Everwylde

by Donna Grant

  Time stood still as their lips pressed together. They held still a heartbeat before he went in for another kiss, moving his mouth over hers. When she tilted her head to the side and ran her tongue over his lips, he moaned loudly and moved his hand down to her shapely bottom before he pressed her against his arousal.

  The kiss deepened, their hunger propelling them forward. He couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t kiss her long enough. The more he sought, the more she willingly gave.

  And the more he craved.

  He was drowning in her taste, in all that was Ravyn—and he did it happily. She was beautiful, strong, courageous, and resourceful. And she was in his arms.

  The need to shout it to the Heavens had him breaking the kiss to draw in a breath. He smoothed his hands down either side of her face and took in her loveliness. From her kiss-swollen lips to her heavy-lidded eyes that made his balls tighten with uncontrollable need.

  To his surprise, she took a few steps back out of his arms. He thought she had changed her mind until she unclasped her cloak and tossed it to the side. He stared, transfixed, as she began removing various weapons.

  With each piece that fell to the ground, he grew hotter and hotter for her. She paused and smiled at him before bending over and taking off one tall boot then the other. His mouth went dry when she unhooked the tight vest that molded to her upper body and beneath her breasts and let it fall from her shoulders.

  His heart began to pound uncontrollably when she stood in only her dark red shirt and leather trousers. Never did he think a woman would look good in men’s attire, but Ravyn had proven him wrong.

  She was decadent. Supremely sensual.

  Utterly erotic.

  He waited with baited breath as she unfastened the pants and pushed them down her legs to step out of them. Leaving her in nothing but the shirt that skimmed the tops of her thighs.

  Instead of taking it off, she reached up and removed the strip of leather holding her braid. She shook out her long, midnight tresses and let her beautiful locks fall around her.

  Her hands grasped the hem of the shirt, but he quickly stopped her. “Nay. Not yet.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “You do not wish to see me?”

  “Very much so. But this sight of you is...sublime.”

  Her answering smile made him itch to have his hands on her again.

  He shrugged out of his padded jerkin, letting it fall to his feet. Next, he unbuckled the belt holding his sword and set it aside. Ravyn’s eyes sparkled as they watched him.

  His gaze dropped down to her long, bare, shapely legs and he found that he couldn’t concentrate. If he had met her years ago, Carac would never have left his castle and hidden who he really was from others.

  He would’ve taken her as his wife and made love to her every day, filling her belly with babies. His home would have been a place he wanted to be instead of something he didn’t wish to see.

  Carac bent and removed the dagger from his boot, setting it on the table next to her crossbow. Then he unbuckled the scabbard at his waist with the double knives hidden at his back.

  When Ravyn smiled at the sight of them, he couldn’t help but grin back. She understood the need for hidden weapons, those that an enemy couldn’t see. The kind that had saved his life—and most likely hers—on many occasions.

  He pulled his tunic from his trousers before he tugged off his boots and tossed them aside. It was everything he could do to remain where he was and not reach for her.

  As if sensing his need, she backed up until she reached the bed. She tucked one leg beneath her and slowly lowered herself until she sat, one hand on the blanket to hold herself up.

  Carac couldn’t wait to lay her back and have her hair spread around her and her legs wide as he thrust inside. Deep. Hard.

  He could think of nothing but her. She filled his thoughts and his senses. Like the witches she hunted, he was completely spellbound by her. And he had to admit, he quite liked it.

  “I would see more,” she urged in a seductive voice that made his cock jump.

  By all that was holy, he was going to enjoy making her his. And not just for the night. He might never let her go.

  Chapter 16

  She was absolutely, undeniably captivated. Ravyn couldn’t look away from Carac’s gaze. Hunger burned brightly in his green depths, brazen and shameless.

  A lock of blond hair slipped over his forehead. He walked to her, removing his tunic as he did. Ravyn’s mouth fell open when she saw the hard body bared to her. Muscles honed and firm, molded to form a splendid specimen.

  The various scars that covered him proved the many battles he had been involved in—and survived. Her mouth watered, and her hands clenched, aching to run along the muscles of his stomach and chest.

  She longed to feel his strong arms around her. She yearned to have the weight of him on top of her. She craved to feel his arousal slide into her.

  “Woman, you are bringing me to the edge,” Carac rasped.

  She lifted her gaze to his and saw a muscle ticking in his jaw. Ravyn rose up onto her knees and laid her palms on his chest. The pure heat of him made her shiver in anticipation of the pleasure she knew would come.

  It was there in his ravenous gaze, in the way his hands clenched and unclenched, in the rapid rise and fall of his chest. It was in the very air around them, charged with lust and need.

  A sigh she couldn’t hold back escaped her lips as she smoothed her hands over the hard sinew and ran them up to his thick shoulders and corded neck. Power. It radiated from him, as formidable as the sun.

  It was part of what drew her to him. He wielded it as expertly as a sword, but he did it with grace and elegance. His power was not just in his body, it was also in his mind.

  Carac was a true warrior, the kind of man who would always fight for innocents and the on the side of good. How had she not recognized that as soon as she saw him? Not that it mattered. She saw him now, truly saw him.

  And she was awed by the man before her.

  He lifted a hand and gently set his fingers on her cheek before slowly sliding them down to her jaw. She couldn’t take her eyes off his face as his gaze followed his hand over to her mouth. With her breathing shallow and her heart slamming against her ribs, he stared at her as if she were the most precious thing to him, as if he would protect her for all eternity.

  His head lowered until their lips were breaths apart. But he didn’t kiss her. He rubbed his jaw against one side of her face and then the other. All the while, his other hand wound around her back and skimmed down her butt before clutching a handful and pressing her against him.

  She gasped at the feel of his arousal. His eyes met hers, a small, satisfied smile appearing before he pressed his lips to hers.

  Ravyn dug her fingers into his back at the first touch of his tongue against hers. His taste was wild and erotic, fierce and carnal. Their kiss grew frenzied, the fires of their desire consuming them.

  And they willingly stepped into the blaze.

  A shiver raced over her when she realized that Carac was gradually lifting her tunic. His callused palm grazed her hip, then her waist. She moaned when his thumb caressed the underside of her breast.

  He persisted, tantalizing her with his touch, but never actually touching her. It was too much. Ravyn tore her lips from his and tried to jerk off her tunic. But he stopped her. She looked into his green eyes, silently questioning him.

  “Do you know how long I have dreamed of removing your clothes and baring your body to me?” he asked in a low, decadent whisper that made her sex clench.

  “Nay.”

  “From the first moment I saw you.” His gaze lowered to the tunic that was bunched at her waist. “I thought of how I would remove your gown slowly. Then I saw you today. The sight of your curves so boldly and beautifully exposed has made me think of little else.”

  She was taken aback by his words and the desire she heard in them. Her breasts swelled, her nipples puckered, eage
rly awaiting his touch.

  “I am yours,” she declared.

  He briefly looked at her with a crooked grin that sent her heart tripping over itself. But his attention returned to her tunic. With both hands on her waist now, he smoothed his palms along the indent and then down to her hips before moving up again.

  This time, he didn’t stop. This time, he pushed the fabric higher. She raised her arms over her head, her eyes on his face as he slowly moved the tunic to expose her breasts and then higher until he threw it aside, forgotten.

  “By the Heavens,” he whispered and held his hands a few inches from her.

  No one had ever treated her with such care or looked at her with such yearning before. It took her breath away.

  His gaze locked on her right forearm where a Celtic raven was tattooed, its wings spread. She held still as he lifted her arm and ran his thumb over the design. Then his head swung to her other arm as he lifted it to see the Nordic rune.

  “The raven is considered to be one of the wisest and oldest of animals, and for the Celts, it played an important role in protection, magic, and prophecy,” she explained.

  His green eyes met hers. “And this one?”

  She looked at the tattoo. “It is a Nordic rune. To the Vikings, it symbolizes courage.”

  “Beautiful,” he murmured, stroking both tats.

  Finally, he returned his hands to her hips. Then his gaze lifted to her face. There were no words, but none were needed. The passion between them was palpable, the desire tangible. There was no escaping it, no avoiding it.

  And neither wanted to.

  Carac moved swiftly, one arm going around her as he lifted her and put her on her back. He then loomed over her, his face tight with need, his eyes dark with desire as he situated himself between her legs.

  Her lips parted on a silent moan when he cupped a breast and held it as he bent and wrapped his mouth around her turgid peak. He teased her nipple until she was rocking her hips against him and gripping his arm tightly.

  He didn’t relent. She arched her back when he moved to her other breast to repeat the same delicious torment. The need tightened within her so that she barely noticed that he still wore his trousers.

  She raked her nails down his back when he rose over her to rock his hard cock against her exposed womanhood. The rush of pleasure was so great that she groaned for more.

  But she should have realized that Carac was far from done with her. He kissed her chest, her breasts, and down her stomach. It wasn’t until he pressed his lips against her hipbones that she bit her lip in anticipation.

  He settled between her legs, his warm breath fanning her swollen flesh. A cry tore from her at the first touch of his tongue against her sex.

  She tangled her hands in the blanket when he found her clit and ruthlessly brought her to the edge of oblivion. He expertly and easily worked her body with his tongue and mouth until she was mindless with desire.

  Then he slid a finger inside her. Ravyn was caught in a web of rapture so moving, so stirring that she felt transcendent. She was ensnared by need, imprisoned by desire in a way where she could do nothing but lose herself in the ecstasy.

  She was so caught up in the rapturous feelings rushing through her that the orgasm caught her by surprise. The strength of it was ferocious, sending her spiraling into bliss so intense that it momentarily blinded her.

  The sight of Ravyn’s body locked in pleasure was just what Carac wanted to see. He looked up into her face to find her mouth open on a silent scream, her eyes closed, and her arms straining as she gripped the blanket.

  But it was her body clamping around his finger that nearly made him spill his seed right then. He wanted—nay, he needed—to be inside her. To merge their bodies and tangle their limbs.

  He wanted her screaming. For him. For the pleasure he gave her.

  Carac pulled his finger from her and braced his hands on either side of her. The sight of Ravyn flushed with gratification caused his balls to tighten.

  Her eyes slowly opened as she loosened her hold on the blanket. Their gazes met, and she sat up, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him.

  As their tongues dueled, he lowered himself down upon her. But she quickly took over and rolled him onto his back. He tried to keep her against him, but Ravyn ended the kiss and sat up. With her eyes on his face, she placed her palms on his chest and leaned forward so that her hair fell like a curtain around him.

  Just when he thought he would get to kiss her again, she smiled and nipped at his earlobe. Before he could react, her hand was around his aching cock.

  Carac jerked at the feel of her. Then she moved her fist up and down his length. For a man already on the verge of a climax, it was too much. He grabbed her arm to halt her before she pushed him over the edge.

  Her knowing smile said she knew exactly what she had done. But there was no remorse in her dark depths...only the promise of more to come.

  The same promise he had given her.

  The longer he was with Ravyn, the more of a match he realized they were. His thoughts halted when she rose up on her knees and held herself over his arousal.

  He leisurely caressed his hands up her thighs to her hips as she lowered herself upon him. The first touch of her tight, wet body around him had him tightening his grip. Once she was fully seated, he waited for her to begin moving.

  Her low moan made sweat break out over his body. He cupped her breasts, tweaking her nipples as she slowly increased her tempo.

  To say that she was magnificent atop him was an understatement. Her visceral, raw passion mixed with her allure was a heady combination that he happily found himself ensnared in.

  He sat up and moved her onto her back before pulling out of her. Then he flipped her onto her stomach and raised her hips. He stilled as his gaze took in the tattoo of a snake eating its own tail that covered her entire back. He wanted to know what it meant, but that was for later. Now, he needed her.

  He thrust into her. The soft cry of approval that fell from her lips propelled him onward. He gripped her hips and began to drive into her. She pushed her hips back against him, creating friction between their bodies and fanning the flames of their need.

  She rose up on her hands, and he leaned over her so they were cheek to cheek. Sweat glistened on their bodies, causing her hair to stick to both of them. She reached around and tangled her fingers in his hair as he continued to move in and out of her.

  With their breathing ragged, and desire pushing them, he was soon pounding into her, thrusting hard, deep, and fast as her cries urged him onward.

  Driven by a force as old as time, their bodies came together again and again. Passion consumed them as pleasure inched them ever closer to the pinnacle.

  Then, Ravyn cried out, her body bucking beneath his. He straightened and kept plunging into her tight body, intent on prolonging her bliss. But the feeling of her clamping around his cock sent him careening off the cliff. He held her tightly and thrust once more as his seed spilled from him and her body milked him.

  She reached around and touched his leg in the silence. Carac pulled her against him as they fell to their sides. He held her too tightly, but he couldn’t stop himself. He knew he had something special in his arms, and he wasn’t about to let her go.

  To his satisfaction, she brought his hand to her lips and kissed it before snuggling against him. After a few moments, he pulled the blanket over them and heard her sigh.

  It made him smile. Then again, almost everything Ravyn did made him grin. He wasn’t sure what the next days would hold, but he knew he would be standing beside her through it all.

  And he didn’t intend for this to be their last—or only—time together. If he had his way—and he usually got his way—she would be in his bed and in his arms every night.

  Anyone who tried to get in the way of that would be struck down. Because he’d finally found something that he would fight the world for. Ravyn.

  Chapter 17

 
Malene opened her eyes and stared in confusion at the tree limbs above her. She watched leaves sweetly swaying on the branches, the wind softly rustling them to make a magical harmony.

  It was then she realized her head was rising and falling, matching the sounds of deep breathing that reached her ears. Her gaze shifted lower, and she spotted tall, brown boots she knew well attached to legs that stretched out.

  Armir. The entire episode of them jumping to the forest to locate the Hunters filled her head. How he held her as she was sick from the magic, how he had staggered to hold them both up, how he’d never let go of her.

  She took a deep breath, her heart skipping a beat when she felt an arm tighten around her waist.

  Not only was she lying on Armir’s chest, but he held her against him. It was the most provocative, sensual embrace she had ever experienced. And she was loath to break it.

  This was the most relaxed she had ever seen him. More than anything, she wanted to look at his face. But to move would most likely wake him.

  She didn’t know how long they lay together before she realized that he was awake. It was a subtle shift in his breathing. Neither said a word or moved. They remained locked together in silence, simply enjoying their surroundings and each other.

  At least, she was.

  For all Malene knew, Armir was trying to figure out how to get away from her. That thought made the peace she’d found scatter like birds.

  She closed her eyes and committed the moment to memory before she took a deep breath, acting as if she were waking. She wanted to cry out when Armir’s arm slid from her. After one more heartbeat, she opened her eyes. Without waiting for Armir to do or say something that might wound her, she sat up and looked around.

  Then she turned and faced him. He, too, sat up. Their gazes met, clashed. No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t discern what he was thinking. That’s how it always was with Armir.