Unquiet Slumber (8 page)

“Okay, I will.” Looking only at Seth, Tianna began. “If I was a man and I wanted to gain the affections of a woman, I’d first focus on the little things. Here would be my top three observations.”

“One. When speaking to her, look into her eyes.” She glanced over at Nathaniel, whose eyes had wondered down her body. “Thanks for showing Seth an example of what not to do.”

Nathaniel’s stare returned to her eyes. Seeing her disapproval, he replied sincerely, “I apologize for my momentary distraction. Please continue.” He gave her a nod, asking her to continue her instruction.

Tianna sighed. “Two. Listen when she speaks. Respond in a way that tells her you were actually listening to what she’s saying. Three. If you want to touch her, do it in simple little ways, and only touch the parts necessary for the task.” She gave Nathaniel yet another glare, prepared for another inappropriate response.

Seth was interested in what Tianna was saying, so before Nathaniel could offer a rebuttal, he drew her attention back to him by asking, “What types of tasks are you talking about?”

“A task could be something personal like...” She paused, staring off into the trees, contemplating what to suggest. When an idea came to her, she said to Seth with a big smile, “Like helping with her hair.”

Nathaniel let out a laugh. “Helping with her hair? I can think of better personal tasks to help her with.”

To prove her point, she asked Seth to come sit behind her. He got up and walked over, looking confused. She sat herself down between his legs with her back toward him. Like Marcus on the horse, she could feel heat emanating from his body as he got close to her. She resisted the urge to lean back into him.

She shook her head back and forth so her hair fell loose around her shoulders. She began to run her fingers methodically through and down her hair to get out any tangles. Seth noticed that the fire made her hair shine like molten metal.

Turning her head toward Seth, she said, “I always re-braid my hair before I go to bed. I’m going to teach you how to braid my hair so you can help me.”

Seth swallowed hard and nodded slowly. He was looking a little unsure, but was thrilled that his earlier curiosity would soon be satisfied, and his pulse sped in anticipation.

Tianna seeing his unease said, “I’ll show you how it’s done and then you can try.” She proceeded to put her hair in a long braid, explaining to Seth what she was doing at each step. When she thought he was ready to try, she took the braid out.

“Give me your hands,” she directed and Seth complied. Intertwining her fingers with his, she guided him in making a simple braid. Touching his skin made the heat from his body start to flow through her hands into her arms. It was going to be hard to stay focused.

Nathaniel instantly shot back into a sitting position. Seeing how close Seth’s body was to hers made him very interested in what was going on in front of him.

When they were done with practice braids, she released his hands, took the braid out, and told him to try it on his own. Seth couldn’t believe his luck. Earlier he had dreamed of touching her hair and now here he was with both of his hands covered in her silky strands. He let her hair flow through his fingers and across his arms. At one point he lifted a small section of hair to his nose and inhaled deeply. It held her wonderful, intoxicating scent.

He shook his head to clear his mind and refocus on the task. He began to slowly make loose braids, undid them, and then made them again. Although he would pull too hard at times, she held in any sound of discomfort.

Tianna would periodically reach back to feel the braid to see how he was doing and offer advice. After he had practiced a few times, she found herself closing her eyes and making a low “hmmm” sound. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. No one, other than her mother, had ever played with her hair. As Tianna made soft noises, all of the men felt warmth spread in their chests. They could smell her pleasure as a scent they could taste in their mouths.

The scent and resulting taste was causing Nathaniel to have a hard time sitting still. He began to clench his hands into fists at his sides, and he held a look that was a cross between jealousy and intense longing.

Seth, on the other hand, found himself trying to do anything that would cause Tianna to make sounds again. After some trial and error, he identified several movements that seemed to do the trick, and he was able to coax sounds out of her several more times.

After about 20 minutes, which seemed like hours to Nathaniel, Tianna opened her eyes and felt the braid in her hair. She turned her head to look back at Seth. Although she knew the braid was a bit messy, the look of uncertainty on Seth’s face made her respond, “Very nicely done Seth. Thank you. Let me tie it off so it will stay in all night.” She took one of her ribbons and tied off the end of the braid.

He smiled back with a look of pride, “If you would let me, my lady, I’d like to practice again another time.”

“I’d like that.” She leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Seth blushed.

Nathaniel gave out a low protective growl, making Marcus look sharply at him. Gabriel understood Nathaniel’s reaction completely and he took a long drink of wine trying to douse the fire that had started to build within his own chest.

Tianna took the other hair ribbon and placed it in Seth’s palm, closing his fingers around it. “Here, keep this one as a remembrance. You, my young Seth, are the first man to ever braid my hair.”

Nathaniel was on his feet in a flash, wearing an expression Tianna couldn’t quite understand. She was going to ask him if he was alright but decided it would be better to leave this one alone. Instead she stood and announced to no one in particular, “And that, my dear gentleman, is my version of lesson one in how to attract a woman.”

Seth beamed and everyone else sat in silence, somewhat stunned and dizzy.

Seeing the look in the men’s eyes, Tianna became somewhat uncomfortable. Not sure how to respond, she decided it was time for her to remove herself from the situation by saying, “Well, since we have to rise early to head to my village, I’m going to bed.”

Nathaniel’s expression relaxed as he offered, “You’re welcome to share my bed.” He gave her his dazzling smile that he knew made women swoon. Tianna felt the power of his smile, but pushed her reaction back. Seeing no response, Nathaniel tried to directly influence her with his mind. Her mind became fuzzy for a brief moment. Once again, she held firm.

Staring back at Nathaniel, she said sweetly, “Thank you for the offer, but my bed is already made.” The warmth in her chest was becoming a fire. She didn’t want to encourage him, so she quickly turned away.

As everyone scanned the camp, Tianna pointed up into a nearby tree. Marcus asked what everyone was thinking, “You sleep in trees?”

Tianna shrugged her shoulders. “I prefer not to sleep on the ground when I can help it. So, I’ll sleep safely tucked in above you.”

While everyone gazed up into the tree she was pointing at to see her make-shift bed, Nathaniel kept his eyes locked on Tianna. He had never met a woman that he couldn’t influence. He would have to attract her in some other way, without the use of any magic. Part of his mind yelled at him to leave her alone but his dragon wanted to accept the challenge and his dragon’s influence was getting stronger by the second. He hadn’t had to fight for control of his inner nature since he was young.

Tianna walked over to her supplies and grabbed her climbing gloves. Although one glove went on easily, she struggled a little with the second.

Instantly, Seth was beside her. “May I offer my lady assistance?”

Tianna smiled, held out her hand, and Seth tied the glove in place. She walked over to the base of the tree. The first branch was rather high and she would have to climb up the trunk a ways before she could reach it.

Before she could take another step closer, she found Nathaniel next to her asking sweetly, “May
I
offer my lady assistance?”

His scent filled her lungs and she noticed his aroma was more intense and very different from the others. It reminded her of the warmth from a campfire on a cool night, exhilarating breezes that take your breath away, and the touch of her comforting mother’s arms.

He intertwined his fingers and leaned over, prompting her to place her feet in his hands.

She wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but she held onto his shoulder for balance and stepped into his waiting palms. To her shock, touching him made warmth shoot through her body like a wildfire and her body trembled.

Nathaniel had a similar unexpected reaction to her touch. He closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy this new and wonderful sensation. As his reaction stirred his dragon, he gazed into Tianna’s eyes and gave her an affectionate smile. Then, as if she weighed nothing, he tossed her gently up toward the branch. She grabbed it easily and swung herself around until she stood firmly on top of the limb.

Nathaniel stared up into the tree where Tianna was perched like a bird. He gazed at her beautiful form for a moment, and called, “Sleep tight my lady, knowing that we’ll be here to protect you while you rest. I’ll anxiously await the kiss of morning’s light so that I may be once again blessed by the warmth of your smile.”

Everyone was left speechless, having never heard Nathaniel being so charming. Tianna gazed down at the poet and said, “Why, thank you, Nathaniel. I guess there’s hope for you after all. I’ll see you in the morning.” She couldn’t hold back a smile.

He gave her a bow but kept his gaze locked on her form, watching as she climbed fluidly and quietly up to her bed. His pulse raced. He wasn’t sure where his words had come from. His older cousin, Duncan, had the gift to charm, not him. With Nathaniel’s natural allure, he never needed to waist energy on such trivial things as romancing a potential mate. They came to him no matter what he said or did. Everything about this small woman called to him—her appearance, scent, and even her voice. For the first time ever, he was completely out of control. Obviously, if he wanted to attract Tianna, he was going to have to take a whole new approach. He secretly wished he had Duncan by his side to help guide him.

As Tianna settled herself into her bed for the night, she thought of Nathaniel. He was everything she knew women were told to watch out for, but somehow he managed to touch her heart. She quietly pulled out her journal. Today’s events warranted a major entry in her book. When done, she sighed quietly and tucked the book back into its hiding place. Once she was lying hugging the large branch she was snuggled onto, she listened to the men preparing for bed and, for the first time in a very long time, she looked forward to the morning. Once those below her were silent, she fell fast asleep and had a night of wonderful dreams.

Tianna was awake and out of her tree before the sun was up. She dressed in another home-made outfit, but this time, one designed for riding. The pants were made of thick leather to help protect her backside and thighs while sitting on the back of a horse. She knew Nathaniel would be disappointed that this outfit, while flattering, hung loosely from her body. She thought it silly, but she cared about what he thought.

Since the men had made her the evening meal, she wanted to wait on them. As with everything else in her life, she had learned to cook at a very young age. When she was selected to be the wizard’s apprentice, she moved out of her parents’ home and into a back room at Zarin’s. Although she knew Zarin thought of her like a daughter, he often forgot she was just an eight year old child. He would work for hours on researching spells and creating potions, forgetting to feed her, clean her clothes, or any other normal domestic tasks. If she wanted to eat, she needed to learn to cook. If she wanted to be dressed, she had to make her own clothes. Soon she was doing all of the domestic chores not just for herself but for Zarin as well. She didn’t mind as she felt like she owed him something for letting her live there and teaching her.

One of the items that Zarin said she made especially well was biscuits, so she decided to make a batch for her camping companions. As she prepared the meal, the men began to rise and prepare for the day. She knew they were awake the moment she stirred in the trees because she felt them watching her.

Tianna glanced up just as Marcus was re-entering the camp from bathing in the river. He had his shirt in hand and was starting to put it on when her eyes caught sight of a tattoo that started over his heart and ran up to his left shoulder.

Tianna couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked, “Marcus, what’s that on your chest?”