Ruler of the Mind

17 Winter

Misty wanted him. Being so close to her during the staves match had made him crazy. He found himself just breathing often while trying to retain control of himself. Being near her was a serious exercise in mind control.

She talked to people he'd seen in her head and people he didn't know. He got jealous, protective, possessive, excited, and hard all at the same time. It was worse than being on a rollercoaster.

After they said goodbye to a few people, Winter walked with her back to her rooms at the university. He memorized the security code as she cleared them into her private quarters. He never wanted to be kept away from her again.

When he saw her rooms, he was momentarily stunned at the quiet opulence. The place was akin to a palace with the highest-end moldings and fixtures. The stone wood-burning fireplace with flanking windows and the perfectly appointed sitting room with floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall bookcases on the opposite wall reflected her tastes. He saw the king-sized bed in the adjoining windowless bedroom beyond the pocket doors. The bedding was snow white and covered in lace just exactly as he'd seen it in her mind.

He knew the closet and restroom were through the doorways and they connected. An exit to an enclosed private balcony ended the tour of what could only be described as a magnificent five-star luxury hotel suite.

Misty lived like a queen at Draoithe. Servants catered to her whims, cleaned the space, and handled her laundry. After what she'd suffered, Winter was suddenly thankful that she had such a beautiful place to relax.

Blaze hadn't been as forthcoming in explaining just how amazing the Draoithe kingdom seemed to be. Dragons and money weren't in short supply.

"Winter, will you stay with me? I... I don't want anything. I... I just don't know how to let you go away?" Misty was suddenly unsure. Her words were whispered as a near question as she struggled to understand her emotions with the magic between them affecting her in ways she hadn't had time to become accustomed to.

She was made to be his, but she was human. Everything he knew, she had to learn. She needed patience and time more than she needed anything else from him.

He let his mind merge with hers as he had before. She froze, then she smiled. It felt good to her just as it did to him. She was the balance of his magic. She was everything. He wrapped her in his arms.

"It's okay. I felt the same way. The servants brought my luggage here. I need you. If you ask me to leave, I'll just stay with you in your mind. You draw me like a magnet. I must come to you."

He whispered the truth. She needed to know that he was serious. None of it was a game to him. He didn't want her to be confused or hurt. He needed to simply be with her.

"Thank God. Please, will you just hold me while we sleep? I'm tired. It's been a long day."

Winter breathed daffodils from her hair. She even smelled like hesitant sunshine flowers after the snow in spring. She was unbelievably sexy. She could have whatever she wanted from him so long as she didn't ask him to leave her.

"I'll do what you ask me to." He acquiesced instantly to her desire.

It was more than he could have hoped for. She nodded, pulled away from him, and slipped into the bathroom. He let her go in favor of studying the space she called home. He needed to learn everything he didn't know yet. She called him in a few moments later and offered him the use of the second sink. Servants had already placed all his toiletries and unpacked his luggage. He was sure his clothes were laundered, pressed, and hanging neatly in the closet. He had missed things like that over the last few hundred years.

She was dressed for bed in a silk nightgown that slipped over her curves making it hard for him to breathe. He tried not to look at her, but images of what they could be doing in the shower or the tub flitted through his mind keeping him semi-erect as he combed his hair.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face, stripped his clothes down to his boxers, and left it all in the clothes hamper. He followed her to bed. She was shy and waited for him to settle next to her. He wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep. Half of him wanted to watch her sleep, but that might make her uncomfortable.

She went to put the blindfold on as had been her long-standing routine. She didn't need it anymore. He asked her to leave it off.

"I'll keep your mind with me. You don't need the blindfold or the earplugs anymore. You're safe. I won't let the nightmare return, and your mind won't wander off. I promise." He smiled at her, and she smiled shyly back.

She was nervous. Still, she had that same quiet determination that had spoken to him that first time in the dream. She was his Mouse, only she had no idea just how powerful her gift truly was. He hoped she didn't find out too soon.

For the first time since he became a dragon, Winter slept with his mind wrapped around a woman at the same time his body was wrapped around hers. Once her breathing evened out and he was sure she was comfortable, he slept better than he ever had.

When her dreams became erotic, he joined her. It was better than any experience he'd ever known. The inhibitions and shyness in her waking life were curiously absent in her sleep. They played with one another and petted each other in the dream. When she was ready, he would turn her into his Valkyrie.

Five centuries had passed, but he found her. Giving up the one woman who could claim both his mind and his heart wasn't ever happening. It didn't matter how long it took. He could wait. For Mouse, he could do anything.

Thank you for reading Ch 17. Please be kind and leave a comment. OK