Chapter Five #3
Dagan entered and shrugged off his wizard robes, leaving him in only a pair of dark blue trousers. He draped the robes over a nail on the back of the door. Then he walked over to a small table in the kitchen area, took the vegetables from the bucket, and began to chop them up for soup.
Sidonie returned to the main part of the cottage. After she spent a brief moment admiring the way the muscles on his back moved as he worked, she cleared her throat and stepped inside.
“Where did the vegetables come from?” she asked.
“I had these from before,” he replied, gesturing with the knife in his hands. “When your sisters snatched me up.”
“And they’re still fresh? After all this time?”
“Sure. When the portal is closed completely, everything inside will remain the same. Freezing time, so to speak.” Dagan dumped the chopped vegetables into a pot, added some herbs from a jar, and walked to the window.
He used air magic to pull a thin line of water from the stream, which flowed through the air and into the pot.
Sidonie had seen him use this type of magic before but still found herself mesmerized by it, watching while he picked up the pot and carried it to the hearth, placing it over the fire.
She realized her shoes were still in her hands and walked over to sit them by the door.
“And the pouch Cassandra gave you? What did that contain?”
“I wanted to be safe when we reach the summit, so I asked her to bring me a few ingredients for a spell and an amulet for you.” He took the pouch from his hanging robes, then pulled out a small purple amulet on a silver chain.
“Amethyst is used for calming magic. We usually give it to young wizards who are training, to help them learn to control their power. I hope that it will help you to control yours.”
Dagan waited for her to turn around then pulled her hair to the side, revealing her neck.
He slid the chain around her then dared to lean down, placing a gentle kiss on her nape.
When she didn’t pull away, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and buried his head in her hair, taking in her scent.
“I’ve missed this,” he murmured. The past week had been hell for him, with her angry and keeping her distance. He never wanted to go through that again.
“So have I,” she admitted. She raised an arm behind her and ran her hand along his head, pulling the tie from his hair and tossing it on the floor.
Slowly, she ran her fingers through it, feeling the soft strands between her fingers.
The air around them began to hum, which often happened when they were together this way. She hardly noticed it anymore.
Dagan put a finger under her chin and tilted her head back so he could kiss her.
Oh, how he’d missed her mouth, so soft and inviting.
Her tongue teasing his lips as it did now, causing his heart to pound and magic to sizzle inside him.
He began to untie her gown with his hands.
She wiggled out of it and turned to face him.
He could look at her bare body all day if he had time.
Her breasts were beckoning him for a caress as he ran a finger around one and then the other.
He watched her eyes flutter shut just before he took one in his mouth, teasing the nipple of the other with his fingers.
She didn’t stop him. Instead, she reached down, loosening the belt on his trousers.
He kicked them to the side and pulled her to him, finding her mouth again with his own.
Their kissing continued as he gently guided her to the bed in the corner. Once they were lying down, he tried to slow things down a bit. They had all night to be together. But the magic in his veins was pulsing through him, becoming so hot that it was hard to think straight.
Sidonie suddenly broke away from him and sat up. “Our connection… the fusion? I have felt it, a little bit, but what does it feel like for you? Will I ever be able to feel it the same way?”
It was hard for him to pause to talk when every part of his body wanted to touch her.
But he knew she didn’t fully understand and probably wouldn’t until they were able to free her magic.
Until then, he had to be patient with her.
He propped himself up on one elbow and took a deep breath, trying to find the words to describe the feeling.
“It’s like my blood is on fire. Like it’s burning me as it runs through my body.
But it isn’t painful. Quite the contrary,” he said as he nudged her back down onto the bed and hovered over her.
“As my heart pumps, I can feel it running through my veins. Like this.” He put a finger on her chest—at her heart—and ran his fingertip away from the center of her body, over her breast and shoulder, and down her arm.
Then he put the finger back on her heart again and ran it down her stomach and one of her thighs.
Once more he found her heart and guided his finger up her neck and over her lips. She kissed it, then stuck her tongue out and flicked it over the tip of his finger. He nearly collapsed on top of her as his body shuddered at the sight.
She smiled, loving how easily she could affect him. Then she sat up and rolled over top of him, pinning him to the bed. “I learned something new that I can do,” she said, grinning like a child who just found a new toy. “Want to see?”
He narrowed his eyes, curiously, but he knew better than to refuse. She sat up and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. She summoned air magic and used it to bind his arms down to the bed. When she opened her eyes, he was smiling up at her.
“Tying me down?” Dagan couldn’t help but laugh. No other woman had ever had the courage to attempt to bind him, probably because he was a wizard. It wasn’t an easy thing to do to tie someone down who could easily burn through the bindings.
“I just want to make sure I have your full attention. I know you haven’t told me the entire story, about Cassandra,” she said, then put a finger over his mouth when he tried to speak.
“But I don’t need to know everything just yet, as long as you understand that I’m not the type of woman to stand by and let someone else lay claim to the man I love.
No matter who she is. And don’t forget who I am.
Skinning a man isn’t all that different from skinning a boar. ”
“I should probably be terrified right now but I’m finding this jealous side of you insanely arousing.”
Sidonie rolled her eyes. Of course he would react that way to her threats. The man was frustratingly adorable while he peered up at her. She tried to keep a serious face, even though her cheeks felt warm.
“I would fight for you, Sid,” he added, his gaze locked on hers. “It’s nice to know you would do the same.”
It was hard to stay mad at him when those gorgeous blue eyes were admiring her.
She decided to distract herself by running her hands over his chest and shoulders, something she’d longed to do the entire journey there.
His skin was warm and soft despite the firm muscles beneath that tensed from her touch.
Dagan stiffened when her hand trailed below his stomach and he groaned when she lifted herself up to guide him inside her.
He wanted so badly to reach out and grab her hips, but her power was holding his arms tightly in place.
She must have been practicing a lot to be able to keep him immobile for this long.
As she began to roll her hips over him, he opened his eyes and found her smirking at him, obviously enjoying the fact that he was struggling. The magic in his body was so hot that he thought he might explode. A whimper escaped his mouth, driving her to move faster.
Lost in desire, it was becoming hard for Sidonie to hold onto the magic. She arched her back and let her head drop back, closing her eyes as she rode him. She tried to hold him, but it was no use, and she released her hold on his arms.
Immediately his hands were on her, holding her at the waist as he pumped into her, so fast that she could barely catch her breath. Then he poured himself inside her, groaning so loudly that the horses outside were spooked by the noise.
With her body and her magic exhausted, Sidonie rolled over to lie beside him. Then she realized she was smiling. Her sister was right. She was a Sabra, first and foremost. She was strong and capable of anything. And her wizard was worth fighting for.
Dagan broke the silence with, “The man you love?”
She froze, just becoming aware of what she had said. Having never loved a man before, she’d surprised herself by admitting it so easily. However, there was no doubt she did. She loved this wizard. Her mate. Clearing her throat, she replied, “I said that, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” Dagan found her hand lying next to his and linked their fingers. “And I’m glad. I’ve wanted to tell you that I love you for a while now. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Scared you might not feel the same way.”
“Really?” She looked over at him in surprise. Knowing what she did about the women he’d left in his wake before he met her, she wasn’t expecting this reaction. Then again, she wasn’t expecting any of this.
“Absolutely.” Dagan kissed her then got up and walked over to the hearth to give the soup a quick stir.
Sidonie watched him walk away, appreciating his naked rear. Feeling smug, she closed her eyes. Cassandra can find her own man, she thought to herself. This one is mine.