Iannis protested, but I had already taken a few steps forward, leaving the bubble. Cool air wafted against my skin, and I took in a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh of relief when nothing bad happened. The air seemed to be just fine here, and with a tang of grass and moisture, it was ten times better than that hot desert air we’d been breathing before.
I signaled to Iannis to drop the air bubble, then raked a hand through my hair, trying to ground myself. I felt woozy from using all that magic, and I pulled another piece of beef jerky from my sleeve and munched on it as I looked around.
“I guess we can hunt those things, whatever they are,” I said, pointing at the herd off in the distance.
“I’d rather find something smaller,” Iannis said as he came to stand by my side. “There are probably rabbits and deer, or something like them anyway.”
I bit my lip, fighting back the surge of disappointment that threatened to overwhelm me. “I guess we need to replenish our energy before we try the spell again,” I said forlornly.
Iannis put an arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “Don’t despair,” he murmured against my scalp. “We’ll figure this out. And just look how far you’ve come as a mage. Did you ever think you would end up traveling to different worlds?”
“No,” I admitted, leaning into his embrace. “If we ever get out of this, we’ll have some great stories to tell our children.”
Iannis hugged me a little tighter at that. “Yes, we will. And our grandchildren too, though I doubt they’ll believe us when they get older. Now let’s find something to eat, and some shelter.”
I shifted quickly into panther form, then took off through the grass at a trot, intent on exploring while Iannis set off to find a place to camp. At this level, it was easy to pick up the various scent trails, and in no time, I caught a scent very similar to rabbit, though there was an appetizing clover-like odor mixed in it. My mood picked up as I followed it for a good half mile, then soured as I found its burrow. I didn’t need to dig into it to scent the litter huddled beneath it, or the tiny animals’ fear. No matter how hungry I was, I wasn’t going to kill a mother and leave her babies to starve.
The next scent trail I picked up was more promising—a small group of deer, just two miles south of the weird bison herd I’d seen earlier. The bison themselves were tempting, but I didn’t think I could take them down without the help of magic, and the deer were much easier. I killed a young, yellow-furred male with very little effort, then used a levitation spell to bring it back to Iannis.
Thankfully, our serapha charms were working once again, and I was able to find Iannis quickly. He’d made camp at the top of a hill, not too far from the forest, and already had a good fire going.
“That was fast,” Iannis said as I changed back into human form. “You were gone for little over an hour.”
“I was motivated,” I said with a smile as I set to helping him skin and gut the animal for dinner. “After being separated against our will, I have no intention of letting you out of my sight any longer than necessary.”
“The feeling is entirely mutual,” he said with a tender smile that made my stomach flip-flop.
We roasted the deer over the fire, then used the pile of large branches and leaves Iannis had gathered to build a shelter for the evening. The meat was juicier than I expected—the deer in this world were fattier than the ones on Recca. Soon enough, we were lying back on our sleeping bags in the tent, listening to the fire crackle as we snuggled.
“If we try not to think about it too much, we can almost pretend that we’re on our honeymoon,” Iannis said, and I laughed.
“I’d envisioned white beaches rather than camping in the woods, but this will do in a pinch,” I said, skimming my hand through his long hair. It felt so good to have him back, and as he stroked a hand gently down my side, my skin began to heat. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t celebrate,” I purred, moving closer.
Iannis slipped his arm around me, and our mouths met in a deep, passionate kiss. We took it slow, with soft, loving kisses, and I let myself melt into him, forgetting about the worries of the world. His strong muscles flexed beneath my hands as I rubbed slow circles around his back, and then he rolled me over, trailing more kisses along the edge of my jaw, then down my neck.
“It feels like an age since I’ve last made love to you,” he murmured against my collarbone. I felt a tingle of magic, and then suddenly our clothes were gone and we were skin to skin. I arched my hips into his hard length, and he pressed me back down with a growl, biting down. I moaned as his hand slid between my legs, where I was already wet and aching, and I opened readily for him.
“Yes,” I moaned as his thumb found my sweet spot. He slid two fingers inside me as he stroked my clit, and I came almost immediately, arching off the ground again as pleasure speared through me. I scored my nails down his back as he kept going, using those talented fingers to drive me wild as he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. I was on fire, a deep hunger clawing me from the inside, and I wanted to wrap myself up in him until I didn’t know where he began and I ended.
“Please,” I panted after he’d sent me over the edge again. I reached for his cock, and he hissed as I gently began to stroke him. “I want you inside me.”
“More,” he said, wrapping his hand around mine and urging me faster. I kissed him hard as he did, loving the feel of him in my hand as I tasted him. He groaned into my mouth, and I took advantage of the distraction, rising up to flip him onto his back.
“Gotcha,” I said with a grin as I slowly lowered myself onto him. We both moaned as he filled me completely, stretching me until I was both satisfied and aching for more. Bracing my hands on his rock-solid chest, I began to rock up and down, gently at first, then faster as the pleasure began to build inside me. Iannis’s eyes blazed, his violet irises taking on a warm glow from the flickering fire, and he gripped my hips, pushing me faster as he thrust.
I leaned down for a kiss, and he grabbed my ass and ground my hips against his hardness, triggering another climax. I groaned into his mouth as I shook with pleasure, holding on for dear life as he continued to pound into me. Warmth filled me as he came inside me with a rush, and his body stiffened beneath mine in joyful release.
Sighing, I collapsed against him, and we lay there in silence, panting as we worked to catch our breath. His heart hammered against my ear as I traced patterns through the light dusting of hair on his chest, and as his heartbeat evened out, it became a comforting sound lulling me to sleep.
“I love you,” Iannis said softly as he stroked my hair. I mumbled that I loved him too, then fell asleep to the sound of the fire crackling and his slow, steady breathing. There would be time enough to worry about our circumstances tomorrow—for now, just being here with him was enough.
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