Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
There were other ways to loan Sam some of his dragon power, but he was afraid of lending him anything too potent considering they’d never attempted this and the fact that Sam hadn’t cast a spell in the past. No reason to hand Sam a live grenade when a firecracker was good enough for now.
“How do we do this?” Sam asked.
Dimitri wrapped his arms a little tighter around the mage, loving how Sam’s hands automatically came to rest on his shoulders. “First, you relax.”
“Not exactly the easiest thing to do with an audience.”
His grin only widened. “Jealous. They’re so very jealous.”
“Dimit—”
He didn’t give Sam a chance to argue any further. He covered Sam’s open mouth with his own. A tiny sound of protest rose in Sam’s throat, his hands clenching Dimitri’s shoulders. Dimitri prepared himself to be shoved away.
But it didn’t happen.
A heartbeat later, Sam relaxed against him while those long, slender fingers twisted in Dimitri’s T-shirt, trying to pull him even closer while his tongue slid along Dimitri’s. The kiss deepened, stoking the hungry need that seemed to always be lurking in his gut when Sam was close. Every touch, every kiss left him wanting more.
It was only when he heard someone behind him clear his throat that he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Giving a mage dragon’s breath could be accomplished quickly with the tiniest of kisses. Or he could blow it into a vial for later.
This way was a hell of a lot more fun.
Concentrating on the task he was supposed to be accomplishing, Dimitri pushed dragon’s breath into Sam. The mage stiffened in his arms, fingers digging into his shoulders, but he didn’t try to pull away. When he felt like Sam had received a good amount, Dimitri reluctantly ended the kiss and lifted his head.
Sleepy eyes blinked slowly at him then widened suddenly. Dimitri smiled, still holding the mage tight, supporting his weight, because it didn’t feel like Sam was prepared to stand completely on his own.
“Feel anything, Toucan Sam?”
Sam’s mouth fell open and his cheeks flushed a bright pink. Sparks filled his eyes and he looked like he was about to lose his temper before he apparently realized that Dimitri was talking about the dragon’s breath, not the kiss. Well, maybe he was talking about both to tease Sam, but he really did mean the power boost.
“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” The words escaped Sam softly, as if he was slightly dazed, while a desperate hope filled his eyes.
God, Dimitri wanted this to work for Sam. He didn’t want to see that hope fizzle and die.
Pushing out of Dimitri’s arms, Sam turned toward the booby trap. He knelt down, still a couple meters away from where he’d pointed out one of the little boxes, and stretched one of his hands toward it. Sam whispered something so softly that Dimitri couldn’t quite hear it. His eyes were locked on the fine trembling that started in Sam’s fingers and on the bow-string tension across his shoulders.
No one spoke as Sam remained in that position for nearly a full minute. In the end, Sam closed his hand into a fist and drew it to his chest.
“No. I can’t. It won’t work.” Each word was clipped and sharp.
“Are you sure—” Luka started to ask, but Sam cut him off.
“Yes. It… I can’t do it.” He shoved to his feet and turned toward the way they’d come. Every muscle in his body seemed to be tensed, his back ramrod straight as if steel had been poured into his spine. But what bothered Dimitri the most was that Sam had been careful not to meet his gaze as he swept by.
“I need to walk and clear my head. We can look at the map when I return and figure out a new route.” His voice was softer this time, but Dimitri didn’t miss the choked quality to his words. Sam was hurting and he needed to understand why. He needed to help him fix this. Sam suffering was utterly unacceptable.
Samuel wanted to cry. He wasn’t sure if it was frustration, embarrassment, or something far older—the deep, oozing cut of failure he’d lived with his entire life. Either way, his emotions were a spiked ball in his throat. His eyes burned but he refused to cry, dammit. It was ridiculous at this stage to cry.
You’d think he’d be used to this. You’d think he would be resigned, that he would know better. And yet when Dimitri had offered him dragon’s breath, the hope had slammed into him all over again.
Maybe with a powerful enough boost, his core could do something.
Maybe magic was within his grasp.
Maybe, maybe, maybe…
For a few seconds, it had felt like he held the answer in his hands. The tingling swell of magic had been inside of him, the promise of his own abilities finally unlocking. And even better, he’d found it with a dragon. The man who could be his dragon.