lot of time with her newfound friend Hollee, who helped her embrace her Inari connection to nature. She was introduced to the younger trees in the tree nursery, where she worked on her ability to hear what the trees had to say. Although she never heard words, over time, she did have images appearing in her mind. The trees were trying to communicate.

  When she wasn’t with the trees, she studied how to make the vine based material and how to braid the Inari way. She mastered both skills quite quickly. She was even able to modify some of the Inari techniques by incorporating her own braiding and sewing methods. In the end, she taught the villagers some new tricks.

  Tianna discovered that the ear piercing was an Inari tradition and had special meaning. A villager received their first piercing when they turned an adult. After that point, they received an additional piercing for each special skill they mastered. Tianna was very proud when they told her that they thought of her as a lost member of their village, and she received her first piercing.

  Watching Tianna blend in effortlessly within the village, Huon excitedly informed Marcus that he was positive she was part Inari. Although Tianna was beginning to feel at home and thought that she resembled the Inari in many ways, she noticed that she still stood out from the others. Her skin tone was too light and her body’s build, especially her pronounced curves and silver hair, didn’t fit the Inari mold. She hoped that on her travels to Haven she might be able to find a village where she would seamlessly blend in.

  Seth was thrilled to study the Inari’s version of maps and tracking. He was spending much of his nighttime star gazing with Hollee, and she was also teaching him how to braid hair the Inari way. He was an excellent student and soon was braiding the hair of many giggling villagers.

  Marcus and sometimes Gabriel spent their days with the young Inari teaching them about Draaks and the world outside their village. Gabriel would often shift for them on the ground so they could see his dragon up close. He even let them crawl all over his back, which caused squeals of delight. Tianna was amazed at how a feared warrior could be so wonderful with children.

  Gabriel continued his nightly warrior lessons with Seth and Tianna. After seeing local protectors watching with interest, he asked them to join in. He was pleasantly surprised at how well they fought. They attacked in small teams but seemed to think as one. They used whatever nature was around them as weapons, such as vines, branches, or even the ground itself. When they fought in mock battles, the designated enemy, typically Nathaniel or Seth, was often wrapped up tight in vines before they even saw their attackers.

  Both Marcus and Gabriel helped them with new team-based attack patterns, which they mastered quickly. Several times Tianna joined in on a team. She seemed to thrive when working with others and quickly picked up the ability to use nature around her as a weapon. Thinking that the Inari would be excellent allies, Gabriel invited local warriors to come to Haven to help teach his fighters how to work better as a team. Huon beamed in surprise at receiving such praise from a Draak warrior.

  Nathaniel and Tianna, when she was available, studied some of the village healing techniques. They learned how to find better potential healing ingredients from the nature surrounding them.

  While Tianna thrived in a tree-based village, Nathaniel continued to struggle navigating through the trees. Branches had to continuously reach out to catch him when he lost his balance. Given his uneasiness, he became a perfect target for the young villagers. The little ones would play practical jokes on him constantly to watch his reactions, which were often very funny. If Tianna was around, she would participate in these jokes and squeal away from him like the children. He warned her that one day he was going to get her back, but secretly he loved playing with her.

  When Tianna wasn’t playing with the children, she was carrying one around on her hip. She obviously loved children and the children of Willow loved her back.

  One cool night after Tianna was exhausted after a full day of playing, they all settled in the same hut. Nathaniel once again had managed to be the one lying directly behind her and was playing with the jewels that now lined the entire edge of her ear. They said she earned each one, but she thought they just liked seeing how her body healed so quickly after being pierced.

  As the Draaks laid around in the hut talking about the day’s events, Tianna fell asleep. When Nathaniel saw her shiver, he snuggled in close and put his arm around her for warmth.

  Seth stopped talking and tilted his head. “What’s that noise?” They all went quiet and heard a faint, rhythmic sound.

  Nathaniel put his head closer to Tianna’s body, chuckled, and whispered, “It’s Tianna. She’s purring.”

  Marcus said, confused, “She’s what?”

  Nathaniel repeated himself. “She’s purring, like a cat. I can feel her body vibrate.” He motioned them all to come closer.

  They all crawled over and lea
ned in to listen. Nathaniel was right. She was sound asleep but making a soft purring noise just like a cat. As they listened intently, she stirred. They all jumped back in case she woke. She rolled over and snuggled face first into Nathaniel’s chest. Once she was settled in, she started purring again.

  They all tried to hold back their snickering, but Nathaniel wasn’t laughing. The sound sent warmth deep within him. Listening to it and feeling the resulting vibration gave him an odd sense of contentment. He pulled her into his chest even tighter, draping his leg over her hip. She wiggled contentedly as he rested his head above hers and closed his eyes. Everyone else went back to their sleeping positions, chuckling quietly. They all fell asleep listening to Tianna’s purr.

  At morning meal they teased Tianna about her new night time noises.

  “I don’t purr!” she exclaimed. “I’m not a cat.” After a moment to ponder, she looked at Marcus and asked, “Am I?”