Carnival of Bones (Carnival of Bones Duet Book 1)

by Penn Cassidy

  He nibbled at my lip and then kissed the sting away before sifting his fingers through my hair, grabbing hold and tilting my head to the side. He trailed his tongue down the side of my throat, and it had my eyes falling shut.

  How long had it been since I’d been kissed like this? How long since I’d felt wanted and desired? I never wanted it to stop.

  I snuck my hand beneath his velvet coat, skimming my fingers along his bare chest. He was all hard muscles, and they flexed under my touch as I explored. I wanted to feel all of him. I burned for his mouth on me. I wanted it everywhere all at once.

  The swing rocked as I scooted forward, trying to fuse our bodies closer together. I teetered to the side, ripping my mouth from Bael’s, and had to grasp onto the safety bar.

  He laughed and held me tight to him, making sure I wouldn’t slide out from under the bar and topple all the way to the ground.

  “Perhaps we should finish this ride?” He caressed the side of my face. Our lips were swollen and his skin was flushed. “Besides, I have something else I’d like to show you.”

  I needed a minute to clear my head anyway, so I nodded, pulling back so I could straighten my dress that had twisted up somehow. My heart leapt when the Ferris wheel began to move again.

  To my surprise, Bael allowed us to ride the wheel a couple more revolutions before we ended the ride, which I appreciated. There was just so much I wanted to see, and the top of the Ferris wheel was the perfect vantage point.

  Still, the bayou was too large for me to see all the way to the city, even if it had been daylight. At this point, I’d almost forgotten what the daylight looked like. I made a mental note to get to the bottom of that as well.

  We made our way through the carnival grounds, skirting lines of the grey faces. There were carneys still at their posts, and one man even stepped forward to give me a low bow with and a tip of his hat. He was short and pudgy and wore an old brown tweed suit with a top hat, and he offered me a cotton candy on a stick, introducing himself as Rhet. I took the candy and thanked the man before we moved on.

  Several others greeted us too, some calling out Bael by name. Everyone smiled at me, and at first, it was kind of off-putting. Why the hell was everyone so happy? Was it all a game? Was this for show? I couldn’t tell the difference between reality and this dance we were all participating in. What was the point of hosting a carnival when there was nobody alive to enjoy the show?

  Bael made sure I finished the entire stick of cotton candy, saying something about needing to soak up the four Sazeracs I’d had earlier. For once, I didn't argue with his logic and ate it happily.

  It dawned on me that hunger was another thing I hadn’t felt in at least a few days. In fact, I hadn’t eaten a single thing since coming here, save for some tea at Elly’s. The candy was delicious, but it didn’t satisfy me the way it should have.

  We arrived at the steps of a covered wagon. It was dark grey and painted with white roses and vines. Wind chimes swung in the breeze. Bael hopped up the three wooden steps and pulled open the door, sweeping a hand forward for me to enter first.

  Squeezing in past him, I stepped into a dark room that suddenly flared with light the moment Bael followed me inside. There were candles all over the place, and it smelled like roses and lavender.

  There was a queen-size bed in the center of the small room, and in the far corner was an antique vanity table with a small stool. Behind that was an armchair next to a cast iron oven. It was no bigger than my bedroom back in the city, but it was cozy and warm.

  “It’s yours,” Bael said.

  I whirled to face him, but he'd already moved. He now sat perched on the edge of the bed, his coat casually shucked and lying beside him. He was completely shirtless, and I tried not to stare.

  “Well, it’s yours for as long as you want it,” he amended. “Theodore made sure you have everything you need, and I added a few decorative touches to give it some personality.” He dragged his palm along the velvety purple duvet, casting me a suggestive wink. “What say you?”

  I spun slowly, taking in the room, my eyes lingering on every small thing. I noticed that the vanity table was covered in cosmetics, and that there was a rack of clothing settled behind it and a pair of flat shoes next to the footboard.

  On a small bedside table, there was a hardback book, though I couldn’t make out the title yet. It was comfortable and cozy in here, and reluctantly, I had to admit it was more than I’d been expecting.

  “I hope you don’t think bribes are going to convince me to stay,” I said in answer, smiling faintly.

  Bael smirked and crooked his finger at me to come closer. It was then that I realized I was still awkwardly standing just inside the doorway like a weirdo.

  My feet carried me towards Bael, slowly, cautiously, until I was standing between his parted legs. His hands found my hips, and he pulled me in closer. The look in his dark blue eyes was one of hunger, and I wasn’t a fool. I knew exactly what it meant.

  I had a decision to make, and I needed to make it fast. I couldn’t deny the cravings my body was screaming out for—the need to sink my fingers into his long hair and devour him, the need to climb into his lap and feel everything I’d been deprived of for too fucking long.

  But if I allowed myself to indulge tonight, what did that mean in the morning?

  “You wear your thoughts on your pretty face, blue girl,” he said teasingly.

  With one hand, he softly swiped the strap of my dress over my shoulder and let it hang loose.

  “I can see worry in your eyes.” He smoothed the crease forming between my brows with his thumb. “But I assure you, what you do with your body has no bearing on your choice to stay or to go. I told you when you arrived that I would not hurt you, and that still stands. So tell me no, and I will leave this room and never speak of this thing between us again.”

  My body rejected the thought of telling him to go. I already knew what I wanted, what I craved, but I was still afraid.

  So I said, “I want to know what it’s like to feel things again.” I ran my fingers up the length of his arm leisurely. “Does that make me weak?”

  A shadow passed over his eyes before he trapped my face between his palms.

  “Never,” he hissed. “I sensed strength in you the moment you stumbled into the crossroads, Moria. You’ve never been weak.” He shook his head, anger flaring behind his stare. Not towards me though. “You’ve been hurt, but you’ve never been weak.”

  I blinked away the stinging in my eyes, willing myself not to let a single tear fall. Not right now. Not in front of him.

  Releasing my face, Bael ran a knuckle down the center of me, from throat to navel, before he lay backwards, sprawling out over the mattress. His smirk was one of mischief and anticipation.

  “I am at your mercy, blue girl. Tonight, you are the one who calls the shots.”

  Heat flared in my stomach, and my thighs clenched. It’d been a long time since I’d felt this much desire, and I hardly knew what to do with it. All I knew for sure was that tonight, I wanted Bael St. Claire. I wanted to do bad things with him.

  With the way his eyes devoured me whole, I felt like a goddess. That was the moment I decided fuck it. Tonight belonged to me.

  Swiping my second strap off my shoulder, the only thing holding the fabric up was my hand that clutched it loosely. I made sure to maintain eye contact with Bael as I let it pool around my ankles.

  I wore nothing underneath it, exposing myself completely to this ravenous man, this spirit, this usher of the crossroads. Even hundreds of years old, the way his eyes drank me in had me feeling like I was the first woman he’d ever laid eyes on, and it was powerful.

  My breasts were heavy and sensitive under his hungry gaze, and I wanted so much to feel his lips close around my nipples. I imagined all the ways his tongue could make me moan.

  I smoothed my palms up his rigid abdomen, enjoying the way the candlelight flickered over his tanned skin covered in a mural of tat
toos. They swirled over his muscles in scrawling French script and made him appear wild.

  I dipped my head, placing a kiss just below his pierced navel, and smiled when his hips jolted. I let my hands wander, traveling over his tight leather pants until I felt his hardness straining to be set free.

  I wasted no time pulling him free of his pants, my mouth watering. My heart thundered as I took in the sight of his pierced cock. A wave of pleasure rolled through my body as I imagined the way that metal stud might feel deep inside of me.

  His length was pulsing as I wrapped my hand around him and squeezed. He was larger than Austin, that was apparent immediately, and longer too. How he’d stuffed himself into those tight leather pants was a mystery.

  Bael watched every move I made with fierce intensity, his breath coming a little faster than before. But he was content to let me have this, content to let me take control of it all. So I took him into my mouth, swirling my tongue around his piercing. He groaned, and when I peered up at him from under my lashes, his head was tipped back to the mattress.

  I didn’t pull him into my mouth fully. No, I only teased him. Gently, I sucked the tip of him between my lips, licking the underside of his throbbing head, knowing it would drive him insane. His skin was soft and velvety, and I couldn't help but run the head over my lips like lipstick. He groaned as I did it, cursing under his breath.

  Austin had never liked me to do this for him. He’d told me it was demeaning for a woman to get on her knees. At the time, I’d figured it was just one of his chivalrous quirks, but now it made me wonder if he was just a prude. Either that, or his issues went a lot deeper than I’d ever noticed.

  Bael didn’t seem to have any qualms about my mouth or my tongue. I could tell he wanted to thrust in deeper, but I wouldn’t let him. After all, he did say I was the one in charge tonight.

  Releasing him from my mouth, I crawled up his body slowly, stopping to pepper a few slow kisses over his skin, pausing on each pierced nipple and rolling them between my lips. His hands were clenched at his sides, as if he was struggling to keep from sinking his fingers into my hair. Not that I would have objected.

  I was settled over his hips, feeling his length pressed against me. It was hard not to grind against him and take my own pleasure this instant. Instead, I pulled him up into a seated position and then slowly wrapped my legs around his hips until I really was sitting in his lap.

  He kissed me, and I allowed it. I could feel the tension rolling through him, the restraint. His hands dragged down my spine, leaving a tingling warmth in their wake.

  My hips began to undulate, sliding over his cock and coaxing a deep, guttural moan from his lips and into my mouth. I smiled against him, sinking my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and gripping on tight.

  We were moving faster now, both of us moaning at the friction between us. My body was pliant and ready for him already. Bael released my lips and pulled back, looking onto my eyes with something like genuine disbelief in his.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said, eyes dipping to my mouth again as if he couldn’t help himself. “I could look at you for hours and find something new to fascinate me every moment.”

  Leaning forward, he swiped his tongue over my bottom lip, causing my hips to sway in response.

  I needed him inside me. I needed this right now, and I couldn’t hold off any longer.

  Lifting my hips, I felt Bael cup my ass and hold me aloft as I guided his cock into me. Slowly, he settled me onto him, and I took my time sinking down, eyes rolling back as he stretched me wide. Bael’s forehead touched mine, and his eyes were closed as he trembled, once again holding himself back as best as he could.

  I hadn’t been so full in years. After I was seated, and I could feel that pierced tip deep inside me, I started to move. Up and down, I rode him, slowly, gently. His breath on my neck was ragged, and sweat began to bead on our skin where we were pressed together.

  His hands were in my hair again when I sped up, undulating in his lap a little harder than before, needing to feel the pressure. His hips began pumping upwards, telling me he was quickly losing his battle with restraint, but I didn’t care. It felt too good to care, and I wanted it faster.

  Bael must have understood, because in seconds, he had me flipped onto my back farther up the mattress without pulling out of me at all. He wasted no time thrusting deep before rolling his pelvic bone against me. Waves of pleasure coursed through me, and it was deeper and more thorough than I’d ever experienced.

  His long pale hair brushed my breasts as he thrust harder, eyes locked with mine. He cursed under his breath with every thrust, and sometimes, his whole body trembled as if he were about to combust.

  The way he looked above me was a thing of beauty. His muscles flexed under his tan skin, and his tattoos seemed to move fluidly as candlelight bounced off of every hard line and curve. The look on his face was nearly feral, his eyes bright with need and ravenous lust.

  As much as I was beginning to enjoy the side of him that loved his riddles and his tricks, I couldn’t deny the fact that I would see this exact image in my dreams for many years to come. Somehow, I knew this man would haunt me.

  Thunder boomed outside the wagon, and winds were beginning to pick up, gently rocking it. That summer storm had reached us, and every time he thrust into me, it was like the rain fell harder.

  With a surge of energy, I twined my fingers in his long hair and yanked back, eliciting a growl-like moan from Bael. He smiled darkly, and I pushed on his chest. He pulled me up with him until I was straddling his hips again, his strong arms wound tight around me, crushing us together.

  Our moans mixed with the crash of thunder, and sweat coated our skin. I wanted to taste every inch of him. I needed it.

  My movements became frantic as I neared the edge of sanity. I was losing my grip on control as I rode him faster, grinding against him just the way I liked it, and soon, I was seeing stars behind my closed eyelids. My fingers dug into his bare back as my body started to shake.

  But then, I felt it.

  A presence in the room that wasn’t there before.

  I felt the change in Bael immediately. He stilled but didn’t push me off. Opening my eyes, my heart shot to my throat as every candle in the room blew out at once, leaving us in pitch darkness.

  That’s when I saw him. Lightning struck, flashing through the wagon as bright as daylight.

  Theodore sat in the wingback chair across the room, one hand perched on his cane and another gripping a lit cigar. The smell of it took a moment to register, but when it did, it filled the entire space.

  His eyes were a solid black, and his legs were spread casually, as if he’d been there for a while, content to watch the show. He was in the same clothes as before, just those slacks and suspenders, and his dark chest reflected each flash of lightning as if he were lit from within. The skeleton hiding in the darkness of his skin was illuminated with each electric burst, and it should have been enough to send me running.

  This was the spirit of the crossroads. This was the reaper of souls I’d been warned about. So why did the sight of him send my heart racing and my thighs clenching?

  I kept moving, riding Bael even faster as I held the intruder’s eyes. Theodore twirled his cigar between his sensual lips, watching my every move, and somehow, it sent me reeling.

  Knowing he was watching us was doing crazy things to my body. Bael could sense it too. He started moving again, thrusting up into me even harder than before, cursing under his breath.

  I wondered what he was thinking. Was he pissed that Theodore had showed up uninvited? I didn't get that vibe. In fact, Theodore’s presence seemed to drive Bael even harder to please me.

  He fucked me hard, and I fucked him back. I was moaning, my nails dragging down the skin of his back, and all the while, my eyes held Theodore’s.

  I came hard as lightning struck again. Closing my eyes, I threw my head back, legs clamping down tightly on Bael’s hi
ps.

  He followed me into that oblivion, stilling immediately, pulsing deep inside of me. Then he reached up and clamped my face between his palms.

  His kiss was searing and almost painful, but I need more. I devoured his mouth like it was the last thing I’d ever taste.

  As the aftershocks tore through me and I struggled to catch my breath, I opened my eyes to find an empty chair and shadows. No sign that Theodore was ever there to begin with.

  But he had been there. I knew it, and Bael did too.

  The question remained.

  Why?

  Blood. I tasted it in my mouth and felt it slicking my skin. Everywhere. So much blood.

  A scream tore through the night, and it was all too familiar. Grandma Anne was screaming, though not in fear. No, it was…agony. Something was wrong.

  Her voice echoed through my head over and over again, as if her scream was meant for me to hear, but it was moving farther away by the second.

  Jolting upright in bed, several things occurred to me at once. One, Bael was gone and the pillow next to me was cold, meaning I’d been alone for hours. Two, I wasn’t actually covered in blood, rather I was stark naked and still coated in a thin layer of sweat. And three, I desperately needed to see my grandmother, needed to hear her voice and know that she was okay.

  In a panic, I threw on the nearest piece of clothing I could find and swiped a tube of lipstick off the vanity table. Spotting a pillar candle on the bedside table, I took it, and also some matches from the drawer before dropping to my knees at the foot of the bed.

  Tossing the lipstick cap aside, I began to swipe and smear the floorboards with cherry red. It was a sloppy job and not something I was proud of, but it should work in a pinch for what I needed.

  Actually, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure any of this was going to work. I’d watched Grandma Anne summon the ancestral spirits enough times to understand the basics. She’d taught me well enough and I was pretty confident in my skills, but this was different. I wasn't going to try and summon a spirit. I had to work backwards, because this time it was me who was on the other side, trying to reach back through.