Cannon

9

Ryver climbed into the tent, curling herself into a ball. Cannon came in after, zipping the tent shut. He lay down behind her to the point where they were nearly spooning. Ryver felt the urge to rub against his pelvis, but she managed to avoid it. That would have been something she would do to entice a lover in entirely different circumstances.

She could smell him from being in the tent so close. He was sweating, but it wasn’t a tangy sweat, but a strong, masculine one. The thoughts of him making love to her right then and there eased her headache a little. What in the hell? Why was she so thirsty for this guy?

An idea sprung. It had to be the fact she’d come so close to death that she was suddenly wanting a human connection, right? She hoped that was it, because she couldn’t catch feeling for a mercenary who was going to drop her off at the safe zone and keep it moving. Her heart hurt at the thought. She needed to stop getting attached to this guy.

“Sorry about this.” Cannon had placed his arm over her head so he had more room. He was obscenely tall, so tall that she was surprised his feet weren’t sticking out of the tent. She smiled at the thought.

“It’s fine. I just hope you’re comfortable too. And, Cannon…”

They fell silent. Ryver could feel his stomach moving against her back.

“Yes?” he asked softly.

His voice almost made her quiver. “Thank you for tonight. I know the government sent you, and I know how difficult they can be to deal with, so thank you. I’m going to try to sleep now.”

“Just doing my duty,” he said quietly.

Ryver closed her eyes, leaning deeply into the warmth of Cannon’s body. Just doing his job. If only his job consisted of more than just saving her.

CANNON

Cannon noticed that Ryver had fallen asleep almost instantly if her light snores indicated anything. He smiled and decided to close his own eyes. He didn’t think he would get any sleep because he had to stay on guard. He felt this need to hate her simply because she was a human. But the protective instinct and need to be near her was making him question himself. There was something different about her that he couldn’t put his finger on.

Gus had informed him that Ryver had been in the country to take care of the children suffering from the disease that was running rampant. That was different from what many humans did...to try to make the world a better place. Perhaps she disagreed with old society ways. He thought this even before Ryver had thanked him for saving her.

Knowing she wasn’t the typical human was adding to the emotional struggle he was experiencing about Ryver. He saw how strong she was trying to be and how grateful she was for him being there. He also sensed she wanted to be close to him. It was all making it impossible for him to hate her. He knew he couldn’t. Something deep and strong woke inside him and let him know he had to care for her and protect her. That she was important to him.

He wished he could have shifted – things would have been a lot easier for him if he was able to simply fly out and over the trees with her. But no, he was to be kept on a leash.

It would be best to stay here for some time and keep an eye on her. He wasn’t going to take a single chance of putting her life in danger. Relaxing, he took a deep breath and froze. Under the heavy smell of forest and odor wrapped around her, he picked out a familiar scent. It didn’t even take a second for him to realize who it was very similar to – the one female he despised more than any other human…

General Nydia Anderson.

Fuck! His head spun with this information. How... what... did the general know who he was sent to rescue? She’d have to know.

What the hell was he going to do about this? What could he do? Immediately his brain said he should not like this female beside him, but his heart and dragon balked telling his brain to get over itself and shut the hell up. Ryver wasn’t the general and he had to stop trying to hate her because of that woman. Maybe the general didn’t know what was going on. He almost laughed at that. No, that was impossible. Of course, she’d know. He smelled the familial connected. Ryver was her daughter. She had to know. Why didn’t she say anything? He was curious since Ryver didn’t mention her either.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes for what felt like a little bit, then realized several hours had passed. When he was fully awake he smelled some rabbits nearby and decided to hunt them some food. Sure, he could give her protein bars, but he’d rather give her some real protein if possible.

It took no more than a few minutes to catch and kill the rabbits. He returned to the tent, skinned and quickly made a small fire to cook the meat. He then decided it would be best if she were awake too. It would also be best for them to head out soon, just in case some of the militia that kidnapped her had made their way in their direction.

Cannon shook her lightly by the shoulder. She startled awake, sitting up and throwing an elbow into his chest. He couldn’t help but laugh and feel impressed. This female could protect herself if need be.