Page 62 of Dryad, Try Again
“As manager, I am enacting a pharaoh decree: I’m buying your coffees.” Seth puffs up his chest and saunters off while I laugh.
I sit down at the two tables pushed together where the others are already chatting. While Niko tells Shonda about how his roommate became his boyfriend, I turn to my guy already studying me.
“What?” I ask in a hushed tone.
“Nothing.” He takes my hand and circles my palm. “Just…really glad I passed.”
“I knew you would. I wasn’t worried in the slightest,” I lie.
He snorts. “I wanted to formally thank you for helping me study.”
I kiss his knuckles. “Your love is thanks enough,” I mutter.
“Well…I was thinking as thanks…” His grin turns naughty and he leans in. He purrs in my ear, “We could go into the forest and enact that one fantasy of yours…”
Which fantasy is he…?
Oh.
Oh fuck.
I shiver and look down—my entire lap has turned into my tree form. I grit my teeth and focus, and my lower body morphs back into jeans and sneakers. I thank the monster god no one seemed to notice.
In one sentence, Tanner literally had me sporting wood.
“Um…are you sure?” I mutter.
“After you told me about it the other night, I’ve been kind of…curious.” Tanner’s remark has my cheeks heating up. When I admitted my deep, dark, animalistic fantasy, I didn’t think he’d want to take part in one. The zombie approaches with drinks, so Tanner picks his up and winks at me. “What do you say, babe?”
I smirk and sip my hot coffee. “I say…get your basket ready, red riding hood.”
He nearly spits out his coffee, and the look of shock on his face is priceless. I truly love this man.
I’m floatinginside the trunk of one of the bigger trees in the West Woods. From here, my dryad form can commune with most, if not all, of the flora in the immediate vicinity. This is how I know that one human is approaching. Tanner’s footsteps are heavy compared to the typical squirrels, and he’s arrived right on time. No one else comes to this part of the woods anyway, even during the mid-afternoon. Knowing it’s my boyfriend, my love, the man I’ve taken as my mate, has me excited beyond measure. The primal dryad in me wants to intercept anyone who might intrude on the forest,myforest.
And so I do.
I extend only my wooden head and neck from out of the tree bark, high above the ground. I look down and silently watch as my red-headed human casually strolls along holding a basket. He’s wearing a brown fleece jacket over red flannel, and tight blue jeans; he’s like the sexy lumberjack of my fantasies, and right now, I’m his predator.
“Gee, I sure hope I’m safe out here in the woods!” Tanner’s voice travels up, causing some birds to fly off. I grin at his cheeky acting. His feet slow down, and I know he’s not looking up for a reason. He wants me to make the first move, and I’m more than happy to grant him this.
Snapping back into the tree trunk, I compel the surrounding arbor to crane forward and around. Vines and branchesinterlock, and I’m able to travel through them with ease. I’ve fabricated a dome of wood, thereby trapping Tanner.
“What is…going on?” he asks in a dramatic tone. I can hear his smirk, so I decide to stop teasing. I’m ready to take what’s mine.
I phase out of the tree behind him and reach my arms forward, like I’m trying to catch him off guard. My vines grow outward, and when I reach his shoulders, I spin him around with ease. Now, I have him in my branches, the wood wrapping his shoulders as I tower over him. The overcast December sky is like a glowing halo on his beautiful face. “Human…” I growl. He studies me, eyes filled with surprise. I’m even scaring myself with my aggressive voice. He seems breathless, likely because he’s never seen me inside a wall of trees before.
This might be a mistake.
“Time out,” I say in a calmer tone. I let go of him and continue, “Are we still good?”
He gulps and nods. “Yeah. I was just…startled for a moment. But then I remembered it’s you.”
“Are you sure? Green light?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Because this isn’t fun if—”
