Keeper of the Flame (16 page)

“You’re skilled at torture, milady,” Hugh gasped with a smile as he pulsed lightly up into her.

“Not torture. Pleasure,” she whispered in his ear as she began to move in subtle, slow pulses.

Wanting more, she sat up and used her legs as leverage to help her ride him, taking him deep then shallow, deep then shallow. His hands at her hips helped her move, his impressive strength lifting and releasing her as they worked together to climb higher.

Within moments it was all too much. He powered up into her as she did her best to keep control over her movements, but it was a losing battle. A battle she didn’t want to win. For on the other side lay ecstasy and she wanted that more than control.

Hugh pumped in short, fast digs into her willing body, driving her higher with each movement. She whimpered when her body seized in the most amazing contractions of rapture. She came around him and a moment later she felt the warm jets of his come inside her body.

Things became even more slippery after that, both of them riding through the bliss together, joined as one.

“I love what you do to me, Lera,” Hugh whispered near her ear as things began to calm down.

They were both breathing hard and the cool air wafted across her neck, making her aware of the perspiration that formed a light sheen on her skin. How she longed for a bath, but she was on the run from assassins. Such luxuries would have to wait until she was back home and safe from the threat—if they managed to accomplish that feat. Right now, she wasn’t feeling very positive about their chances.

With Sendra against her, there was no telling who remained loyal and who had turned traitor. Sendra might not have the throne, but she had wealth. Vast quantities of wealth amassed over the decades, first by her family, and then by her varied business interests. She was a shrewd woman who was known to be both cutthroat in business and generous to those who helped her achieve her goals.

Lera knew that enough money could tempt many to put aside their principles. Lera would have to tread carefully if and when they returned to the city. She had no real notion of who she could trust outside of a very few.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Hugh asked in a worried tone, drawing back to look at her face.

She smiled lazily at him. “No, you didn’t hurt me. How could you even ask that?” Her voice was pitched low and sounded a little raspy to her own ears.

“Then what puts that look on your lovely face?”

“Just worrying about things,” she said, rising off him, separating their bodies while her skirts slid down to hide the evidence of their joining. He tucked himself back into his worn leather pants and buttoned the fly.

“Things?” Hugh prompted, moving to his pack and taking out a cloth, which he handed to her without comment. “Like going back to the city?”

Lera accepted the soft cloth and ran it up her leg, under her skirts, capturing the trickle of come that had begun to leak out of her. Hugh handed her his water flask and she used the contents to wash up as best she could.

“Sendra has a lot of money. She could use it to turn people against me,” she confided.

“I don’t doubt she has tried that tack already. A few have probably taken her up on it, but there are good people in every land. And you have me. My loyalty is to you, Lera. And my brother, of course, but in this situation, it’s definitely with you. Roland wouldn’t want to be allies with someone who sent assassins after their own cousin.”

“Politics sometimes makes strange bedfellows,” she reminded him.

“Not in Draconia. And especially not with Roland. We’ve had enough of treachery to last ten lifetimes. Rol won’t deal with someone he knows is a snake in the grass. It’s not worth his time to weigh every word and action. Truth is truth and honor is honor. There is no way to deal with someone who doesn’t understand these simple concepts.”

“I think I’m going to like your brother Roland.”

“Not as much as you like me, though,” he warned playfully, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close for a kiss. “I saw you first.”

Just before dark, Miss woke, stretching her sleepy wings and body. She’d used her fuzzy wings a lot more than she was used to that day and they were no doubt sore. Hugh went over to her and rubbed her muscles.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?”

“Yess, Hoo. Wingss hurt.”

“I bet. You gave them a good workout before, flying down those dunes. But wasn’t it fun?”

“Fun!” she agreed readily. “Want fly more.”

“I’m sure you do. And you will. Later. For now, you need to build up your wing muscles every day and soon you’ll be soaring over the land. I promise.”

The gryphlet trotted beside him as he walked toward the doorway to the barn, where Lera waited.

“I want you to wait here with Lera while I scout ahead.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Lera asked, concern in her voice.

“I want to know what we’re flying into.”

“Good point.” She didn’t look happy about it, but he read the acceptance in her expression.

“I won’t be long and I’ve already checked around here. There’s nobody in this wasteland. We’d see them approaching from long distances in this flat place. And I can be back here in a heartbeat if you need me.” He took her hand. “All you have to do is call out. Use your magic if you have to—that same probe you tried to use when we first met—I’ll feel it and I’ll fly back to you. But I honestly don’t think you’ll have any problem here for the short time I’ll be gone.”

“I trust your judgment.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

Hugh felt like he’d won a great prize. Her trust and her open affection meant the world to him. It didn’t seem possible after only knowing her such a short time. Still, he had recognized a connection between them almost from the first moment they met. Adversarial as that initial meeting had been, he couldn’t deny he’d been attracted to her from the instant he saw her.

“I’ll be back before you know it. Just stay here and keep to the barn, out of sight. Miss will protect you.” They shared a smile at the idea of the baby being Lera’s guard.

They both knew Miss was brave enough, and she had already played a key role in allowing them to escape that second set of assassins, but she was so small and…fuzzy. Sitting at their feet, licking her paws, she didn’t seem nearly as ferocious as she had already proven herself to be.

Hugh leaned in and gave Lera a proper kiss. He’d be back quickly, but even the short parting tugged at his heart. Again he marveled at how close their bond had become in so short a time.

“Sit tight. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Hugh let her go and walked into the waning sun toward the top of the nearby hill. He felt the pull of Lera on his heart. The connection was so strong, it felt like a string tied between them, stretching as he left her, but not breaking. It felt a lot more comfortable than he would have expected.

Hugh hadn’t ever expected to find the woman meant for him, regardless of the success of his brothers’ relationships with their new wives. He’d been happy for Roland and Nico. Even the twins, Darius and Connor, had found a beautiful, otherworldly woman to share their lives with. He’d seen their joy in their wives and been glad they’d found such happiness, but somehow he’d doubted there could be a woman out there for him.

And now, he’d found her. In this foreign land. In a desperate run for her life. In danger.

Hugh renewed his vow to protect her with his very life. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. If she were hurt, Hugh knew his own heart would break.

He moved quickly up the hill, using some of his dragon strength and speed to move much more rapidly than they had earlier in the day. He wanted to get this mission over as fast as possible and get back to Lera and the baby.

He paused as he approached the crest of the hill. He had to be cautious because he wasn’t sure what he’d find when he popped his head over the top of that hill. He crouched low to the ground, ready for anything.

What he found was something he hadn’t expected.

Gryphons filled the skies. Everywhere he looked, gryphons flew in formations easily recognizable as search patterns to Hugh. Others circled higher above, operating independent of the more organized wings.

Hugh ducked down behind the hilltop. Something major was going on in, and over, the city. He wouldn’t be able to sneak in quietly by air. At least not easily. He’d have to fly at heights that would be a challenge both to him and his passengers, but it might still be possible. He’d have to think this through and consult with Lera on possible landing sites. And there was always an approach from over the water. That might be the best way…to come in after full dark.

Hugh hightailed it down the slope, heading back toward the barn at top speed. Gryphons had the eyesight of their raptor precursors. It was possible, even at such a distance, that he might’ve been spotted.

Damn. He hadn’t expected this complication, but he guessed he should have. Lera was the Doge, after all. Somebody had noticed she was missing and had called for a search of the city. Whether those running the search parties were good or bad, he had no way of knowing. If she were found by the searchers, it was all too possible she would be delivered into the hands of the same faction that had contracted for her death at the hands of assassins.

The only way Hugh could be certain she would remain safe and alive, was if he was the one guarding her. She had to go back to the city, but if Hugh had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t be leaving his sight until the threat was nullified.

Hugh stretched his senses, on full alert as he approached the barn. He was almost to the entrance and could see Lera waiting there with the child when he heard the sound he’d been fearing.

Wing beats. Feathered wings at that. Very large feathered wings.

He spun on the sand to find a lone gryphon bearing down on them. Too late to do anything else, Hugh shifted shape to his dragon form, blocking the entrance to the barn as best he could.

“Wait!” Lera’s voice called out from behind him, but Hugh couldn’t let her interfere.

The gryphon wasn’t slowing. In fact, he’d started a dive and was gaining speed. Hugh guessed those razor sharp talons would flash at him as the gryphon pulled up just short of the ground.

Nice maneuver.

Only Hugh wouldn’t let the gryphon’s fancy flying succeed. Hugh had a natural defense that gryphons feared.

He let out a breath of flame, aiming it up toward the sky. A warning shot across the gryphon’s projected flight path. Hugh was gratified to see the beast swerve away from the flame, altering his path away from the barn.

The adult gryphon was clearly a warrior. He landed with a grace and speed that Hugh had to admire. He came to rest a few yards distant, out of what the gryphon was probably guessing was the reach of Hugh’s flame. The feathers around his neck and head ruffled in what Hugh thought looked like either a show of bravado or annoyance. Either way, the bird looked like he meant business.

“Releasse her,” the gryphon ordered in a booming voice.

Hugh wasn’t going to shift shape in order to speak aloud to the gryphon. Protecting Lera and the child was his first priority and he could do that best in dragon form.

“It’s all right!” Lera shouted from behind Hugh. “Hyadror! Stand down! This dragon is protecting me, not holding me prisoner.”

“Then he will not mind sstepping asside.” The gryphon’s beak cocked in a superior way that demanded compliance. His words were only slightly hindered by the beak, causing his S’s to slur in a slightly different way than Miss’s, but he was perfectly understandable.

Too bad he’d apparently never met a dragon before. Hugh would not back down. Not when Lera’s life was at stake.

“Hugh, please, step aside so I can explain to him.”

“It could mean your life if he is not trustworthy,”
Hugh reminded her in the privacy of their minds.

“It’s Hyadror, the one I told you about. I
do
trust him. With my life.”

Hugh recalled the name from their earlier conversation. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of trusting someone he didn’t personally know, but he’d have to take Lera’s word for it. They needed an ally in this mess. Perhaps this gryphon would be the one.

“Are you sure?”
Hugh heard the desperation in his own words. He couldn’t help it. She was precious to him.

“Positive.”

“All right then. Proceed slowly and stay near me. Do not go to him. I cannot protect you adequately if you are too far out of my reach.”
Hugh steeled himself and retracted his left wing, allowing the gryphon to see Lera, standing just behind him.

“Hyadror, this dragon saved my life twice yesterday. Sendra sent Eyes to kill me. Tell me what’s been happening in the city.”

“We found the Eyess, though Ssendra did a neat job of disstancing hersself from the two found in her vineyard. Ssloppy work, that.” Hyadror still looked suspicious to Hugh’s trained eye. “I organized a ssearch. All wingss are ssweeping the city, even now. And the guard iss out looking too. Now where have you been, milady? With thiss dragon, I ssupposse.”

“He is much more than just a dragon.”