Page 69 of The Mating Quest
Ryan, Chloe, Dakota had arranged themselves around the sofa bed, as if guarding it. Ethan slept next to Ilana, his body curled protectively aroundhers.
Next to the sliding glass door, as if guarding it, Lucasslumbered.
“They’re worn out.” Caderyn thought of the fierce battle waged and felt more than a touch of pride in Ilana. “They fought bravely, especiallyIlana.”
Tristan put a hand on the wall and the protective runes glowed crimson. “There’s little more we can do here to keep them safe, from either dragons ordemons.”
“But we can make them morecomfortable.”
Tristan nodded. “Allow me. Standback.”
The Shadow Wizard watched as Tristan used his powers to lift all five sleeping occupants into the air. He conjured mattresses in a horseshoe arrangement for each sleeper, and soft pillows. The sleepers slowly lowered onto the mattresses. Tristan covered them withblankets.
“They will sleep like that until morning. It is the way of Lupines to protect their own.” Tristan dusted off his hands with a satisfiedlook.
Caderyn went to Ilana, touched her forehead. Immediately the lines of pain and stress faded and he sensed her fall into a restorative rest. He did the same for the others. “There. They will all sleep untilmorning.”
Tristan released a deep breath. “Thanks to their courage, Drust will besafe.”
“After the ceremony tomorrow. We must not delay in transferring the dragon scale power to Chloe, knowing there are dragons who covetit.”
Tristan tilted his head, and Caderyn knew his fellow wizard heard a cry for help from one of his charges. “I must beoff.”
As the Silver Wizard vanished, Caderyn thought of the darkness that kept growing stronger. They needed all resources to fight the coming evil. He glanced at Ilana. Would she be one ofthem?
Chapter 20
Ilana wokeat dawn in Ethan’s arms while everyone else still slept. Quietly she rolled over and studied his sleeping face. Her heart melted a little, knowing he had chosen to stay with her all night. Care for her. Keep her warm when it felt as if her body were iced from inside. Gently she touched his cheek, her fingers rasping over the bristles of his day beard. Something stirred deep inside her, a longing mixed with pure sexual need. Her lady parts hummed a happytune.
Let’s wake him up the funway!
Bare chested, he sprawled out on his back, one arm hooked around her, the other above hishead.
As her fingers drifted over the smooth planes of his chest, to the muscled, flat abdomen, she toyed with the waistband of his gray sweatpants. An intriguing line of dark hair marched up from the sweatpants to his belly button. Wanting to go lower, she started toexplore…
Stopped. He needed rest and they had an audience. And sex to her,well…
Thinking of her last sexual encounter, her body went cold again. She quietly wriggled free of Ethan’s warmth and slid out of the sofa bed. On mattresses on the floor around the sofa, the othersslumbered.
Stretching her arms and legs, she tested their range of motion, relieved to find everything normal. Except for a small ache in her abdomen, she felt rested and readyagain.
And hungry. Ravenous andparched.
Ilana headed to the bathroom, did her business and splashed water on her face. Still so pale. She went to the sliding glass doors, looked outside. It seemedsafe.
Soon as the door opened, a woman appeared outside. Lacey, Drust’s mate, dressed in jeans and a floral shirt. She beckoned toIlana.
Ilana stepped onto the deck, quietly closing the door behind her. The air smelled clean, fresh and filled with promise, but a scent of foulness, like sewer gas, still lingered. Certainly it wasn’t Lacey, or someone impersonating her, for the wizard’s mate smelled like flowers and sunshine. Long ago, Ilana learned to discern scents as a way to determine one’s trueform.
Ethan smelled like rugged masculinity, spices, pine andleather.
Ilana breathed deeply, grateful to be awake and functioning instead of lying in a deep slumber that would last more than seven decades. If Tristan hadn’t acted quickly, she would have had a nasty close call and then fallen asleep to heal her body. When she awakened, everyone would begone.
Ordead.
“I gather since you’re here, there’s no threat outside?” she askedLacey.
“You’re correct.” Lacey studied her. “How do youfeel?”
