by Jaye Shields
Smiling on the inside, she let her wings take her nearly as high as Rowen’s kiss had left her.
Chapter Fifteen
The brilliant blue sky glittered in a hue that rivaled the incredible sapphire on Sparrow’s finger. She was immortal now.
Gazing at the intricately laid ring on her finger, Sparrow still couldn’t believe she’d live to see as many sunsets as she wanted. To be honest, she wasn’t actually sure she wanted to live forever. Probably not. But at least she had time to think about it.
Resting on the soft grass near the hot pink waters of the lake, she was about a mile from the castle. When she spotted the cotton candy waters from her window, she couldn’t help but fly over the first chance she got.
Incredible. Well, if you had to be immortal, this was as good a place as any to retire. Gazing at the calm water, she watched a deep, indigo colored bird diving down, beak-first toward the lake. She recognized the lethal glint in its black eyes: it was fishing.
The royal purple beauty disappeared in a splash beneath the surface, sending rose-colored ripples in a mesmerizing dance. Several long seconds later, the bird reemerged to sit on the surface ad gobble down an electric yellow fish lodged between its beak. She couldn’t help but smile at the brilliant colors exploding before her eyes. Life in the kingdom Hy-Breasal was a kaleidoscope of surrealist images unfolding before her.
“You’ve made yourself quite at home in the kingdom.”
The deep, smooth tone could belong to none other than Rowen. His smoldering presence behind her back seared her like hot ink being tattooed into her skin. She turned toward the voice, abandoning the image of the bird scarfing down its lunch.
Seated upon a majestic black steed, Rowen looked at home. His hands rested on the horn of an intricate saddle and he leaned toward her, a smile in his eyes. “I’ve rendered you speechless, have I?”
A laugh escaped his handsome mouth, but she pulled up her big-girl pants and cleared her throat. Time to whip out the sex-kitten voice. She raked her eyes over him, as many men had done to her in the past. “Sorry. I just haven’t seen a stunningly handsome man on a horse since Hang ’Em High.”
He straightened under her gaze, and his smile lessened from a cocky grin to a sensual, subtle smile. She watched him dismount and appear at her side. He stood just before her, and he was so close, she smelled the grain and sunlight on his skin. His scent was that of a man who worked with his hands and ruled the outdoors. She couldn’t think of anything hotter.
“Don’t tease me, Angel.” His finger traced her jaw line, forcing her to meet his intense gaze. “If I ever find this man from … hangem high,” his words tripped over the Clint Eastwood flick, “I will drop him, and his steed, into another realm where you won’t again see him. And you,’’ he released a devastating grin as he continued to lock eyes with her. “You’ll be forced with the sight of Rhiannon and I, forever more.”
She used her own finger to flick his away from her tingling skin. “First of all, smolder much?”
She walked away, trying to pretend he didn’t flip the lover’s stare down back on her. She may have been drunk when Rowen pleasured her on route to Hy-Breasal, but the experience was still vivid in her mind. The touch of his gentle finger against the skin on her face brought to mind the much more sinful things he’d done with it.
“Second of all, Clint Eastwood is way out of my league, so no worries.”
“I wasn’t worried. I would crush him.”
Her jaw dropped and she had no choice but to shoot him a disbelieving grin. “So violent. And I thought you were a gentleman.”
His expression became unreadable, but the look in his turquoise gaze was a calm hunger. “I think you should have learned from our first night together, there are limits to my nobility.”
Oh God, did he really have to remind her? Her body flamed to a hundred degrees as she pondered the night she learned just what a gentleman could do in bed, or um, against the wall. She had barely even gotten through the door before she drunkenly came on to him. No wonder he had been so quick to toss her aside the next morning when she confronted him. She’d probably seemed desperate.
This time when heat flooded her cheeks, it was because she was mortified. She didn’t want to see him. He had such an innate ability to make her feel like a fool. Forget that her first thought was lovesick fool. She wasn’t lovesick. She must just be coming up on her period. That’s right, she was way more emotional than normal. “Um, thanks for defending me back at the ball.”
“Ladies are often jealous when they see such beauty.”
Sparrow’s stomach fluttered. The compliment was what she craved but wished she could have had it from him days ago. “If I am such a beauty, then why did you walk away from me that day on the boat?”
Before Rowen could say anything else, the tattoos on her back burned, and Sparrow became a bird in flight. She immediately opted for a peregrine falcon, which to her was the most expedient flyer in her personal repertoire. She let the wind under her wings yank her high into the air in only a matter of seconds. She didn’t dare spare a glance down to Rowen and his equally gorgeous horse.
Instead of flying back to the palace, she flew the opposite direction. She craved space. The last thing she needed was her aunts being overly perceptive and accusing her of things that were probably true. Like yes, Rowen was hot. And yes, he was even hotter in the games of pleasure. And yes, he was a dream-worthy gentleman. Let’s face it, if he didn’t get on her nerves a little, she probably wouldn’t be attracted to him.
Finally, the landscape below her began to take her mind off Rowen. The sensation of the air sifting through her feathers was the greatest gift her aunts could have given her. It was an empowering massage, the feel of the air taking her higher as it smoothed her stream-lined form.
The trees dotted the ground in various shapes and sizes, but were abundant enough that it was a thick evergreen forest that Tera would appreciate. The scent of bark and evergreen pine swirled in the wind, carried up to her tiny, but highly effective nostrils. As she shot through the cloudless sky, she watched as the forest became thinner, and give way once more to meadow. And then she saw him.
Galloping out from the cover of the trees was Rowen and his steed. The beautiful black horse was an image of power, its strong legs propelling it forward with incredible speed and grace. Its rider was equally impressive, keeping time with the stallion in perfect harmony. The duo moved through the thick meadow grass, a black blur among tall blades of green and golden wheat. As Sparrow flew, she zeroed in with her perfect falcon eyesight to fully appreciate the scene. He was following her, and it was like she was in a screwed up fairytale.
• • •
Rowen hadn’t meant his words as a threat, but she had taken off just the same. He had only seen her transformation a few times, and to witness it again was stunning. It wasn’t like the many shape-shifters that came through the fog or hung at his local mead house — it was magickal. Her angelic face and nymph-like body had become overwhelmed by light, and for a brief moment, she was an angel. But then the flash of light fully engulfed her, and all that was left was a lethal bird of flight. It tore into the sky like a knife seeking out an adversary. Clearly, he had upset her.
He had only meant to confess to her how deeply she affected him. She enflamed his need for passion like never before in his centuries of life. Yet it was not the growing passion that worried him, but the deeper longing that gnawed at his insides. He longed not for the feel of her tight womanhood wrapped around him, but for a replay of her sweet face, smiling as it reached the peak of ecstasy.
Rhiannon took him through the trees and into the meadow as they galloped to catch up to her. Sparrow was immortal now, but she hadn’t been around long enough yet to be immune to the sensations of pain. He didn’t have the desire for her to live through agony like he had when he was in h
is early years of immortality.
There were many large, flying predators in Hy-Breasal, and although they knew not to attack the humans, he wasn’t so sure they could differentiate a magickally transformed bird. Rowen hated to harm innocent animals, but if a predator even came close to Sparrow as she flew, he would use the astral gun at his side without hesitation.
He looked up at the sky as Rhiannon navigated the dense meadow, thick with towering flower plants and the occasional tree. The falcon seemed to be flying lower and lower. Good, she was landing.
Instead, the bird suddenly dove straight down, cutting through the air so fast that she was at him in an instant, fluttering around him, snapping with her sharp beak. But he wasn’t afraid of a bird, especially not one possessed by an angel. Even a mischievous angel at that. Clearly, her intention was cause him to ungracefully dismount from Rhiannon. But that was not going to happen.
She hovered, the falcon’s glare unavoidable. And then she became light. He dismounted, ready to question the young woman. The transformation was quick, and she beat him to it.
“Why are you following me?”
“Clearly, I have offended you. I do not have a habit of driving ladies away only to send them into danger. You’re not aware of the kingdom or its beasts.”
“The only beast I see here is the one standing in front of me.” This time, he received the glare from deep blue eyes. He’d never welcomed such an intensely forlorn expression.
“Tell me, Sparrow, what have I done to burden you with the need for such name calling?”
She took a step closer, her hands on her hips. He wanted to insert his arms in the little triangle of space left on each side of her bodyand pull her close.
She was silent. As she shifted her stance and gnawed on her bottom lip, he realized that she was trying to decide how much to divulge.
“I’m not going to say you took advantage of me. I guess it was kinda the opposite. Not that you weren’t asking for it, walking around half-naked all the time — and in this case, you were fully naked. But, I guess what I’m trying to say … I mean … ” Her words had an angry and hopeless edge to them. She shifted her gaze to the ground, paying intense attention to her well-worn shoes. “I guess I’m just not used to getting dumped, that’s all.”
Before he could contradict her, she continued with rapid pace. “And what’s worse, usually when someone gets dumped, the perpetrator doesn’t follow the victim around all gentlemanly and romantic warrior-like.”
“You think me romantic?” He was completely perplexed by this. Romance was a concept used mostly before he became a knight. Since then, in his hundreds of years he’d been declared things like brutal, just, efficient — but certainly not romantic. He would think that being from the human realm, she would be familiar with the concept of romance, but clearly she was not.
“Well, yeah. Asking me a bazillion and ten times a day if I need a blanket, carrying my aunts around wherever we go, slow dancing with me as if I’m a fine piece of china. Defending me in front of catty bitches. At first I thought you were just doing it to spite me. But I’m seriously starting to think it’s just who you are. A romantic jerk.”
He stepped closer to her until he could inhale the scent of the rosy soap she had used in the shower. He had no desire to fight his feelings for her. And now that they were alone, he had the chance he had been waiting for, to prove just how much he hadn’t rejected her.
“Let me ease this latter part of your accusation.”
And then he took her into his arms and kissed her.
As their lips met, he savored the feel of her body melting against his. There could be no question now. Sparrow wanted him just as much as he needed her. He parted her soft pink lips with his tongue. She opened wider and eagerly welcomed him in with her own graceful tongue. Together they slow danced within the depths of the kiss, tasting each other. She arched her back, bending into him as if she would never have enough.
A sensual hum escaped her lips. Gods. If it was possible, he became even harder at the intimate sound.
He grabbed the soft curves below her waist and lifted her up as he feverishly met her tongue with his own. She wrapped her legs around him as her soft hands went to his hair. The sensual massage of her fingertips in his hair succeeded in pulling his lips even closer. They became one as they devoured each other.
Rhiannon departed swiftly and quietly, leaving the lovebirds by themselves.
Rowen dropped to his knees and laid Sparrow on the ground, his gaze never leaving her beautiful face. “You’re the most stunning creature I have laid my eyes upon.”
Her porcelain skin was a divine contrast against the bright green surrounding her like an earthly halo. Glittering sapphires were lined with kohl and thick black lashes. Her lips were full, and pink from their intense round of kissing.
Rowen stood at her feet and removed the artillery belts crossing his chest. As he lifted them over his head, Sparrow sat up, and he thought for a moment she might leave. But she didn’t. Instead, he watched her hands go to the string that fastened his leather pants together.
He eagerly helped her in removing his pants. She had seen his body before, but as his hardened length sprang free, her gaze widened and she seemed nervous.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. He tossed his pants aside and sank to his knees.
“I’m not.’ Her voice was a sensual murmur. She took his palm within her own, and slid it into the soft hair by her temple. He used the soft grip to pull her lips closer. He was rewarded with another life-altering kiss. He was right the first night. She was an angel made for love.
Rowen couldn’t give her love. But he would give her the next best thing. Pleasure.
He dragged his lips away to drink in the gorgeous expression on her face. “I’m going to make love to you.”
She nodded slowly and a gray fire lit the blue in her eyes like night-drenched moons. Her fingertips went to the bottom of her shirt, and he watched her pull the fabric up over her head. Soft, perfect flesh was revealed along with her perfect curves.
“You’re stunning.”
Leaning closer, Rowen nestled into her neck and kissed the skin there. He found the spot that had caused her to go weak in the knees the time before, and suckled until she moaned. With one hand wrapped around her, easing her back down to the ground once more, he used his other to unfasten her jeans.
Rowen halted his affections only long enough to gaze at the bright red underwear revealed as he slid her jeans over her knees. The touch of her palm against his shoulder sent goosebumps up his arms. Never before had he experienced calm and serenity in a lover’s eyes. As if she sensed his distraction, she leaned forward and began tugging at her last remaining undergarment. Gods have mercy on him, his angel was a hellcat.
He reached down to help her, and slowly, together they bared her womanhood. In the sunlight, drops of excitement glistened for him and he was overwhelmed with need.
• • •
Sparrow listened to Rowen tell her that she was beautiful once more. Thank God, because she was nervous as hell. She had laid her hands on his strong shoulders with hopes that it would steady her shaking fingertips. She was no virgin, but she became one lying under the sun, completely nude before her Adonis. But he was Rowen, and she quickly realized that Adonis himself couldn’t compete with such a man.
His fingers traced the outline of her femininity and tiny fires took to her abdomen, sending heat throughout her body. His intense gaze finally left her to admire the area between her legs. His hot breath created a steam between her legs. Wetness flooded her.
And then he tasted her. His tongue was soft and hot, a fiery brand seeking out every crevice hidden within the folds of her womanhood.
She was helpless to the onslaught of pleasure, and a husky moan readily betrayed just what a slave she had becom
e to his affections. He encircled her with his tongue, but just when she got used to it, he suckled on her clit. She screamed at the erotic maneuver. His tongue played hide and seek with her sweet spots until her legs quivered with pleasure.
“I never want this to end.” The husky sensuality in Rowen’s tone escaped in soft whispers caressing her skin.
She wanted to respond, but her throat was dry. Swallowing, she commanded her legs to stop quivering, but they would not obey.
“Relax, beautiful.” Rowen used each of his hands to massage her inner thighs as he continued to have his way with her, tasting all she had to give him.
Slowly, she relaxed and let the pleasure take over her senses. As she neared her peak, he left her on the precipice.
“You’re not leaving me behind this time.” His grin was sexual as hell, and Sparrow was in a state of ecstasy as she watched him move over her. The muscles on his torso flexed, and as his arms held his incredible body over her, the biceps bulged with strength. The tip of his manhood explored her.
She welcomed him. His hard width stretched her, but her wet heat eased him in with pleasure.
“Look at me, Sparrow.”
She shifted her view and took in the glacier-colored eyes focused down on her. As he filled her, taking full advantage of the pinnacle of ecstasy where he had left her, she got lost in the beautiful planes of his face.
He slid back and forth, slow and deep as he caressed her hair and gazed into her eyes. Through his gaze, she became the only woman in the world. By the time she was ready to come, she had every inch of his face memorized. Breathtaking. She stored away the images to replay in her dreams.
And then, ecstasy. Her legs quivered once more, and her womanhood squeezed tight around him.
As if on cue, Rowen dove in deeper and harder, never dragging his gaze from her. She watched pleasure fanned across his face as he quickened his thrust. Stars of ecstasy danced across her vision, but she glimpsed the satisfaction flicker in Rowen’s gaze that took her to a new level of contentment.