Chapter 23 #2
“He’s not a bad warrior, especially for someone of his age.”
“But you’ve defeated him every time he’s tried to get the best of you.
When it comes to the humans in my party, you don’t have a lot to worry about.
” Her fingers curled, kneading his chest through his clothing.
A fresh tingle of heat ran through him, arousing him further, making him want to kiss her.
He lifted his own fingers to brush her hair, then rub the back of her neck, even as his other hand continued to stroke her breast. The way she shifted into his grip, pressing closer, promised she was aroused too.
If they escaped the cave and journeyed together, might they have an opportunity for a private encounter before reaching their final destination?
Before having to battle each other for the shielder components?
“It’s the dragons in your party that concern me most,” Vorik murmured, “though I haven’t managed to defeat you yet either.”
“Because I’m such a strong and capable warrior,” Syla said with a snort. “All the people I meet remark upon it.”
“You are strong and capable.” He kissed her, wanting… what he couldn’t have. Not here. He shouldn’t want it with her ever. Reluctantly, he drew back his lips.
“I did consider that maybe I could seduce you while Fel sneaked away with the components,” she whispered.
The admission shouldn’t have made him hard—harder—but it did. Oh, how he wanted to let that scenario play out. As long as those candles weren’t involved.
“I might let you,” he whispered.
“Seduce you? Or have my bodyguard steal away the components?”
Vorik hesitated, tempted to lie, to let her believe what she probably wanted to believe.
But his honor forced his tongue to speak the truth.
“As much as I want you to succeed and become the queen your people need, I can’t let myself knowingly fail my mission.
That battle over the whaling ship was… bad enough. I have to do my best to…”
“Prove yourself worthy?” There was a wryness in her tone.
Had someone suggested she needed to do that? Before becoming queen?
“I thought I’d done that long ago, but I am feeling the need to redeem myself in the eyes of my people.
I also trust… I trust Jhiton with my life—and our people’s future.
Whenever I’ve doubted him in the past, it turned out that I was silly to do so.
I regret that his plans are at odds with your plans and that you…
” Vorik sighed and stroked her cheek, relieved that she didn’t turn away from his touch.
He wouldn’t blame her if she did. She should.
He had a feeling she had a plan to ensure she walked away with the shielder components in the end. He knew it wasn’t personal, but she would do anything for her people. No, that wasn’t quite true. She wouldn’t kill him or even stand aside and let another end his life for her.
“I understand that your brother raised you after your father died,” Syla said, “but you may think more highly of him than you should.”
“That’s possible.”
“Especially if he’s the one who wants you to kidnap me.” She rubbed his chest through his tunic as she spoke, as if her mind wanted to argue with him but her body wanted other things. Him.
“Maybe I shouldn’t admit it, especially since I’m enjoying you fondling my chest and want you to fondle other certain parts, but I came upon the kidnapping thought myself after Wise figured out we’d need a moon-mark to get into the laboratory.
I realized we’d either need you or your cousin, but you weren’t amenable to us taking either. ”
“I was not, no. Your people already kidnapped Teyla and used her for her moon-mark, then left her unconscious on the ground.”
Instead of her hand drifting lower, as he’d been fantasizing about, Syla drew away and shifted off him. She didn’t retreat fully but lay on her back next to him.
“I wasn’t a part of that decision,” he said.
“I know.”
“I will point out that they could have left her worse than unconscious.”
Syla turned a sour look toward him. Maybe that hadn’t been helpful to add on.
“Kidnapping aside,” Vorik said, “if you feel you’ll be in danger and that assassins will harry you and it’s not safe for you to remain in the Kingdom—or if you simply pine for me whenever I’m gone and fantasize about being in my company—
Her snort wasn’t that flattering.
“—the general said you could come back with me and join our people.”
“With the shielder components?” Syla asked dryly.
“When he said that, we didn’t yet know that you’d be sent to acquire them. I think even if you bested me and got them home, you could then join us after the fact.”
Syla didn’t snort again or scoff, but she only thought about the words for a moment.
“Even if I believed that to be an earnest invitation, and it turned out I had to flee the Kingdom for my life, I wouldn’t fit in among your people.
I’m… Let’s just say that your Captain Lesva’s unflattering description of me has come to mind often. ”
Vorik winced. “That wouldn’t be everyone’s opinion. She’s abrasive.”
“A lot of your people seem to be.”
“We’ve had to learn to be tough. It’s hard to survive in our world if you’re not.
But many of our people would value a healer.
Especially a gods-gifted healer who uses magic and can knit bones back together in minutes instead of weeks.
The magic that a select few of us get from our dragon bonds doesn’t turn us into healers.
We’re stuck with mundane bandages and potions and hope. ”
“Moon-marked people are rare in the Garden Kingdom too, and few of them become healers. The magic always works best when it’s aligned with a person’s interests and passions.”
“Are you making a further argument for why my people would adore you?”
That prompted another snort.
“We’re wounded often,” Vorik said. “We need you.”
“That I believe. Is that why your general said I could join you?” Syla sounded skeptical that the invitation had been in earnest.
“I know that’s part of it, even if he didn’t explicitly say so, but I also think… He knows I’ve developed feelings for you and am conflicted about these missions.”
“You think he cares that much about your feelings toward a woman?”
“Syla, I’m amazing. Many people care for me that much.”
“Many? Really?”
“My brother, my dragon, and you. At least three. That’s many.”
“I see.”
His mood lightened by their banter, Vorik couldn’t keep from turning onto his side and snuggling close to her again. Even beyond the wonderful sex they’d had in that cave, he enjoyed her company.
“I agree to your proposition,” he said.
It wasn’t wise—had he been there, Jhiton would have been the first to say she had tricks ready to deploy—but Vorik needed her to get into the laboratory anyway. Better to have her come of her own free will than to piss her off by kidnapping her or her cousin.
“Working together until we get the final component?” Syla asked. “And then battling it out with honor to determine who gets to take the pieces home?”
“The seduction scenario holds more appeal for me than you springing upon me with a dragon.”
“You’ve suggested you wouldn’t be lulled into letting my bodyguard sneak off with the components just because my mouth was on yours.”
“I’ve said that.” Vorik found her hand in the dark and drew it back to his chest, then kissed her, stroking her with his tongue, attempting to instill in her a longing for him that would keep her at his side without need for kidnapping.
“Whether it proves true or not is questionable. As you saw once before, my mind isn’t always the thing ruling my actions. ”
He guided her hand lower, wanting her to know what kind of effect she had on him. And, he admitted, simply wanting her to touch him. And she did, fingers lightly tracing him through his trousers, as she returned his kiss.
Maybe she was calculating the odds of successfully distracting him once they had all the components. He should have cared more about the possibility than he did. He caught himself shifting over to lie atop her, pressing his chest to hers and his groin into her hand as their kiss deepened.
They needed to slip out of here, not make noises that would alert the faction people camped all around to the fact that he was awake—very awake—but her touch electrified him.
It filled him with passion—with lust—and she tasted so good, her lips erotic and eager against his.
He’d been joking less than he wished about his body ruling over his mind at times, and he was so drawn to her.
To the woman who kept proving her loyalty to him, trying to save his life, even though she had every reason not to.
Why she cared, he didn’t know, but everything about her made him want her.
Syla took her hand from him and pressed it against his shoulder. He growled, not wanting to stop kissing her, his lust threatening to knock wisdom completely on its ass, but she turned her lips away.
“Not here, Vorik,” she whispered. No, she panted. She was as much into their touches and kisses as he, and that only made him want her more. “The faction doesn’t know… I’m making deals with you… They want…”
“I know what they want,” he said, his voice raspy with desire.
“It’s dangerous for you to stay here, to be caught awake. I don’t want to be the reason.”
Gods, she was looking out for him again.
He couldn’t help himself and slid his hand around her head, fingers pushing through her lush hair, and kissed her again.
Her grip tightened on his shoulder, not pushing him away but keeping him close, and she rocked up into him, as conflicted as he.
Wanting to be with him as much as he wanted her.
If only—
“Did you hear that?” someone asked groggily from a nearby room.
Vorik pulled back, his heart pounding.
Syla released him, pushing him away, and she rolled to her hands and knees. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to pull himself together, though the thought of springing upon her and grabbing her from behind swept into him. He shook his head. He wasn’t a savage animal, damn it.
With that thought, he managed to grab his sword and stand up.
He offered a hand to help her to her feet, but she reached for the amphora instead of him.
If he hadn’t heard voices murmuring nearby, he would have laughed at her determination.
Maybe it was unwise, and he would be made a fool in the end, but he looked forward to completing this adventure with her.