Unquiet Slumber (23 page)

As the entertainment continued, Tianna sat back up and started to braid her hair. Nathaniel gently touched some silky strands that had flipped onto his shoulder and asked, “May I?”

Tianna nodded and turned so her back was facing him. Since he had never braided her hair before, she gave him the same lesson she gave Seth. She intertwined her hands in his and helped him with the first few attempts. She then left him on his own.

Nathaniel was thrilled. Running his hands through her hair was like running through silk. Her hair didn’t seem real. Several times he noticed how strands would suddenly wrap themselves around his fingers and wrists as if they were caressing him. He could’ve played in her hair for hours, except when he finished a rough braid, she tied it off.

She stretched up and kissed him on his cheek, thanked him, and to his pleasant surprise, snuggled back against his shoulder.

While Tianna listened to the music, she picked a flower that was growing on a vine next to her. After a while, the flower peddles started to wilt and she stared down at it disappointed. Nathaniel noticed her disappointment and leaned close to her ear and whispered, “I’d never go limp in your hands.” He smiled and gave her a playful wink.

Tianna couldn’t help herself. She laughed, and the sound caused the flower in her hand to come back to full bloom as when it was first picked.

Nathaniel examined the flower and gave her a smoldering smile. “My lady, you do have magic fingers.”

Tianna blushed. She turned and cursed under her breath that her body responded to him like a young girl.

After the entertainment was finished, they decided to call it a night. Seth wanted to study the stars with some of the villagers so he disappeared with Hollee in tow. She was obviously taken by Seth and was holding onto his hand tight.

Tianna gave Seth a wink and wished him luck.

Nathaniel was drug off by the same two females that couldn’t seem to take their eyes off of him all evening. He really didn’t want to leave Tianna, but his thoughts had started to wander into dangerous territory. He decided it was best if he removed himself from her side, so he willingly let the females guide him away. Tianna noticed the looks of pure desire on Nathaniel’s admirer’s faces. She quickly turned away so she wouldn’t see them leave together.

To distract herself, Tianna found Marcus. He was heavily engaged in conversation with a couple of the village leaders. They were discussing details of their alliance with the Draaks as well as any stories of great warriors they had seen. They also talked of the evil that they had seen nearby. Tianna didn’t want to hear these stories, so she decided to go to bed.

They still didn’t want Tianna to sleep alone, so Gabriel offered to stay by her side. A guide led them to another tree where she pressed her hands against the trunk and willed the tree to reshape itself into a room suitable for sleeping. Tianna and Gabriel were left alone for only a few minutes when a couple young villagers arrived carrying their traveling bags.

After helping Tianna untie the back of her shirt, he turned around so she could dress for bed. They then tucked themselves into their bedrolls and stared up into the tree branches above. Although they had planned to go to sleep, they spent hours talking about his family, past mates, and plans for the future. Tianna still longed for a family of her own. Although she thought Nathaniel might like her, she knew his true interests were with more experienced females.

She took a good look at Gabriel. Lying there talking with him, she felt so safe. “
Could Gabriel be the one for me?
” she thought to herself.

Gabriel could see Tianna staring at him deep in thought. “Tianna, may I ask you a personal question?” he asked hesitantly.

Tianna chuckled. “Gabriel, you’ve already saved my life and we’ve been together every hour of every day for almost a month. You can ask me anything you want. No secrets, remember?”

He cleared his throat. “We’ve known each other for a while now. How do you feel about me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you now see me as someone you would consider mating?”

Tianna wasn’t sure how to answer his questions. “Let me answer your first question. As I’ve told you before, I find you very attractive. Your marks are one of the reasons. I know you think that they scare others away, but they show a lifetime of happy and sad memories. You’re a walking history for your people and I find that very intriguing.”

She took a deep breath and continued. “All my life I’ve never felt safe or at home. I feel both of these things when your arms are wrapped around me.” After a brief pause, she continued. “As to your second question about mating, I’m just starting to accept the fact that I’ve been lied to all of my life. Now I know the truth that I’m not human, but I also know that I’m not any one thing. That means that I still don’t have a home. I’m not sure that I’ll ever feel like anywhere or anyone is truly my home.”

Gabriel nodded to show he understood and he did. He asked her another question. “Here’s a tougher question. How do you feel about Nathaniel?” He had seen how they looked at each other.

Tianna let out a deep sigh. “Nathaniel? Well, he’s a puzzle box for me. Even though he’s often annoying, I hate to admit that I’m attracted to him. Healing is a very personal gift that we share, and it comes with an overwhelming sense of touch that keeps calling us to each other. Sometimes when he looks at me, I can almost feel his need for me. Then, the next minute he looks like he hates me.”

She rolled over on her side so she was facing Gabriel. “Right now he shares his bed with several females. Why would he want someone inexperienced when he can have as many well-versed females as he wants? I can’t complete with that. I’m not the right one for him and I’m not sure any
one
person is.”

Gabriel chuckled. “He’s my brother in arms so I love him, although sometimes he’s so dense.” He turned so he was face to face with Tianna. “To have someone like you even remotely interested in him and not pursue you, he must be out of his mind. I do think he cares for you much more than he’s showing. For some reason he’s holding back.”

Tianna shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe,” but she didn’t believe it. “I think I’m nothing more than a challenge to him—a game to be won.”

Now that they were facing each other, she had a clear view of his marks on his chest. She reached out and began to outline some of them with her finger. “Tell me again about this one.” She pointed at a particularly large scar on this right shoulder.

Gabriel told her stories of that mark as well as many others. Some stories he had told her many times already, but she wanted to hear them again. Other stories were new. She seemed equally fascinated by all of them.

When her body shivered from a cool breeze, he moved in closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. He wanted to return the kiss and hesitantly leaned toward her. When she didn’t shy away, he continued his path and gave her a quick kiss on her mouth.

Tianna had watched Seth kiss Hollee earlier and longed to know what it would be like to be in an affectionate embrace. She had only kissed one person before. He was just a boy and, given that they were both young, they had no idea what they were doing. She was tired of feeling like such a child and wanted to start behaving like a real adult female. She had seen adults kiss a million times. Gabriel was a teacher, and she felt safe in his arms. She wanted him to teach her.

She spoke in a low whisper. “Gabriel.” She hesitated.
“No fear
,” she told herself to get the courage to continue. “I’ve only really kissed once before and he didn’t know what he was doing. I want to learn how to do it right. Will you teach me?” Her face turned pink.

Gabriel was shocked to learn that this beautiful female in his arms had never been really kissed. A smile involuntarily crept up on his face.

Before he could speak, Tianna started to ramble. “It’s just that you’ve been mated several times and you’re a teacher and a mentor and you know much of the world, but if you don’t want to I’d understand and we can just go to sleep.” She finally paused to take in a breath of air. Seeing the look in his eyes, she added quickly, “Kissing, nothing more.” Her face turned from pink to red.

Gabriel loved that she was still innocent enough to blush. Other than Tianna, no one had blushed for him in a hundred years. He lifted his hand to her face to feel the warmth and caressed her cheek. “My lady, put your trust in me. Just follow my lead.”

He leaned toward her and then stopped abruptly and asked, “You don’t have any bugs in there, do you?” He gave her a playful smile.

She giggled and shook her head.

He continued his path forward and gave her a nice, but firm, kiss on the mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed her back so that she ended up flat on her back with him leaning over her. He broke away for a second and gently kissed her on her cheek and chin before he returned to her mouth. He kissed her again and then pulled back enough to see a twinkle in her eyes. Seeing her interest in continuing with his lesson, he leaned back in. With the gentlest of touches, he ran his tongue along her lower lip. Tianna let out a sigh that caused her mouth to open slightly and Gabriel took this as an invitation. He pressed his mouth tight against hers and gently guided his tongue into her mouth, caressing her tongue with his.

He whispered, “Hmmm. You taste so sweet.”

Tianna loved the feeling of his tongue on hers and responded to him in kind. He guided the kiss to be more aggressive, and she was up for the task. He thought she was an excellent student. She realized how important the tongue, hands, and position of the rest of the body were in kissing. When she thought she had the general idea mastered, she broke away from the kiss and pushed him back just enough to gaze into his eyes.

Gabriel prayed that she wanted more lessons.

Tianna smiled at him. “Let me see if I’ve properly understood your lesson.”

She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him over so he was lying on his back. He let Tianna lead and offered no resistance. She was now in charge of the lesson. She moved in, not just with her mouth, but with the rest of her body as well. Given their size difference, she adjusted her position on the bed so, when she leaned over him, they were still face to face. She left her hip on the bed, pressing her leg over his body and hugging him tight.

Like a caterpillar when it slinks its body to inch forward, she slowly began to lower herself against him. When she pressed her breasts against his chest, Gabriel let out a quiet moan. She tried to increase the sound of his pleasure by pressing herself even tighter against him. It worked. She put her arms on either side of his head and leaned down. To Gabriel‘s surprise, she turned at the last second and used her hand to tilt his head away and kissed his neck on the mark of his warrior group.

Gabriel growled. He could feel heat building within him. He had to start concentrating hard to maintain his control.

Tianna kissed a path up his neck, over the line of his chin, and then moved his face toward her. She surprised him again by licking a slow circle over his lips.

Gabriel realized she was teasing him, making him wait. With this realization, his growl grew a little more urgent.

She could feel an inner strength emerging from within, and it was intoxicating. She giggled at the power she was feeling and kept playing with him with her tongue to make him wait just a little longer. When she thought he and she had waited long enough, she pressed her mouth tightly against his and released her instincts. She gave him a deep, not so gentle, kiss.

He started to lift his arms to wrap them around her and pull her in tight, but she grabbed his wrists and pinned them down next to his head. Tianna was being completely dominant and she loved the feeling. She let out another giggle.

Gabriel thought, “
Ahhh, the student has become the teacher
.”

As Tianna continued her rather aggressive assault on his mouth, he had to clench his fits to keep from throwing her over onto her back and start more advanced lessons. When she showed no signs of stopping or even slowing, Gabriel’s dragon started to stir. Not since his young days had he felt so overwhelmed and out of control. She was making him feel young and alive again.

A single red scale appeared on his chest just as Nathaniel burst into the room.