AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The contact of his hands up her back made her shiver, spiking her climb. She swallowed a moan, nearly there.
Ensuring her gaze was locked on his, he tilted his head, baring the sensitive flesh where his neck and shoulder met.
Claim him.
Heart hammering in her chest, fear and desire and the intense need to complete the claiming ricocheted through her.
Her dragon made the decision for her.
Magic rippled, heightening the sexual desire so that the instinct took over until she had no choice but to seek relief, and bit down on his shoulder. Dragon teeth descended just enough to puncture his skin. She tasted his blood. The flood of her magic into him dragged her up toward climax and when it surged back within her, in a tsunami of his magic twisted with hers, she crashed so hard her fingernails bit into his shoulders. He filled her as they rolled through wave after wave, magic, limbs, blood, sweat and mating fluids entwined.
Marli disengaged her teeth from his shoulder, spreading little kisses along the puncture marks.
Sten’s arms tightened around her.
“Everything’s going to be different.” She whispered against his warm skin.
“It already is.”
Chapter 22
Sam Egan glanced toward the library’s main door before he grabbed a stack of books from the front counter, carried them to the back of the room, and deposited them on the desk for processing. With one last quick glance at the door, Sam descended the spiral metal stairs to the archives, continuing on from the first lower level down to the second and finally third, where almost no one else ever went. There’d been exactly seven interested visitors to this level in the last few decades. And that had been more out of a sense of curiosity about discovering that the archives existed than out of a need for serious research.
Sam moved toward the small workroom at the back of the lowest archival level, where the most important research and work happened.
The liquid in the prepared vial was almost clear enough for the next step. However, time was an issue now. This would affect the quality of the sample, but that couldn’t be helped. Sam selected a few sap-covered scales scavenged from the forest during a routine walk and dropped them into the nearby mortar and pestle. A few even appeared to have bits of dried blood. All the better.
Since the scales were unusually dense, it took much longer to grind than most other samples. Hands at work, mind reciting the catalog of required steps, Sam hummed through the mixing. The wizard’s recipe was tedious, but much better than the alternative.
Spells weren’t absolutely necessary. The intricate details of the change could be done without them, but that way was barbarous and revolting. The natural way meant cannibalizing, which had been done once and only once, at the Master’s request. The Master had wanted to see Sam’s true ability for himself. Never again, he’d sworn, unless absolutely necessary for survival. Thankfully, the Master had agreed that the natural way was disgusting and had ordered the wizard to provide recipes that would work nicely, without that kind of indigestion. This was also much more precise, efficient, and discreet.
I’m so close to completing my mission.
Sam’s hands tightened on the mortar and pestle, disrupting the flow, and nearly spilling the precious contents on the worktable.
Damnation.
Eyes closed, one breath drawn, the mixing resumed.
The key Sam had stolen during Kargassa’s fateful initiation ceremony had granted access to most of the secret tunnels. Two had proved to be escape routes out of the mountain.
I still haven’t found the god-forsaken vaults! They have to be in Kargassa’s private quarters.
But there hadn’t been sufficient time to locate them, during the brief excursions into that area of the mountain, and it was too risky to linger.
I have to try again.
The cell on the table lit up. The Master was growing impatient.
I can’t afford to anger him. Not with Ani’s life in his hands.
The bounty for this mission was far too high for failure.
Freedom for Ani. And prestige for Sam, who would join the Founders of the new era.
Which all depended on Sam’s success.
Time to set aside the ground up sample, and collect the rest of the equipment required to measure and transfer it in proper quantities.
