Note: I do not own Blizzard nor do I make any profit from this story.
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The hand was strong against her lips and she struggled against him as he pressed her into the ground. Suddenly, her ears perked as she heard hoof beats. Instantly, she stilled. Darreek put a silencing finger to his lips as he pointed toward the road. Her eyes followed his finger and widened in fear as she saw the small unit of Alliance warriors in full battle gear. She looked back at Darreek, who'd taken his hand off her mouth. He watched the warriors silently as their war horses clomped through Thalassian Pass, his eyes narrowing.
"They won't see us, will they?" she barely breathed into his ear. The shake of his head was almost unnoticeable. It seemed like hours before the heavy hoof beats receded into the darkness beyond the small clearing in which they camped. When she couldn't hear them anymore, she finally thought it safe to venture speech. "Do you think they're gone?" she breathed into his ear, making it twitch as her hot breath splashed over it.
He looked directly into her eyes and nodded, but he didn't move. She watched his eyes wonder down her face and rest on her mouth. Instinctively, her tongue flitted out to moisten her lips and she swallowed. Even in the darkness, he could see the color deepening in her cheeks. The hand that had covered her mouth as she woke now came up to caress and cup her cheek. His face softened and he finally spoke. "Ask it of me, and I'll stop." He searched her face for any sign of hesitation. Slowly, he lowered his face to hers. Gently, his lips grazed hers in a soft kiss. She trembled as their mouths met, surprised at how tender he was. This was a completely different man than the lustful young boy who'd attacked her earlier.
He lifted his head and looked at her. The elf blushed more intensely under his gaze. The knuckles of his right hand tenderly traced over her cheek bones. His voice was thick and low when he spoke. "You really are beautiful when you blush."
The mage just stared at him, not really knowing what to do. "You've said that twice already, today," she whispered.
He smiled and chuckled thickly. "Have I? I hadn't realized you were keeping track," he said against her mouth. He kissed her a little longer this time, cupping the back of her head with his hand, pulling her closer. The female grew bolder and kissed him back, moving her lips ever so slightly against his. The warrior almost moaned when he felt her respond. The kiss deepened and his tongue flicked against her lower lip. She gasped nervously when she felt the new sensation on her mouth. He heard her gasp and felt her lips part. Carefully, he dipped his tongue into her mouth, testing. Her eyes flew open. She really didn't think she wanted this. The mage wriggled against him, whimpering, unable to form any words of protest.
Leaving her mouth, the warrior trailed soft kisses along her jaw murmuring, "Keep that up, elf, and I might not be able to control myself."
Jinny froze. Finally finding her voice, though it rasped out in a breathless whisper. "Please . . ." She hissed sharply when he ran his tongue over the lobe of her ear.
"Hmm?" He put his hand on her waist and lazily stroked her side, smiling when he enticed another startled gasp from her.
"Please," she said softly, taking a sharp breath when he gently nipped her neck. "Please,I . . . I don't know if I can do this."
He sighed and kissed her gently once more then rolled off of her. "I'm sorry. I' shouldn't have done that. Sleep now, mage. We leave at dawn."
Sleep never came to her and she sighed as the first fingers of dawn tried to break through the darkness. The disappointed tone he'd used with her still clung to her mind, though she couldn't understand why it had troubled her so. Reluctantly, she stirred, sitting up and smoothing the hair out of her face. She must look a mess.
"Mornin'!"
Jinny jumped when he spoke and he laughed. She was really getting sick of him scaring her like that.
"Someone ought to tie a bell around your neck," she scolded when she'd caught her breath.
"Awe, but that would take all the fun out of it," he replied with his usual playful tone. He chuckled again when she rolled her eyes at him and held up fresh meat. "As soon as I get a fire going, these'll cook up in no time."
The mage raised an eyebrow. "So you cook?"
He nodded. "I do. Very well, thank you very much."
"Oh, well, by all means!" she chided, gesturing to where the fire had been last night and noting that the wood had been stacked neatly and was awaiting only a flame. The tips of her fingers were already warm and glowing red as she formed a ball of fire when he turned to the neatly stacked wood. It was her turn to make him jump as the fire ball sped past him and burst into hundreds of sparks as it ignited a roaring blaze.
She clamped a hand over her mouth trying to stifle her mirth as he spun around, bracing for an attack. He stood glaring at her. "The hell was that?" he sputtered when it finally came to him that she'd thrown the fire ball.
She couldn't help her hearty laugh from escaping her lips. "If you could've seen the look on your face!" she giggled breathlessly.
His expression changed to a smug look and he strode over to where she sat, smiling slyly. Suddenly she felt shy again and she looked at her hands. "Really, now?" he asked right next to her ear. Her head snapped up only to find his eyes. She blushed slightly but held his gaze. She was slowly getting used to him being so near to her. Laughter burst from her anew as she thought about the startled look she'd caused.
"Your face was so funny!" She laughed, closing her eyes and throwing her head back, bracing her arms behind her.
"That funny, huh?" he asked, encroaching even more into her personal space. He was on his knees next to her and now was moving a bracing harm to the other side of her, effectively trapping her beneath his torso.
She opened her eyes, still filled with laughter and bit her lip as she smiled and nodded. "It was very funn . . ." She trailed off when she noticed how close he was leaning in to her. Blushing again, she ventured, "What are you doing?"
Abruptly, his stomach became very cold. He looked down and saw the frostbolt in her hand. The man focused on her eyes and noted that they were glowing more of a turquoise tint than the regular fel-green.
She was still blushing, but she said, "Back up."
He obliged, holding his hands up in supplication. "Alright, alright. Hold your fire . . . er . . . ice." Damn, this was one feisty little elf! Darreek took a chance on the little mage and turned his back, returning to the fire.
Jinny glanced at the warrior as they ate. "This is good. Thank you." He simply shrugged and kept eating. "Look." He did. "I don't mind joking around, but when someone invades my personal bubble without invitation . . . . That's when I get mad."
"Yeah," he said, rubbing his stomach where she'd held the frostbolt. "I've noticed."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, quit acting like an infant! I didn't hurt you!"
The warrior huffed and Jinny decided it best to just stay quiet. She had a tendency to say the wrong thing at the worst possible time and she didn't want to risk making the warrior leave. What would the magisters say if he'd returned sooner than expected and without her?
"Alright, mage." His voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked at him. He was dousing the fire. "Let's get going. We've got a long day ahead of us. Eastern Plaguelands is dangerous. We'll need to be on our guard." Jinny muttered something under her breath about being aware of this and the warrior looked at her. "I'm serious. There're Scourge in those lands. They're relentless."
She nodded. "Yes, I know," she said as politely as she could muster. Did he really think she wasn't aware of this? How could she not? She'd seen the countless 'adventurers' brought back to Silvermoon, slumped over their mounts being led to the apothecary while she was there, selling her herbs.
The mage made quick work of her bedroll and went to fetch their mounts.
No sooner had they passed through the arch, but they heard the unmistakable guttural murmurings and gurglings of the scourge that dominated Eastern Plaguelands. The warrior reigned in his bear to stop and she followed suite. Dismounting, he walked around the large brown bear and whispered something into the bear's ear. A look of understanding crossed the bears face and the warrior turned to Jinny. Keeping his voice low, he said, "We walk for a while now, mage." She nodded and gracefully dropped to the ground beside her hawkstrider.
The girl looked at Myndee. "Stay with the bear, sweety. He won't hurt you," she said, stroking the bird's neck.
Darreek chuckled. "No, the bear won't hurt your chicken. And his name is Argonos."
"She's not a chicken, and he'd better not."
The path through the Plaguelands rolled out before them, twisting and turning, coiling itself around towers and small remnants of a once humble past. Now, the land seemed heavy with death and disease, heaving with illness. Dejected trees jutted out of the ground, dregs of buildings crumbled. Only one word came to mind when she looked over the terrain: Death, "Talah". Once again, Thalassian had a way of meaning more than just a single definition.
At the bottom of the mountain path they turned southeast, sticking to the trees, dodging the armored skeletons that had no natural business standing up on two feet, let alone walking around. On occasion, they would be spotted by a lone guard, whom they'd make quick work of. She, gathering the cloth to make bandages; he, the 'body', if you could call it that, and hiding it out of view. They moved like this for hours, rather easily falling into a steady rhythm, a delicate dance of careful casting and quiet blows. Neither of them realized how quickly and effortlessly they learned each others body language, fighting styles, and moves. Each of them trusting in the competency and skill of the other, only stopping for short periods of time to catch their breath and rehydrate.
At length he suggested stopping for lunch. They shared a meager meal of conjured food and water. Eating in silence, he studied her once again. She was mainly focused on her food and the ground in front of her feet, chancing only sideways glances. One such glance caught him looking at her intensely.
She blushed and pushed a stray hair behind her ear. "What?" she laughed nervously.
The man shook his head. "I"m just thinking."
"About what?" She raised an eyebrow.
He shrugged. "You," he said in a matter-of-fact way.
She blushed a deeper crimson, studying the ground at her feet and chewing her lip. They had been keeping their voices low so as not to attract attention, but she responded barely above a whisper. "What about me?" she asked.
Realizing that he may be making her nervous, he looked away, surveying the landscape and shrugged. "You're . . . different. Petite, but not fragile. Confident in your skill, yet painfully shy around men . . . just . . . different."
Jinny was blushing so hard now that even her scalp was tingling. Tiny pin-pricks fired all over her head. She swallowed, but her throat didn't seem to want to work properly. "Is that a bad thing?" she asked, not sure why it mattered to her.
The soft rumble of a chuckle gently washed over her as he raked a gloved hand through his sweat-soaked hair, slowly shaking his head. "No," he sighed. "No, it's not." Darreek paused, his frustration evident. "I just can't seem to figure you out." He chanced a sideways glance at her. Her cheeks and neck splashed with crimson. He started speaking before he realized it. "You know, you're . . ."
She waved a hand to cut him off. "I know, I know," she laughed. "I'm beautiful when I blu . . ."
Her voice was cut off as he suddenly gathered her into his arms and kissed her. His lips crushing hers as he plunged a gloved hand into her hair. Forcing himself to pull away, the warrior examined her face. It was still flushed, but her eyelids seemed heavy.
As she stood there in his arms, she looked up at him through her lashes and her eyes darted to his lips. Carefully, he lowered his head to brush his lips against hers, only stopping when he heard the low rumble of a growl behind him.