Chapter Twenty Six
She hadn’t given any thought to the guards but the strokes of his wings were surprisingly quiet and his black form faded into the dark sky. Once they were high enough anyone looking up would have seen only a shadow on the sky.
The night air so high up was cool against her skin but his scales remained warm. She felt the thrill of wind rushing through her hair as they chased over the trees and occasional open field. As she adjusted to the new sensation, she wondered how far they’d be going. The scouts were often far ahead of the actual force. Roughly an hour had passed when she saw fires on the horizon, dotted among the trees, centered on a rough path. Kenny banked to the left and began to descend on silent wings.
He alighted about a quarter mile from the fires and switched to running on four feet as silently as he’d flown. She felt powerful muscles shift under her and the trees flashed by. She’d suspected he could see better than her in the dark but to go this speed he must be able to see the same as in daylight.
Within minutes he slowed down and she sensed men nearby. They were on the edge of the camp in an area off the path that was sheltered by trees. She couldn’t have hoped for a better hunting ground. It was unfortunate for the troops that their way wound through the forest.
Kenny had targeted a group of three men around a campfire. The rest of their squad slept in tents nearby. She reached out and gently dulled their attention one at a time then drew one of her axes from its sheath, holding on tight to his shoulder with the other.
“Ready,” she hissed.
Kenny launched himself at two while she jumped off his back and brought her ax down on the third before he had time to react. She felt her senses sharpen and everything around her became somehow more real, as though she was waking from the fog of a dream. Blood pooled softly in the moonlight as a flicker from the fire sent ruby red gleams through it. Shadows danced, coming alive as they battled with the red glow. The weight of her ax in her hand felt more solid. She felt alive. She turned to find Kenny back at her side. The other two men lay still behind him, their bodies bloody and bent at impossible angles. Their blood shone softly on his hands and streaked across his face. She felt the adrenaline pounding in her ears as her body sung from the exertion. She met his eyes and saw her exhilaration mirrored there as she ran her hand tenderly down his neck to grip his shoulder and swing onto his back. Then he darted back into the trees. The whole thing had taken less than thirty seconds and had been done in almost complete silence.
They ran through the trees; death circling the enemy camp. Dahlia savoured the night air, now tinged with the metallic scent of blood. She could feel Kenny’s fluid movements beneath her as he chose their next prey. She savored the wild energy coursing through her body, tasting the anticipation of the next encounter.
The next squad on the edge of the camp had five men around the fire. She summoned two puppets into the tree above them, energy flowing out from her hand. Focusing for a moment, she placed the same dulling fog over the men’s attention. Then she and Kenny shot in as the puppets dropped silently onto their quarry. Death was almost instant, with no time for shouts or cries. With a wave the puppets vanished and Dahlia and Kenny ducked back into the cover of the forest, leaving the broken bodies around the fire.
They struck twice more, as quiet as the shadows and deadly as the reaper himself. Dahlia’s eyes glowed as she buried her ax into another soldier and saw Kenny sink razor sharp teeth into a man’s throat. As he dropped the man his ears swiveled towards the direction they’d come. She swung onto his back once again and he took off so fast she could only see blurs of the objects moving around her.
“They found some of the men,” his low voice growled once they were far enough away to avoid being heard. Dahlia sheathed her ax and held on tightly as he launched himself towards the sky and began to circle back towards their barracks. Below she began to hear cries of alarm as their work was discovered but they were gone before their enemies began their search in earnest.
Dahlia savoured the feel of the night around her, the cool air mixed with the warmth of the creature beneath her as they flew. As they approached the perimeter of the barracks she felt Kenny descend. About fifteen feet from the ground Dahlia felt as he began to shift under her. He twisted out of her grip and rolled onto his back, still underneath her. She let out a cry of fear as he gathered her tightly in his arms and they fell freely towards the unforgiving earth below. They hit the ground hard with his body shielding her from impact then tumbled across the grass as he held her close until they came to a stop. He rolled over on top of her, pinning her beneath him.
“You are fucking insane!” She shouted, her heart still in her throat.
“You didn’t think I’d let a little drop like that hurt you? I told you we’d have fun.” He chuckled, his voice still a low growl, close to the dragon’s.
Dahlia tried to get her knees into his stomach to push him off but he dropped his body lower onto her and ran his teeth down her neck. The feeling was intoxicating on top of the natural high she was still shaking from. She involuntarily let out a moan as her chest flushed and her hips pressed into him, adrenaline mixing with the primal lust that flooded through her body.
He released one hand to remove the buckle holding her weapons and push up her shirt. Her breasts exposed, he bit down into the soft flesh. The sharp pin pricks from his teeth shot down her body and she felt herself growing wet. She buried her hand in his hair and pulled his mouth back up to hers so she could taste him, drown herself in his scent. She felt him growing harder, pushed against her.
He broke the kiss to pull her shirt the rest of the way off then nipped at her skin. Moving down from her neck to her hips he savoured the taste while she arched into him and braced both hands on his shoulders to push him lower. Ignoring her hands, he played his tongue under the waist of her pants, teasing her, pushing her desire for him even harder. She rolled her hips in frustration and tried in vain to push him down on her.
He tugged her pants down and ran his tongue down between her thighs where he lapped at her clit, the strokes of his tongue sending shivers down her spine.
“More, Kenny,” she growled, squirming in anticipation.
He bit down hard on the outside of her thigh, drawing blood, before pulling off his own tattered pants and pushing into her. The feel of his cock sent spikes of pleasure radiating down through her that intensified as he rocked his hips, sliding in and out. She cried out, enraptured as she made love to the man whose soul was entwined with a monster.
He pulled one of her legs up and over his hip as he thrust deep into her, making her moan with pleasure. She kicked her foot into his low back and rocked her hips back against him, feeling him press and rub against her g-spot. She melted into him, savouring the sensation of his body moving in hers.
He buried a hand in her hair and ran his tongue over the blood still on her cheek then forced her mouth up to his. She parted her lips for him and he slid his tongue into her mouth so she shared the taste as he buried himself into her, dominating and possessing. She let him take what he wanted, desperate to lose herself again in their raw lust.
He slid his hand down to her lower back and lifted her hips up so her back was arched and her head thrown back. Every thrust strained against her, pressing harder into her. She threw her arms over her head to lever herself against him and push her hips against his thrusts so he reached every inch of her. She ached for more of him, needing to feed the hunger building in her.
He pulled out and she growled, annoyed he’d stopped. He pushed her to her hands and knees and smacked her across her ass before thrusting back into her. She cried out as he pushed into her hard enough to throw her off balance. He grabbed her hips and held her against him so he could fuck her harder. Her focus narrowed to the delicious sensations rolling through her body as he rode her mercilessly, finally satiating her. She called out, begging for more. The rougher he was the more she felt that hunger satisfied.
She bit her lip as everything drained from her mind, leaving nothing but animalistic need and the almost unbearable pleasure that threatened to take her over the edge. As if he sensed how close she was he ran a hand from her hip down between her legs and stroked her clit. The sensation of his fingers against her sent her tumbling over into her release. The demands of her body finally met, she threw her head back and he bit into her collar as a wave of intense relief rushed through her. Her head spun and she saw stars as she came hard. Kenny ran his hand up her stomach and cupped her breast as he let go and came into her, nuzzling her neck as they drifted back down.
He pulled out of her again and located what was left of his pants. She was surprised they’d survived the night at all. At least that explained why he always wore them loose. Then he helped her to her feet and located her clothes as well as her axes while she dressed. Her clothes were still holding together but were easily as stained and dirty as his. She couldn’t imagine the sight they’d be if anyone saw them.
Kenny led her around the perimeter of the barracks until they reached a section roughly in front of his barrack. He let out a whistle, two short notes, and a moment later a rope spooled out of the darkness.
He grabbed the end, turned to her, and bowed while holding it out. “Ladies first.”
Dahlia was not thrilled at the prospect of facing whoever was at the other end but she grabbed on and hoisted herself up. As she reached the top two sets of arms hauled her over. Two of Kenny’s men grinned at her for a moment until recognition hit them and they bowed their heads.
“Captain DeMorra,” one of them greeted her. “Welcome back. I trust you were successful.”
Kenny’s enormous form shot up onto the wall as he vaulted over the ledge.
“Yes,” he replied for her. “Entirely.”
His appearance didn’t seem the phase them. Apparently they were more used to him coming back bloody and partially clothed than coming back with someone. Maybe he liked to sneak out to wrestle bears when there weren’t enemy troops available she thought.
“Looks like we’ll see some action tomorrow,” Kenny continued.
“Excellent,” one of the men replied, “we’ll be looking forward to it.”
Kenny grinned, nodded, and began walking towards the stairs down to the ground. Dahlia swept along beside him, back into the cover of the trees. When they approached the barracks Kenny caught her up and pressed his mouth hard against hers. Dahlia closed her eyes and savoured the feel of his body against hers and the scents of the night around them. Then he released her and turn towards his barracks.
She watched him for a moment, the silent hunter prowling back through his domain. She shivered lightly then broke her train of thought and slipped back to her own barrack. She returned to her room with silent steps, bolted the door, and fell into bed still in her torn and blood soaked clothes. Sleep took her almost instantly and filled her head with dreams of wings and a dark pool where a blood soaked woman gently splashed her feet.