Free Unquiet Slumber by Paulette Miller

the “aa” sound more.” He pronounced each part separately. “Dr... aa... ken. Clear your throat a little with the ‘aa’ sound.”
     
    Tianna tried again. “Draaken.”
     
    Gabriel nodded and continued his explanation. He pointed out three rings, one for each one of his deceased wives, each having a drop of blood hanging from it like a teardrop. While she touched these marks, he also identified the multitude of pearls representing all of his children.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
    Unlike Marcus, Gabriel had on his neck a downward pointing sword with wings curved behind it like a cape. He explained that the sword indicated that he was a member of the Royal Guard, and, as leader of the guard, the sword had embedded jewels in the blade.
     

     
    Tianna marveled at the history that Gabriel’s body provided. She wanted to learn more, but it would’ve taken all day to go over them all.
     
    As she continued to caress his chest, she asked, “Are you still a Draaken?”
     
    “No, I’m considered an elder now. We only remain Draaken for a time and then someone younger takes over. Former leaders become elders of the village and serve as teachers and mentors for the young, like Seth. I’m in charge of his training while on this quest.”
     
    Tianna glanced over at Seth, who grimaced. “He’s a tough teacher. You learn quickly to pay attention in his lessons.” As he spoke, he rubbed his right arm as if remembering a recent injury. “I have a mark too. Do you want to touch it?” Seth said with obvious anticipation.
     
    Realizing that she had been touching the naked chests of two men, her cheeks flushed, but she really didn’t care. She was so fascinated that she had to see Seth’s as well. She nodded and walked toward where he was standing. He met her halfway, taking off his shirt as he walked.
     
    His chest was lean and strong, but with much less muscle definition than Marcus or Gabriel, and he held no other obvious scars other than the main mark itself. His dragon was similar to the others except like Seth, the body was more slender and fit. The eyes of his dragon were bright green and were so intense, they looked to be staring directly at her.
     
    The edges of Seth’s mark were slightly red and rough, making it look much newer. As she moved her finger around the outline she asked, “This one looks fairly new. When did you get it?”
     
    Standing up very straight and with a look so proud that his eyes gleamed, he answered. “I got it not long before we left on this quest. I want more, and I hope that our journey will earn me another.”
     

     
    Not to be left out, Nathaniel moved quietly until he stood directly behind Tianna. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “My turn. You saved the best for last.”
     
    Feeling his hot breath in her ear made her toes curl, and she turned toward him. When he knew that he had her undivided attention, he slowly took off his shirt with overly dramatic moves. Once his shirt was off, Tianna couldn’t help but gasp. Although all of the men were attractive to her, Nathaniel was like a god. His chest was muscular but smoother and less pronounced, more like a well-toned athlete.
     
    He was thrilled that he finally got an obvious reaction out of her. His eyes twinkled as he went down on one knee so she could more easily examine his chest.
     
    She adjusted the front of her shirt so that it wouldn’t gape open when she bent over. When she finally did touch his mark, the heated tingling didn’t stop at her arms but spread throughout her body. She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts, which had ventured into dangerous territory.
     
    His inner dragon was stirring at her touch, causing him to also have to concentrate hard to regain control. He then began to tell her about his dragon, which had blazing blue eyes the same color as Tianna’s. His dragon was muscular but had softer looking features, including finger-like talons and a thin, whip-like