Gift of the Gods (Magic Blessed Academy 1)

I shoved the last bite of my rations into my mouth and brushed the remnants of my dinner from my palms before letting him pull me to my feet. When I looked up at his face, I swore I could still see heat lingering in his gaze.

Ignoring it, I looked around for a place to sleep as Lachlan stepped away from me.

“I guess I should put out the fire before we go to sleep. I don’t know if the glow can be seen from outside, but it doesn’t seem worth it to risk it.”

He had already laid down on a flat surface of stone. “Good idea.”

I put up my hands and concentrated, pulling the energy from the fire back into my palms. It was a bit warm as it surged through my arms, but the heat felt nice. It was cold in the cave—colder than I had thought. I shivered, looking around for a good spot to crash.

Lachlan tapped the floor next to him. “Here. Sleep close, at least for a little while. There are no fuckin’ blankets in that pack, and I can tell you’re freezin’. It’s only goin’ to get colder in here too.”

With a sneer, I continue to pretend to look around the cave, not wanting him to know that the idea actually held some appeal. But he’d taken the best spot, and he was right. Now that the fire was out, goose bumps were rising along my arms.

Eventually, I gave in and lay down next to him, turning away and curling into a ball.

I didn’t know if it was his body heat or the heat that flared between us, but my skin was suddenly burning hot.

Chapter Twelve

Faced with the prospect of sleeping on a rock-solid surface in some strange world, with no idea what I’d be up against in the morning, next to a guy I half hated and half desperately wanted, I assumed sleep wouldn’t come.

But strangely enough, after curling up next to Lachlan and feeling the warmth he was radiating seep into my body, I passed out pretty fast.

Waking u

p the next morning felt like one of those wake-ups after a night of too many shots and far too many bad decisions.

I couldn’t seem to will my eyes open or straighten out my brain at first. I could feel a heavy arm draped over me, but in my groggy state, I really didn’t connect the dots about what it was… or who it was connected to.

Still half asleep, I stretched, letting out a little groan at the soreness in by body. The larger body behind mine was pressed close to me, and as I moved, something hard and hot pressed against the soft flesh of my ass.

I’m not really sure what I was thinking at the time—probably still halfway in a dream that I was sleeping in my bed with whatever random guy I’d picked up from the fight the night before.

Momentarily transported out of the cave and back into my life in Boston, I did what any self-respecting woman would do when she woke up with a half-hard cock nudging her ass. I started to grind back against it, shifting my body closer to the warm wall of solid muscle behind me.

The large arm draped around me tightened quickly across my chest, and hot, heavy breath gusted against my neck.

Lachlan’s deep Irish accent purred in my ear. “If ye don’t stop doin’ that, you might get more than ye bargained for, sweetheart.”

It took my sleepy brain a half-second to process what he’d said.

Then I snorted in a deep breath, and my eyes shot wide open. I looked down at his hand draped across me and threw it off, scrambling to my feet. He laughed at me as I yanked down the fabric of my shirt, which had ridden up on my stomach as I slept.

My skin still tingled from the feel of his large palm on my stomach and his breath on my neck, but I steadfastly ignored it—and him.

Stumbling over to the pack, I began to pull out some of the food. We needed to eat before we left, and as irritated as I was, we’d agreed not to end our truce until we stepped out of the cave. I wasn’t going to go back on my word.

Not necessarily because I had honor, but because I didn’t want to waste energy fighting him for the pack again. It was guaranteed to be a long, deadly day, and I needed to save my strength.

Turning around, I tossed him a packet of rations, and he caught it against his chest. He sat up and began to eat, looking around the cave. There was a crack near the top that allowed sunlight to penetrate, filling the small space with gray light. I hadn’t even realized that the orb I’d sent up to float near the ceiling had dissipated at some point during the night.

Lachlan stretched his arms out wide and groaned. “Nothing like sleeping on a hard fuckin’ surface to make your back straight.”

My lips twitched into a not-quite-smile as I shoved another bite of food into my mouth, wishing I’d been able to find a way to transport water from the stream with me yesterday. I’d have to find another water source soon.

“Nothing like getting ready to venture out into some strange world to keep your reflexes sharp. I half expect to walk out of this cave and be in a completely different place. It’s so wild, the gods live in a completely different space than us.”

Lachlan cocked an eyebrow. “Ye didn’t pick up on that from the way everyone calls it the ‘godly realm’?”