I smiled weakly.
“You should rest now,” Lhorine suggested.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. We couldn’t stop, couldn’t rest. Too much was at stake. I’d broken a binding, but like she’d said, I’d used too much power. I needed to refine the process, master it. We needed to push on.
I looked up at Koar, who had me wrapped so gently in his massive arms. Huh… this felt… really nice. I could go withmore of this. But that wasn’t what I needed from the big man right now.
“Care to give me some energy?” I was fairly certain I could duplicate what my grandmother had done, transferring his essence to me, before the dominion match.
Something in those golden eyes of his softened.
“Of course. Take what you need from me,” he breathed, gravelly voice rumbling in his chest, vibrating against my side. “I’m here for you. I’ll give you anything you desire, whatever you need,always.” The softness in his eyes became something else, something far more intent. His gaze cut through my weary mind and spoke to something deep inside me, the part of me which couldn’t get enough of being in this massive man’s arms. Suddenly I was too warm, a deep heat throbbing in my chest and lady lava bubbling in my core.
I’ll give you anything you desire… he’d said.Whatever you need.
Did he mean what I thought he meant?
This unflinching look of his made me think so.
And… did I want himlike that? A big, sexy dragon, who would literally rip the world apart to protect me… Hell yeah, I did.
But that would have to wait. I had work to do.
VYNSIEL
I could still recallthe grueling boot camp I’d gone through when I’d joined the Elysial Defense Forces. I’d been prepared, my father and brother had beaten it into me, and it had still been a test of my limits. And in battle against the nephilim, myself and so many other seraphim had found ourselves pushed past our limits.
And it all paled in comparison to what Izzy did now. I’d never seen anyone push themselves so hard. She was… there were no words. Even the title of goddess didn’t fit anymore, because for gods, things came easy. Izzy worked harder than any god ever had, learning and growing and exceeding her limits. And now, even though she could barely stand and needed rest, would she stop?
Oh, hell no.
She took energy from Koar to keep going. Time was short and she still had a lot to learn. She wouldn’t let anything stop her.
It would have boggled my mind… if I hadn’t already been impressed with this astonishing woman.
With a spirit like the sun itself, she’d been a beacon inmy life ever since I’d met her. And she’d shown the world how amazing she was when she’d defeated Saldrea and Golana on the dominion pitch. She was strong and fierce and dedicated and didn’t give up, no matter what.
She inspired me to be better, stronger,more.
I’d been feeling down, defeated, after the dominion game. I’d done my part, but still, I felt like I’d failed Izzy and the others. Yet, as I watched Izzy that evening, I vowed to be worthy of her, keep going, keep fighting, never stop, never back down, do whatever it takes.
And right now, since I had no part in the plan to save Myel, my job was to take care of her, be there for her when she needed me. Which meant, late that night, when she finally mastered bindings — a monumental feat to have learned in one night, Lhorine said as much — I was there for her, a soft place for her to land when she collapsed.
Her clothes were soaked through with sweat from her exertion, so first I took her to the showers, standing there with her, supporting her and washing her as she swayed, barely able to stay awake.
Then I carried her to her barely furnished little bedroom and laid her down, gently massaging her body, tending to her, helping her relax.
She sighed, still half awake. “That feels soooo good.”
“Sleep,” I whispered.
“Trust me, I’m trying, but… I can’t. I don’t know why. I’m exhausted and ohhhh—” She squirmed as I found a knot in her back and massaged it out. “You’re doing such a wonderful job of relaxing me.”
She rolled over suddenly, and I found my hands hovering over her chest. She saw my hesitation and licked her lips. Then a mischievous little smile took her face as her breasts swelled and pressed up into my palms.
“Better,” she whispered. “Maybe I need… a different sort of release?” she hinted, biting her lip, feigning innocence.
I massaged her chest, feeling her nipples harden, digging into my hands. She smiled and sighed and gave the sexiest little moans. Her legs edged open and I knew she wanted more.
