Tested by the Night (6 page)

A cold wind suddenly blew, and chills skittered down his spine like an ominous warning. Something was coming. He could feel it and had for a while now. Something…

He’d thought it was the situation at Castle Kuropkat with Kitrina and Zander, but that was completely resolved now. Marquart, the troll was dead, the threat was past, and everyone, even the dragons, had moved on. Still, the unmistakable sensation that his life was about to change forever, and possibly not in ways that could all be described as for the good, filled him.

He didn’t want a change. He liked his life the way it had been. He liked having no real responsibilities other than watching Zander’s back and teaching a class when the mood struck him. But now, it was Mia whose back he’d promised to watch. Mia he’d promised to deceive if need be. The same Mia who’d yelled at him with fire in her eyes and threw objects and didn’t back down even for a minute.

God Draka, she’d been magnificent, glorious even, and if he wasn’t careful, he could easily lose his heart to the likes of a woman like her. And that was a chance he couldn’t afford to take.

What had he been thinking when he’d agreed to be joined to her hip for the duration of an entire semester? He wouldn’t be able to get out of her sight long enough to take a piss in peace, let alone begin to build up a guard against the feel of her in his arms, the smell of her, the taste.

His mouth watered.

Shaking off his unwanted thoughts, Talon headed back inside the castle and toward the chamber allotted to him. He was tired and needed sleep. After all, he’d spent a good part of the night before pleasuring the princess and most of the day going over strategy with her father.

His body ached and his mind was weary. But still, his cock hardened and his balls ached at the memory of Mia’s soft sighs and her sensual parted thighs. He did an about face and headed toward her chamber instead of his own. He’d start protecting his heart tomorrow, really he would. And tomorrow he’d decide how best to go about stopping the pretty little princess from getting herself killed, and he’d do it without her knowledge.

But as far as tonight was concerned, Mia Hammerstrike was probably in a much better mood than she had been earlier, and she was only a couple of floors down and all alone.

Talon decided, fuck sleep. Sleep was for pussies. There’d be plenty of time for sleep when he was dead.

Chapter Four

What the VoT was wrong with the wretched man this morning? Mia glanced at Talon for at least the tenth time since the servants had begun loading her trunks upon the royal carriage, and he still hadn’t looked in her direction even once.

What possible reason did he have for not being happy to see her this morning? If anyone had reason to be irritated, it was her. She hadn’t bothered him, she hadn’t argued with him, she hadn’t asked anything of him. As a matter of fact, she’d spent the entire night in her mother’s chamber to make sure she wouldn’t disturb the blasted man. The last thing she’d wanted was to start their forced time together at odds, and he was ruining it. God Draka, how she despised him.

He was full of smiles for her parents, though. It was sickening even, how he bowed over her mother’s hand and made a production of leaning in close so as not to miss a single word his queen said. And his laughter, it was so loud it was obnoxious. Not that he was much better with her father. Their heads were so close together they might as well have been conjoined twins. Even the drat servants were getting more attention from him than she was, and she was the one he was supposed to be concerned with.

Mia cleared her throat. “I thought you were in a hurry to get underway, Sir Starkweather?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Did you say something, princess?”

Heat flooded her cheeks. “I have a proper name. Don’t call me princess.”

He ignored her, and Mia cleared her throat again. “I said, I thought you were in a hurry to get underway. At least, that’s what you were spouting yesterday.”

The block-headed barbarian had the audacity to wave her off as if she were a pest. Mia seethed.

Her parents, however, didn’t. They both rushed to her side. Her mother hugged her close and kissed her cheek while her father wrapped his arms about both of them. “Listen to Talon, daughter. Do what he asks of you. We talked long into the night last evening. He’s smart and knows his way around a quest, and he also knows what is expected of him.”

Mia wanted to argue, she wanted to tell her father it was
her
challenge to take and
hers
to win or lose. She’d do it as she saw fit, and she didn’t need any advice from the likes of Talon Starkweather. She didn’t, though. Worry lines creased her father’s brow, and her mother’s eyes were brimming with tears. So, she simply nodded. What she did out of their sight would be her own business.

Talon, however, wasn’t the least bit quiet. “That’s correct princess, listen to your father and do as I say, and what I say right now is to quit dawdling and get in the coach. Daylight’s wasting.”

The dratted man offered her his hand, but she climbed into the royal blue carriage without his assistance and was adjusting the skirt of her matching gown when Talon hopped in and slid his large frame right up against her. The heat of his body seeped into hers, and sparks of awareness skittered along her spine. He smelled of fresh air mixed with a touch of sandalwood this morning, and it was all Mia could do not to lean into him and sniff and taste. Her tongue tingled with the thought. She shook her head. This would never do.

“I see no reason for either one of us to be crowded.” Mia pointed to the bench seat opposite them. “Please move.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think so, princess. If I’m riding backwards, there’s no way to see what’s coming toward us. And since I’m your personal bodyguard, at least for the duration of your time away from Alaria, seeing what’s coming is a lot more important than your comfort.”

“Fine, I’ll move then,” Mia huffed.

Before she could even begin to scoot forward, Talon had an arm locked around her waist. The sparks that had begun when his body first touched hers exploded into an all-out heat that threatened to sear her soul. She could feel the length and width of each individual finger imprint upon her skin, right through her gown, as if she wore nothing at all.

She breathed through her mouth, willing her racing heart to slow. What the VoT was wrong with her today? She wasn’t some silly little virgin on the cusp of womanhood and hadn’t been for a while now. Why on Albrath did it have to be this man’s touch that affected her so?

“Though I do enjoy bating you and watching your dander rise, I truly don’t wish to fight with you or even upset you, Mia,” he whispered against her hair. She shivered as her nipples tightened and her pussy dampened, and he held her even tighter. “I promised your father I’d keep you by my side at all times, and I will. Whether or not you believe me to be a man of my word, a man of honor, I truly am.”

She nodded. It was the only response she was capable of. If she opened her mouth to say a single word, what would come out would be a plea for him to fuck her again. A plea that would probably shock him to the very tips of his toes. Though tempting, she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t take the chance he’d find out what his touch, his mere presence did to her, at least not yet.

And even though she now ached from deep within and her clit was pulsating a steady throb, throb, throb that was making her absolutely crazy and had been since the moment his arm had wrapped around her waist, she forced herself to think about other things. Things like how far away was the portal that would take them to The Academy of Magical Arts? She couldn’t remember. It had been a long time since she’d last been there.

During a couple of their summer vacations, as preteen girls, she and Kitrina both had spent their share of long, lazy afternoons roaming the empty hallways of The Academy. Since they’d both had parents who’d been instructors at the time, they’d been left on their own to discover any secrets the dusty old castle might have to offer while their parents had been busy in boring, old faculty meetings.

Would The Academy look the same to her now as it did then? And would her suite of rooms be ready when she arrived? Would she have to meet with the council right away, or would she at least be able to get one good night’s sleep before the quests began?

A thought suddenly struck Mia. Her palms began to sweat, and her heart thumped a double beat before once more returning to a more normal rhythm. “Talon, when you promised my father you’d keep me by your side at all times, you didn’t really mean at
all
times, right? I mean, certainly not at night? Not while I’m sleeping? Not in my chamber?”

His eyes were smoldering when he looked at her. Their gazes locked. “Especially at night, princess, and without a doubt while you’re sleeping, and not just in your chamber, but right beside you in your bed. I promise you, no one and nothing will get close to you without going through me first.”

Mia forgot how to breathe.

****

He sat her trunk down on the stone hallway floor and opened the door to her chamber wide. Turning, Talon gestured Mia inside. She didn’t say a word, and she didn’t glance in his direction as she slowly walked like a condemned prisoner into the room. But then, Princess Amelia Zoe Cassidy Hammerstrike hadn’t said a single word to him or anyone else since he’d informed her he’d be sleeping in her bed. It was as if, when those words had been spoken, the beautiful light that was Mia flickered and faded until it was all but gone, and he had no idea how to turn it back on.

She hadn’t remarked when they’d passed through the portal, and she hadn’t gasped or giggled with glee like most females when the impressive towers of the four castles that comprised The Academy of Magical Arts first came into view. And she hadn’t even mumbled a thank you or a fuck off and die when he’d helped her alight from the carriage. Even worse, she now stood in the middle of the princess suite with its rich ornamental rugs, its colorful wall hangings, its opulently decorated rooms with lush upholstered furnishings, and she looked as if she’d been heralded into a rodent infested cell.

What was he going to do? He couldn’t take back what he’d said. He’d given his word to his king and to Zander. And even if he could take it back, he wouldn’t. She deserved to sleep in peace, and she would with Talon by her side, even if it killed him to keep his hands, his mouth, and other body parts to himself. Mia would one day be queen, his queen, and her safety was his sworn duty. If nothing else in all of Albrath, he took what he considered to be his duty, very seriously.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I have to go to my room and gather my things. It won’t take long, but I’ll need you to come with me, princess.”

She flinched, but she turned, faced him, nodded, and followed.

Talon walked slowly, prolonging the moment they would arrive at his door and she’d see how far below her station he truly was. Where her bright light-filled suite was high up in a tower, his one, single, dreary room was deep in the bowels of The Academy, and he stood before the door much sooner than he would’ve liked.

It hadn’t mattered with Zander. They were both men and neither needed fancy carpets upon their floors or pictures on their walls. With Zander, Talon had been able to forget for a while how far apart their stations in life were. Zander had always treated him more like a brother than a bodyguard, and he’d always felt brotherly toward the man that would’ve someday been king if not for his marriage to Kitrina. But his feelings toward Mia were anything but brotherly.

Taking a deep breath, and preparing himself for her look of disgust, he turned the key and opened the door. A snow-white ball of something hard and scaly hit him square in the chest, knocking him flat on his ass. A rough pink tongue flicked out and licked him right across the face.

“What are you still doing here? Didn’t I tell you to go back to Castle Kuropkat where you belong? You’re going to get me in so much trouble. Dragons aren’t allowed at The Academy. Fuck, what am I going to do with you? I swear, you overgrown lizards don’t listen to a VoT word anyone tells you.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to continue his scolding when the sound of tinkling laughter reached his ears. He glanced over his shoulder and was amazed. The color had returned to Mia’s cheeks, and her gray-blue eyes shown with life once more.

She bent to his level and reached out a hand toward the small dragon. “What’s her name?”

Talon shook his head. “You see, princess, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s why you need someone watching your back at all times. I’ve been attacked by a frigging dragon, for God Draka’s sake, and all you can say is
what’s her name
?”

Mia took the squirming little dragling right out of his hands, stood, walked through the door of his room, and sat down on his bed. “Oh please, Talon, she wasn’t attacking you, she was obviously happy to see you, though I have no idea why. And don’t forget, I was raised around dragons. I’m not afraid of them. Kit was my very best friend in all of Albrath. We played with baby dragons like other little girls play with dolls.”

He stood and dusted off his breeks. “Well, I may have taken the oath of the Paladin’s of Albrath, but I still don’t trust the scaly demons, not even the little ones. She followed me home from Castle Kuropkat, and I swear, she’s already doubled in size, and looks at me as if she’s hungry and I’m to be her next meal.”

Mia giggled again. “She probably is, hungry that is, or will be soon. Draglings have voracious appetites. “

A warmth floated through his mind, not much more than a nudge really, not uncomfortable, just there. And then he heard her. “
I am called Pearl. I am your dragon, and you are my human, I mean, paladin, I mean, barbarian.”

He looked at Mia. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Again the warmth filled him.
“I’m not hungry yet, and even if I were, I’d never eat my master. Anyway, Mother says barbarians are much too chewy and more gristle than not. The Academy had lots of fat, juicy rats to fill my belly, though I do fear I’ve eaten them all.”