Lisa Blackwood [Blackwood - Sorcery and Firedrakes

Wouldyou like a whip? Sorac asked his companion as he limped along at top speed.Presently, that was piteously slow. Firedrakes werent the fastest creatures onthe ground under normal circumstances, comparable to a horse, he supposed, butwith only three good legs, his pace was more of a rolling shuffle.

It was the best he could do with a mangledleg. Pain, blood loss, and the aftereffects of battling gargoyles had depletedhis reserves, both magical and physical. It would be a day or more before hecould run. Longer until he was flight worthy.

He couldnt recall a time hed been asweak.

Would it get your big, lazy ass to movefaster? Vaspara replied in a flippant tone.

Not unless I thought there wasa reward at the end of the journey He gave Vaspara what would have beena lecherous look if hed been in the form of a man.

On his saurianfeatures, it must look humorous for she laughed.

In your current condition, sex with mewould be the last thing you ever did. Then Id have to explain to theBattle Goddess all by myself how her force had been so soundly defeatedI canthink of better ends. You damn well better live to have my back.

Always, my sharp-tongued one.

Their banter had been much the same thelast three leagues since theyd exited the portal created by Anna andShadowlight. It had dumped them here, on the eastern border of the BattleGoddess kingdom.

While Vaspara tried to hide her emotionsbehind armor, her words did nothing to disguise the stink of fear bleedingthrough the pores of her skin.

The stone-faced, heartless succubuscaptain was a disguise she wore, but deep down the thought of losing himterrified her. Her fear didnt please him, but hed be lying if he wasnthappy that she cared enough to worry.

The valley where I stashed our servantsfrom the blood witch isnt that much farther. They have supplies and can bindmy wounds. He grunted in pain as he started up the next incline. I healquickly.

Thank the Divine Ones , he muttered theblasphemous statement in his own mind.

Until he healed or Vaspara had time tofeed upon a male, they were both easy pickings should they encounter one of theBattle Goddess other soldiers looking to advance themselves in the ranks.

Were on the wrong side, Vasparablurted.

Sorac glanced around at the mountain peaksto be sure he wasnt more confused than hed thought. But, no, he recognizedthe place. Were on the right track.

Vaspara smacked her fist against herarmor-clad thigh. No. The war.

Ah. That.

Hed thought the same thing a time or two,but as half-breeds with a dark parentage, neither he nor Vaspara would bewelcomed by the Light. Not after serving the Battle Goddess for close to twothousand years. Not that theyd ever been given a chance to find a differentpath.

He huffed out a humorless laugh. For whatits worth, I agree, but its not like we had a choice.

If we stay, well eventually die at thehands of the Avatars or sacrificed to feed Captain Taryins blood spells. Evenif we managed to kill the blood witch, the Battle Goddess would be swift tokill us herself.

Sorac agreed with everything shed justsaid. But where else can a half-blood succubus and firedrake go to find a safe haven?

I dont know, Vaspara sighed. But Ihavent lived this long to just give up. We need to find someplace to wait outthe war. This is the perfect opportunity. The gargoyles killed the rest of thecompany. If we dont return, the Battle Goddess will assume we have fallenalong with the others. Well never have another chance like this.

Sorac huffed in surprise. Steam and a lickof flame curled between his teeth and out his nostrils. What you say iscorrect, but it wont be easy.

Nothing ever is.

True. Sorac scrambled the rest of theway up the slope and then collapsed at the top. Just like this incline isntas easy as I thought.

Sorac! Vaspara called out to him as sheraced up to the top and circled around in front until she could meet his gaze.Visibly relaxing, she scowled at him to hide her feelings. Damn it to thevoid. Dont scare me like that again.

He tried to get to his feet.

No! Stay down! Dont move. I will sharepower with you, and then you will shift back into a man. I need to apply newbandages to your leg. That task will be easier if youre man-sized while I doit.

Ill shift, Sorac said guardedly, butyou cant spare the magic. I feel how depleted you are already.

Stop whining. Were doing this. Vasparaplaced her hands upon his chest. Immediately he felt her power run along hisskin. Lower your shields you fool! Or Ill just be wasting magic.

There was no fighting Vaspara once shedset her mind to something, so he did as she said while secretly basking inher attention. Once hed absorbed enough magic, he triggered his shift. Soonhis body was shrinking, his wings retracting.

When it was done, he felt lightheaded butwas a man again. His enchanted armor had even made the shift with him. Hehadnt been sure the metal still possessed enough magic after the battle.

Good. Stay down. Vaspara swiftly removedhis shin guards and then unlaced both boots and pulled them off before reachingfor his belt. Even though he knew it wasnt what it looked like, a grin spreadacross his face. Knew it. Youre hungry and frantic to get me naked.

Keep dreaming. I dont care how nice yourpackage is, the fertility god heritage is an enormous drawback. Absolute dealbreaker.

Sorac continued to grin up at her as sheunbuckled his belt and pulled it off. For fifteen hundred years, hed beendreaming of bedding Vaspara, but he wanted more than that. She was the one hewanted to raise his brood.

Unaware of his thoughts, she set aside thebelt and moved to the remaining armor encasing his leg. A piece at a time shefreed it. Not an easy or pain-free task with his leg broken in threeplaces.

Once the armor was off, she used herdagger to slit his pants from leg to boot cuff and then gently pulled aside theblood-soaked leather.

He grinned at her. I liked those pants.

And Id like you to live, so lay thereand keep your mouth shut.