Page 27 of Taste of Thorns (The Firestone Academy #3)

Chapter Twenty-Four

B riony

“Can you get him off me, please?” Clare asks as I attempt to drag an overexcited Blaze away from her.

“I’m trying. He’s a lot stronger and a lot bigger than he was,” I say, as Blaze slurps his tongue up and down Clare’s cheek and she squeals.

“And he really seems to like you!” Fly chuckles.

“Ewww, this is so gross!”

“Blaze, seriously! Give her some space!”

“Stop it!” Clare says more sternly. “Stop it right now.”

The dragon springs away, drops down onto his backside and looks suitably chastised. He whines.

Clare wags her finger at him. “That wasn’t polite.”

“Also, she has a boyfriend,” Fly says.

“Yeah,” Clare says sounding deflated.

“Oh dear.” Fly crosses his arms over his chest as I lean my weight against Blaze and tickle his sternum. “Trouble in paradise?”

“I don’t know,” Clare mutters. “Damian is lovely. Really lovely. But this dragon seems to show more enthusiasm in me than Damian does sometimes.”

“You want Damian to slurp all over you, do you, Clare Bear?”

“He hasn’t done any slurping at all,” she says, adjusting her glasses.

“Hmmm,” Fly says, adopting an unimpressed expression. “If we’re talking about cunnilingus, then that is not good. Not good at all. The man needs to buck up his ideas.”

“Have you asked him to go down on you?” I ask my friend.

She chews on her lip. “Well, no, but he hasn’t shown any enthusiasm.”

“Trust me, most men need a little help, a little instruction,” Fly says. “He probably doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. Especially as your womanly parts,” he waves directly towards Clare’s groin area, “are so damn confusing!”

“They are not!” I snort.

“Really? I bet you nine out of ten men couldn’t tell you where the clitoris ends and the elbow starts.”

I roll my eyes. “That probably says more about the sex education in the realm than anything else. Anyway,” I say to Clare, “talk to him about it.”

“How?” she exclaims, making Blaze puff out smoke from his nostrils.

“Open your mouth, waggle your tongue,” Fly says.

“I don’t know what I’d say.”

“How about – please put your mouth on my pussy and get to work?” Fly offers up.

“That’s so direct.” Clare cringes.

“Yeah, and sometimes it’s best to be direct. No cause for confusion or misunderstanding.”

“And what if he says no?”

“Then you should really consider if you still want to be with this dude.”

“He’s lovely.”

“Then I’m sure he will oblige.” Fly eyes the dragon. “And if he doesn’t, I have a feeling this dragon here will definitely be up for it. He certainly has the hots for you.”

“Fly, that is gross,” Clare says.

“Is it? Briony’s done it with a wolf.”

“I have not,” I say.

“Really? Dray Eros is crazy and crazy for you. Plus, I heard on the grapevine that it’s one of his things.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He’s been looking for a girl willing to go at it with him in wolf form. And, apparently, although most girls would do about anything to get with Dray Eros, they won’t do that.”

“Because it’s gross,” Clare says.

“He’s not a real wolf,” Fly points out. “He’s a shifter. It’s different.”

They both turn to look at me.

“Just talk to Damian, Clare,” I say, expertly changing the subject. “You’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Like you’re talking to Beaufort Lincoln and Thorne Cadieux, huh?” Fly points out.

“I am talking to them.”

“I haven’t seen you talking to them recently, though.”

“I was mad at Beaufort–”

“–Well, that’s new,” Fly says sarcastically.

“–and it was best for his safety that I didn’t talk to him. But we’ve made up now.”

“Good, I think that’s wise given everything that’s going on,” Clare says, studying the dragon from a distance – a dragon that is trying his best to wriggle free from my arms and charge at her again.

I narrow my eyes at my skeptical friend.

“So you admit that something ropey is going on?”

“I never said that there wasn’t. Just that I’m not sure Madame is behind it.”

“Seriously, Clare Bear,” Fly says, “who else can it be?”