Page 12 of Protected

But maybe it was the dark warrior with the mice. That shouldn't excite me so much. He wanted to kidnap me and do terrible things to me. I shivered and it wasn't from the cold.

"What?" The Viking turned again, and I got another mouthful of horse tail. "Princess, why have you not healed him yet? He needs nothing more than your magical kiss."

"Put me down, right the hell now, you delicious smelling brute." You'd think being hung over someone's shoulder, being only a few inches from their strong muscled buttocks, that the last think anyone would want to do is take a sniff. In fact, I hadn't meant to, but of the three times I'd yelled to be let down, I had to suck in a good amount of air into my lungs, and along with that air came not, gross man butt smells, but rich, mouthwatering spices like freshly baked gingerbread and strong Turkish coffee.

Before I could spend much more time contemplating whether he would taste as good as he smelled, my body was dragged back across his shoulder, then down, down, down his tall, built, half-naked torso. When I landed on my feet, I was out of breath and looking right up into his chocolatey gaze. Without taking his eyes from me, he grinned and said, "You hear that, lads, she thinks I smell delicious."

"Oh, my fucking flowers, we'll never hear the end of this." The eye-roll was clear in Tau's tone. The three of them had obviously spent a lot of time together and were tight friends.

"Stop trying to seduce her with your sheer size, Leb and let her heal Nuss." Zucker gave me a wink and waved the Viking toward the tree where Nuss was lying. "Then we can be on our way."

"Save a kiss for me, my lady." He lowered his head down to mine and brushed his lips over the very corner of my mouth so gently that I found myself reaching for his touch. That a giant warrior was also sweet and gentle, while also being dominant and grabby was frying my brain cells.

The fact that I was letting him almost kiss me after manhandling me and calling me a prize was something I was going to blame on my deepest darkest fantasies coming to life in a dreamworld. The longer I stayed asleep, the more I wanted this to be my reality, and begrudged ever waking up.

I blinked a few dozen times, trying to get my mind to click back on, or at least pull it up out of the gutter where it was currently rolling around in the snow with three sexy men, and back to my task. It didn't work until Leb grabbed me by my hip and shoulder and spun me away from him. He gave me a little shove and I stumbled toward Nuss.

Right. Heal him with a magical kiss. "I'm just supposed to kiss him, and his injuries will magically disappear?"

I suppose it worked in Sleeping Beauty, why not in my fairy tale of a dream? Although, that was a true love's first kiss. Nuss had stirred something inside of me, but I didn't love him. I barely knew him. "Should I say a spell or something? I don't know how this is supposed to work."

Zucker knelt next to Nuss and held out his hand to help me down. "You're the Princess of the Land of Spirit and Magic, you have more power than you know. It's simply been suppressed in your temporary shelter of the human realm. Believe, and it will reignite."

I had spirit. That's what had gotten me through the years of dance classes when no one wanted me there or thought I could do it. I'd be depending on that same part of me to help me through the years of a loveless marriage. But magic? That was a stretch.

I wasn't sure even in a dream I could believe I had that kind of power. I'd never known magic. That simply wasn't the life fate bestowed on me.

Even without belief, I had to try to help Nuss. I wrapped my hand around the necklace at my throat, and closed my eyes, trying to imagine the pendant was more than a last gift from a mother I'd never known. Instead, I conjured up the fairy stories Drosselmeyer told me as a child about a magical realm filled with snowflakes, sweets, flowers, cookies, and crowns for everyone.

Tau's voice whispered in my ear. "Yes, that's it, Clara, whatever you’re doing is working."

"Look at her glow. I wonder if she'll do that when I'm giving her magical fucking orgasms too." Leb's dirty words broke my concentration, but when I opened my eyes, a halo of red light did indeed surround me.

Okay, here goes. I brushed a lock of hair from Nuss's face and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Don't move another inch, Princess. You're all under arrest, by order of the Mouse Queen for inciting rebellion in the Realm."

I snapped my head around to see the same dark warrior who'd injured Nuss in the first place, holding out his sword once again, threatening me and the three men who'd come to my rescue. Damn it. This was not in the stories.

Leb pulled the axe from his back and swung it over his head. "Your queen has no authority over us anymore, Konig. Feel free to surrender now and perhaps the Princess will go easy on you."

Me? I didn't even understand why they were fighting in the first place, except that I was somehow important in it. It's not like I knew how to fight anyone unless they challenged me to a dance off.

"Don't make me fight you, Leb. I will have no choice but to kill you and take Clara with me." He glanced over at me and once again I was sure I saw regret in his eyes.

Zucker and Tau jumped up and placed themselves between me and the fight. They each drew weapons and Tau pointed his at the warrior. "You're the one who chose the wrong side in this battle."

The warrior didn't answer the men but looked between Tau and Zucker directly at me. "Don't even think about kissing that Nutcracker, Clara."

The way he said it was very strange. Not quite like a warning, but more like a dare. One that I was taking. I squeezed the crown pendant at my throat one last time and laid a big, slightly sloppy kiss right on Nuss's lips.

I'd meant for it be fast, but before I could pull away, Nuss wrapped his arm around my back, then brushed his hand up into my hair and kissed me back. He licked his way across the seam of my mouth, pressing me to open for him, and I did.

I heard metal clashing against metal but couldn't pull myself away from the duel of my tongue with Nuss's. He tasted of hot chocolate, peppermint, and pure sexuality. I could happily die while kissing him and have no regrets.

"Glad to have you back in fighting form, Captain. Care to join the fight or would you two prefer to have a thousand mice watch you get it on?" Leb shouted.

Nuss pushed my tongue down with his and then nibbled my bottom lip. "I would stay here and kiss you all day if there wasn't a battle raging around us."

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