by Mia Bishop
“Yes.”
“You did it then, you can do it now. I might be an ass but…”
“But what?”
“But I believe in you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. He believed in her. Something about those words resonated deep inside her. No one had believed in her in such a long time. Her grip tightened on the dagger hilts. She gave him a quick nod and focused her thoughts. “Okay, I’ll try.”
“Good girl. Now when you attack, make sure you keep your guard up.” He guided her through the basics. Keeping her arm up to protect her face, correcting her stance. Within minutes, she was dodging and parrying like a pro.
A genuine grin spread across her lips. “I’m good, huh?”
“Don’t get so full of yourself, Red.” He swung for her throat but she dodged and thrust her blade toward his open side, Luc deflected the maneuver and weaved to the right. “You’re good but you still have a lot to learn.”
Rowan threw her foot out, catching him in the gut. As soon as he doubled over, she came at him with a striking blow. Luc rolled to the side. Before she could get out of his reach, he snagged her ankle in his large hands and yanked hard. Rowan let out a yelp as she hit the ground. Her heart was pounding. Something told her keep fighting. Panic set in. Out of instinct, she started flailing around, kicking, throwing wild punches, anything she could do to get away, to get the upper hand.
He was crawling up her body. Rowan dug her fingers into the moist dirt and fought harder. Her entire body stilled when he snarled in her ear. It was loud and feral, almost as if he were a beast himself. Something called her, pulling her in two different directions. On the one hand, this was Luc, he was there to help her. On the other, her soul was telling her he was dangerous and to be cautious. No, not cautious. It was telling her to be afraid. The fear was definitely real but so was the trust. He was saying something to her, whispering in her ear but she couldn’t clear her thoughts enough to hear him.
One minute she was on her stomach clawing at the ground, the next minute she was staring straight up at the sky. Her eyes started to focus on her surroundings, blinking repeatedly as everything came into view. Luc had somehow managed to flip her over onto her back but she still wasn’t sure if the panic had subsided enough to actually speak without screaming. He was still talking, “Red, Red. Look at me. Look me in the eyes.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and finally found her words, “I can’t.”
“Why not? What the hell happened?” He paused and stroked her cheek. “I wouldn’t hurt you, Red.”
“I know.” Her words were hollow and she was sure he could sense the uncertainty in them.
“Open your eyes, Red. Look at me, please.” His thumb rubbed over her lips. “Open them.”
She slowly blinked and looked up at him. “I got scared. I’m sorry.”
“What scared you?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Something just told me to be afraid and to fight. It’s as if I didn’t have control of myself. I didn’t like that feeling.”
Luc nodded and cupped her chin in his hand. “You never have to fear me.”
“I’m trying to believe that.” Before she could sit up, his lips pressed against hers. At first, she stiffened but the feeling of his lips was intoxicating. Everything she wanted and was denied last night came rising to the forefront. Her mind was even more at war with herself. She was scared of him enough to fight tooth and nail and yet a minute later she was willing to give anything to feel his hands and mouth on her. “Luc…”
“Shush. Just go with it. Don’t give in to the fear.”
She couldn’t speak anymore. He’d silenced her with another kiss. His tongue thrust deep inside her mouth, swirling and warring with hers. She let out a soft whimper and he pulled back. “What are you going to do?”
Luc laughed. “Nothing bad, I can guarantee you that.” He smoothed back her hair. “I’d rather replace your fear with pleasure, like last night.”
Her cheeks burned. Just the thought of the night before had her practically purring like a kitten. She bobbed her head slowly. “Yes…”
His fingers deftly untied her corset. She arched her back as cool air kissed her exposed skin. His head dipped to take her rosy peak into his warm mouth. He pulled back to blow over her flesh, causing her nipple to pucker. He slid his hand lower and heat pooled between her legs. Before she could catch her breath, he had her pants unlaced and was sliding them down her hips. She wiggled to help him rid her of the plush leather. He cupped her sex, rubbing his palm against her. “Excited already, huh?”
“Uh huh.” Rowan rolled her eyes back as he ground his hand against her. He slipped a finger through her slick seam and she moaned. “Again?” Her voice was thick with needing.
Luc kissed down her flat stomach, flicking his tongue around her bellybutton. “Not exactly.” He slid one finger deep inside her hot core, her hips bucked. “So needful?”
She wiggled and looked down at him, wanting to watch whatever he was about to do to her. His head dipped lower and she shivered. He cleaved her soft folds with his tongue, growling deeply at his first taste of her sweet juices. Pleasure coursed through her. Soft moans escaped her lips as his tongue delved deeper, swirling inside her.
She wasn’t new to sex by any stretch of the imagination but she’d never let anyone taste her. It seemed almost more intimate than sex itself, something she’d never been willing to give to just anyone. Another flick of Luc’s tongue brought her crashing back down to reality. Her hips moved on their own, as if willing him to give her more. His tongue curled wickedly inside her moist heat, causing her to grip the grass by the fistful. “Oh God! What did you do?”
She could feel his lips curving into a smile against her folds. Luc’s voice was barely a whisper, “Looks like I found your spot, the one that will make your toes curl.”
Rowan opened her eyes and nodded in agreement. Toe curling was definitely what was going on, but he pulled back. She bit her bottom lip and whimpered with need. “Why’d you stop?”
He lifted his head up and darted his tongue out at her clit as he sank two fingers deep inside her quivering pussy, slowly working in and out. “Because I’m not ready for you to come yet.”
“Oh…” She might have had more to say but he sucked her swollen clit into his hot mouth and rolled his tongue over the nub as his fingers wiggled and spread her velvety walls more. Her head dropped back on the grass. Everything that had been bottled up inside her for days—weeks and years of being unfulfilled and frustrated was opening up, as if every part of her body demanded pleasure from him. He took her clit in his teeth, slowly rolling it as he pulled his fingers out only to thrust them back inside her tight sheath. She dug her nails into the moist dirt. Her back arched but he held her hips in place with his free hand. “More. Please.”
He lifted his wet fingers to his mouth and licked every drop of her sweet cream from them before lapping at her slick seam. “Oh God, yes.”
His fingers slid back inside her, wiggling and spreading apart to give him better access to her. She dropped her knees, opening herself even more as his tongue slipped between his fingers. His tongue caressed her, flicked in just the right spots to make her moan. She could feel the pleasure building. Warmth spread out from her core, cascading over her, making her weak.
His fingers left her again as his mouth clamped over her, sucking her folds into his mouth. His tongue was teasing and torturous as he feasted on her. His hands gripped her inner thighs, keeping her open to him, refusing to let her close her legs. He shook his head, igniting something inside her. The feel of his tongue, his mouth and his breath against her skin sent a flood of heat through her entire body. His whiskered cheeks rubbed her thighs almost raw as he devoured her. She slapped at the ground, back arched and crying out for him. Her walls tightened, her breath hitched. Her pussy clamped around his tongue as he curled it, stroking her sweet spot. A sheen of sweat broke out over her body as she panted and wiggled. Her
body convulsed, letting her tight walls draw his tongue deeper with every wave of pleasure as her body quivered on the cool, damp grass.
Luc lifted his head when her body seemed to be calming down. “You don’t fear me now, do you?”
Rowan laughed and finally released the clumps of grass she had been clinging to. “I’m pretty sure I’m over my fear.” She started to pull herself up but he splayed his hand over her belly to hold her still. Her knees shook as she felt a wave of dizziness sweep over her.
“Easy there, Red. I think you should just relax for a minute.”
He eased himself onto the grass next to her and propped himself up on his elbow, “You are very beautiful, you know that, don’t you?”
Her cheeks burned for about the millionth time since she’d met him. “Thank you.”
“And I like it when you blush.”
“I seem to do that a lot around you.” Even in this beautiful place and after the pleasure he just gave her, she still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling knotting in her stomach. Her brow creased. “Luc? What if I’m not ready to fight these wolves?”
“You will be.” He glanced down at the grass and picked at a single blade of green that had been smashed during their fun. When his eyes traveled up to meet hers again there was something different about them. She couldn’t put her finger on it— sadness, sorrow—neither of those made sense but when he spoke, his tone was no longer playful. “You were born to destroy them.”
She groaned. “How though? I tried to spar with you and I freaked out and that just led to…” she paused and felt her cheeks warm, “well, you know.”
He gave her a smirk but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It led to me devouring you like a condemned man enjoying his last meal.”
Rowan threw her head back and laughed. “That was terribly clichéd. Can’t you do better than that?”
“I’m sure I could do worse.” He winked. “I drank you down like a man dying from dehydration?”
She wiped her eyes as her shoulders shook from laughing harder. “I think I liked your first one better.”
He leaned over, lightly brushing his lips against hers. His hands threaded through her hair, his tongue teased her mouth until she opened for him. She moaned against his lips as his tongue warred with hers. She could feel herself scooting closer to him, his mouth was demanding her submission and she was willing to give him it right there in the meadow. Her leg draped over his hip and he ground against her naked body, but he pulled back. “How about we just say I gave you the best kiss you’ve ever had?”
She nodded. “That’s an understatement. But I still don’t know how I will defeat the wolves.”
Luc sat up, resting his arms on his knees as he gave a slow nod. “I can’t explain how, I just know you will. Your instincts are unlocking, slowly, but they are still there.” He glanced over at her. “No one says it has to be a pretty win. You’ll figure it out.” She started to open her mouth but he cut her off. “We’ll keep practicing while we’re on the trail. Trust me, okay?”
“Okay, I trust you.”
“Good. Now let’s get you laced up. I think if we stay any longer the fairies will put us under a spell.”
Rowan gasped. She’d forgotten about the sprites in the forest. “Oh God, they were watching us?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, and they liked what they saw.” When she wrinkled her nose in disgust, he laughed harder. “Not like that. They feed off intimate emotions, passion, lust, love. When there is negative energy around them they become malevolent sprites—we call them Brownies then. They are buggers, real hard to get rid of and they live to torment and trick people, but the ones here are untouched by evil. They are kind and feed on the emotions given off when two people are intimate.” He pointed toward the field of flickering colorful lights. “They light up like that. If you listen carefully, you can hear them singing their tune. If we stay here any longer we will be lulled into their trance and we will do nothing but fuck each other senseless until we waste away from lack of food and water.”
Rowan gasped. “That’s horrible. I thought you said they are the good ones.”
“They don’t mean to trap people, but it’s in their nature to encourage people to…”
“To make love?”
Luc snickered. “More like make them screw like rabbits, but yeah, we can pretty it up and call it making love.”
She shook her head and slipped her leather pants on. She hopped in place to pull them over her hips and cinched up the leather ties before donning her corset. She was about to lace it up herself when Luc’s hand stopped her.
He turned her around so she was facing away from him and ran his fingers down her back, gathering the laces and tightening them as he went. His hot breath fanned against her neck as he whispered. “Deep breath.” She breathed in and he gave the laces a final tug. Her breasts heaved as her waist drew in. After a couple of seconds, he dropped his hands. “All tied up, Red, and good to go.”
Rowan gave the fairies one final glance. Just as he had said, she could hear them singing. It was soft but it was definitely getting louder. She gathered up her cloak and slung it over her shoulders. “Lead the way.”
* * * * *
A pair of eyes watched from the edge of the meadow as fairies flittered around him. He swatted at the nuisances. The ones at the edge of the field were dark colors of flickering lights, not like the light-colored ones currently feeding off the couple enjoying themselves. He picked up the ax lying at his feet. “They shouldn’t have gotten so close so fast.”
“Problems, sir?”
The young man was cowering behind a nearby tree. Piper glared at him. “You shouldn’t be here, Peter.”
“I know, I just thought—”
“You thought? That is the problem. You serve me. You do not think, you obey.”
Peter dropped his head, sending tendrils of brown hair falling in front of his eyes. “Yes sir.”
“You were so much more obedient when you were a child.”
The young man shuffled his feet. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
Piper waved his hand, dismissing the issue. “While I am working on turning these two against each other I need to you to help Aengus ready my army. I need all of my loyal servants ready for my signal.” His hand absently caressed the flute tucked into his belt. “One way or another I will rule these lands and exterminate the wolves, then we will move on to the next phase of the plan.” His eyes snapped up, causing Peter to jump backward. “Be ready, and stay away from the wolves. You’ve had enough problems with them. We don’t need to invite more trouble to us.”
“Yes, Piper.” Peter bowed deeply and backed away. As soon as Piper could hear the man’s horse galloping down the road he relaxed. The last thing he needed was to have one of his servants mess up his plans. He’d have to find a way to drive the wedge between Luc and Rowan. “One way or another,” he repeated to himself.
As Luc and Rowan wove their way through the thicket, Piper trailed in the distance until he could find a suitable path leading toward the road where he knew they’d intersect. Enough time in the Black Forest had allowed him to memorize most of the trails and would suit his new persona well. He straightened his back and walked with his head up, ax swung over his shoulder as he whistled a tune.
* * * * *
Once they had made it back to the main trail, Luc held Rowan’s hand tightly as he pulled her down the path. She enjoyed the feel of his skin touching hers but the longer they stayed on the main road again, the more she feared running into the wolves. “Do you hear that?”
Luc’s eyes narrowed, she could tell he heard it. It was a faint melody, a song. He shook his head, “Must be the wind.”
“You are a horrible liar.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes. I can tell you hear it too. Someone is nearby.”
He sniffed at the air. “Just keep walking, it isn’t the wolves. They don’t whistle.”
Rowan pursed her li
ps. What an odd thing for him to do, sniff the air like an animal. She didn’t say anything. There was no arguing with his logic. They’d keep walking, it didn’t matter who was on the road as long as they didn’t mean them any harm. They rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the man whistling his tune as he walked. He was tall, burly, dressed in simple linens, leather boots, with a sturdy ax propped on his shoulder. He gave them a nod, sending his shoulder-length brown hair dancing around his broad face. “Well met, travelers.”
Rowan did her best not to laugh, but images of Ren Faire patrons were the only thing she could think of. All the people dressed up and talking in over-accented old English. But this wasn’t a Renaissance Faire. She dipped her head. “Hello.”
Luc, on the other hand, glared at the man and gave no indication of greeting the stranger.
The man cleared his throat. “Are you traveling to the border of the pack lands?”
Luc immediately bristled. “Why would you ask that?”
“Well, it’s the only place in this direction.”
Rowan tugged on Luc’s sleeve to try to calm him but he snarled. “And what business would it be of yours?”
The man held up his hands. “No business of mine at all, it’s just that the road is washed out about a mile up. It seems someone dammed up the creek and flooded out the lowlands. I heard the last remaining cottages there were wiped out.”
She gasped. “The cottages are flooded? Luc, what about my grandma’s house?”
Theron arched a brow. “You are going to your grandmother’s?”
“Yes, but if it’s flooded then…”
Luc rolled his eyes. “We’ll take our chances.”
The man seemed unbothered by Luc’s reaction. Instead he turned his attention to Rowan. “And what about you, miss? Will you take your chances?”
“I… Um… I go where he goes.”
“Well, in that case I invite you both to come with me, I know a spot a few miles upstream where there is one remaining bridge. I am heading that way.” He tapped the ax blade. “Besides in these woods you never know when an ax might come in handy.”