Chapter 14

Cylthan snapped awake with a gasp. Her heart thumped to see the shining, obsidian eyes of Bern looking down at her.

“Calm down, dragon,” he said with disdain. “I healed you. Don’t you know a basic healing spell?”

Sitting up, she squirmed away from him. “I do! I just can’t– uh, n-nevermind. Thanks.”

Standing to loom over her, he placed his lower hands on his hips and motioned upward with another. “Well, then get up. Fight’s over. Seems you were pretty useful in a pinch, after all. Think I can see why Roan had so much trouble with you and your kitty.”

She sneered up at him and scanned the area, expecting to find Roan nearby, when she laid eyes on the familiar swirling silver upon an unfamiliar face. Gasping, she scuttled back when the rat stepped closer, sniffing at her curiously.

“I-Is that ... Roan?”

“Well, he is and he ain’t,” Bern explained, smirking as the rat shamelessly sniffed at her crotch. “Right now, he’s Silver Eye, Roan’s rat. They occupy the same body space, so only one of ‘em can be active at a time.”

Scrambling to her feet, her brow threaded together, still trying to ward off the intrigued animal. “So, um, Roan doesn’t know what happens when he’s like this?”

“Oh, they’re always aware of each other,” Bern replied, grinning at her unsuccessful attempts. “They hear each other in their heads. Over the years, Silver Eye’s learned to trust in Roan’s commands during battle. They work in sync when their lives are in danger. However, when they ain’t in danger, getting Silver Eye to pay attention sure ain’t easy ... but it looks like he’s found something that’s got all his attention right now.”

Her pierced brow cocked up. “Can’t he just change back?”

He snickered at the rat’s persistent nudges, watching it wrap around Cylthan to sniff her from another angle. “Well, Roan’s gotta let Silver Eye take over, and Silver Eye’s gotta let Roan take over.”

A sly smirk curled her lip. “Is that right?”

She reached down and scratched behind the rat’s ear. His eyes widened before he chittered with pleasure, leaning into the scratch. When she changed to scratching under the chin, the rat leaned back with pure bliss on his face.

“You know, I didn’t think I could ever like this guy, but this side of him is kind of growing on me,” she giggled with a coy sweetness, making the rat chirp softly in response and melt into her palms.

Bern, however, was scowling at her now. “I suggest you keep your hands to yourself and let those two work it out.”

She squatted to use both hands down the long neck and chest. Once her nails reached the itch under his armpit, Silver Eye had to shift to thump his hind leg. Too limp with the joy of a good scritching, he flopped over and stretched out so she could have access to his soft belly while his hind leg still haplessly flailed in the air.

“But how often does this poor saipaki get a good belly rub?” she cooed, continuing in elvish with a cute, high-pitched voice.

“I’m warning you, dragon...” Bern rumbled over her.

She glared up at him. “I’m not a dragon!”

“Fine. Elf. Whatever. This is your last warning. Keep your hands off the rat.”

Smirking again, she easily found another spot with matting, plucking at the knotted fluff. “But, he needs a good brushing. Roan doesn’t even take care of his sweet saipaki.”

Growling, Bern reached down to wrench her away. The instant his thick fingers tightened in her hair, causing her to whimper in pain, Silver Eye flipped to his paws and bared his teeth in a feral snarl. Bern had only a second to release her and step back before the rat lunged at him with a snap.

“Hey! Silver Eye! It’s me, Bern! You know me!”

Still growling, Silver Eye’s hackles stood on end all along his arched spine. Chittering and gnashing his teeth, he kept himself between Bern and the elf.

Just as Cylthan smirked with smug satisfaction, the rat vanished in another flash of blinding silver light. Blinking to clear her vision, her heart skipped a beat with the ice that stabbed through her veins, making her tremble at the sight of Roan glowering down at her.

She flinched when he knelt down and cupped her face to hold her against his punishing lips. His kiss was ruthless, an unrelenting wave that crashed through her, invaded her, possessing even the breath he stole from her. She grabbed his wrists with the intention of pushing him away, but she couldn’t find the strength as every bit of her felt hot and cold, trembling and melting all at once in his embrace.

She gasped for air when he finally withdrew in a slow rush like a waning tide. Her face was flushed bright and her eyes glowed up at him, struggling to focus through the haze. The needy feeling flared hot in her belly but quickly cooled from the burning look in his eyes.

“Don’t touch my rat unless you intend to finish what you start,” he warned in a low, rumbling promise. His steady, dominating gaze captivated her far more than his magical eye did. “The next time you rub his belly, I will rub yours ... from the inside.”

Her teeth clenching tight, she glowered back at him. “I liked him a lot better than you.”

She really hated that smug curl of his mouth.

“He likes you, too. That makes the both of us.”

His gaze dropped to the shirt she wore, and his smirk curled further. The hungry, possessive desire that shone in his eyes made her ache in all the ways she didn’t want to admit.

Before she could hiss back the rebuttal burning on her tongue, he straightened her up and dragged her back to the wagon, shoving her in without mercy despite her protests. She didn’t have the strength to fight him after all her blood loss.

Uttering his spell for the magical shield that prevented her from escaping, he turned and stomped away when he paused beside his partner. “Bern.”