CHAPTER THIRTY

Now that we know we need to move more quickly, the way ahead becomes ever more difficult, because of course it does.

The gnomes somersault ahead without a care in the world as the ceiling drops to new lows that have me crouched over and crawling.

Selena’s breaths echo in the small space.

“Are you all right?” I glance back over my shoulder.

She’s tied her glow stone to the guitar case’s strap, and it swings below her chest as she too hunches over. Her face wears a look of pure determination as she says, “I’m fine.”

Pride swells within me. She’s clearly not used to this level of exertion, and yet she soldiers on without a single complaint. I’d worry more if not for her self-healing ability.

When I make it to the other side, I stand up in relief and arch backward, stretching my muscles.

Selena follows, and I offer my hand to help her out of the final bit of the low passage. As soon as we touch, a warm current of her magic flows through me, easing the ache in my back I’d ignored.

Bellavesaria crawls out after her. The largest of us, I’d almost expect her to have the most difficulty in the smaller tunnels, but she navigates everything so far with ease, her long body able to twist this way and that.

Selena scratches the dragon’s head, her magic rippling out in a quick burst of healing that makes the scrapes on Bellaversaria’s wings disappear.

It’s Dash who actually has the most difficult time, even though I rearranged the packs so they hung at his sides. I expect a smartass comment of some sort as he comes into view, but he remains quiet, his barrel chest moving with his deep breaths.

Selena doesn’t say a word, but she makes sure to hug his neck in another healing touch. The warmth of her magic tingles through the air, and his labored breathing eases.

Even the dragon doesn’t make fun of him, our united purpose overshadowing any previous bickering.

Since the way ahead narrows yet again, I return the packs to the top of his back, and we start off, hurrying to catch up to our guides .

A murmur of sound comes from ahead, building into a roar as I round a curve of the tunnel and enter a wide cavern with an underground river rushing past.

The gnomes wait on the far bank.

“They’re not wet!” Selena points. “How?”

“They used their magic to travel through the ground.”

“Are we going to get them to take us across like that?”

“No.” My jaws tighten. Even if we could hold our breath for a short trip, the thought of being trapped in solid rock—of Selena being trapped—just no.

The others join us.

“I can fly across,” Bellavesaria says.

“Can you take our things?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“I can wade it in my unicorn form,” Dash says.

I hurry over to remove the saddle and bags from him. Then I take my guitar from Selena and strap it to the rest for the dragon to carry.

“I can swim.” Selena eyes the river warily. “But I don’t know if I can swim that .”

“You won’t have to.” I bend over and pull off my boots. Next, I remove my sword belt, my shirt. When I reach for my pants, she stops me.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to ford the river. It doesn’t look too deep.” I add my things to one of the packs. “Or did you forget that I no longer have dry clothes to put on if these get wet?”

She grins, dark pink flushing her cheeks. “Oh, yeah. That. ”

I shuck the pants from my legs and add it to the rest.

Bellavesaria gathers everything with her front feet and launches across the river in a burst of magic, flapping her wings only once.

Another ripple of magic, and Dash trots past us, restored to his usual size.

I eye his progress as he steps into the raging current and sinks up to his withers. His head remains above the water, and he’s able to walk across instead of needing to swim.

Good. That means I can do so as well.

I turn to Selena.

Her eyes rove over me, hunger heating her appreciative gaze.

My cock doesn’t care that the unicorn, dragon, and an uncountable number of gnomes can see us. My cock only cares about her. It swells to life.

She licks her lush lips, and I have to stifle a groan. Fuck. I’m barely keeping myself away from her as is. Knowing she wants me—even if only for now—is more temptation than I can bear.

I scoop Selena up into my arms and stride forward. As soon as I get to the steep-sided riverbank, I lift her up over my head, making my palms a seat for her lush ass.

She shrieks, her little feet kicking my arms, but it’s a happy shriek. She bends over enough that she can grip my wrists to help steady her upper body.

I step into the river, plunging up to mid chest. The water’s icy, battering at my side. My toes start to tingle in the extreme cold, and fuck, I don’t even want to imagine what’s happening to my cock. Even Selena’s sweet rear filling my hands isn’t enough to fight off the immediate effect of the freezing water. I grit my teeth and plow forward, fighting the current trying to rip me downstream.

Selena’s fingers tighten around my wrists, and without me needing to say a single word, her magic pours into me, keeping my muscles warm and functioning. An extra swirl of warmth heads straight to my groin and makes me grunt with relief. My cock no longer feels like an icicle.

When I finally reach the opposite bank, I shove her forward, into the dragon’s waiting claws. Her loss is immediate, the frigid water stealing my breath without her magic there to beat back the effects. Orcs are tough, but even orcs hate extreme cold, and wet cold’s the worst.

Placing both palms on the rock of the river bank, I shove upward, levering myself out of the water. I sit shivering, the cool rock underneath me feeling warm in contrast to my icy skin.

Selena rushes over to me, her hands firm on my shoulders as she pours more healing magic into me. Her eyes search over me as she works. “Are you okay?” Another of those extra bursts of magic curls through my cock.

My eyes narrow. “Are you doing that on purpose?”

“I’m a medical professional.” She gives me a saucy grin. “And I’m focusing on areas I think are important.”

Another extra tingle of warmth and power flows over my hands, and she says, “Can’t forget those. I really love those.”

My fingers flex, ready to haul her onto my lap—audience and worries about the future be damned.

“Is this a biped mating ritual?” Bellavesaria’s head cocks as she studies us. “I don’t remember reading about this one. ”

Dash whinnies a laugh. “You read about biped mating? Why?”

“If the doors to Faerie open again, I’ll have access to my elven form. Why wouldn’t I want to know everything about it?”

“Dragons and your books!” the unicorn says, shaking his head.

“I’m healing him, not mating him,” Selena says. “Trust me, if we were mating, you’d definitely know it.”

“The screaming,” Dash says. “The moaning.”

I glare at him.

“What?” His eyes sparkle with mischief. “I can’t help it if I have excellent hearing.”

“We heard it through the rock.” The head gnome places his hand on the cavern wall. “We weren’t even close to your cavern.”

Selena’s cheeks darken, but the others’ words don’t appear to upset her.

Goddess knows, they don’t bother me. On the contrary, pride swells within me. I pleasured her so well, all could hear.

One last pulse of healing rolls through me, and my cock stirs to life, reacting to her nearness and ready to prove it’s made a full recovery.

“Yeah, you seem all better now.” Selena’s eyes flicker over my erection. Then she stands and brings me my clothes. She tsks and shakes her head, her lips quivering as she tries not to smile. “My god! You and your getting naked all the time.”

“Are you complaining?” I stand and slip my feet into my pants, my heavy erection bobbing with the movement.

“Not even the tiniest bit.” She beams at me .

Her smile does nothing to aid me trying to fasten my now too-tight pants.

“I thought we were in a hurry?” the dragon says. “If you’re not playing mating games, or even if you are, we should go.”

“I don’t know,” Dash says, his magic swirling around him as he takes on his pooka form. “I wouldn’t mind watching an actual mating.”

“Fuck off. There’s not going to be any watching. The dragon’s right. We need to hurry.” I send a pulse of magic through the leather of my pants, stretching it so I can fasten it over my swollen cock. Then I stomp into my boots and yank my shirt over my head. Once I have the supplies settled on the unicorn’s back, I say, “Let’s go.”

As I brush past Selena, her sweet scent tickles my nose.

I stride down the tunnel, still aching for her. It’s a long while before I can retighten the leather of my pants.