Magical Lover

by Karilyn Bentley

  He looked into her eyes, their pupils dilated. Saw the vein beat in her neck. The vein he would bite to join their life-forces when they bonded. Which wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

  Her lips parted and he took the invite. Crushing his lips against hers, he tightened his hold on her waist, pleased when her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers running through his hair. His tongue played at the seam of her lips and she opened for him, drawing him in, brushing her tongue against his.

  Goddess, but he wanted her. Here. Now.

  Running his hand down her back, he grasped the firm globes of her arse and pulled her against him. Aaah. She felt good.

  “Ahem. There are other people in here,” Annaliese said.

  Hadn’t he just finished telling himself it was only a kiss? Obviously obeying self-talk was not high on his to-do list. Releasing Keara, Thoren rose to his feet. Maybe distance would help the almost overwhelming desire to take her despite the onlookers.

  “Sorry.” Thoren gave Keara’s hand a squeeze and walked to the bed to look at his nephew.

  Nephew. Now that was a word he hadn’t expected to be using for some time. He wiggled his jaw, trying to get the tick to stop. The last thing Zeke needed was for him to yell. But when he thought of Zeke lying with a non-Draconi female...he shuddered. Bad image. Think of something else, like Keara’s full lips.

  Or not. Thoren clasped his hands in front of his body and stood by the bed, staring down at his nephew. His older brother contributed to the mess otherwise known as Thoren’s occupation.

  Thoren should be happy there were those like Zeke who didn’t mind where their scales rested. On the other hand, bedding a non-Draconi just plain gave him the shivers.

  Zeke’s hair fell across his cheek, obscuring his face from view as he bent his head to his son. Five years Thoren’s senior, but with almost identical features, his brother had been his idol. But in recent years, the closeness they’d shared as hatchlings unraveled, separating like the hem of a well-worn cloak.

  For years, Thoren wondered why Zeke turned distant.

  The reason lay in front of him, sickly and smelling like death.

  A hand touched his back and he wrapped an arm around Keara’s shoulders. As everyone was busy watching the child struggle for breath, he supposed no one would notice what was going on in his leathers.

  Thoren dropped the hand hiding his embarrassing bulge and placed it on the containment field surrounding the boy. Or tried to place it on the field. His hand slipped through the shimmering haze and landed on the boy’s leg. Lids fluttered open and green eyes stared out of a face that mirrored his own.

  All the anger he felt toward Zeke and his unnatural bedding practices vanished with that one gaze. This was his nephew. His blood.

  “How’re you doing, hatchling?”

  One side of the boy’s lip turned upward and his eyes closed, his breathing rapid.

  “His name’s Conr. His mother named him.” If Zeke pulled his chair any closer to the bed, his knees would fuse to the mattress.

  “Was he...hatched?” Thoren took his hand off Conr’s leg as he looked at his brother’s bowed head.

  “No. He was born.”

  “Hatched?” Keara tilted her head to him, one eyebrow reaching to her hairline.

  “Male Draconi hatch. Females are born,” Annaliese explained. Judging by the look on Keara’s face, that news didn’t go over well.

  “Hatch?” Keara’s voice hung around the ceiling.

  “If a female is expecting a male, she will give birth to an egg, which is then incubated for a couple of months before it hatches. A female child is carried to term and is delivered with much pain.”

  Keara blinked her lashes like a butterfly’s wing. “I feel a bit weak.” She gestured toward the wall. “I think I’m going to go sit back down.”

  She needed a better idea if she thought she was going anywhere without him. Even the short distance to the wall. Where she went, he went. As long as he didn’t touch her or think of her soft body pressing against his, how she looked moving on top of him, the feminine whimper of pleasure when he took her. As long as none of these thoughts dropped by for a visit, he’d be fine.

  But seeing they’d moved into his room of wishful remembering, he was screwed. No, that’s what he wanted to be.

  Show control, Thoren.

  “Please teach me to mind-speak,” Keara placed her hand on his arm. His emotional grip slid toward the cliff of no-control as her fingers touched him.

  “All right.” Teaching such a basic concept should be a snap, along with the added benefit of giving him something else to think about besides what he’d rather be doing with her.

  She learned faster than a dragon flew. In no time at all, she understood the basic concept of how to block her thoughts from leaking into other’s minds. So he moved on to other things, like how one used magic.

  Dinner came and went, an aroma of pleasant scents drowning out the ever-present smell of sickness. Zeke remained by the bed, only leaving it to visit the relief room, his hand resting on his son’s arm. Annaliese hovered between the bed and a table where she prepared droughts, the soft slide of her shoes whispering against the stone floor as she moved.

  Keara rested her hand on Thoren’s forearm, her head against his shoulder. He continued to check her for Conr’s illness, for the red spots and high fever, but the only symptom she exhibited was tiredness.

  Not that he minded.

  She could rest her head on his shoulder for as long as she wanted. He rested his head on top of hers, shutting his eyes for a minute. Only a minute...

  Thoren woke to Keara moving against him. Weak light shone through the high window, coating the room with a pale glow. Had he fallen asleep? Considering he lay flat on his back, muscles aching from sleeping on a stone floor, he supposed the answer was a yes. Keara lay on top of him, using his body as a pillow.

  She moved and he groaned as she rubbed against him. It was about time he put his morning erection to good use. Tightening his arms around her, he rolled them over.

  “Good morning! Nice to see you awake.” Annaliese’s voice cut through the strands of light like shards of glass.

  Thoren looked down into wide green eyes. Keara’s mouth opened in an “oh” and not the kind of surprise he wanted to see on her face. He rolled to his feet, squatting next to Keara.

  “Good morning, Annaliese.” Thoren looked to Zeke who lay on his side on a pallet. A soft, comfortable pallet. He squelched the stab of jealousy. He shouldn’t complain. His brother’s son might die.

  Keara scrambled to sit, straightening the bodice of her dress. Annaliese knelt beside her.

  “Let me have a look at you. How do you feel?”

  “Great. Actually, this is the best I’ve felt since I was brought to the Temple.”

  “Good, good.”

  Thoren watched as Annaliese examined Keara’s skin, looked in her mouth, pulled down her bottom eyelids and pronounced her able to leave the room.

  Praise the Goddess!

  Grabbing Keara’s hand, he helped her to her feet.

  “How’s Conr?”

  “The same as yesterday evening, but I think he’s on the downhill slope of improvement. Zeke can stay with him. Now you two take a walk around the Courtyard. Get some fresh air. Keara’s been cooped up inside too long.”

  Keara patted her hair, trying to smooth the rowdy tendrils into her braid. It was like putting cats in a carrying container. She apparently realized this, since she quit touching her hair and grabbed hold of Annaliese’s hand. They exchanged a silent gaze and then Annaliese nodded.

  Thoren stood a little taller. He’d taught her how to mind-speak.

  Which was rather annoying, come to think of it, since he couldn’t tell what they were talking about.

  With one last glance toward Conr, Keara opened the door and walked out. Thoren ran smack into the containment field. Ouch.

  “Sorry,” Annaliese said, waving her hand.


  This time when he walked through the door, nothing stopped him.

  When she arrived at the door to her room, Keara looked at him from under her lashes, then at the ground, then back at him. His breath caught.

  “I need to change before we go out.”

  Maybe she’d let him come in and watch.

  “So do I.”

  But if he came in and watched her undress, he’d want her. Want to lay her on the bed, lick up the insides of her legs, take her core between his lips.

  “See you in a bit.”

  She closed the door. In his face. Smoke steamed from his ears as his dragon strained to reach her. She belonged to him. And he wanted her. Why in the name of the Goddess was he leaking smoke? Who was in charge here? Him or the dragon? Clearly the dragon, since his hand hovered halfway to the door, ready to knock it down.

  Thoren took a step back and stalked down the hall to his room. A twist of the handle and a slap against the wood sprung the lock. The ensuing kick shut the door with a satisfying snap.

  What had made him think putting off mating with Keara was a good idea? It seemed plausible at the time. It must have, or he wouldn’t have thought it. Now? If putting his job over his mate was the best he could come up with, he was dumber than a catch of glittering stones.

  His dragon understood. It was about time his higher reasoning caught up with what he instinctively knew—Keara was his mate. Unable to live apart from their mates, male dragons craved their females, protecting them at all costs. He’d heard the stories, but thought he was above basic biology. He enjoyed his work, loved it, couldn’t imagine life without it, but despite that reasoning, his body needed Keara like it needed air to breathe. Without her, he was nothing. Plain and simple.

  Yanking his tunic over his head, he threw it on the mattress and started to pull off his leathers. He needed a bath if he wanted to convince Keara to bond with him. Biology only went so far. A clean prospect meant a lot.

  Once finished, he waited outside her door. Had he really considered knocking it down to get to her? Good thing he put the dragon on a leash, no telling what the beast might do.

  “Oh, hey. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  Keara appeared in the open doorway, another white dress on, this one trimmed in green. Her hair was pulled into a sloppy bun with curling tendrils escaping. His heart kicked like he’d been hit in the chest. Goddess’s teeth, but she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

  “Does it look all right? I’m not used to dresses, but that’s all the priestesses seem to have.” Her hands fluttered down the front of the skirt.

  “It looks good.”

  Her face broke into a smile. “Thanks! Are you ready to give me a tour?”

  Definitely yes. A tour of his body and then he’d take a tour of hers, or maybe he’d go first.

  Get it together, Thoren. You have to prove to her she needs you.

  He stuck out his elbow and she slipped her hand in the crook of his arm. Together they walked to the Courtyard.

  Chapter 14

  Ah, the warm feel of sunshine on her skin, the merry chirping of birds filling the air, her hand on Thoren’s arm. This day was shaping up nicely. Much better than yesterday. Thinking about how she failed to heal Conr made steam start rising in the back of her throat and her mostly-controlled powers fluctuate.

  The birds continued their songs, Thoren’s arm felt warm beneath the fabric of his tunic and the sun warmed her, but the cold anger she felt for herself simmered below the surface. What happened to her ability to take an illness into her body and change it into something innocuous? Was Conr’s illness too great, or had unlocking her magic shriveled her healing ability?

  “I can’t believe I couldn’t heal Conr.”

  Thoren’s lips pressed together, like he had something to say and couldn’t decide how to say it. “What?”

  “I said, I’m mad that I couldn’t help Conr.”

  The next thing she knew, rough bark rasped against her butt through the fabric of her dress as she teetered on a branch high above the ground. Grabbing the nearest limb, she held on with a grip of a dying person—which she just might be if she didn’t figure out how to get down before she fell. The leaves rattled as her arms shook. It took her a couple of tries to get the words past the thickness of her tongue and lips.

  “Thoren!” Even to her ears, the cry sounded weak. He might not hear her shout.

  Keara?

  Mind-speaking! In her panic, she forgot her newly acquired skill.

  Thoren, I’m up in the tree, get me down!

  What are you doing up there?

  How am I supposed to know? Just get me down!

  She looked down and wished she had not. Red and gold leaves and brown limbs formed a map running down a trunk that seemed to go on forever. Closing her eyes, she counted to three and then opened them again. Still in the tree.

  Perhaps now is a good time for another lesson.

  What? She sat stuck in a tree and he wanted to teach her something? Were all males this crazy?

  Thoren. I. Am. Stuck. In a tree. Why are you talking about lessons?

  If you knew how Draconi traveled, then you could get down from your perch without asking me for help.

  Fine. Get me down and you can teach me whatever you want.

  Dizziness, accompanied by an out-of-body experience, assaulted her as she disintegrated piece by piece, reappearing in Thoren’s arms. Hopefully she’d adjust to that mode of travel as she had a sneaking suspicion it was her newest lesson.

  Thoren’s grasp tightened until her ribs cracked. Keara refused to complain, at least her feet stood on the ground.

  “What happened?” Relief distorted his words.

  “I don’t know. I was upset and started to lose the grip on my magic and then I was in a tree. At least I didn’t blow anything up.”

  “You’re getting better at controlling your powers. It’s starting to come as a second nature to you now. But anger has a way of interfering with magic, making it harder to control.”

  “Anger interferes with a lot of things. How did you get me down?”

  “Draconi can move around simply by thinking about it. See, I’m here now.” One blink later and he stood a stone’s throw away, “Now, I’m here,” Thoren reappeared in front of her, “And now I’m back to you. But until a Draconi male goes through the Change, he can’t move other people, so you’re lucky I’ve Changed. Ready to learn how to move around?”

  She closed her eyes, waiting for it all to disappear and her to wake in her shop in River’s Run. But Thoren remained standing in front of her in the Temple Courtyard. No dream. If she hadn’t seen him disappear and reappear, she never would have believed people, even Draconi, had the ability to transport themselves in that way.

  But she lived in Draconia now and magic abounded so she might as well embrace her new life. What a relief to know her Grandmother and everyone else in River’s Run were wrong about magic. Instead of being evil, it was fascinating.

  “Sure. How far can you travel by transporting?”

  “You have to be able to see the place, or to know where it is. So I can transport back into my room in the Temple without seeing it because I know where it is. But there are wards surrounding Draconia that prohibit you from transporting in or out of the land. The only exception is if your mate is in jeopardy. Then you can transport to wherever he or she is, even if you haven’t been to the place where they are.”

  “How’s that?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t know. It’s part of being mates and it’s a test of sorts in case you don’t know if a person is your mate or not. Now are you ready to try?”

  By the time the sun rose to its full height, and her stomach growled, she had learned how to disappear and reappear around the Temple grounds, Thoren giving chase. It was the most fun she’d ever had. What an enjoyable morning.

  Thoren’s presence made her happy. Being around him, learning new things, his patience with her, all made her realize how much
she cared for him. Dare she use the “L” word?

  Keara glanced at Thoren, smiling as his eyes twinkled. How did she go about convincing him to marry her? To love her? He seemed to enjoy her company, which was a plus in her favor. And yet, sometimes she saw a distance in him too. As if he’d rather be doing something, anything, besides being with her.

  At least that distance was gone today. Today, he acted like she was the best thing in his world. Why had she not paid more attention to relationships and less to herbs? Maybe then, she’d know how to keep alive his attitude toward her.

  Picturing herself sifting through space, she reappeared in front of Thoren. He grabbed her about the waist and swung her around. She squealed.

  “Great job! Let’s go eat lunch. I can hear your stomach growling.”

  ****

  Thoren had no sooner crammed his mouth full of food when he heard dragon-song billowing through the windows of the dining room. His fork froze halfway on the down stroke to his plate. Why was an adult male flying around the Temple? The males who remained in dragon form stayed on lands some distance from the Temple and they only flew in on holy days. Since today was not a holy day, why was the dragon here?

  Judging by the looks on the priestesses’ faces, he wasn’t the only one with that thought. Keara continued to munch her food, but even she realized something unusual happened since the entire room stopped eating and turned to the windows.

  Aryana hurried to the panes of glass overlooking the Courtyard, Thoren behind her. As if given permission to move, the priestesses and acolytes trailed behind, crowding around the open windows.

  A dragon landed in the Courtyard, blood-red scales gleaming in the sunlight, his wings flapping before settling against his back. The beast’s thoughts drifted through the minds of the curious faces watching him.

  I need to speak to the High Priestess, please.

  Fafnir? Thoren squinted. It definitely looked like the dragon he’d left to Enar’s care. So where was Enar?

  “Is that Fafnir?” Keara asked, pushing aside a priestess to stand beside him.

  “I better get down there.” Which was the last thing he wanted to do. He’d rather ask Keara to be his mate, but getting the words to come out proved harder than imagined, and he might as well do something useful. Starting with finding out where his Watcher was.