Sorcerer’s Apprentice Page 3

  Charming? Maybe. He hadn’t ever thought it anything other than simple. Traveling had given him more sophisticated tastes, but if that was her opinion she was welcome to it. Still, her smile and enthusiasm seemed to spill over. The more she smiled, the more people around her did so when they saw her. Many openly stared at the beauty standing there like a fresh flower in the sunlight. He watched her nod at several people. Their response was friendly and welcoming. Funny, he hadn’t noticed the people of his village smiling like idiots before. They certainly didn’t show such admiration when he approached. That a pretty, new face could illicit such a response was annoying, though he couldn’t fathom why.

  “This way, Miss Nightflyer.”

  She quickly turned to him “Brynn. Please, call me Brynn.” She suddenly realized the informality of that request might not sit well with a man demanding the rather ornate title of Master. But if he needed her in a hurry for some reason, calling out Miss Nightflyer was a bit of a mouthful. When she saw him frowning, Brynn checked her enthusiasm. “If that’s all right with you, of course. It’s just that Brynn is a shorter name and I don’t mind anyone using it.”

  Draco almost told her to drop the Master crap. He didn’t like it any more than she did. Somehow, she’d seemed to have put him in his place by insisting that she wasn’t as ostentatious as he. “Fine, Brynn. If you’ll walk down to the end of the depot platform, you’ll see my carriage there. We’ll be traveling back to Castle Pendragon using a very archaic mode of transportation, but one that will allow you to see the countryside much better.

  That did it. He had the momentary impression she was about to throw her arms around him and hug him, but the girl checked her forward movement. Some small part of him wished she hadn’t.

  “Oh, that’s…that’s stupendous. I can’t believe it. A real carriage ride?”

  He felt his brows shoot up in surprise when she turned and ran down the walkway at a pace a deer couldn’t match. Draco had to suppress a grin. He’d never seen a woman so outright expressive of her feelings one moment and intent on hiding them the next. She didn’t seem like the sophisticated, elegant women he was used to. But something about her enthusiasm over the smallest things was endearing. He’d purposely chosen to use the carriage his uncle purchased for local parades because he thought doing so might be tedious for her after being cooped up in that freighter for months. There were a thousand ways to test someone’s patience—this had been one he’d thought of on the spur of the moment. In this instance, however, his test seemed to have backfired. It seemed as if she was actually looking forward to the ride.

  Shaking his head, Draco had to give her points for adapting quickly. He casually followed her and found her stroking his mare’s muzzle when he got to the carriage.

  “Her name is Starfire.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Brynn murmured as she stroked the glossy black neck and kissed the big mare just above her soft muzzle.

  He wanted to yell at her to stop it. Whatever she did seemed to get under his skin. So far, she’d displayed spirit, an amiable nature, tactful acquiescence to his demand to be addressed in a way that should have made her angry and kindness to strangers and animals. He vowed to watch little Miss Not-To-Be-Faulted much closer. She had to have a weakness he could use to send her away. Maybe he wasn’t trying to annoy her enough, but finding that weak spot suddenly became a professional imperative.

  An idea came to him. It was reprehensible, but testing her ability to withstand irrational situations and the pressure brought on by impetuous behavior was what this was all about. He rationalized his actions as being necessary to her training. Draco got into the carriage when she did. He put the mare in motion at a deliberate snail’s pace. There was no way in hell they’d make it to the castle tonight. Given the threat to his life, he was taking chances. But the local constables were always on guard for any signs of his old nemesis and no one had heard from Bane in a very long time. More to the point, he had a pupil to test and he meant to do so.

  * * * * *

  Brynn knew she was being tested. From the moment he’d gazed at her, she believed he’d begun to concoct various means to test her. That Master crap was the first small test. But there would be others that were much more important. She also knew that a transport could probably have taken them to Castle Pendragon more quickly. And though she loved the ride in the antique, black carriage with its black leather trim, there was no reason to believe a busy man like Draco Pendragon had time to drive all over the landscape just for her amusement or to point out the scenery as he was currently doing. No, all this was contrived. But she remembered Fizzydig’s instructions. One small step the wrong way and this powerful man would toss her off this lovely planet, probably by putting her on the next garbage scow. Her love of nature and animals had made her blurt things at the depot that might have been perceived as naïve or even childish. Never having been off Earth had made her a bit anxious but seeing how beautiful Illusia was had comforted her. But her current Master’s expression reflected anything but pleasure. He’d think her a silly dim-wit if she couldn’t reel in her emotions. After all, one must control those or one could never control magic. She took a deep breath, glanced at him from her side of the carriage seat and pasted on a more pragmatic expression. She wasn’t here to admire the scenery. He wasn’t taking her to look at it. She was being tested and had to remember that. Everything he’d do was for a reason and it had nothing to do with pleasing her.

  “Ahead of us is the great forest of Illusia. Have you heard about it?” Draco asked.

  “Of course. It’s supposed to resemble the northwestern part of the United States, isn’t it?”

  He nodded. “The atmosphere and growing conditions are almost exactly the same. Much of the imported fauna was planted by the earliest Pendragon clan members when they built the castle. But certain Earth trees especially seem to like the environment. They grow at an astonishing rate.”

  Brynn gazed around her in wonder when they entered the forest and left the village outskirts behind. She wanted to gasp aloud at the breathtaking beauty but reeled in her need to do so. She had to act the part of an alert pupil, not gush at every opportunity. But behaving so unmoved was damn hard. The forest was lovely, just as it had been described. Wild ferns grew at the base of trees whose tops couldn’t be seen and flowers she couldn’t name nestled within the ferns. Their vibrant colors seemed to radiate. She wondered about the living habitants of these woods. She also considered this man’s apparent nonchalance at such beauty. It seemed to her that anyone with a heart would be ecstatic by these surroundings and never tire of them or grow as complacent as he appeared. She lifted her chin and kept her voice level. “What about animals? Are they similar to those found on Earth?” she asked, reasoning that this was a perfectly legitimate question.

  “Like many of the plants, some animal species were imported from Earth after the scientists declared there wouldn’t be any adverse effect on the environment. And there’s a bonus.”

  She concentrated on the scenery, mostly so she didn’t have to gaze at his god-like, square-jawed profile with those kissably sweet, full lips. “What bonus?” she quietly asked.

  “Hot springs. Within the forest, there are small pools fed by underground aquifers. They’re like miniature hot tubs. I thought that after your long confinement aboard a freighter you might enjoy a dip.”

  She took her gaze off the landscape and turned her attention to her all-too-handsome new mentor. This was some kind of test, she just knew it. “I-I haven’t any suitable garments for such a thing. All of my belongings were taken ahead to the castle,” she respectfully reminded him.

  “Who needs clothes, sweetness?” he responded blithely.

  For a long moment, she gazed deeply into his deep blue eyes. Brynn finally dragged her attention to the road ahead and the thousand shades of green within the forest depths. Now she was angry. That he was testing her again and had upped the ante wasn’t in question. But she was furious that
he’d do so using the sexual romp that his familiar endearment and expression implied. But she kept her cool and began to think. If he wanted to see what she was made of, then she’d show him a side of herself he probably hadn’t anticipated. Fizzydig’s admonishment was still in her brain. She had to be very careful now. This man would show her the quickest way back to the depot if she didn’t guard her responses. Only a very good wizard could remain unaffected under such circumstances. She was sure that he damn well knew it! Slow-burning anger began to replace her self-admonishment to guard her mouth.

  Brynn swallowed hard, turned her head to look at him again and smiled as seductively as she knew how. “Sounds interesting…Master.” She scooted closer to him and boldly looped her arm through his.

  The hot look in her emerald eyes immediately caused his body to react wildly. The warmth of her slender frame as she sidled up to him was beguiling. Every nerve in his groin began to burn with anticipation. He’d wanted to see her angry and got exactly what he’d asked for. The little vixen was playing to his suggestion. He couldn’t berate her now for acquiescing to his offer. Okay…point one begrudgingly went to her. But he wanted to see just how far he could push it. Her next words, however, almost made him fall off the carriage seat.

  “Maybe we could stay here overnight?” Brynn sweetly suggested, using the same sensually-laced tone in her voice he had when he’d suggested they needed no clothing.

  Draco swallowed hard, dragged his gaze away from her exquisite face and kept his attention on the road and the mare’s progress. Damn the little baggage! She wouldn’t rise to the bait and had just trumped him. All right, if Miss Sweet-and-Sexy wanted to go down that road, then fine. He’d enjoy the trip right along with her. “I think a night in the woods would be a splendid idea. I’ve been working long hours in the castle and some brisk night air will do us both some good. I’ll even contact my man Bodie and have him send some food and bedding from the castle by auto-delivery.

  “Mmmm, sounds perfect,” Brynn purred and sent him what she hoped was a sultry, come-hither smile. She’d never played games with men. There had been several lovers in her life but no one who emboldened her to act so unrestrainedly, especially on a first meeting. She wasn’t sure if she could keep up the seductress act, but he’d started this. She hoped to corner him into giving up this particular mode of testing. So far, he wasn’t backing down, but neither was she. Draco couldn’t hold any response that he’d initiated against her and they both knew it. If he’d meant to make her cower, throw a tantrum or just plain confuse her, then she wouldn’t rise to the bait. A good wizard could handle any situation.

  Furious, Draco forced himself to keep a smile plastered on his face. How far was she willing to go with his silly suggestion? Okay, he’d started it, but did she now hope to seduce him into passing her initial days as an apprentice? Or maybe the voyage to Illusia had been so long and confining that she was ready for a sexual romp and he just happened to be the first man available. For some inexplicable reason, it enraged him that she’d simply jump at a chance for an exotic liaison with a man she’d known barely an hour. He began to wonder if that wasn’t the weakness he’d been searching for. Having found it, why was he angered over the discovery? It made no sense. But from her father’s reputation, he’d expected her to respond differently to his obvious pass. He’d left no room for misinterpretation of his sexual suggestion.

  Draco drove on in silence. Whenever he glanced at her, she presented him with a blinding, captivating smile. He did his best to return it, but his irrational rage left him with no other form of communication at the moment. He finally pulled on the reins and jumped from the carriage when a suitable place for their escapades presented itself.

  In a saccharin-induced tone, he told her, “I think this will do nicely. What do you think?”

  She responded as sickeningly as he, “It’s lovely…Master.”

  He wanted to wring her little neck—her perfectly shaped, swan-like, creamy neck. The little tease. She’d probably go as far as it took to get him to call off this charade. By then his body would be burning so fiercely that he’d have to find a cool stream in which to bathe. But what if he didn’t call it off? What if he turned up the heat? He slowly smiled and simply glanced her way. Sooner or later, he’d amp up the situation to such intensity that his pupil would back down. She’d finally lose it and he’d see the fireworks—he’d actually see then what it took to shock her. Maybe he’d distress her enough that she’d leave on her own. The Guild couldn’t say that he hadn’t tried. This pupil had been found emotionally unfit and had left of her own accord.

  Brynn took the hand he offered and slowly stepped down from the carriage. When she walked by him, she let her hand slide over the top of his shoulder, caressingly.

  Incensed that she took liberties with him and that his body responded all too easily to her slight touch, Draco forced a laugh. “Why don’t you take a look at the scenery here? I suggest the view behind that large rock would be quite interesting.”

  “Whatever you say…Master.” Brynn deliberately stroked the exposed skin presented by the vee in her laced jerkin and sauntered off to where he pointed, her hips swaying invitingly as she did so.

  He gritted his teeth as he watched her gravity-defying butt shift suggestively. Her behavior wasn’t matching the information he’d been given. Her application had been professionally and articulately composed. This was not the woman who’d written, “I feel it is imperative that a wizard never behave with anything less than dignity, honor and propriety. We hold the trust and hope of those who seek our help. Our behavior, therefore, should be above reproach. For those who wield great power, responsibility is a moral obligation.”

  Still, he’d started this little charade. He’d see it through until she finally had enough. Draco pulled a small communicator from a pocket inside his cape. He sent a message to the castle for an auto-delivery of the food and bedding that he and Brynn would require for the night. Then he went in search of his charge.

  “I see you found the spring,” he softly murmured.

  She motioned to the small, bubbling pool of clear water surrounded by coin-sized white flowers and lush, green ferns. “Shall we?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Be my guest. I’ll go in after you.”

  Draco watched as she slowly began to take off every piece of clothing. Transfixed, he couldn’t have moved if someone had set off a bomb. He watched her pull off her jerkin and placed it on the boulder. With her bare back to him, she slowly pulled off her boots and unbuckled her leather pants. When she let them slide down her slender hips, bent over and presented him with a beautifully shaped butt in a forest-green thong, he went absolutely speechless. Then, she slipped her thumbs underneath the tiny side straps of the thong and wiggled out it. Every undulating move was presented to him for effect. He felt his mouth go dry and his cock go straight up. The head of his penis, his balls, were throbbing.

  Brynn took a deep breath, turned to face him and slowly removed the pins from her hair. As it fell, she shook it slightly back over her shoulders. For one long moment, she stared straight at him. “Coming?” she suggestively asked.

  He didn’t miss the pun and was damn near spewing seed right where he stood. His gaze slid over her perfect body. Perfect? That didn’t begin to describe it. Her brown hair fell in soft waves about her shoulders and her pert, full breasts swayed slightly as she moved. A thatch of brown hair at the juncture of her thighs looked so soft that his fingers itched to stroke the small pelt. He also wanted his hands on all that soft, creamy flesh. To taste, feel and experience every inch of her. But all he could do for that moment was gaze at this creature who’d only so briefly been introduced into his life. Need, desire, heat and burning tension poured into every part of his body. He watched as she slowly walked toward the little pool and gracefully sauntered in like some wild forest goddess.

  “Orion’s balls!” he uttered softly.

  “Join me,” she quietly insis
ted.

  Without conscious thought that he was doing so, he began to undress. She watched every move he made and the glowing green heat within her lovely eyes made him slow down. He wanted her to want him every bit as much as he now desired her. And when his leather pants were gone and he stood before her wearing nothing but the leather pouch he preferred, he had the satisfaction of seeing her fiery gaze dwell on his covered cock. She could hardly miss an organ that was so swollen that it pushed against the binding. This was the most erotic situation he’d ever encountered. He’d bedded plenty of women in his thirty-five years of existence, but none who inflamed his sexual imagination as she was doing right now with that searing, steadfast green gaze.

  He moved slowly toward the warm little pool. Ambient light shimmered off his muscle. Every sinew seemed to leap out in perfectly-honed relief. From his head to his toes the man was the epitome of pure power. His abdomen was tightly packed and begged to be stroked, licked and sat upon. She could imagine her clit rubbing against that flesh and her pussy seemed to open and ready itself for that encounter. In that instant Brynn knew this wasn’t a game. She knew she should grab her cape, wrap it around her and tell him to stop. He was her tutor, she was his pupil. Such an interlude would only get in their way, but she couldn’t open her mouth. She wanted that Herculean body. She wanted to see if the muscles displayed across those wide shoulders and pecs were as hard as they looked. At the water’s edge, he looked down at her and she stared back, still unable to speak.

  “Take it off me,” he softly commanded.

  Brynn dropped her gaze to his leather-covered erection. Without balking, she never left the water but stepped onto a boulder at the water’s edge. This enabled her to reach his pouched erection without leaving the warmth of the pool. But she hesitated inches away from his body.

  “Don’t stop, Brynn. If you want me, touch me.”

  She looked up into his eyes. “You were only trying to see how I’d respond to an irrational situation. I was getting even with you for suggesting this,” she softly whispered.