Warlord's Ward (The Mages Series)

CHAPTER 4 Dirty Magic

　　Hawk's words from last night had haunted me all day. I wanted to banish him from my mind completely. I hated that he consumed my thoughts.

　　Wouldn't he find that amusing.

　　It'd been a long day of training. Our Commander, the Warlord was a ruthless task master. Rarely impressed and often cruel in his comments, he left much of the actual mentoring to Hawk.

　　Who's disinclined to teach me anything but sheet play. I grunted to myself. Unlacing my Mages robes as my gaze focused on the steaming metal tub before the fire.

　　I couldn't wait to sink in and ease my aching muscles.

　　Hawk was always harder on me than anyone. And every time he was close enough, he whispered near my ear. "I'll be inside you soon, Mary Mage..."

　　I'd growl at him and misfire with my staff, misplace potions and lose my spell book. All of which was causing Warlord to lose patience with me.

　　"Deal with her!" Warlord had finally said.

　　Hawk had grinned as he marched over to me while I hurriedly mixed a potion which would cause an explosion when tossed at an enemy.

　　Before I could brace myself, he rolled his fist into my hair and yanked. Jerking my head back. He lathed a warm tongue along my neck up my ear.

　　"Keep messing up, Mary Mage and he'll give you to me."

　　"He would not!" I swallowed. Eyeing him in my peripheral. "Why would he reward you for my wayward behaviors?"

　　"He won't. He'll punish you. And I have just the solution...You whining underneath me."

　　"He would not."

　　"He will." Hawk chuckled. Dragging the tip of his nose along the back of my ear. "Very soon."

　　"You're just trying to scare me."

　　His low laugh rumbled along the skin of my throat. "Not in the least. I'm warning you of my intent."

　　"Let me go, Hawk."

　　"Get it right!" He roared. Releasing me as though he'd been chastising me, rather than threatening me in a purring voice.

　　The hooded gaze he sent me was blatantly feral.

　　***

　　I'd spent the rest of the day working twice as hard to evade him and to do everything perfect.

　　I grunted as I kicked my robe aside and began working the laces on my chemise as I headed for my bath, loosening the bottom but leaving it on so it could be cleaned with me. Sighing I sunk in. Closing my eyes, I savored the heat.

　　But I felt the ripple of magic seeping into my room.

　　I looked at the door but couldn't see anything coming through or beneath it. I gripped the edge of the bath looking around my room.

　　"Who's here?" I asked anxiously.

　　As if I didn't know who'd be using magic to shamelessly enter my chamber while the rest of the house was long asleep.

　　I was always awake later than everyone else. Usually studying. Often times revisiting the day to assess how I could do better the following day.

　　I was breathing quickly. Making my creamy breasts bob along the surface of the water as I tried to catch my breath.

　　I heard something rasping along the floor near the foot of my bath. I leaned over the edge but saw nothing. I heard it on the other side and looked there.

　　Nothing.

　　I lifted my hand. Sending the water surging from my bath in a wave around the bin that swayed over everything until rolling over something which was moving.

　　There was a long length of a serpentine creature with the jaws of a dragon hovering over my bath.

　　I squawked and slid further down in the water to avoid the creature.

　　Its eyes were silver and blue from the water in the firelight, perfectly camouflaged in my chamber, it was only visible under the fluid. I slid to my knees to try and dive out of the tub to make it to my door.

　　But something heavy landed on my shoulder.

　　It was the creature's tail. Holding me down into the water. I flailed but its tail circled around my shoulder to bind me down. Then curved along my back to sweep my other elbow. Using its momentum to surge around the head of the tub. Forcing me to roll onto my back into the water.

　　Holding my arms behind my back.

　　"Who are you?"

　　But it huffed and my voice was stolen midway up my throat.

　　I was panting in fear. My heels sliding in the tub as I tried to keep my head above the surface of the water.

　　It's going to drown me.

　　The water had rolled off it, but I could hear it moving.

　　I nudged my chin to send another wave of water pouring over it.

　　Making its head resting on the foot of the tub visible. Long whiskers moving as it gazed at me thoughtfully.

　　It slid over the edge of the tub, its head swaying along the surface as it hovered over my body along the top of the water.

　　I was staring wide eyed. My blue eyes huge. And dusky pink n*****s floating in the water.

　　The dragon-serpents long tongue flicked out to lick my n****e before its mouth covered my breast. Even as it did, I felt human lips closing over it. And human hands pushing my thighs apart.

　　The long tail slid out from beneath my arms, freeing me as legs materialized between mine until there was a man kneeling between my thighs. Hungrily suckling at my breast.

　　My hands landed on his shoulders, and I fought to work a shriek out past the constriction of my throat but all I mustered was a slight whistle as his weight lowered over my body.

　　When his head lifted to eye me with those vicious green eyes, my fears were confirmed.

　　Hawk.