Touch of Flame

Ravina was glad to see that Malachi was back to normal. They chatted during breakfast and she managed to eat what she could. Now she only prayed it would stay in her stomach.

“I’ll make you lemon juice. I was told it is good for nausea,” he said, standing up to take the tray with him back to the kitchen.

“Thank you,” she said and made her way to the privy room to freshen up while he was gone.

When she stepped outside, he was already back and waiting for her in bed. She saw the lemon juice on the bedstand beside the medicine boxes he left behind.

He turned his head, his brown eyes now back to their normal dark coffee brown. He must have renewed his skin as well because she was sure yesterday before he woke up, he was pale, and after he woke up…

Her heart skipped as she recalled what happened after he woke up. She hadn’t even had time to think about the kiss and already this happened. Pushing the thought away, for now, she walked over.

Malachi reached for the medicine box, “let me help you with this,” he said, turning his entire body so that one of his legs was up on the bed.

Ravina went and sat in front of him with her back to him. Then she realized she was still wearing his robe. Her hands nervously grabbed the front and images of last night came back to mind. She remembered his hot lips on her stomach and her lip in his mouth. Her breath hitched.

Ignoring her wildly beating heart, she undid the belt around the robe and then tried to remove it from her shoulders and let it slide down her arms without baring her chest. She held onto it to cover her breasts.

Malachi gently removed her now ridiculously long hair from her back and then gently tried to pull the robe further down. Ravina let it slide out of her fingers as he almost bared her entire back. Then he became still and she wondered what went through his mind now as he saw them again.

She felt the light brush of his fingers touching her. “I am sorry,” he whispered.

She fought back the burning in her eyes. “It is not your fault.”

He dropped his hand and she heard him fumble with the medicine box, “whoever did this will pay,” he promised.

Ravina shivered imagining a fight again. No. She just wanted a moment of peace before hell broke loose again.

“Who do you think it was?” She tensed when he touched her again, this time smearing the cold paste onto her wounds. It was soothing and helped with the burning and itching but it also tickled a little. She tried not to arch away.

“Well, some leaders are not happy so I am assuming it must be the king of white dragons.”

“What do you plan to do?”

He stopped, picked some more paste, he put it on the scar near the side of her back. It tickled even more and her body jerked away.

“What is it?” He asked.

“It tickles,” she said still moving away from him as he tried to touch her.

His other hand came to grab the side of her waist to keep her in place. Again she remembered his hands on her waist as he kissed her near the river. Then she remembered his words, telling her not to regret it yet and to give him a chance to change her mind.

Change her mind?

And… he could hear her heartbeat. He could hear it!! All this time, he knew.

She moved away from his touch and pulled her robe up, turning to him. “You can hear my heartbeat,” she said.

He seemed confused. “Yes.”

“All this time, you heard my heartbeat.”

“Well…” he seemed unsure of what to say. “Shouldn’t I? That is just what I am capable of hearing.”

They just looked at each other while she felt like she was exposed.

“What more are you capable of that I might not know?”

“I don’t know what you have read or not?”

“Just imagine I read nothing. What can you know about me that humans can’t?”

“Besides hearing rhythms in your body, I can smell you, when you are fertile or aroused.”

Huh?

“You can what??!” She rose straight up.

He put on a dreadful smile that made her think he was adorable for a moment before she pulled herself back together.

“Professor. You are disappointing now. How can’t you know that much? Our sense of smell is what we rely on the most.”

Of course, but she didn’t think he could smell her arousal for God’s sake.

“Don’t worry. It is normal to me,” he told her.

“But not to me. Those kinds of things are private.”

He tilted his head with a subtle smile. “Those kinds of things are not private here but don’t worry, they are very normal to us.”

“Still, I am the only one now knowing while everyone knows.”

So last night… did he…? Her face burned and she looked away both embarrassed and angry. She could hear him from the bed and then he came from behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“If you knew about me the way I know about you, I might have scared you because you would know just how easily you affect me.” He spoke leaning into her neck.

She could smell him too, strangely now stronger than before. As if she was drinking the most delicious coffee at the moment.

The heat of his body reached deep into hers as he easily wrapped her with his large arms. She leaned back against him, seeking the warmth, wanting to feel more than his hot breath against her neck.

“Your scent alone,” he spoke burying his face in the crook of her neck and brushing up. If only her hair wasn’t in the way.

His fingers came into the top of her robe, brushing along her collarbone. She shivered. “Your scent alone, makes a firebreathing creature like me burn.”

His hands continued to caress her shoulder and up the other side of her neck. Her rubbed her neck with his thumb while nudging most of her hair aside with the tip of his mouth and nose. Ravina closed her eyes completely and her head swayed when his lips made contact with her skin. One firm press of his lips, lingering enough to make her want more but stopping sooner than to satisfy her.

She felt a sting of frustration but didn’t know what to do about it or why it suddenly hit her like this.

“Will you be alright if I leave for a while?” He asked. “I’ll try to be back by lunch.”

She panicked again and turned around to face him. “Don’t do anything that is the slightest dangerous just for revenge. I don’t want it,” she told him.

He looked at her calm, “you know it is not just about revenge.”

She knew but didn’t want to listen. It was difficult for her right now. “I know,” she said looking down. He had to do things as a king to maintain order.

He grabbed her face between his hands and made her look at him. “Don’t worry. I have one more reason to live now. I’ll even fight death to come back to you.”

Ravina blinked. She knew he could be flirtatious but this side was new to her.

Who was this man and what did he do to Malachi?