A Savior of Flames

Chapter 12

At some point in our journey, I handed the reins off to Rowan, not feeling like steering anymore. Since then I've been idly playing with his free arm, tracing the spot where the invisible runes hide. I'm leaned back in a comfortable position, slouching and feeling enveloped by warmth. His chin sits on top of my head, and I smirk to myself when I see a path of goosebumps left behind from my lazy touches on his arm. Teasing him was so fun the other day, and with Celeste and Rohanna always being nearby, there isn't much of a chance to be alone with Rowan. So instead of holding his chin up with a dagger, I've been torturing him with the touches on his arm. His hand grips my waist, squeezing a sensitive spot right below my ribcage. My body is full of sore muscles and aches from the sleeping conditions, and no matter how nice sleeping next to the warmth of a Dragon may be, things still hurt.

Feeling a bit more playful, on the next pass I make with the fingers, I dig in with my nails. Not enough to hurt him, but to remind him I'm here. A groan rumbles through his chest, vibrating my body. I smirk to myself, knowing that I've managed to get him bothered now. I don't even feel bad about it, as Rowan and I tail the group. The group keeps a certain formation when we ride now, Rhiannon or Abraxis leading, and Rowan and I taking up the back position, where Rowan's eyes are on everyone, and any threats that may come from behind. "Princess, you're killing me." He leaned down to talk low into my ear, and the deep timbre of his voice makes me shudder, involuntarily. His voice was strangled, and I wonder exactly how much I managed to get him bothered.

"Oh?" A simple answer, and I make my voice as sweet as I can, pretending to not know what he's talking about. His chest rumbles again, and it confirms it. He can growl, and I think I liked it.

"You seem bored? Do you want the reins?" His voice stays in that low tone, the deep sound making me feel giddy.

"I'm not bored, just comfortable." I make my point by continuing to drag my fingers over his arm, and his skin heats under me. An idea pops into my head, and I smile at the thought. I pull my fingers away, and let my fire appear along my fingertips. I drag the small flames on my fingers across his arm. With a hiss, his hand slides lower, near my hip bone, and he grabs tightly.

"Behave, Princess. We still have a way to go, and I could make you ride with someone else." He growls into my ear, his voice a quiet threat. His growling voice sends a tremor down my spine, and I nearly gasp out at the sensation. I hold back any noise though, not wanting to alert any of the others.

"You wouldn't dare, you possessive Dragon."

"Try me." He whispers into my ear, and his grip on my hip bone lessens, but his hand moves over my stomach, tracing the ink under my shirt. His hand nears my breasts, but he dips away from them, circling back down. My hand stills on his arm. He's fighting back, and dammit, if he keeps up with the tender touches, he might win. Once he's traced over the tattoo, his hand leaves my stomach, to settle on my upper thigh. I widen my eyes, as his unnaturally warm hands play with the hem of my dress. I curse internally, wishing Rohanna hadn't chosen another dress for me to wear this morning. His fingers slip under the fabric, moving up until they find the straps of the sheath on my thigh. My breathing stutters, as I wait for his next move. Him touching my leg like this again feels wrong, but a bubbling sensation building in my stomach keeps me from stopping him. His fingers heat, fire glowing beneath the surface. I slip out a quiet gasp as his heated fingers drag over my upper thigh. He's playing dirty, and he knows he's won. But how far is he going to go? How far do I want him to go?

Almost as soon as I feel my heart rate begin to pick up, whether from panic or something else, I don't know. But Rowan's hand pulls away from my leg. The absence of it immediately is noticed, feeling the lack of his burning touch. His hand settles back on my stomach, the large expanse of his palm covering a good portion of my stomach. If anything, it feels like a claim. His possessive side breaking free and laying a silent claim on me. My heart picks up at the thought, but I stuff it back down, not wanting to pull Rowan in and let him hear what's been going through my head. Something has changed in these past couple days, since he pulled me out of the hole I had been falling down. His touch does something to me, and I'm not quite sure what it means yet. I've been doing my best to get a rise out of him, but within minutes he's back in charge, and instead he's got a rise out of me. Smart Dragon. I should've known he could play this game too, and he's probably much better than I am. I could pull some dirty tricks, but how far do I really want to push him? Do I even know what I would want from him, if I did manage to push him over? Some part of me excites at the thought, but I push that back down as well, fear trumping over the excitement.