More souls popped onto her radar, and she could hear gasps and feet crunching and way too much silence for a collection of bodies. He hadn't been lying. Six of them came up to greet him. Adding to the previous four, that made ten in all.
She dangled uselessly off Tarian's back, figuring she might as well take a page from his book and lean into it. Her arms dangled and so did her head, letting her hair rain down the back of him. Blobs of color entered her limited field of vision, and she closed her eyes against it. She could feel the souls. She knew they were gathering around to take a gander at what he carried in.
His toy, ladies and gentlemen, that was what. His fun little plaything. What joy. You're all miserable wretches. I hope every last one of you gets foot fungus and dies from complications.
Someone spat out laughter and another chuckled. She did not see the humor in this situation.
The material under Tarian's feet changed from dirt to something like sand. Something soft that made him limp more. Then a crunch, like gravel or rock. They'd clearly doctored up this homestead. Next his feet thumped on something like wood, hollow like a porch. Metal hinges creaked and cool air greeted them. She shivered against the change but sighed in relief. Her body didn't realize this was a safe haven, but her mind did.
"Here we go." He lowered, his knee hitting the ground and his hands braced against her back. He pulled her away, and she opened her eyes, but it was awkward looking at someone when you couldn't see details. "Here. Here's a bed. Lie down. I'll get you some water."
The image of the room filled her mind. Wood slats for walls, something like a dresser along the side, and two small windows. The bed right behind her took up almost all of the leftover space, about the size of the one in the shack they'd slept in last night. Apparently, they'd be sharing again.
"We don't have any extra lodgings," he said as he poured water. "You are welcome to sleep on the floor, but without a rug, it won't be very comfortable."
"Quite the gentleman," she said sarcastically, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her entire body sagged in fatigue.
"I never claimed to be one. Besides, it wasn't just me scooting closer last night."
"Yes, it was. I was on my side of the bed, where I started," she said in a haughty tone.
"Hmm."
She felt his soul approach and opened her eyes when he neared. Around the throbbing lightning blob taking up most of her vision, she made out the definition of his hand and took the glass of water. Her head throbbed. "Thanks."
"Drink. I'll get more. Niall is readying food, and Kalia is preparing something you can wash with. We'll look for some suitable garments from the females. I'm sure someone has something that will fit you."
She drained the glass and waited patiently for him to keep refilling until she didn't think it was wise to drink any more. He placed a damp cloth against her forehead and lingered for a moment, trailing his fingers down the side of her face to rest on her shoulder. Even though she had a continual desire to punch him in the face after his little stunt, the smooth sensation of his touch was more blissful and soothing than the cloth. She felt her muscles unwind.
"I'll be back shortly with food. Rest. We're safe here. Each of these little dwellings has its own ward. Once it is set, it'll keep anything and everyone out. I'll do it when I return. All you have to do now is rest until dawn."
"And then?"
He paused. "We'll worry about that when we need to."
The door closed softly behind him, and she slipped the damp cloth to her eyes and breathed deeply, letting the headache pound.
Then they would be heading to the Obsidian Kingdom, of course, where the next phase of her journey for survival would begin. Brawn and her sword wouldn't get her through that one. Or not only those things. Cunning and treachery, too. It would be cheating and politics. Demigod Kieran had started training her for that at age fifteen. She'd shown a knack for it at the very first Demigod convention where she initially met Tarian. She'd been studying it ever since, helping where she could, sitting in on meetings whenever they would let her. She found it fascinating. Intriguing. Fun, even.
But these past few years, it had always been Kieran and Lexi who'd been playing for keeps. Now it would be her, and she didn't have a team to advise her. She'd be playing solo and seeing how she stacked up against the fae.
She startled awake. The room lay dark and still around her. A strange feeling skittered across her skin.
A look beside her and Tarian wasn't there. He'd come back with food some time ago, when the sun still illuminated the shades he'd pulled, but left again to give her some privacy to wash up. He said he'd be back after he discussed some business with his Fallen. There was no telling how long ago that was.
She felt worlds better. Her headache was only a dull throb. She was still tired, needing more sleep and soon maybe more to eat, but she felt mostly normal.
She sat up, that strange feeling unsettling, like something wasn't quite right. Then again, what was right? She was a captive in a strange land with an uncertain future. Still…
She squinted in the low light, the murky darkness hinting at unseen horrors. Magic curled and twisted all around her, thrushing in the quiet space. Or was that her imagination?
The floor was cold on her feet as she crossed the room and pulled back the shade. The soft glow of moonlight fell across her skin and the fabric slip Tarian had given her to wear. Darkness shifted around the trees and bushes not far away. It blanketed the grassy plain.
Nothing moved out there in the night. Unlike earlier, when she'd been washing, dressing, and eating, there weren't any strange calls or odd-sounding birdsong. No creatures skittered through the brush. Currently there was nothing. An absence of sound, it felt like. Like everything in the area had taken off.
Like a big predator had moved in.
Shivers washed over her this time. Threads of unease started to tighten her chest. She knew it before the voice sounded in her head.
It's here.
Damn right it was here. The darkrend. She could almost feel its unnaturalness as it moved through the fabric and magical folds of the wylds. As it shed wrongness within the lush, strange lands. It was a disease to this place, plucking at the natural order and creasing what should have been smooth.
You can feel the danger now, the voice said. Heed it.
She could, it seemed. So she did.
She dashed through the room and yanked open the door. The wood porch led down to small rocks, like gravel. She didn't bother going back for her shoes. There might not be time. She ignored the pain as she ran over the rocks, quickly taking stock of the collection of shacks in a large circle, it looked like, with a central hub. If Tarian didn't sleep in that hub, it was the meeting place.
Her heel came down on the point of a rock. She sucked in a pained breath but wouldn't allow herself to lose speed. She wanted to knock against the side or shout for him, but there was no telling where the creature might be. The wall of the hub-shack ended, leaving room for a wide porch. She rolled under the banister and hopped up.
The roar drove fear directly into her heart. Branches cracked and tore. The compression of huge feet slamming down rattled the rocks. She sprinted across the porch and to the door right as it opened. Soft light spilled across her, and a wide-eyed Lennox stopped short. Terror was etched into every line on his body.
"Get to safety, you idiot!" she yelled at him, shoving him back into the room.
His body was ripped to the side, and Tarian took his place, grabbing her around the shoulders, turning in a hurry, and spinning her into the room. He let go and slammed the door shut as another roar shook the walls. Her body began to shake.
"Get below and set the ward!" Tarian yelled as he darted to the corner to douse the light.
She turned to Lennox, who was frozen solid. He'd never been this close to a darkrend before. The learning curve was rough.
A pretty woman sat in the corner, with the same style of hair as the others, her eyes wide in shock. Niall was next to her, appearing perplexed, and that was a very strange response to the current situation.
"Go, go, go!" she yelled, waving her arm.
Lennox unfroze first as a pulse rocked through the room. The creature was seeking them out. Either it hadn't seen her a moment ago, or once she went out of sight, it had lost her location. She hoped the latter, because that would indicate it wasn't a very smart beast.
Quiet, she thought as loudly as possible. They said she could broadcast, so she assumed it was the strength of the thought. Couldn't hurt. Set the ward. We gotta set that ward.
Lennox pulled up a trapdoor at the side of the room and motioned her forward. The two at the table rose and hurried over as Tarian bumped into her back. He grabbed her shoulders and directed her on as the others started to descend.
We need to close all accesses to the building in order to set the ward, Tarian explained. There's no telling how long that creature will stay. We'll go to our bedchambers and wait it out. It's time for bed anyway.
Shivers crawled all over her. She turned slowly, the feeling of dread arresting her.
"Get below," she whispered, knowing what would happen. Feeling it. "Hurry, Tarian. Get below." The breath was barely leaving her mouth.
He grabbed her hand as she finished turning. As her gaze ventured out the window. As she met the eyes of an enormous creature made of nightmares.
Its body was only partially obscured by the trees. Huge, yellowed teeth curved down from red-and-black gums. Its head was a flatter version of her idea of a werewolf, its nose pulled up like a canine's but its forehead like a human's. Batlike ears rose from its head, and its body resembled a gorilla drawn by a five-year-old who didn't have a firm grip on proportions. Each hand had claws as big as her whole person, and in about two seconds, it would rip into this hub.
Go! Tarian shouted in her mind, yanking her toward the trapdoor.
The compression of footprints shook the ground. Its roar tried to freeze her, but she fought past it and yanked Tarian with her. Lennox waited at the bottom of a ladder.
Catch me, she hollered, dropping into the hole. He gripped her sides and hurriedly moved them out of the way.
A cacophony of destruction rattled the floorboards above her. It drowned out all sound. Wood splintered and metal whined. The creature had charged into the structure. There'd be no setting the ward here.
Tarian jumped in, holding the edge of the trapdoor. He let go at the last moment. The slap of wood as it hit the frame was lost to the rest of the carnage. All light cut out. She felt his hands on her, holding her to him, then saw images filtering in her mind, a tunnel partially lit in ultraviolet.
She closed her eyes as he directed her. A structural groan filled the tunnel. Dirt and rock shivered away from the walls. The ground shuddered.
Another roar, this one frustrated, like the first time she'd lost it. Then a pulse.
Lennox slowed, ready to pause. Ready to succumb to that magical freeze button. To the fear. The two in front of him had as well. She pushed them on, Tarian with her.
The tunnel reached a circular area with four paths. Two stopped at the first on the right, looking back at Tarian. His hand tightened on her shoulder. She could see his nod from his point of view, but he didn't share what was said. The female branched off left and paused as well. Another roar and more crashing walls. It sounded like it was stomping through the rubble.
Let's go, dove, Tarian said, stepping in front of her and taking her hand. It was back to the action hero again.
Despite the terror of the situation, she felt his amusement.
The tunnel curved, and he followed it before they hit a fork. He didn't hesitate to go left. Here he slowed, sneaking, being quiet. She followed suit, holding his hand, eyes closed, watching through his vision and trying not to trip on his feet.
The tunnel dead-ended at a ladder, not unlike the one under the ruined shanty-hub. He paused with one hand on a rung and the other holding hers, looking back the way they'd come. The earth trembled.
She saw herself in his gaze and couldn't believe how confident and badass she looked, with her determined expression and set jaw. She looked like she was ready to go out and confront that beast single-handedly. Muscle memory, obviously. Show no fear so the enemy or bully or magical person who hates Chesters doesn't think she's weak and easy pickin's. Internally, however, she was absolutely shitting herself.
Did you leave the door open or closed? Tarian asked her.
She racked her brain, trying to remember.
He touched her face delicately, his thumb tracing her cheek. It's okay, he said. I can look in your memories…
Open, I think, she admitted.
Here's the situation. I need us both upstairs, with the trapdoor and main door closed, in order to set the ward. Once I do, the ward will render this shanty-hub, as you so lovingly call it, indestructible. It can stomp on it all it likes and only get a sore foot for its trouble, okay? Then we'll rest.
I should be the one to go, she said grudgingly, clutching his soft tunic. He'd freshened up as well. I know what its version of danger feels like. Let me go—
His thumb moved over her lips. You'll be right behind me, little dove—
But she'd already slithered and pushed her way past him to the ladder, feeling it in her gut that she needed to do this. That she had dialed in on that creature and was the best person to ensure their survival. At least in the first phase of this endeavor.
She felt his head shaking, confused yet intrigued that she should be able to ignore him and get her way so easily. She felt his complete unwillingness to let her take the lead, but they'd made a pact in the caverns to trust each other when their lives depended on it. So he sighed. And shifted his weight. And finally said, Okay. But Daisy, be careful. If we can't do it, we'll sleep in this tunnel.
Can't we go ask for admittance into one of the other shanties?
Not after their ward is put in place. They won't be able to hear us knocking and will be beyond the reach of mind touch. But that's okay. That creature won't stay out there forever, and it can't blow fire or fit into these tunnels. If we can't get that door closed, we'll just pass an uncomfortable night together. It'll be fine. We have options.
Assuming she didn't get seen at the wrong time and killed before she could get back to the tunnel.
Assuming that, he said.
She shook her head and saw the flash of uncertainty on her face before it hardened again. How often did she let that expression through, she wondered? That physical glimpse into what was really going on in her mind.
Every time you do something that requires great courage, he whispered in her mind, like a caress. We are all mortal with the right wound.
It must've been one of the fae's sayings, immortal until they were killed.
She nodded and felt for the rungs, made it to the top, and shoved him out of her mind. He fled immediately, having felt her desire for space. Or maybe she was getting the hang of things.
Her hand curled around the latch, and she clued in to her surroundings. The wylds were waiting, tricksy and playful and ready for games, violent or fun or both, one never knew. Within that, though, was the darkrend. Twisting and rolling and turning the lush life around it to ash. A scourge. Unbalance. It was plain as day, like being able to tell if someone was magical or not just by watching them move. Watching them interact. At the heart of it, that was nothing more than a feeling, too. Like this.
She had great instincts—Zorn had always said so. She'd lived by them, as he'd always said she should.
The darkrend searched. Looked. Destroyed. Its attention was elsewhere, but the gaping hole that was the doorway to their shanty stood open. The moonlight from the window danced across the dark space.
She edged the trapdoor open slowly. Tarian moved over her feet, his chest touching her bare ankles. He was ready to go up right after her.
If it doesn't see, it doesn't know, she thought to herself.
The trapdoor opened away from the wall, shielding her. She peered around it, only able to see a slice out of the front door. Through it, the moonlight showed the darkrend in all its glory, ripping through the wreckage it had caused, trying to scratch its way to the bottom. It knew she and the others had disappeared within it.
She crawled out to minimize obvious movement, watching where she put her hands and careful not to slide against the floor. She bear-crawled to the side of the room before standing against the wall. The window, the shade pulled up, stood to her right. Tarian waited in the trapdoor opening, watching her. She nodded at him, giving him the all-clear.
Except for stalling to gently close the trapdoor after him, he came faster but just as quietly, flattening against the wall with her. Nothing to it.
A pulse rocked the room, dense and focused, looking for its prey. The sounds of scratching and stomping in the destruction slowed, the creature's focus shifting. Another compression came, then another, beating into them. In a moment it would know where they were, if it didn't already.
Shit, she mentally bit out as her teeth chattered with fear. Tarian's fingers curled around her wrist. Go, she mentally barked, and ran.
He was right behind her. The compression of huge feet shook the ground, heading right for them. Tarian and Daisy reached the opened door together. The darkrend lunged, ten feet away, half the length of its body.
"Say the magic," she shouted, her palms hitting the door as his did. They slammed it shut together. The lock latched, the last word leaving his mouth at the same time as the darkrend hit. The wood bowed as though in slow motion, started to split, and then all went still. Silence filled the space.
The small slice of light that the split in the door allowed showed moving shadows. A flurry of activity. In moments, however, the creature slowed. The slit in the door turned pitch black, and then the huge mass was gone. The light bled through.
Tarian released an audible breath. We made it—noveldrama
A concussion of air made Tarian and Daisy jump. She reached out with shaking hands, grabbing his tunic. He took hold of her wrist and reeled her in.
"We shouldn't feel that," he whispered, staring at the door. He stepped away, keeping her close. "The ward stopped it from coming through. It held. We should be good. We shouldn't feel…"
A soft thumping sounded from the roof. Their heads jerked that way, and she could feel him shaking right along with her. He wasn't impervious to its terror, or the terror of the moment.
Another thump, this one louder. A little dust shook loose from the roof.
Tarian's fingers tightened against her.
An eye filled the window. It darted around until it locked on them. Its pupil contracted.
They jumped together. Tarian swore under his breath. The creature leaned back. Teeth flashed in the window, and a roar bled through the ward. The eye appeared once more before it lunged forward, its teeth gnashing at the window. At the walls. Thumps and scratching got through the magic. The structure groaned and bowed.
Tarian dragged Daisy toward the back of the shanty. She clutched at him.
"Leave or go," he said softly. "Leave or—I mean, stay or go. Strengthen the ward or pull it down entirely so we can get through the trapdoor."
"If you pull it down, all of this will come crashing down on our heads in a matter of seconds. One of us would make it down. The other would not. There wouldn't be time, and the space isn't big enough for both of us at once."
They looked at each other, his eyes so open. He wouldn't leave if it meant she'd die. She saw it there, lurking, confusing him but true. She could see he would not leave her to that creature. Not after what they'd been through. Not after what they'd endured and escaped together.
And he could read in her mind that she wouldn't either. He might need to die eventually, but not like this. Not after saving her. She'd made this decision before, and here she was making it again. Maybe it didn't make sense, but she didn't care.
"I can try to strengthen it," he said softly, looking at the bed. "With a chalice. I haven't yet tried to wield the power directly, but I can try."
"Try." She looked at the bed as well. "But…where are they?"
He squeezed her arms and hurried past her. He ducked beside the bed as the shanty rumbled and her heart hitched. He dragged out first one pack, then the other. He'd magically sent them to this location while in the cavern. She'd been sleeping on top of the crystal chalice and hadn't even known.
"That was removed," he said as he pulled out a flat object speckled in black. It gleamed in the low light. "I didn't want to go traipsing after you when you inevitably grabbed it and ran."
He reached for her hand, and she took it without thinking, allowing him to drag her toward the front door.
"If that thing gets through, we might as well run for it," he murmured in explanation. "No sense delivering ourselves in a box."
His smirk said he was paraphrasing her. It was still true, so she didn't respond.
He paused, looking down on her. He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her against him, and kissed her, hard, branding his kiss on her lips. It didn't take a genius to know he worried it might be their last.
"Stay near me," he said after he'd grudgingly released her, turning toward the door and half looking over his shoulder at her. "Touch me so I know you're there."
He could hear in her thoughts that she was there, since her mind never stopped spinning, but she did as he said, flinching with the next thump. The creature moved away from the window, climbing onto the roof again. The structure groaned under its weight. Tarian's whole body shook against hers—or was that hers shaking against his? She clung to him as he dropped his head, the chalice held in both hands, his eyes closed.
She heard its vibration before she felt the buzz in her body, running from him into her. Sloshing around inside her, churning and fizzing, electrifying her blood before rolling back through to him. Soon all she felt was that buzz, everywhere, inside and out, in her ears and wavering her vision. It felt like it was shaking her teeth loose, it was so powerful. He gasped, feeling the same thing.
She released her hands to push away, to shrug off this horrible feeling, but in a moment, it subsided. The thumping from above dimmed. The silence resumed.
He dropped the chalice and breathed deeply. It landed heavily and bounced away. A droplet of sweat fell from his bow as he sagged.
"Well," he said into the dim interior, glancing at the ceiling. Still no sound. No thumping or dust shivering down. This time his ward would hold. They could be sure of it. The extra boost of power had helped.
And now he knew how to use the chalices.
"At least we didn't piss ourselves when confronted by a darkrend." He reached for her hand. "Take that, Celestials."
Despite her last realization, she heaved out a laugh, her face buried into his back. "I thought you said those wards could handle anything." She still shook, but the tremors were receding. That reaction was magically created. Next time, she'd need to push harder to ignore it, mind over matter.
Next time? He twisted to look at her. Blight destroy me, there better never be a next time. He shook his head while pulling her away from the door. "Usually, I would never admit vulnerability but…I need to hear our voices right now. And nothing else. That was… I don't have words for what that was. That creature wasn't balanced. It had magic way beyond its capabilities."
He tugged her toward the window, going at an angle. At the side of it, he glanced through, pulled his head back quickly, then did it again. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's somewhere else at present."
"Probably on the roof," she said.
"Yes. Thank you. I was trying not to envision that."
She spat out a laugh as he lowered the shade. Once done, he tugged her to the back of the room toward the bed. He turned to face her, looking down into her eyes. The dim interior made the gorgeous green of his irises impossible to see, but softened his sharp cheekbones and severe jaw, enhancing his handsome face. "I can't imagine enduring one of those alone. Lennox, battle-hardened and afraid of absolutely nothing, froze. I've never seen that in all my days. Look"—he held up his hand—"I'm still shaking."
So was she. She felt the tremors all through her body.
"But from just one meeting," he went on, "you learned enough to keep your cool. You saved lives tonight. Lives of those who would imprison you. Lives of those you had no obligation to save. For that, I thank you."
She hadn't thought about things like that. She hadn't thought about anything at all. She needed to get help, and she knew Tarian would be that help.
"Survival," he whispered.
Survival, she thought, because what else would it be? What else would any of this trip be? Stay alive long enough to get free. To save herself. She had family back home, wondering where she was. Wondering if she was okay. She hated the idea of hurting them with her death. Of leaving them.
On that note, she looked at the ceiling. At the door. Felt a tremor of uncertainty.
He shook his head and pulled off his tunic, exposing his delicious chest with the single tattoo that looked like a metallic necklace. "No thumps," he said softly, kicking off his shoes and pushing down his pants, showing a human pair of boxer briefs.
She quirked an eyebrow.
He looked down at them and shrugged with a lopsided smile. "Fae don't wear a lot of undergarments. I find these more…comfortable when I'm working."
"You're not working."
He glanced at the window. "Like hell I'm not."
Fair.
He stepped closer to her, and his gaze raked up her body, devouring every inch. It burned a trail from her toes, along the slip he'd given her, to the budded peaks of her breasts. He gave her a sensual and provoking smirk at the fervor he saw lurking in her eyes.
Just his look dazzled her. Fluttered her stomach. His appreciation for her body and who she was glowed in his eyes.
The smirk still in place, he bent to pull back the covers on the bed. Then he straightened, watching her, daring her to go next. Daring her to follow his lead and make the next move.
Breath catching, strangely nervous, she silently pulled the slip up and away from her body. She still wore panties, but only that, exposing the rest of her to the air and his eyes.
His gaze dipped, taking her in. He reached forward as though he couldn't help himself and ran his palms along the sides of her belly and up. His thumbs grazed the edges of her breasts, not venturing any farther.
"Daisy," he said, like he was praying to one of his gods. "Such a dainty name that fits this petite, doll-like creature I see before me. And so perfectly hides the monstrous beast that rages within. It is truly a pleasure."
After a glance to the shade, knowing that if the ward failed they'd be dead anyway, she pushed the outside world out of her mind. Like last night, she focused solely on the moment. This moment. There was no better time to do things she might regret. Things that might not be wise.
Things she'd wanted to do since she'd met him on that ledge. Since she'd first set eyes on him on that beach.
She ran her hands up his arms, feeling the muscle, to his shoulders, dipping her fingers into the grooves. Flowing over the bumps. She moved in closer, angling up her face. Closer still, feeling the heat and electric chemistry jumping back and forth between them. His hands stayed where they were, trembling but not because of the threat outside. Not because of a moment ago. But because of this moment. Because of her.
She reached for the back of his neck and applied pressure, pulling his lips toward hers. Her other hand ran along his arm to his wrist, applying pressure there, too. She pulled his palm to cover her breast, feeling the fire in her core when he sucked in a breath.
His lips met hers, and they fell toward the mattress, straining to get closer. She hooked her heel around his thigh as his weight covered her. As his lips devoured hers. He pulled her more firmly onto the bed and settled between her thighs, aligning his body exactly as she craved. She hooked her other leg over his hip, her arms around his shoulders, her tongue dancing with his. His hips pushed forward, and she saw stars. It felt better than she could've ever imagined.
She strained against him, feeling her control wobbling. Wanting to free-fall, as he'd said. It would be as safe now as it could be, a ward away from being ripped apart, trusting magic she didn't know anything about or understand. She'd take life as it came. There was no other way. Not right now.
His hips moved against her erotically, and her legs tightened. Her eyes fluttered. She needed to stop and remove the clothes in their way. Wanting to end this craving for him, feel him deeper. To let him consume her. But this felt so damn good. So damn perfect.
The kiss deepened. Her desire flowered until it grew too large to contain. Too much to understand. She clung to him as she writhed, as he thrust, hard, punishing strokes that hit perfectly. She hit a peak and came apart, shuddering against him. He groaned and shuddered with her, tightening his hold on her, burying his face into her neck.
She shivered while he breathed deeply, kissing her skin and lifting up again to softly kiss her lips.
She reached between them, knowing she could get him ready for round two—for the real thing. As her thumbs hooked into his boxer briefs, though, he reached down and stayed her hands.
"No," he murmured against her lips. "I won't take this from you. You'll hate me before the end. You'll regret this."
"I don't regret your kiss." She proved it by pressing her lips to his. "We might as well revel in this feeling while we can. Who knows if we'll ever find it again. We could never be forever, you and I, since one of us is bound to kill the other, but we will make an amazing right now."
He sucked in her bottom lip before backing off. "No, Daisy. I have your kiss. That is enough. That is too much, actually. I swore I would never trap another as I did the first. I lost control and took your kiss, but I will not take any more. Please, let me worship your body tonight. Tomorrow, we'll start the next phase of our journey."
His kiss was deep and intense, and she felt herself melting against him. He kissed down her neck and across her chest, taking in a budded peak and rolling his tongue around it. She groaned as his fingertips slid down the inside of her thigh and dipped into her panties. His lips continued down, trailing heat. She pushed her knees wider, and he dipped two of his fingers in and curved, stroking as his thumb touched down.
She jolted with pleasure, her fingers entwined in his hair. His mouth got to her panty line, and he pulled them down her legs.
"You won't need these," he whispered, dropping them to the floor.
"If we have to run for it, I'll be totally nude and you'll still have underwear. How is that fair?"
He paused in coming back to her. She could barely make out the details of his face in the darkness. With a nod, he twisted to his butt and slipped his briefs down his legs. He dropped them on top of hers. Daisy's mouth watered from what she saw, bobbing hard against his flat stomach. His length was thick and long, enticing her to touch. To taste and explore. Her gaze found and stuck to the metal glinting at the end of that hard shaft. She paused, transfixed. Riveted.
"Fae pierce their…" She squeaked, then cleared her throat.
She could just make out his wicked grin. "Is that a blush? What's the matter, Mistress So-Confident-in-All-Things? Have you never seen a piercing before?"
Truthfully…no, she hadn't. Many other places, but not there. She knew it happened, but she'd never experienced it. She would've never assumed fae practiced it.
Daisy salivated to taste it. To flick her tongue across it.
He groaned, obviously hearing her thoughts.
"Remember that desire," he said as he lowered between her thighs, his hot breath washing her apex. "You will get your chance when you are kneeling in front of me. In front of my whole court."
The prospect seemed absurd. Ridiculous. Rage inducing. But she couldn't think about any of that right now. He lowered his mouth to her body and all her thoughts fled. The concerns of her reality were a problem for another day. Right now, she was occupied. She'd survived a vicious monster—again—felt vicious magic, and really needed a release and then sleep. Right now, she needed his tongue to do exactly what it was doing.
He licked up her center and sucked, swirling his tongue around her most sensitive area. He threaded his fingers into her and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She yanked on his hair a little, groaned, and arched enough that it would probably make her sore the next day. Magic washed all down her body in the most complex sensations she'd ever experienced, and it felt like his weight covering her. Him inside of her. Him everywhere. The air danced and sparkled with his power, electric sizzles that ran across her skin and down into her body. His mouth pulsed glorious suction; his fingers and magic worked in dizzying tandem until she lost all semblance of self-control. She turned into the wild thing he'd predicted, moaning and begging and maybe once calling him a god. Near the edge, when she was braced on the cliff and strung out in bliss, control long gone, her dignity a thing of the past, he pulled away to blow softly on her wet and tortured core.
"You fucking—" She writhed like a woman possessed, nearly crying with need. "Please. Please. Please."
His magic took hold of her, his mouth touched back down, and she came utterly undone. The gush of pleasure was so extreme that her sensibilities wobbled. His following love bites gave her torturous aftershocks, and then he was beside her, gathering her limp form up into his arms and hugging her close.
"At least let me use my hand," she murmured, turning into his warmth, her eyes drifting closed. "Let me touch you and explore that terrific body."
"No. I worry that if you touch me, I won't be able to keep in control. I won't be able to keep you free of another tether to me. Earlier was enough. You need your sleep. Rest, dove, for tomorrow everything will change. There will be no more obstacles in our way. Tomorrow, we go into the viper's nest."