Chapter Nine
Warmund
Penny’s body pressed against his, soft and warm. The wound in his chest burned, scorching hot, but that only meant that it was healing. If it weren’t for the bandages, then they’d be smoking as his fires ran through his veins, sealing up the wounds. As the kiss deepened, his tongue thrusting into her mouth, those fires burned hotter, healing him faster.
He tightened as she ground against his hip, slowly and deliberately. Penny groaned, digging her fingers into his hair. He had been afraid that she would protest when he first kissed her, afraid that she’d be too hung up on what a human would need in this state.
Her tongue thrust into his mouth, and she flung a leg over his hip. She rocked her body, grinding her core against him with only the dress between them. He reached down, grabbed her thigh and shifted the fabric aside. His hand started to creep up her creamy skin, eyes glowing as he answered her kiss passionately.
When his fingers found their target, she gasped and stiffened. Warmund paused, pulling away slightly so she could catch her breath. He cocked a brow at her. “Too fast?”
“Uh…” Her silky skin turned pink and her neck arched. At first, he thought she was inviting him to take a nibble, but then she glanced at the cots where her children were sleeping. “They’re too young to understand if they wake up.”
Right. They would have to be quiet. “They won’t wake up.”
“But—”
“Penny.” Warmund cupped her face with his free hand. “They won’t wake up. Trust me on this one. On earth, you have separate rooms for everybody, but that’s not the case for most people here. Even in the palace, more often than not I ended up sharing a room with my father and stepmother. I’m certain they made love while I slept on the floor, but I never heard it. Never woke up.”
She let out a soft breath. “That sounds… a little gross to me, if I’m honest.”
“Only because it’s not what you’re used to.” He shook his head for a moment before concentrating on her again. “If you don’t want to, we won’t. But they won’t wake up.”
Penny let out an annoyed huff of breath. “That’s the problem. I do want to.”
Warmund chuckled as he bent to kiss her again. “It’s only a problem if you deny yourself.”
She didn’t argue anymore. Instead, she reached between their bodies and massaged him through his trunks. The pressure made him tighten even further, and he let out a soft groan. He needed this. His brief foray to the palace had unnerved him; Thonis had nearly killed him. Maybe his seeming ineptness in the future wasn’t because he had grown lazy, but rather because he had been truly reluctant to harm Warmund…
But those suppositions weren’t going to help. He closed his eyes as he deepened his kiss, growling as he rolled over Penny. Her curves fit against him perfectly and he slid a hand up her thigh, seeking out her hot core again. He found his target and cut off her gasp with a kiss. His hand worked her as her hand worked him, both of them soon panting. It wasn’t long before Penny, growling in desire, pushed his trunks down to his knees.
Warmund let out a pleased grunt, helping her get them out of the way. She was still fully clothed, and he dropped his head to kiss her covered breasts as he pushed inside of her gingerly. Her back arched, and she let out a cry of pleasure. Warmund clapped a hand over her mouth, smothering his laughter with his other hand.
“Well if you scream like that, you’ll wake them,” he whispered.
“You’ll have to keep me quiet, then.”
Warmund pressed his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply again. He began to thrust gently, letting her get used to his girth, before picking up speed. He swallowed her small grunts and cries of pleasure greedily, his hands locked on her hips. She scrambled all over his body. Her fingers dug into his hair, then shoulders, then ass. Her skin went steadily redder until all of a sudden, she clamped down on him. Her back arched, her legs trembled, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
He pressed a hand over her mouth, muffling her cry, as his own movements became jerky. It was only when she slapped a hand over his mouth that he realized he was grunting and groaning with every thrust. Darkness washed over his vision as an explosion let loose. All his muscles slackened. Bolts of fire ran through him, heat burning under his skin.
“Was that good for you?” he whispered, grinning down at her.
Penny gave him a smile back, eyes wide and starry. “Yeah. That was…. Amazing.”
“Good.” He kissed her once more, long and lingering, before he rolled off her.
He kept an arm around her as her whole body relaxed. She grinned sleepily at him. Within moments, her eyes had shut, and her breathing deepened. Warmund watched her, marveling at how beautiful she was, before he allowed himself to fall asleep as well.
***
When he woke, the fire was almost out. The lantern still flickered on the table, casting a warm glow in the room. The burn in his chest had eased. When he experimentally stretched, the skin pulled, and a twinge of pain went through him, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
A grin crossed his face as he assessed the rest of himself. The familiar heat of his fires burned away happily in his stomach. He took a deep breath, feeding them, and released a small puff. A short jet of flame, exactly the size he wanted, burst from his lips. Dread that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding onto washed away.
After a year on Earth, after his fires had gone utterly out, there was a part of him that had feared he’d never get his flames back. That he would be a dragon, but not a true one. Unable to reach into the depths of himself and find his true center again. But his flames were back, and if they were back, that meant he would be able to shift into his dragon.
His trunks were still around his knees, and Warmund carefully pulled them up before he slipped out of the blankets. Penny snored softly, not disturbed by his movements. He glanced at the bucket that held his bloody clothes and shrugged—he’d get new ones.
Right now, he just wanted to fly.
As he started for the door, sounds from the cots caught his attention. Lisa rolled over, pushed herself to a sitting position and smacked her brother.
Warmund grimaced and quickly strode across the room. He plucked her from the cot as she reached to smack Mark again.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he whispered. “Your brother is trying to sleep.”
“Play,” Lisa said seriously. “No sleep.”
Warmund shifted her to his hip and glanced at Mark and Alex. Luckily, both boys were sleeping still. He shook his head and tried to shift Lisa’s position, so she was cradled in his arms. She instantly let out a sharp squeal. Penny jerked awake, bolting up on the floor.
“What?” she gasped.
Warmund grimaced. He got Lisa back to sitting on his hip, so she would stop squealing, then knelt beside Penny. “It’s okay. I’ve got her. Just go back to sleep.”
Penny yawned. She looked confused for a moment, then nodded. When she laid back down, she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. Warmund smothered laughter at that and quickly took Lisa, who was starting to fuss louder, out of the room. Once they were on the move, she settled down and started to babble to herself. Warmund gently rubbed her back, shaking his head as he headed down to the meal room.
“What is it with babies and deciding to be awake in the middle of the night?” he asked her once they were there. It was lit by a few lanterns, and a cook worked busily at the stove, probably preparing for the breakfast rush. Lisa giggled as he tickled under her chin. “You need to be sleeping.”
The cook glanced over at them and smiled, before continuing his work.
Warmund sighed and shook his head. What had Wildref been like at this age? He hadn’t gotten to know. His father used to tell him that as a baby he had been a night owl, but that he was more than happy to entertain himself at all hours of the night. Once, Indulf had gotten up in the morning to find Warmund had gotten into the fireplace and was curled up as a dragon, sleeping in the fire.
“I knew then that my boy would be a strong, mighty prince,” he used to say when telling that story.
Had he told his new wife the story about his first son’s antics? Or did he pretend like he didn’t even exist?
Warmund let out an angry huff of breath. The real question was, what stories would he have of Wildref once Warmund was successful? What story would there be for Indulf to smile proudly at his daughter, puff out his chest and proudly declare, “That was when I knew my girl was going to be a strong, mighty princess.” Would Wildref blush at the compliment, or roll her eyes and make a snappy reply?
“You’ve got a beautiful daughter,” the cook said, bringing over a glass of milk. “She’s a night owl, is she?”
Lisa grabbed the glass and would have spilled it all over herself if Warmund hadn’t taken it and helped her sip from it. He thought about correcting the cook, but the dynamics of his and Penny’s relationship wasn’t any of the old man’s business.
“Yeah, she is,” he said instead. She’d done this the previous night, too. “But that’s okay because I am, too.”
The cook chuckled. “Bet her mother loves that.”
Warmund gave him a polite smile. What did Penny think about all this? And what did she think their bit of fun meant? Surely, she understood it wasn’t anything important… right? She didn’t think it was anything more than it was? His stomach started to twist, but he pushed those unpleasant feelings aside. Penny was a big girl. She knew what one-night-stands meant. He didn’t have anything to worry about.
Soon after finishing the milk, Lisa started to yawn again. She cuddled into his arms, watching the cook until her lids became too heavy. Once he was certain she was going to stay asleep, Warmund carried her back to the room and put her in the cot next to Mark. Penny now lay on the bed, the blankets a mess around her.
Warmund thought about waking her. He thought about writing her a note. Instead, he moved the gold to the desk, blew out the lantern so it wouldn’t start a fire and slipped away.
Penny and her children would be fine. He needed to regain his wings before it was time to change his destiny.