Disclaimer: Tragically I didn't come up with the original idea for this and thus it is in no way mine.
They'd been in Finaqua for nearly a week now and Deeg was finally putting some weight back on. While she wasn't eating as much as he'd like she was eating on a regular basis. He had also gotten her to keep drawing. Initially she had balked but he had bargained with her. Keeping what Tutor had told him in mind he had suggested she try to draw something different. Hopefully she wouldn't need to focus on her former subjects as long as the older mage had said. After some serious stalling she had finally agreed when he told her he'd stay with her in case anything happened and if it didn't work he wouldn't mention it again.
He had picked up his book and looked up every few pages in order to make sure she wasn't struggling with her meditation. Once she had fallen into what she was doing she hadn't reacted to his soft questions. Setting his book down he had stepped quietly next to her and glanced down at the paper. She was in the middle of drawing some sort of machine. He left her alone to finish. Three hours later and she had blinked rapidly as the pencil fell from her hands.
She stared down at the sketchpad and let out a slow breath. Deeg relaxed visibly and handed him the paper. He had stared at it baffled. The kid told him it was a picture of her motorcycle. Deeg had thought he'd want to know what one looked like. He had grunted in interest and studied it more closely. Then he had asked her if she felt better. She had. Now she was drawing every day and he could tell that not having to drain herself was helping. Things had smoothed out between them as well and they had spent most of their time in the woods or exploring the rest of the palace. He had yet to get her in the lake. Deeg had told him it was too cold. He would wear her down eventually.
As the second sun was starting to set behind the mountains her head was resting on his thigh as she studied an old map she had found near the terrace furniture in the library. The kid had developed a fondness for the small sitting area and the spectacular view it gave the moment he had showed it to her the day before. While she traced a river with her fingertip he ran his hand over her forehead brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her eyes. Tilting her head back she smiled up at him.
"How old do you think this is?"
Looking at the map he made a tentative guess. "At least two hundred years." He began to point to a few areas of the paper. "A few of the bigger cities aren't marked and the river that runs out of the mountains doesn't go through this area." He tapped the map. "It got dammed up a long time ago. Crystal Lake filled this valley up. It doesn't exist anymore."
"That's so cool." Sitting up the kid twisted over so she could lean over the armrest of the sofa they were on to pick up another one of the maps she had set on the table next to them. That meant she had to lean over him too and he suddenly found himself with an eyeful of her backside as her stomach brushed across his legs. Sweet Ozma.
As soon as the map she was holding was on the table he swung one arm behind her knees and the other around her waist. Flipping her over he secured her on his lap and kissed her before she could work out what had happened. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she sighed into his mouth. At her reaction he held her close and laid her out on the couch under him.
Over the last week he hadn't done more than hold her against him while he kissed her. He had no intention of rushing her but she had stopped acting skittish with him a few days ago. The girl had even hesitantly sought him out on a few occasions, which made him feel better about going a little farther with her.
Nibbling her neck got a gasp out of her. Chuckling into her skin he positioned himself over her more comfortably. Running his hand over her cheek he caught her lips again as her hands moved from his shoulders down his arms. Humming at the feeling of her palms sliding over him warmth started pooling in his chest. He had thought about her snug against him like this more than once and he found himself far more than content with this situation.
The girl whimpered softly and he rubbed his hand from her neck down her body as she arched up against him. Deepening the kiss one of his hands strayed under her top and he began to rub his thumb over her ribs is teasing circles. Deeg shuddered and he felt her skin begin to twitch below his hands. Intrigued by her immediate response he continued a slow trail up her body for a moment. Then she shuddered harder and he lifted his mouth from hers and stared down at her.
Deeg had begun to tremble badly. "Can we slow down?" He removed his hand immediately at the soft request.
He searched her eyes as he shifted and relaxed beside her. "Of course we can." Curling his arm around her so she was secure he kissed her forehead.
Nodding she let out a relieved breath as her eyes closed. "Thank you."
His forehead crinkled at the amount of comfort that brought her. It made him uneasy. "Look at me."
The girl's eyes came to his. "Deeg…" An inkling of fear wormed its way into his brain. He had been a cop too long. His voice sharpened in agitation and she tried to shrink away when she heard it. That increased his distress over the whole situation. His next question was blunt and to the point. "Did he force you?"
"What? No."
He cupped her face while he searched her eyes. He trusted her but he needed to be sure about this. The thought of someone doing that to a woman had always been revolting to him. The thought of it happening to Deeg was making him physically ill. "No games, Deeg. You're jumpy. Did he?"
"No." Taking a steadying breath she put her hand on his chest. "He never forced me to do anything. But sometimes he tested his boundaries. Not that it got him anything but my annoyance."
An angry growl vibrated through him as his temper spiked. There wasn't much of a distinction as far as he was concerned. "Deeg, I have no intention of testing any of your boundaries." Shyly, the girl nodded again as she watched him. Brushing his fingers along her jaw he wanted to be very clear about this. "If I ever do something you're uncomfortable with all you have to do is say stop."
"Ok." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.
He didn't break eye contact as he continued. "I want you to promise me."
"I promise." Her eyes went from shy to serious as they spoke. "I'm making this hard for you."
He found her lips again briefly. "One thing I'm good at is patience." His hand glided down to her hip. "Take your time, Darlin'. I'm not goin' anywhere." Leaning in slightly he whispered into her ear. "And when I get my hands on you I promise I'll be the one takin' my time." Her eyes fell closed as his breath whispered across her skin and he circled his thumb over her abdomen once. Pleased by the response he placed one last kiss on her cheek before leaning back into the sofa.
"Tease." Her eyes shimmered with lust and he chuckled.
"Can't help myself."
"Uhuh." Her tone was disbelieving but she pressed closer to him and threw her leg over his hip. He figured just his promise to stop whenever she asked was making her bolder. His hand went to her waist before stroking down the leg she had wrapped loosely over him. When he reached the back of her knee she squirmed. His eyebrow quirked up and he brushed his fingers over the area again.
A laugh escaped her and he grinned. "You're ticklish."
"No I'm not!" Her hands were on his shoulders as she began to push away.
With a chuckle he turned so she was on top of him. It would give her control over the situation and he was sure that was what she needed. He could wait to take control at a later time. "Is that so?" He ran his fingertips over her pants again and she squealed.
"Yes!" Grabbing his wrists quickly she pushed his arms over his head and glared down at him. "That wasn't nice."
He eyed her as he smirked. To get his hands down she had to flatten herself over top of him. Crooking his knee up to help her balance he kissed her once. "No, but you sure are."
Deeg suddenly realized the position she had put herself in and grumbled at him accusingly. "You did this on purpose."
His laughter rang over her. "I had nothing to do with this. You're the one that decided to pin me."
"I don't believe you at all. This was devious tin man trickery."
He couldn't wipe the smile off his face as she pouted down at him. "No one's keppin' ya here, Darlin'."
Instead of getting off of him, which was what he was expecting, her hands released his wrists and she weaved her fingers with his. He ran his thumbs over her knuckles and she tucked her head against his shoulder. "You're comfy."
He untangled their fingers and put his arms over her back. "Good to know I'm useful."
"Very." Her lips found the skin above his collar and he bit off a groan. "You're sweet too."
"Sweet?" He grumbled. "All the adjectives in the world and you chose sweet."
She worked her way up to his jaw and he gritted his teeth. If she did much more to him the girl wasn't going to be in any doubt about how nice he found her. Her breath teased his skin. "How about… considerate?"
The kid wasn't stopping. All he could do was try to focus on her words and not the slight movements of her body or the feeling of her soft lips pressing against him. "Deeg."
"No? Brave?" And she had the gall to call him a tease? "Kind?" He groaned as she swiveled her hips slightly. "Maybe just excited?"
"Damn it, Kid." He sat them both up quickly and had her on her feet and off of him within two seconds. He was breathing a bit heavily as he clutched at her hips. Kindly she kept a few inches between them even as she ran her fingers through his hair. Seeing the spark of satisfaction in her eyes told him she knew exactly what she was doing. "Proud of yourself?"
Her smile grew. "Maybe if you'd given me another few minutes I would be." Leaning in she continued on, murmuring seductively in his ear. "And you'd be a lot more relaxed."
That did make him groan. "You're trouble."
"This is news to you?" The kid leaned back.
"Hardly." Deeg continued to smile and stroke his hair as he calmed himself down. Once he had his body under control again he tapped her hip with two of his fingers. "Now that you've proved you can break me you need to meditate for a while. You started to glow when we were eating dinner."
She sighed discontentedly. "Fine, but it makes my nightmares even worse."
"It does?" She hadn't told him that before.
Deeg grimaced. "Yeah."
He frowned and pulled her a little closer. "You said it made things better."
"My magic doesn't fight me anymore and I don't have to concentrate on it all the time when I'm awake." She shrugged. "I haven't blown anything up since we got here. That's a bonus."
"So it's better when you're awake but worse when you sleep?"
"That's about right."
He wasn't sure what to do about that except keep her close so he could wake her up when they started. "You can stay with me tonight."
"You're sure?" He could tell she didn't want to impose on him, or maybe she didn't want to make this any harder on him than she thought she was already making it. What she failed to realize was that it would be beneficial for him as well. He'd get to keep her close at night and he could smoothly move her in with him. He'd admit it was a bit sneaky but he couldn't find it in him to care.
"I'm sure." Sitting up he tugged her with him. "Do you want me to sit with you?"
"That would be nice. You could give me new and exciting ideas to try."
Standing, he pulled her up after him and began to guide her to the spiral staircase. "Ok, lets grab your stuff and relocate to my room."
Before he could react she had swiveled toward him, gone up on her toes, and kissed his cheek sweetly. "Thanks, Tin Man." A silly grin spread over his face. He hadn't felt this utterly giddy since he was twenty-four years old. The girl had him in a happy tizzy only a woman could put a man in.
When they got to her suite she vanished into her bedroom to collect her things and he began to stack up her art supplies. Deeg had them spread out over a corner table so she could get to them more easily. As he gathered up the last of the pencils a splash of color caught his attention. Turning his head he spotted the flower he had given her nearly a week ago in a small vase half hidden by a lamp. Tucking the sketchpads under his arm he moved to it and picked the blossom up carefully. He was studying it absently thinking he needed to go get her a new one, maybe blue to match her eyes, when a spark flew from his fingers. Letting go of plant he let out a shout as a quick pain shot up his arm.
"Wyatt?" Deeg appeared in the doorway separating the two rooms in the suite with a frown on her face and her hands flashing. "What was that?"
Shaking his hand he growled. "I don't know."
"There was magic. It tugged on mine." Her eyes were flashing over the room warily. Deeg edged forward and suddenly her head was tilted to the side as she stared at the ground next to his feet. He followed her line of sight and let out a grunt of surprise.
Going down on his knee he inspected the plant that had shocked him being careful not to touch it again. The flower was as fresh as it had been when he'd tucked it behind her ear. And it was the same shade of blue as her eyes. "Huh."
"Where did that come from?" Deeg bent down and started to pick it up when he caught her wrist. He didn't want her touching it until he figured out what had happened.
"It's the flower I gave you."
"No its not. That one was purple and white."
"Not anymore." He glanced between his hand and the plant. "It changed when I touched it."
There was a long pause. "You used magic?"
"I'm not a mage." Gently Deeg shook out of his hold and captured his other hand in hers. Opening his palm she studied his hand carefully.
"Can you stay still for a second?" When he nodded she shut her eyes and flashed brilliantly. When her eyes opened her light was radiating off her in soft pulses. Her eyes widened and she tugged his hand closer to her face before letting go and unbuttoning his cuffs. She rolled his sleeve up several inches with a look of pure shock on her face.
"Deeg?"
"Oh…" Letting go his sleeve her hands went to his collar. His eyebrow quirked up but he stayed as still as he could for her. She unbuttoned three buttons and moved the fabric away from his chest before sucking in a sharp breath.
Catching her hand again he squeezed it gently. He was starting feel wisps of alarm. "What's the matter?"
"Ummm…I don't…" She was looking at his skin in fascination. "I have no idea."
"That's not making me feel real good."
"The spell I put on you is freaking out."
"What?"
The girl bit her lip and let him go. Picking up the flower she gazed at it as she stood up. He followed her lead as she contemplated it. "What were you thinking when this happened?"
It made it a lot less romantic when he had to tell her what he wanted to get for her. He wanted it to be a surprise. "That I wanted to get you a new flower. That one was wiltin'."
"Ooook. Well, thanks."
"What do you mean 'thanks'?" He waved his hand at the flower. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure but whatever it was siphoned my magic off so you could use it."
"Did I hurt you?" His voice was sharp as he grabbed her arms and spun her slightly so they were face to face.
"No, it tingled." She touched his cheek. "But it hurt you."
"Only stung a bit."
"It doesn't matter. I need to figure out what I did and what triggered that reaction. If you accidentally pull more magic than that from me I don't know what it'll do to you." The kid was more upset than she had been in days. "I didn't know-"
"It's ok." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "This is the first time anything's happened in over a year. I think we have time to work this out."
The kid kissed his cheek as her eyes glinted with determination. "Tomorrow I'll try to fix it." He was sure she would.
"Alright." He rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Grab your stuff, Sweetheart. Maybe you could draw me a picture of a plane."
He had wanted to know what one was since she had mentioned it the first day they were here. "An airplane?"
"Is there a difference between them?"
"No." Her eyes were far away as she thought about what he had asked her to do.
His lip twitched at her expression. Nuzzling her neck he rumbled at her. "Can you do that for me?"
"Yes." Spinning away with a distracted hum she went for her pack and he gathered up the supplies that had tumbled to the ground when the magic had hit him. When they left she was twirling the blue blossom between her fingers and didn't notice him close the door firmly behind them. He didn't expect her to come here again if he had any say in the matter. By the time he handed the kid her art supplies she was sitting happily in one of his chairs with her things next to her. Once she started drawing he picked her pack up and set it on top the bureau in his room. When she was done she could unpack. He'd let himself fret over the spell she accidentally cast later when he wasn't quite as content with the situation he found himself in.
Author Note: Psst….Hey! Yah, you! Look at all the writing I did. (Points up) You should show me how much you can write. Let's see who wins!