Keeper of the Flame (15 page)

“What?” Lera turned back to him again, her expression very serious.

“I told you that a seer’s vision sent me here. I think Miss is part of the reason I was the one who had to come.”

Lera regarded him intently for a long moment, then turned her attention very deliberately toward the gryphlet again.

“I think you might be right.”

That was all she said before forging on ahead, in the gryphlet’s tracks.

The rest of the morning passed much the same way, in a leisurely walk over the sand dunes, enjoying Miss’s antics and what little scenery there was to see. A few hearty souls were attempting to graze domesticated animals here and there along the sand flats. They crossed a few fence lines, but didn’t see many animals. There wasn’t much natural vegetation. Hugh doubted such vast and mostly barren land could support large herds. It was more likely the animals naturally gravitated toward the more verdant land near the coastline. Certainly, the few farmhouses he saw in the distance were all toward the coast, where trees sprang up to shelter them from wind and storms.

There were a couple of dilapidated barns along their path. No more than crude shelters for whatever animals might graze this far afield. Perhaps they saw seasonal use. Hugh didn’t know enough about this part of the world to say for sure. He only knew that an empty barn could be useful on their journey.

In fact, he called a halt at one of the mostly empty structures at midday. They’d been following the stream all morning. He knew it came down out of the hills and it was as good a path as any to take, since the distant hilltop was their destination. They were close enough to take a break. One last push and they’d be climbing the hill in no time at all. Best to wait until near dark for that.

“Hungry?” Hugh asked as he shrugged out of the straps of his travel pack.

“I could eat something,” Lera confirmed. “Are you going hunting again?”

“I have a ration bar or two in here. You can have them.”

Her eyes lit up and he was glad he’d remembered the fruit and nut bars he had thrown into his pack in case of emergency. The consistency of boiled leather, they were rolled in waxed fabric because the boiled and concentrated fruit had a tendency to make everything sticky. That made it a natural for adhering any number of shelled tree nuts, seeds and dried berries into a compact bar. The result didn’t look very good but tasted delicious. Especially when you were hungry from the road.

Hugh rummaged around until he felt the familiar waxed fabric. There were two of them, each about half a foot long and half that size across. He took them both out and placed them on an upturned crate in the shadowed interior of the barn. Other than a few empty wooden crates, there were only a few bales of hay stored in the structure.

“You make a start on these. I’ll just have a little word with Miss.” Hugh met the gryphlet who stood poised on the threshold of the shadowy barn. He knelt down so he could talk to her at eye level. “Are you up to hunting, sweetheart? I hear some rustling in the corner over there.”

It might not be appealing to the lady, but Miss needed every chance she could get to learn her natural skills. Both raptors and cats were natural born hunters. Miss was a little of both. She needed to learn how to hunt both on the ground and from the air, and if Hugh was serious about taking her in, he had to use every opportunity to teach her. The younger she was when she started to learn, the more readily such things would come to her.

Hugh knew he’d guessed right when he saw the way her eyes lit up and her whiskers twitched. Furry little ears swiveled to catch the sounds of scurrying rodents near the back of the barn.

“Where do you think they are, sweetheart?” He spoke in a low tone, near one mobile ear.

“There.” She gestured with her right forepaw exactly where Hugh thought the critters might be hiding. “Good. Now how will you stalk them? What is your approach?”

The little head turned to him in question, tilting in puzzlement. “Sstalk?”

“When you crouch low and wait quietly so they don’t see you coming.”

“Oh. Like diss…” Miss moved silently on her paws, advancing carefully until she was only a few feet from the corner where the rustling noises had been coming from.

She crouched, maneuvering her approach so that the rodents would be boxed in between the two walls in the corner of the barn and her. There would be little chance of escape unless they were much faster than a pouncing gryphlet.

Hugh watched as she waited, willing to let her demonstrate before he tried any further instruction. She seemed to know what she was doing. He’d watch this time and critique if necessary to teach her how to sharpen her skills.

He saw the moment when she moved to strike, as the first of two black round things with bald tails came running out from under a loose bunch of weed stalks that had blown into the back of the building. Her claws came out a split second before she pounced. Two slashes with her front paws and she went still. Neither of the rodents had escaped her incredibly accurate stabs.

Miss turned to Hugh, calm as could be, holding one of her catches up to him. “Want one?”

Hugh couldn’t help the grin that split his face. “Thank you, sweetheart, but you earned them both. You did such a great job.” He reached out to pat her head, bestowing the love and approval the little one needed so much. “Where’d you learn to hunt so well, sweetheart?”

“Hungry,” she said simply, though she moved into his caress.

Hugh’s heart broke again for the baby who had been roaming the streets on her own for who knew how long.

“I guess that would do it. Get hungry enough, you learn how to catch dinner, eh, Miss?”

The gryphlet didn’t reply. She sat down on the ground to enjoy her catch, tearing into the dead rodent as neatly as she ate everything else.

Hugh headed back toward the doorway and the lady who watched with no discernable expression on her face. Lera was making good progress on the first of the fruit and nut bars.

“Sorry if that wasn’t exactly the entertainment you’re used to at table,” Hugh apologized as he walked closer.

“Some of my best friends are gryphons.” Lera surprised him by waving his words off nonchalantly. “I’ve seen worse table manners. She is really an incredibly neat eater for a child.”

“I noticed that too. Most young dragons don’t have her level of coordination or her natural grace. I haven’t been around enough gryphlets to know if that’s normal for the species.”

“It’s not. Most gryphlets are little fuzzballs of mischief. Of course, most are spoiled rotten from the time they’re in the egg to the time they fledge.” Lera smiled and handed Hugh a slice from the ration bar.

He noticed she was using the throwing knife he’d seen in her hand on the roof of the inn. The blade had to have been secreted somewhere in the fabric of her gown, though he hadn’t seen it or felt it when he’d taken her dress off last night. There must be some kind of secret compartment in there somewhere.

“There’s a sheath in the stays of my bodice.” She must’ve noticed the direction of his curious gaze. The grin she gave him was both sassy and shy. An intriguing combination.

“You’ll have to show that to me sometime.”

Her smile deepened. “Maybe I will.”

He took the slice of ration cake from her hand with a lingering caress. “I certainly hope so.”

Hugh looked at the corner where Miss had been sitting quietly, devouring her catch, and found the baby gryphon fast asleep. He wasn’t altogether surprised.

“What do you say we stop here for a few hours?”

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Lera replied with a soft smile toward the gryphlet. “She’s already had a big day dancing up and down the dunes, testing her wings.”

“Yeah, she’ll probably sleep for a couple of hours, at least.”

“Whatever will we do in the meantime?” Lera’s question sounded innocent, but her expression was chock full of mischief.

“I don’t know, but why don’t you come over here and sit on my lap. I’ll try to think of something.”

The curve of her mouth promised a delicious kind of trouble as she walked slowly toward him. Far from the innocent miss, she prowled right up to him, hiking her skirts as she moved in a way that made his mouth water. She held his gaze as she straddled his thighs, perching on his knees, her arms looped around his neck.

“I can think of a lot of things I want to do to you,” she whispered against his lips before joining them in an intimate kiss.

The kiss deepened as she slid forward on his lap so that her warm heat rubbed up against his straining erection. Their bodies moved and swayed against each other, bringing little tingles of excitement, while the kiss went on and on. Lera was in charge and Hugh didn’t mind at all. She twined her tongue with his, commanding his response in a way that sent shivers of pleasure down his spine, through his insides and straight to his cock.

Quick as that, he wanted to be inside her. She enticed him like no woman before and though he let her call the pace, he was ready to go whenever she wanted him. Thank the stars, she seemed as quick to catch fire as he was.

Lera bounced off his thighs and his hands went to her waist in reflex. He didn’t want her to go. But then he saw what she was about. Her clever hands were at the ties that held her drawers and she was working at the dainty little bows, loosening them. He wanted to help but knew his big fingers would just get in the way.

He watched, impatient as she seemed, while she conquered the knots and let the fine fabric slide down her luscious thighs. She still wore her skirts, but she was naked beneath. If he had his way, he’d keep her like that at all times—naked and ready to take him.

He just about died when she sank to her knees in front of him and coaxed him to move his knees farther apart. Her fingers went straight for the buttons on his fly and he forgot to breathe.

When her small hand wrapped around his cock and squeezed, he had to fight for control. Then she moved closer, her long hair sliding over one shoulder, and her mouth closed over him. Hugh gave in to the pleasure as she explored him, letting her do what she wanted with his willing body.

He only pushed her away when he was too close to the edge. He didn’t want to come in her mouth. No, he wanted to feel her tight pussy around him before he gave up his seed.

Which reminded him of something.

“Lera, honey.” He stroked her hair back from her face as she lifted away from his rigid cock. “I’m sorry. I never thought about the fact that you could get pregnant.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” She smiled at him and he felt like the sun had come out on a stormy day. “I am not a virgin and though I have not been with many men, I do know how to take care. I eat a particular herb that helps regulate my system and prevents me from conceiving. I’d have to stop eating the herb for a few weeks in order for the effect to wear off.”

She stood as she spoke, hiking her skirts up as she moved into position. She straddled his legs again and her intent was clear. Oh boy, was it ever clear.

Hugh’s hands went to her hips and stopped her forward progress as she stood over him, her skirts around her waist and her thighs spread over his. It was probably an awkward position for her, but he wouldn’t let her fall. He wanted a moment to savor her and be certain she was as ready for this as he was.

One hand stayed around her hips, steadying her, while his other hand moved to the juncture of her pretty thighs. His fingers searched for and found the little nub that made her squirm. He watched as her thighs trembled and her mouth opened in enjoyment. He played with her clit a few moments before delving deeper.

She was so wet. He liked how responsive she was to him. He liked it a lot.

Hugh slid one finger inside her narrow sheath and enjoyed the way her breathing hitched. He added a second finger to be absolutely certain she was ready to take him, pumping his fingers into her for a few moments, heightening her pleasure. Once he was inside her, he wouldn’t last long. He needed to make sure she felt the same.

Hugh’s fingers inside her felt wonderful to Lera, but she wanted more. She wanted his cock. And she wanted it now.

“Please, Hugh, don’t make me wait,” she whispered. She was so close to losing all control and she wanted his cock inside her when she did.

His fingers left her and his hand guided her downward as he finally gave her what she wanted so desperately. She sank onto his hardness by slow degrees, holding his molten gaze as they became one. The fire in his eyes singed her senses as she felt her magic rising to twine with his.

Their union was of more than just bodies. It was a joining of souls and the magic contained therein. It was a thing of beauty she had never before experienced and feared she never would again without Hugh. He was fast becoming the center of her existence. It was a frightening thought. It was also an exciting thought.

When she held him fully within her body she sat for a moment, enjoying the connection. He seemed to want to take a minute to savor the feeling as well.

“I love the way you feel around me, Lera. Like your body was made to fit mine.”

“Like you’re the key to my lock,” she joked, squeezing her inner muscles a tiny bit around him. He really was the most perfect fit.