Page 45 of Druid Dreams

I pushed my butt out to the left, twisting my body as I moved and threw Stone off balance. It’s called a shrimp in training. I flipped him off of me and jumped up, not even bothering to get the twigs and leaves off of me as I started chasing after Novak. The chase is my favorite part of hunting.

No more playing with them. Nope. Time to win.

I moved at the speed of light. I think I do anyway. It took me seconds to catch Novak again. He growled his frustration out in that feral way that had me so turned on it could melt the panties right off my body. I accelerated to my top speed so I didn't stop to show him what that sound did to me. It took me a full four minutes of high speed running to make it back to the treehouse. I may have gotten a little lost in my excitement.

I was breathing hard as I jogged up the stairs, pulling the debris from my hair. I won, but I wasn’t ready to be back so soon. I didn’t wait for them to catch up. I walked inside with a victorious grin on my face. Heading straight to the room where my bag was, I stripped down so I could shower and dress in clean clothes. “Don’t tell them immediately that I beat them, okay?” I sang out as I moved past everyone.

“Sure thing, Love,” Palmer agreed readily while towel drying his hair.

As I eased into the bedroom with the attached bathroom, I heard the front door open and close. “We fucking beat her?” Novak questioned, disbelief pouring from his tone.

“Beat who?” Vaughn’s confusion sounded honest.

“Sloane. We were racing.” Stone informed them.

“Oh,” Briggs was amused and let them bask in the glory of their victory. He drew the rest of his reply out after a minute break. “No, she's in the shower.”

“Fuck!” Novak shouted again, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. “I told you that was a bad bet to take, but nooooo, you were feeling too cocky for your own good and you dragged me right into it.” He complained loudly to Stone.

“What did she win?” York sounded healthier already. My expression fell as my heart gave an abrupt twinge of pain.

“I don’t want to tell you guys,” Novak whined out.

“You’ll see tonight, or maybe tomorrow,” is all Stone added before I heard the door to the bedroom open up, and a very dirty demon interrupted my shower. A very welcome, dirty demon. After our time in the pool this morning, I had been dying to get my hands on his lean physique again. I licked my lips as he set his weapons in a bag on the bathroom counter and started untying his boots. I watched, transfixed, as he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing that delectable V cut and his hard lined abs.

The next few days were going to be shit while I worked through my issues with York. This moment with Stone was enough to make me forget about my worries though. The new Demon in my life was one I didn’t have to fight. I guess that was the difference between my life and a regular one. While some people battle their demons daily... I get to live peacefully with mine. I get to touch him. Tease him. Fuck him. Love him. Yeah, my Demon is different.

Stone

Monday Morning

“Scoot over,” I demanded of Sloane while she shamelessly drooled over my body.

“Mmm, come to wash my hair?” She teased me as I stripped out of my mud covered pants. “You’d make a lovely chambermaid,” she continued, batting her lashes. I rolled my hazy red eyes at her. My demon was still fighting for control after watching our mate wreak havoc.

“Only if you wash mine,” I countered dryly, letting my long black hair fall down my back.

She moved out of the spray of water, suds running down her chest from her soaped up curls. The tension of the night vanished between the scalding water and her hands on my back. They left lines of fire across my skin. I had to immerse myself in washing my own hair to keep from taking her there in the small shower stall. Her hands took over for mine, and she ran her nails across my scalp as she massaged the shampoo into my tangled tresses. I eased my head back so she could reach better. I’ve never let anyone touch me like this. It felt more intimate than anything I’d ever been a part of. Sloane has made me realize that caring for someone runs deeper than a physical need.

We switched places several times, bathing each other until I noticed her tension rise. “What’s eating at you?” I finally broke the silence, hopeful that she’d give me an honest answer.

She let out a loud exhale and turned to face me after cutting the water off. “York. I want to forgive him, to not be mad at him, but it’s harder than I thought it would be. All this time I thought he’d just left me. It was easier to be angry than heartbroken. Now, I’m about to walk out there and be face to face with him. I’m just not ready for the confrontation that I know he wants.”

“I know he’s going to want to talk things out sooner than you will too,” I acknowledged, “But he’s had plenty of time to think about what he wants to say. It’s not a bad thing that you want some time to think through your thoughts as well.”

She stepped into me, resting her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her flush against me. Comforting isn’t really in my bag of tricks. Seeing her vulnerability, even for a few seconds, was an odd sight when she’d been so confident. It was hard to keep my hands from roaming her naked body, but I wouldn’t take advantage of the situation. A little more stress and then we can go home.

I sighed gently as I rubbed my knuckles up and down her back. “Kitten, we have some more business to attend to before we leave.”

She grinned against my skin, questioning me with a longing sigh. “It’s not what I’m hoping for is it?”

“Sadly, no,” I replied wistfully. “We can pick this back up when we get home though,” I promised.

“What is it then? I can’t think of anything we missed,” she stated as she stared at the ceiling. She looked as though she was calculating a difficult equation in her head, her eyes bouncing back and forth.

“Well,” I started before I was cut off by shouting from down the hall. The voices were muted through the walls, but we were able to make out some of the words.

“You've got to calm down, mate. Everything is going to be fine.” York must have been consoling Levi.