Chapter 26 #2
It’s not the fear that’s causing my pulse to jump out of my neck, and it’s not the physical strain. It’s the inevitability. It’s the question of what will happen when she does decide to catch me.
I hope she kisses me.
Fuck, I sound so desperate in my own head.
The other night, I could blame this urgent need on the substances coursing through my bloodstream, though I would never discredit the connection Harley and I have. The drugs simply emboldened me.
This time, I emboldened myself.
Look at that. More progress, trying something new.
The crackle of twigs behind me pulls a yelp from my throat. It echoes unanswered by the trees. I glance back and catch the blur of her graceful, furry body darting between the ancient trunks.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I chant, getting higher pitched with each iteration of the profanity. A hysterical laugh bubbles in my throat.
And then I hear the roar.
As I see the dreadful shadow of a beast pass overhead, something tackles me from behind. I fall, somehow landing on my back, cushioned by a soft patch of moss. My chest heaves with my harried breath, and I take in the feline snout looming above.
Jessa.
Her fur is mostly snow-white, but there are darker markings that start above her brow and extend down her back and limbs.
From far away they look black, but the stripes are actually a deep, blood red.
Amber irises glint with mischief; they trace over my face with knowing precision and a spark of humor that’s purely Jessa.
Her paws bracket my head, each the size of my face, and her pink tongue hangs out between sharp teeth as her shifted form pants in my face.
Her beastly head dips down, and she licks my cheek. Twice.
“Gross,” I groan out between huffs of laughter. I press my hand to the soft fur of her cheek and push her head away, only for her tongue to lap at my fingers. The texture is both wet and rough, the fine prickles tickling me. “Jeeze, Jessa, stop it.”
There’s a visible shimmer in the air, and a tingling sensation washes over me as she shifts.
“Gotcha.” She giggles when she materializes.
There’s pure delight in her expression as she gazes upon me. She’s in the same position as her beast was, hands on either side of my head, thighs straddling mine. Her head falls to the crook of my neck, and her nose runs over my skin, greedily sucking in my scent.
“Damn. You smell fantastic.” Jessa’s tongue darts out to lick the pulse thumping in my throat, and I yelp with surprise.
“Harley never wants to do this with me,” she mutters, teeth nipping at the soft flesh beneath my ear, and my surprise quickly turns into arousal.
“Can I kiss you now?” she asks, breathless, pulling back to press our foreheads together.
When have I ever seen her breathless before? I don’t think ever.
I nod.
“Words, Trouble,” Jessa chides.
“Y-yes,” I stutter.
“Good girl.”
Jessa doesn’t kiss, she claims. Her lips are soft in texture, but that’s where the softness ends; she’s all power and lethal dominance as she slants her mouth against mine.
I moan, embracing the adrenaline coursing through me and turning it into pleasure. She takes the opportunity to lick into my mouth, deepening the kiss. My hands find her neck—they lace into her hair at the base of her ponytail—and I taste her resulting smile.
Her hand slides over my body, gripping my hip, then palming my breast. Arousal has me squirming underneath her, and I arch up into her touch.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
I yelp at the quintessentially masculine, raging rasp that bangs against my eardrums. My first instinct is to break our kiss, but I can’t move, pressed down into the earth by the woman above me.
Jessa is unperturbed by our visitor, and she takes her time ending our kiss.
She suckles my bottom lip, dragging it between her teeth as she pulls away.
“How nice of you to join us,” Jessa murmurs, glancing over her shoulder. “Did you come to watch?”
A dragon’s growl vibrates the forest floor. I still can’t see him, Jessa’s chest in the way, but I know he’s close.
“Jessa,” I warn with a whisper.
“Let me handle this, babe,” Jessa whispers, planting a soft kiss to the corner of my lips.
But the tender moment is ripped apart as Ori appears, grabs her by the collar of her shirt, and throws her against a tree.
“You know these woods are dangerous. Why would you bring her here?” Ori shouts, clearly incensed. His hand wraps around her neck—his body trembling with barely concealed rage—and yet, Jessa has the audacity to smile at him.
“Umm… because I wanted to chase her while shifted? And then finger-fuck her in the dirt?” Jessa taunts. “Is that not allowed?”
“I thought she was being chased by some predator!”
“I am a predator.”
“One that would hurt her. My beast didn’t realize it was you in the haze—” He cuts himself off. “Stop smirking at me. Why are you laughing?”
“No reason,” Jessa says, biting into her lip to stifle her laughter. Then she glances at me and winks.
“Were you… coming to save me?” I ask quietly, but it’s clear he heard me, because his back stiffens. “You were going to save me from whoever you thought was chasing me?”
“No,” Ori says without looking at me.
Jessa snorts. “Liar.”
“No,” Ori repeats.
“How did you know I was in trouble?” I press, rolling up to my knees and standing. “How did you even know it was me out here?”
“I know your voice,” he grits out. “And your scent.”
“Don’t let her know that, it makes it sound an awful lot like you care,” Jessa says.
“Of course I fucking care! I’m not a monster!” Ori pushes off Jessa and begins pacing; one hand weaves into his black tresses while the other waves madly at me. “I don’t want her to die!”
“If you don’t want her to die, then you should be helping her prepare,” Jessa booms, straightening to her full height. “She can’t kill Enzo if she never trains with a dragon!”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“There’s not enough time, Jessa, even if I could—" Ori growls, pivoting towards me. “I thought you’d give up and leave by now.” His eyes are crazed, vibrant.
“Why do you want to risk yourself? You understand Maven’s insane, right?
They must have told you what she did. So, why are you doing this? Why are you here?”
A beat passes between us, heavy and thick.
“They feel like home.” My breath stutters against a sudden swell of emotion. “And this place means something to them. Why wouldn’t I want to help, knowing that?”
Suddenly, Ori’s face shutters, devastation wracking his strong features.
“Fine.” He turns to Jessa. “Take her home, Jessa. No more trips to Arcadia. Especially for whatever”—he waves his hands around—“that was.” He sighs, one hand scratching over his beard.
It’s grown since the day I visited his shop. Thickened. It’s still well-kept, but it’s got a roughness to it now.
It suits him.
Rugged. Masculine. A touch of ferality lurking under the surface.
My thoughts drift to my dream—my memory—of riding on his dragon’s back. How free it felt to soar through the sky.
His tormented gaze meets mine, narrowing, and my cheeks heat with embarrassment.
“You will continue training with Jessa on swordsmanship, but I will work with you on dragon-specific dueling,” he says.
My face lights up, but quickly falls when he adds, “With the condition that if I don’t deem you fit by our birthday, we’ll forfeit.
It’s not a lie to say I don’t want you to get hurt, but more than that, I refuse to risk Harley and Jessa. ”
“You promise?” I ask, quirking a brow. “You’re not allowed to ditch like you did this whole last week.”
Ori’s jaw grinds. “I don’t trust your promises, remember?”
“A deal, then.”
“Deals are meant to be reciprocal in nature.”
“Then let’s say I owe you.” I shrug. “One favor to be called in at any time.” I offer my hand. “Shake on it.”
Ori stalks over to me, stopping close enough that his heat hits my fingers. He stares at my hand, contemplating. I think for a moment that he’s going to refuse, if only to be a dick. But then he caves.
His hand wraps around mine, and at the first brush of our palms, my breath catches.
It’s lightning, sizzling the nerves across my entire body.
I barely register the scrape of his rough fingertips, or the surprisingly gentle pressure of his squeeze, as I focus all my energy on not trying to seem so affected by a simple handshake.
But nothing about this beast of a man is simple. I can tell that much just by looking at him.
“We’ll start after the fourth,” Ori says, releasing my palm from his massive grip. “I have matters that need tending to first.”
“Great,” I say.
“Good,” he says, as if he has to have the last word. “I’ll be in touch.”
Ori turns and walks away. Magic fizzles in the air, a shimmer overtaking his body as he shifts. And then his glittering white dragon soars beyond the trees.
“Well, that went great,” Jessa says with a chipper smile on her face. “Much better than I could have hoped.” She grabs onto my shoulders and squeezes affectionately when I roll my eyes. “Anyway… do you want to resume where we left off or go home first?”
It takes me a second to realize what she’s talking about, and I shake my head. “You’re not finger-fucking me on the forest floor, Jessa.”
She hums cheekily. “As usual, there’s a ‘yet’ missing at the end of that sentence, Trouble.”