Page 78 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“I think trying to tame the Wretch will be a fool’s errand,” I admitted, stuffing one hand behind my head. “But I suppose, if Gunther’s story turns out to be true, I can understand the reaction. I can understand wanting strength on your side when pitted against a power we don’t understand.”

“A magical plague,” Eden whispered, her breath tickling my neck. “I wouldn’t even know where to start with that. How do you even begin healing something born of magic? Would our herbs and salves work against it? How catching would it be?”

“Let’s hope it’s all just some silly, drunk rumblings.” But my heart thumped unsteadily.

“Yeah,” Eden agreed.

I heard what she wasn’t saying. If these rumors weren’t born of some silly, drunken tale, Cai’amar was in trouble. “I suppose there’s nothing to be done about whispers. We can only focus on what’s here and now.” I touched her neck, feeling for her pulse. “What’s in front of us. And I’d very much like to focus on you.”

I caught the softness of her cheek in a kiss. Couldn’t we just stay like this forever?

She giggled, indulging me as she tilted her head back against the pillow, exposing her neck. I nibbled and kissed my way down to her collarbone, then the hollow at the base of her neck, flicking my tongue against it.

She gasped, tugging the sheets down herself, inviting me to venture lower, and I didn’t need to be shown a map. I knew exactly where I needed to end up on this journey. We tangled together, nothing but lips and tongues and fingers at work as I stoked the fire inside her. When Eden seized up, I worked her down from the high, reminding her just how much she meant to me.

“Nap,” I whispered into her hair. “I’ll wake you in a while.”

“I’m not tired,” she insisted, propping her head up. “In fact, I have rather a lot of work to be getting on with.” She stroked the space between my breasts.

“Mmm,” I hummed, closing my eyes as her hand drifted lower. “What kind of work?”

“The kind that requires much attention to detail,” she said lightly, her hand pausing against my thigh.

“Sounds exhausting.”

She laughed against me. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’m quickly becoming an expert.”

Her hand moved then, and her fingers found that needy pressure point. I parted my legs further, giving myself over to the pleasure of it. How had I lived this long without knowing her touch? It seemed impossible to me now.

“How am I doing?” Eden murmured.

“Quite excellent,” I said, biting down on a gasp. She sped up a little, and a moan escaped me then. She was becoming an expert. Pressure gathered at the base of my spine, and my back arched, curving into the pleasure she was coaxing from me.

Her fingers danced, teasing me to the edge before pulling back slightly. I grew breathless with anticipation, on the verge of begging when her fingers curled inside me, first one, then another, sliding in and out.

That pressure coiled even tighter. Eden pressed the heel of her hand against me, and I erupted, clenching my eyes against a torrent of sensation. Bliss swirled through me in relentless waves, my entire body tense as I chased that intoxicating feeling, wringing it dry, savoring every beat.

When I came to, surfacing through the splendid feelings, I was boneless on the bed. Footsteps padded against the floor. Eden was up.

“Where are you going?” I asked, rolling over to watch her dart about the cottage.

“Cup of water,” she murmured. “You could probably use one, too. And food. We should really do something about a meal.”

“Wiggly Dragon Tooth?” I suggested, sitting up on my elbow, enjoying the sight of her pacing across the cottage, naked. Her blond hair hung in messy curls that I was eager to sink my hands into again. “I’ll treat you to the very best steak and ale pie you’ve ever had.”

“The very best?” She arched an eyebrow. “That’s high praise for a tiny little pub near the mountains. Are you certain about that?”

I crossed my heart, liking the way she ogled me. “Wrangler’s honor.”

Eden smiled as she paused by her desk, staring out the window, the sun now painting her in golds and pinks.

“Is Min out there?” I wondered. Hopefully the poor girl had hunted and found some other way to keep herself entertained all afternoon.

Eden nodded, then tilted her head, pressing closer to the window. “She’s licking her scales clean.”

“She probably just finished her meal,” I said. “She always enjoys a bit of a bath after that.”

Eden’s hand shot up, her finger jammed into the glass. “That’s it!”