Raven shook her head while looking pointedly at Nathaniel. “I’m not mated yet, but I have my eyes on a few that might fit my needs quite nicely. I’ve a feeling that this may be my year to finally settle down.”
Even though it was painfully obvious Raven was attracted to Nathaniel, Tianna was grateful that he wasn’t responding to her comments in any way that could encourage her to continue her pursuit.
As Raven kept her stories of Nathaniel on safe subjects, Nathaniel’s body relaxed and he joined in. Soon they were laughing and sharing stories like old friends. As Tianna listened to their exchange, she realized that she knew very little about Nathaniel.
Raven, seeing Tianna sitting quietly, tried to make conversation. “Tianna, Nathaniel told me you’re from a human village called Trille and that you recently found out that you’re part Draak. To learn that you are a mixed breed must have been quite a shock. It’s unheard of for Draaks to mix between Setts and we thought it absolutely impossible for a union to be blessed between a Draak and any other creature.”
Tianna really didn’t know what to say about herself since the truth was just too unbelievable. She didn’t want to have to explain her existence when she wasn’t really sure about it herself, so she responded simply, “I’ve always known that I was different, but I could never have guessed the truth. I’m slowly learning to accept it and hope to learn more about myself in Haven.”
Raven was curious about her and asked, “Given you’re not full Draak, can you shift? Do you have a dragon mark?” Before Tianna could respond, Raven added, “I would imagine your body wouldn’t be enough Draak to let either of those happen.”
Marcus knew this was a very touchy subject for Tianna so he saved the day when he interrupted by going to get his bottle of Fire Wine. As it was passed around the campfire, Tianna longed to take a drink, except that she knew it wasn’t a good idea with strangers in their mix. She reluctantly passed the bottle on.
To avoid having to answer Raven’s questions, Tianna stood, excused herself, and said that she was going to reinforce the camp. In reality, she just needed to step away for a few minutes to regroup.
After Tianna had been gone for a while, Samuel joined her and asked, “May I walk with you? I’ve never seen anyone secure a camp with magic.”
Tianna nodded.
While she worked, he asked about her hometown and she asked about his. She knew that he was trying to figure out who, or more accurately, what she was. Samuel decided he was distracting her from her task. He bowed and kissed her hand before returning to the fire.
Given the constant looks over in her direction, Tianna knew Marcus must have been filling them in on her situation. Up until now, Tianna had been excited to arrive in Haven. Now she wasn’t so sure. Given the stares and questioning looks from their guests, she knew those in Haven were going to have a hard time accepting her as one of their own.
Tianna was grateful when it was time to call it a night. She had secretly wished their visitors would go to their own camp, but her hopes were dashed when Gabriel announced that it would be safer for everyone to stay together under Tianna’s protective shield. Marcus also invited them to travel together until they reached the next village. Raven was obviously thrilled with both invitations and enthusiastically agreed for herself and her companions.
Tianna thought sarcastically, “Great.”
As with all Draaks, nudity wasn’t an issue. They just started to strip wherever they stood. Although she tried not to stare, she couldn’t help but look at Samuel’s Dragon mark. It was the first Craftsmen mark she had seen.
Tianna was a bit intimidated by Raven when she was dressed, she was even more intimidated seeing her naked. Raven had a gentle glow to her body from head to toe and, other than her Blue Dragon mark, her skin held no scars or other imperfections. Tianna’s Draaks didn’t seem to be able to take their eyes off of her. When Tianna peeked down at her own body, she thought that maybe Draak’s preferred Raven’s less curvy figure.
Tianna wanted to be discrete, so she turned her back and tried to change behind Nathaniel. Her companions respected her privacy and always turned their backs. Obviously, the visitors didn’t feel the same way. She knew she was being watched because as soon as she had her shirt off, she heard someone ask, “Tianna, what’s that on your back?” She guessed it was Samuel.
Tianna wasn’t sure how to respond. The truth was that it was created by a wandering wizard from a vision. She slipped on her nightshirt in record time and replied simply, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just something I had done when I was younger.” Tianna was very grateful they hadn’t seen her Black Dragon mark. To avoid follow-up questions, she quickly changed the subject. “Put your bedrolls down wherever you want. There’s plenty of room under the shield I put in place.”
When Nathaniel moved toward Tianna, Raven grabbed his hand and said, “Why don’t you sleep with me tonight.” She was offering him everything that was now presented naked in front of him.
Nathaniel patted Raven’s hand and said, “Thank you, but I’ll sleep with Tianna.”
Raven was non-deterred. She added, “You’ve been traveling together for a long time, and she’s been your only option. Maybe she would like a break as well. She could sleep with one of my Craftsmen.” Raven motioned to the Draaks standing beside her. “You say she has multiple Setts within her. Maybe she’ll want to try both of them to see if either of them are compatible mates.” She said it like it was as common as asking to pass the Fire Wine.
Samuel’s eyes lit up as did other body parts. He smiled at Tianna, and she knew he was more than willing to share his bed with her.
Nathaniel’s protective instincts spiked and, in a flash, he appeared in front of Tianna and snapped, “No!” He couldn’t bear the idea of anyone else touching Tianna.
While he took a moment to calm his reaction, Tianna responded, “I think our current arrangements are just fine.” She was feeling very uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed.
Seeing the look in Tianna’s eyes, Raven asked Nathaniel, “Haven’t you explained our ways to her?”
Nathaniel replied, “She was raised human and isn’t familiar with all of our customs yet. You’re the first female Draak she’s ever met.” He pointed to the other visitors. “Other than those of us that she has traveled with, she hasn’t met other male Draaks either.” He added to himself, “Other than Kai within her dreams.”
Raven peered over at Tianna and suggested innocently, “This must be very strange for her. I would be happy to enlighten her in the proper behavior of a normal Draak female.”
Tianna felt like a child, realizing how little she really knew about what it meant to be a Draak. Before Nathaniel could respond, Tianna replied politely, “Thanks for the offer, but I think I prefer to figure things out for myself.” Tianna walked over to her bed and crawled in and was relieved when Nathaniel followed close behind.
Tianna could hear Raven whisper to Nathaniel in a very sexy voice, “If you change your mind, you know where I’ll be. I’ll be ready and waiting—just like old times.” She growled playfully.
Raven’s words sliced through Tianna’s body like a knife. As she suspected, Nathaniel was already very familiar with Raven. Tianna knew he had been with many females, however, she had never considered the fact that she would meet one of them. She wasn’t sure how a normal Draak would react to news like this, but she found that the reality of the situation was awkward and made her heart ache. Tianna was grateful that Nathaniel didn’t seem to respond to Raven’s call.
Tianna and Nathaniel tucked themselves in and he pulled her to his chest, holding her exceptionally tight. He could feel Tianna’s unease and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, My Sweet. Raven and I were over a long time ago.”
Tianna squeezed his arms to acknowledge she heard him. Not knowing what to say in response, she just remained silent.
In the morning, they all ate together and then prepared to continue their journey. Nathaniel was so
distracted and deep in thought that Tianna pulled him to the side to ask him if he was alright. Although he said he was fine, she knew there was something going on and feared it was Raven related. She worried that seeing Raven again rekindled old feelings.
They traveled throughout the day and camped together at night. The second evening was just the same as the first. Raven and Nathaniel shared stories of past adventures they had together, while the males tried to attract Tianna. Although Nathaniel didn’t openly encourage Raven in any way and slept holding Tianna so tight she could hardly breathe, he slept restlessly. She feared he wanted to embrace his old life and sleep in someone else’s arms.
The next morning after they rode a couple of hours, Seth double-checked his map and announced,” It should be just around the corner. The village is called Semora.” He picked up his pace.
Tianna raised a concern. “Normally I’d be feeling their shield by now but I don’t feel anything.”
They all understood why when they came around the next bend. The village of Semora was in plain sight, no shield. As they got closer, they saw smoke coming from some of the huts and there were people running around, many of them crying. The village had been attacked.
Chapter 24 - Evil Destroys
The travelers picked up the pace and raced into the village. The devastation was shocking. Tianna, without even letting her horse stop, grabbed her healing bag from her saddle and jumped off. She ran to the first injured person and began to offer healing. The rest of her group followed.
Marcus tried to find someone that could explain what had happened. One of the villagers said, “We were attacked yesterday evening. Some warriors came and knocked down our shield when we wouldn’t lower it for them. They didn’t even ask for anything. They just started to attack us. We have no defenses other than our shield.” She began to cry.
“Where’s your leader?” Marcus asked while comforting her.
She shook her head. “He’s gone. They killed him. They also took a couple of the villagers with them when they left.” She was sobbing now so he let some of her family take her away.
Seth walked up to Marcus. “It was Kai's Drenn warriors. I can still smell their stench.”
At the mention of Kai's name, Tianna stood up and scanned the area cautiously. Nathaniel was at her side in seconds, putting this arm around her and holding her tight.
Tianna asked, her voice shaking, “Why would Kai do this? They’re helpless and no threat to him. He only took a few people when he could’ve taken them all and killed the ones he didn’t want.” She had an awful thought. “I think they were left here for us to find, but why?” Thinking that most of Kai recent actions had something to do with her, she added, “I wasn’t here so he wasn‘t trying to get to me, and he didn’t stay when he knew I’d show up.”
Gabriel told his fellow guest members to come over next to him so they could talk privately. Once assembled, Gabriel said, “I was talking to a couple of villagers. They all say the same thing. Drenn came in, destroyed the village, took a few villagers, and left. They didn’t talk to anyone or ask for anything. It makes no sense.”
Although Tianna knew Kai was evil, she was just starting to understand the extent of his evil nature. If he did this to get to her in some way, she would never forgive herself. Her body started to shake. “We have to help these people,” she said as her voice broke.
They discussed their situation and decided that all of them, including Raven’s group, would stay and try to help in any way they could.
Tianna spoke with Gabriel and they decided that they must secure the village. He asked Tianna, “This is a smaller village, but do you think you can secure an area of this size?”
Tianna nodded. “I think I can. I’ll need a couple of people with me so they can share their energy if I get weak.”
Samuel stepped forward instantly to volunteer, which made Nathaniel step over and put his arm territorially around Tianna.
Tianna turned to Nathaniel and said, “You need to stay here and help heal the injured. I’ll join you as soon as I can.” She asked if Charles would join her as well. He nodded and stepped forward. She ran to her horse, retrieved her spell book, and then led Samuel and Charles to the entrance of Semora. Without hesitating, she started her spell work.
Marcus took the task of being the village’s temporary leader. He quickly surveyed the area and gathered those that were well enough to help. He began to send out his workers like he was sending soldiers into battle. Several went to collect food and set-up places to serve meals, while others helped create medical facilities to care for the wounded. Some had the terrible task of collecting those that had died. Within no time, Marcus had order where there had been chaos.
Sometime during all of the set-up work, Tianna returned with her Draaks. She was actually being carried by Samuel. The task was completed successfully but, even with the Draaks sharing their energy, it was almost too much for her. She had passed out just as she finished. Samuel insisted that he carry her and she had reluctantly agreed.
Tianna had laid down for only an hour when she was seen once again healing with her blue fire as well as creating potions to calm any villagers. Samuel was very impressed with her and checked on her often. His interest in Tianna bothered Nathaniel, but given their current situation, he let it go.
That first night, everyone simply laid down wherever they worked to catch some rest.
The next day was much better. Marcus’ leadership and organization skills had the village functioning in record time. Once the basics were set-up, he started the task of trying to prepare a few selected villagers to step forward as leaders. They would need to keep their village on their feet when he and his fellow Draak had to leave.
The night before, Marcus had sent Charles to fly ahead to Haven and bring back additional help. Charles returned with help before mid-day meal. Since Charles flew to Haven and back, he was exhausted so Tianna gave him energy to revive his strength.
The Craftsmen Sett’s special skill was building just about anything. They went to work constructing new huts, fixing their water system, and other features that made a village work. Tianna assisted Samuel several times. They worked well together and he was amazed by her natural Craftsman skills.
Raven helped heal whenever she could, but her special skills were in handling poisons, which was a skill they currently didn’t need. She decided that she was better suited to play an assistant to a healer so she attached herself to Nathaniel’s side. Tianna watched them work and found their skills complemented each other well. She guessed that this wasn’t the first time they had healed as a team, but Nathaniel seemed grateful for the extra hands.
Seth helped with food distribution and showed off his cooking skills, while Gabriel worked on ways to protect the village. He found any of the villagers that were able to carry a sword and taught them defensive techniques.
This routine continued for several more days. Gabriel insisted that their normal routine included the Draaks shifting on a regular basis to keep them strong and ready for battle at a moment’s notice.
Once the village had leadership in place and it seemed that they were well on their way to being back on their feet, Marcus announced that they would be continuing on their journey the next day. He would send replacements back from Haven to check on them until they were stable again.
Although no one wanted to leave the village, they knew they couldn’t stay there forever. Tianna was grateful for a different reason—she feared for these people as long as she was there. She knew Kai would come back to try to get her.
That night, Tianna and Nathaniel crawled into bed exhausted. Given how low they were on energy, they both stripped naked so they could touch body to body. As Tianna clung onto Nathaniel, she sensed not just his need for her touch, but also a deeper need. It was a feeling she knew he had been trying to hide from her, except it had grown in intensity over the last few weeks.
Nathaniel was Draak and had desires that she knew he had v
oluntarily suppressed since announcing their relationship. Meeting Raven caused Tianna to want to be more like a normal Draak. She was ready to embrace her inner nature by giving the Draak in her arms what she thought he needed.
Typically when lying next to Nathaniel, she calmed his desires, but not tonight. While drawing lines up and down Nathaniel’s back with her blue flamed fingertips, she released the desires within her heart and projected them to her bedmate. Nathaniel’s body reacted instantly to her physical and mental caress.
Tianna took the lead and, while pressing her body tight against his, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Nathaniel’s dragon growled, kissing her back. Given their need for each other, within minutes, their kisses turned into an embrace full of passion and desire. Their fingers touched and explored every inch of each other’s bodies, while their lips kissed the path that was laid out by the tips of their tongues.
Nathaniel felt an inner discomfort grow in his chest. He knew he should respond to his body’s warning, but his dragon roared in his mind, causing him to ignore it. His mind and body were focused solely on his bedmate.
Unquiet Slumber Page 32
