Page 46 of Sky Shielder
“Thank you,” he said quietly, wanting to encourage such behavior.
She only shrugged again, but she let herself lean back into his arms. He had a hunch she wasn’t as offended by his touching as she believed she ought to be. He ought not to take advantage of an attraction her body might feel that went against what her mind wanted, but… he had to keep the mission in mind.
Before he could second-guess himself further, Vorik lowered his lips to the side of her neck, letting them linger, a sensuous touch this time. He brushed them lightly over her warm skin, hoping she would find it appealing. Besides, he wanted to show her that he appreciated the choice she’d made back in those tunnels. It was logical to thank a woman with a kiss, wasn’t it?
Syla grew utterly still, but she didn’t tense or shift away.
Vorik turned the lip brush into a kiss, then trailed his lips lightly along the side of her neck, tasting her, breathing in her scent. After her night of terror, she smelled of travel and sweat andweary determination rather than the perfumes and soaps he associated with more pampered gardener women. Again, he regretted that she, through no fault of her own and entirely because of her heritage, was at the center of all this, that she’d been hurt.
Syla shifted her weight. Not away from buttowardhim.
A surge of excitement swept through him at this confirmation that herbodywanted him, even if her mind didn’t, even if she didn’t trust him. Along with the excitement came arousal, hot blood racing through his veins to his groin as he let himself again notice her appealing weight against him. Vorik nuzzled her ear, tasting her lobe, taking it gently between his lips and grazing it with his teeth.
A slight gasp escaped her lips, and she turned toward him, her lips parting. To speak? To invite a kiss?
She might not trust him, but if she was attracted to him… that was a start.
As he’d been wanting to do earlier, Vorik let his grip around her tighten, pulling her closer to him,moldingher soft curves to his hard?—
That is the farm you desire to visit, is it not?Agrevlari asked, the words for both of them.
Irritation flashed in Vorik.Now, the dragon stopped meandering and banking about the area?
“Yes,” Syla blurted with relief.
She pulled away from Vorik and shifted forward, almost scooting up the dragon’s back to put space between them.
Vorik sighed and resisted the urge to pull her close again. She pointedly didn’t look back at him, and he suspected she thought she’d made a mistake in allowing that intimacy, however appealing she might have found it.He’dcertainly enjoyed it and wished he had indeed told Agrevlari to delay. A longer flight might have led to…
What, Vorik?
He lifted his eyes skyward as the dragon descended toward croplands surrounding a dwelling, a bunkhouse, multiple barns and storage buildings, and two silos. Certain that Syla had no intention of leading him to a bed in one of those buildings when they landed, Vorik blew out a slow breath. He needed to tamp down his arousal.
Besides, as he’d been thinking earlier, his brother might send more troops at any point. Vorik needed to be ready. Who knew how many times the general believed Vorik would have to fight off enemies to prove to Syla that he was on her side?
He rubbed his face as Agrevlari spread his wings to land in a field, chilled by the memory of the wordtraitor. It had all been a ruse, one that those men had known and that he’d known, but it had bothered him nonetheless, the mere suggestion that he might ever betray his people. It wouldnothappen.
14
When Agrevlari landed,Syla slid off in such a hurry that she stumbled in the uneven grass and had to reach out to steady herself on a scaled forelimb. Captain Vorik landed lightly beside her, as graceful as ever. As graceful and amazingly athletic as he’d been while battling those riders, protecting her, as he’d promised he would. His face had been nothing but determined when those men had cursed him for turning traitor, for belonging to that faction.
Vorik looked at her, and Syla dropped her hand, not wanting him to think she needed help in any way—not wanting him to have a reason to step close and put his arms around her again. She’d liked that far,fartoo much. At first, it had simply felt good to be embraced and supported after the horrifying day and night she’d had. But then… when he’d kissed her neck, that had sent startlingly intense pleasure throughout her whole body. And those nibbles at her ear? They’d lit her entire being with desire.
Which was ridiculous. She had a mission, she was in mourning, and there was way too much to worry about. There was no way she, or her treacherous body, should be thinking about sex.Especially withhim.Vorik was a stormer, from the enemy people who had attacked andkilledhers. They’d killed herfamily.
She would not allow herself to have any kind feelings, and definitely notattraction,toward him. For many reasons, that would be foolish.
It waspossiblehe was what he claimed to be, but her instincts told her that she’d better remain wary. It had been useful to receive a ride to the farm, but, as soon as she could, she would slip away from Vorik. She had to. Strolling around the countryside with a rider and hisdragonfelt like a betrayal to the kingdom, no matter what allegiance he claimed.
Syla walked toward the gate of a wooden fence that surrounded the house, carving out a yard and garden space from the rest of the farm. In one of the barns, horses neighed and whinnied. They sounded nervous. Because something had happened and their handlers hadn’t brought breakfast? Or because they sensed the dragon outside?
Syla looked around, seeking signs of her aunt or the laborers who worked here, providing pork, beef, lamb, fruit, vegetables, honey, and herbs for the castle. The gate was ajar, but that wasn’t that surprising. People had probably run outside to look toward the sky when the dragons had arrived in the capital. The farm lay more than twenty miles from the castle, but the fires must have been visible on the horizon during the night.
Fortunately, this area didn’t appear to have been attacked or damaged in any way. But the workers might have fled, regardless. If dragons had even flown over the area, it would have alarmed those living below, whether the creatures had started fires or not.
Syla didn’t think everyone had abandoned the farm though. She sensed that someone was in the area. Watching them.
Hopefully not seeingeverything. Such as her letting Vorik wrap his arms around her, then leaning back into his hard body and inviting…
