My fingers closed around the gift that felt like the fresh start we both needed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, I’m in deep groveling mode.”
I chuckled, in a more amiable mood, now that I’d slept. “Is that so?” I shoved the rest of the roll in my mouth and rubbed my palms together to demonstrate the pure evilness of my plans for him. “I may have some shoes that need shining.”
“Later. Gotta go get Roland first. The horse told me we’re twenty minutes away.”
I raised my eyebrow at him. “Cheval told you what?”
Bastien grinned, then turned around to change his shirt. He was still self-conscious about his sculpted, yet scarred, body. He buttoned the flannel and shoved the drooled-on undershirt into his pack. “Nah. I was only kidding. How much would it freak you out if that was true, though?”
“Like, nine.”
“Nine?”
“It would freak me out nine. That’s pretty big.”
He snorted, shaking out his limbs while I took my time behind the rock and readied myself to get back on the horse. “You ready?” he asked, holding his arms out to me next to Cheval.
“I think so. Man, I’m gonna be permanently bowlegged after this is all said and done.” I moved into his body space, expecting him to hoist me up so I could throw my leg over the tall horse.
Instead of lifting me high enough to reach Cheval, he only lifted my toes off the ground so he could bring us nose to nose. “I’ve been staring at your lips all day long. Just one kiss, Daisy,” he begged, his voice low, though no one was nearby.
I wasn’t sure what to do; either choice felt like a mistake. But I wanted him, and I knew we wouldn’t be afforded with privacy many more times on the mission. I nodded timidly, reminding myself not to let the kiss go on as long as it had before. “Just one.”
His mouth didn’t waste a single second. He tugged at my lower lip, bringing my walls down with too much force. I felt my defenses shatter around us as I melted in his arms. He lowered my feet to the floor, in case I got too swept away in my swoon. There were two kisses, then three, and then I lost count. I wanted dozens more, and like the glutton I was becoming, I took exactly what I wanted. My fingers furled in his collar, tugging him closer so I could swallow his low groans that matched my scared noises of passion.
“Even better than the first time,” he murmured, caressing his lips with mine again. “I didn’t think that was possible. More,” he pled, keeping one arm wrapped around my hips and running the other up my spine. My head tilted up while my back arched, molding myself to him in scandalous ways I was glad no one else could witness. He was warm and inviting, and I didn’t miss his prickly nature at all. His facial hair had thickened over the past two days, and I ran my fingers over the growth to experiment with the feel of him. My lips made a perfect mess of my resolve to keep my heart free and clear. My heart started to warm, fending off the coldness I’d thought I needed. In the span of a few more kisses, I was flooded with all kinds of delicious heat, and also the unwelcome kind.
That familiar ball of fire started to form in my belly, so I jerked away from Bastien, stumbling as I went. He looked hurt that I would rip away from him with such force, but when he saw me start to cough, he understood. I expected him to run. I expected him to panic. What I didn’t expect was for him to come closer, to offer his canteen with a steel in his eyes that told me he wasn’t going to bolt this time. I turned my head so I didn’t cough directly onto him, choking down a few gulps of water that cooled the flames in my abdomen, so they didn’t rise up anymore.
Bastien’s arms went around me once I stopped coughing. He pulled my head to his chest and rubbed my back to soothe us both. “You alright?”
I nodded, bunching his shirt so I could hold onto him. I needed to remind myself that he hadn’t run out on me this time. “You stayed,” I commented lamely. “Thank you.”
He kissed my hair before tipping my chin up so he could kiss me once more. This time his lips were gentle and barely brushed against mine. The kiss was slow, melting me all over again, this time at a more languorous pace. Like the others, we couldn’t indulge in just one. They stayed soft and beckoning, assuring me there were good things worth investigating between us.
When his tongue found mine, the fire in my stomach started getting worked up again, so I broke the kiss what felt like hours too soon, shaking my head and burying my face in his chest. “We’re getting the hang of it,” he said over my coughing. He tipped the canteen to my lips, chasing away my hacking with a few swallows.
“At this rate, I’ll be the most hydrated woman in Avalon.” I leaned up on my toes and blessed him with one more simple kiss. “Let’s go find Roland.”
Bastien hoisted me up on Cheval, who’d been patiently waiting for us to finish up. His hands lingered on my leg as he gazed up at me with what could only be explained as enraptured affection. “I like us better when we’re not fighting.”
I helped him up with a smile. “Are you sure? Let’s try fighting again and see which is better. Here,” I raised my fist in the air as he got situated behind me. “I’m super way mad at you for untold reasons!”
Bastien responded by rolling the hem of my shirt up, exposing a few inches of my stomach to the world. His fingers stroked the skin, trailing along my side to my navel as Cheval started trotting forward. “We’re done fighting,” he ruled, his tone finite as he thrilled and relaxed me with his summoning touch. “This is how we should always ride together.” Bastien leaned down and pressed his lips to my shoulder. He yanked a gasp from my mouth when he sucked on a tender spot. My eyes rolled deliciously as my back arched against him.
“We could try this I guess,” I said, biting off a moan that dripped out of me as we rode onward.
20
Welcome to the Forgotten Forest
We rode glued to each other for another day, stopping only for short breaks to stretch and refill our canteens. Our banter was comfortable and surprisingly light, once we’d established that we could kiss without imploding, and Bastien could converse without turning surly.
Cheval kept apologizing for talking to me too much and exhausting me, but I told him I didn’t mind. I mean, poor dude. The only company he ever got was suicidal people living through the last of their worst moments. Cheval enjoyed listening to Bastien and me go back and forth with our goofy flirtation.
When the seemingly endless expanse of gray rock gave way to a cheery green, my spine perked up. Soon the introduction of sparse patches of grass was accompanied by tall, full trees that stretched higher than a brontosaurus into the blue sky. Everything was flowers and chartreuse bushes with frothy leaves. It was a wonderland paradise, and smelled like a haven. Nature seemed at its most radiant here, offering peace and loveliness as a welcome mat for us to rub our feet into. I wanted nothing more than to throw out my arms and belt out a chorus of “‘The hills are alive with the Sound of Music!’” but thought that might be perceived as slightly strange.
Birds sang joyfully, announcing us with a tune of welcome to the cozy forest. One of them commented to the others that my hair had perfect curls. Another said my hair looked like a mix between honey and the earth. I kind of loved them all, and bathed in the compliments I wasn’t expecting after being on a horse for who knows how long. “What pretty nests that would make. Just a few curls.”
I batted my hand up at them, knowing they didn’t think I could understand their back and forth. “Oh, you’re just trying to make a girl blush.”
“Huh?” Bastien inquired, never sure when I was talking to him or conversing with animals.
“It’s the birds. They like my hair.”
Bastien’s response to this was to grip my ponytail possessively and use it to yank my head back against his shoulder. “I like your hair.” His mouth suctioned to my neck, working my lucky spot right good until I was writhing and moaning while my brain took a vacation, and my libido started calling the shots. “We’re in the Forgotten Forest,�
�� he commented darkly. “I want to kiss you in the Forgotten Forest. Who else can say they’ve done that?”
A dozen birds landed atop Cheval’s head, combing out his mane for him with their claws. They chirped animatedly in their excitement that I had heard them. I was the Voix, and they had a million things to tell me, each of them talking in unison.
I wanted to answer them, but some things just couldn’t be put on hold. I twisted as best I could in the saddle, Bastien’s mouth catching mine with no hesitation. His lips were hungry for me, and devoured greedily while his knuckles brushed down my cheek. It was like we’d been intimate for years, and knew just how to get down to business. His hand on my face made my dirty skin feel soft and creamy, warming me to his touch. His other hand grazed my stomach under my shirt, caressing the line above my low rise jeans just to drive me wild.
I was hot all over, but the déjà vu feeling of heat culminating in my belly slowed my need for the taste of him. “Bastien,” I whispered, cautioning him about the coughing I knew wasn’t too far off.
He didn’t hear the warning in my voice, only the sound of his name on my lips, which apparently unhinged the last vestiges of his control. He deepened the kiss with his tongue teasing mine, gripping my stomach possessively and tightening his hold on my hair. “I want you,” he replied in a low growl that made me arch my back, shoving my stomach into his hand while he thumbed my navel.
I wanted him too, but my body started warring with my heart, until finally my desires took over. The heat began to rise up my esophagus, an ominous slow roll that told me to slow my roll.
If you’ve never kissed someone while coughing into their mouth, I highly recommend it for the entertainment value alone. Bastien’s eyes bugged when he finally reared back, wiping his mouth and fumbling for the canteen so I didn’t vomit a metaphorical wedding ring all over him by accident.
I gulped down the water, blushing at the birds, who chirped animatedly that the Voix had taken a husband. “No, no,” I corrected them, my eyes still watering. “Not my husband. Just Bastien.”
“‘Just’? How would you like it if I introduced you as ‘just my Daisy?’”
I ducked my head, my cheeks going from pink to deep red at the declaration that I was his. “Alright, alright. Excuse me, everyone. This is the incredible Untouchable, Bastien the Bold.”
He glanced to one of the brown-feathered birds with a confident grin and a firm hand on my belly. “And this is my Rosie.”
Bastien dismounted, stretching from head to toe before holding his arms up to me so I could slide down. I expected him to move back, but his arms wrapped tight around me, venturing another kiss. It was lighter this time, a sweet blessing that reminded me we had two sides to our dueling natures. There would always be the fight, but only we could bring out the sweetness in each other.
Sexy me that I am, coughed in his face again. Bastien chuckled at our affliction. “It’s a good thing you’ve got that hacking thing built in, otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to stop kissing you. Call me Bastien the Bold again.” His thumb drew a lazy circle at the base of my spine.
“I wasn’t hitting on you. Reyn said that was your title.”
“It is, but I only like it on your lips.”
My head cranked to the side when the birds started chirping at the top of their lungs that the Voix had come to the Forgotten Forest. My eyes scanned the woods, and found a few uni-deer peering around trunks to get a better look at us. Three two-headed pit bulls came bounding forward, their tongues wagging like puppies on a treasure hunt, and I was the juicy bone. I waved at them and smiled when Bastien reached for the knife on his belt. “Hey, everyone. This forest is gorgeous. Is this your home?”
Too many voices answered at once, but the one I had to address first was the two-headed dog who was growling at Bastien’s knife with too much intention. I put my hand over Bastien’s and guided the weapon back into his belt. He frowned, not taking his eyes off the dogs. “These aren’t harmless, hun.”
“You handled the Gévaudan; I’ll handle these guys.” I ignored Bastien’s grumble and bent down to scratch the backs of their heads, smiling when they softened immediately under my touch. I looked over my shoulder to Cheval, who had been trying to keep his conversation to a minimum so as not to exhaust me. “Cheval, I’m not sure I should wait around and socialize, as much as I want to. Roland and the gems, and then we should probably split. Is that alright?”
“Whatever you like, Princess. I can take you to the heart of the village where most of the people are. I don’t remember all their names, so I don’t know which one he is. Is he an Untouchable, like your keeper?”
I glanced over to Bastien, who was wary at all the encroaching wildlife, his eyebrows pushed together in consternation. “Is Roland an Untouchable? Cheval’s trying to narrow down where to look for him.”
Bastien’s scarred eyebrow raised slowly. “Roland’s royalty, but not an Untouchable. Is there an Untouchable here?”
Cheval confirmed that there was, and I relayed the message while I scratched the pit bulls’ belly when he rolled onto his back.
“Aim for royalty, but we don’t go back without seeing the Untouchable.” His eyes seemed to darken. “I was up in Common for a year, and I haven’t checked in with the Brotherhood since I got back. Who would’ve given up like that?”
I spoke to Bastien for Cheval. “Cheval can take us to both people, but it’s a few minutes’ ride still to get to the village where most of the Fae are.”
“Let’s go now,” Bastien ruled, his playful side gone. This was Business Bastien, and he was on a mission. With a sad farewell to my new friends, I climbed back atop Cheval, with Bastien behind me. He gripped my stomach, thumbing my navel to assure me that we were in this together, even if the mission just got a little more complicated. I’d been worried he would shut down, but apparently he was capable of growth.
“What’s the Brotherhood?” I asked.
I didn’t think Bastien was going to answer me; the silence went on so long. “It’s a group of us. All Untouchables.”
“You mean there are more of you who fought your way out of the army and survived? I thought you were the only one.”
“I’m the only Untouchable from Avalon. There aren’t many more. A few that escaped from the Éireland Army, that’s a separate country in Faîte. We’re a grim bunch, but after you go through something like that, it’s hard to be around other people. We check in on each other, do jobs together when more muscle is needed. Things like that.” He scratched the tattoo on his neck, and then tightened his grip on me.
“I guess it didn’t even dawn on me that there was military outside of Morgan’s Army.”
He raised an eyebrow at me like I was stupid. “The Queen’s Army only fights for Avalon. The other country is entitled to protect themselves, too.”
“How many other countries are there?”
“Just the two. Duchess Lane really didn’t tell you any of this?”
“Hello, she told me exactly zero things about your world. She didn’t want me anywhere near Avalon. Everything is new to me.”
“Two countries, but most of our wars are internal. Éireland usually doesn’t bother with Avalon. We’ve both got enough problems of our own.”
“Huh. So, your Brotherhood, they’re not pissed you’re from Avalon?”
Bastien gave a curt shake of his head that I only just saw over my shoulder. “No matter our countries’ statuses, we see each other as men with no ties. Loyalty to the Brotherhood trumps any affinity for our country. Our tie is that we survived the brutality of our nation, so we’re under no one’s thumb anymore.”
Cheval cantered at a mild pace, so the woodland animals who were gathering behind us could keep up. “I feel like I should be nervous. Are they cool? Like, are they nice?” I didn’t know how to ask if they were a bunch of jaded, homicidal maniacs.
“Nice? Um, no. Just hang back while I see which one of us it is. Some of them are great, but… we
ll, let’s just say breaking out of an army leaves lasting damage that some can handle, and others can’t.”
My hand fell to his that was pressed to my stomach, while my other hand reached up over my shoulder to stroke his stubble. I loved the feel of his scruffy cheek gliding over the nerve endings in my fingertips. It was intimate in a way I didn’t often get to be. I craned my neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek, not expecting him to nuzzle his face closer to my lips so the kiss could linger. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I don’t like the thought of someone hurting you.”
“You’re such a softy.” I don’t know why this made him snigger, but his cheek lifted against my lips. “It was just a couple scratches. Nothing to get upset about.”
I snorted at the G-rated explanation of the event that made his torso look like it had been shredded, and then sewn back together. “Darn those nasty kittens, swiping at you.” I angled my chin up to look into his eyes, communicating that I knew it was more than a few scratches, and that it wasn’t right for them to hurt him so brutally.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Bastien scolded, his voice firm, but without attitude. “Look at me like I’m strong, not like I’ve been broken apart.”
Instead of addressing this, I opted for deflection. “You think you’re strong? Pfft. I’d like to see an actual display of muscle, then. I mean, I’m starting to think this ‘Bastien the Bold’ stuff is all for show. Defeat the Gévaudan, sure, but I mean, Draper and Bayard did most of the work there. And was the Gévaudan really that terrifying? I don’t think so. Practically like wrestling a puppy. You should’ve just thrown her a treat.”
Bastien scoffed, his mouth falling open at my teasing. “You’ve got some mouth on you. I’ve got half a mind to kiss that snark right out of you.”
“All talk and no action.” There weren’t any people around, so I tangled my fingers in his hair and tugged him down to indulge in another kiss. His lips were soft, but he put pressure to the kiss that brought us from testing the waters to a feeling of claiming each other. That kiss took us from sneaking the occasional flirt to a deeper, more familiar connection that we would keep coming back to. His tongue teased mine, the slow seduction different from our previous crashes of passion. This kiss unfolded and melted like honey, dripping from the bottle at a torturously slow pace. Like we had all the time in the world to explore each other, like the world wasn’t Faîte or Common, but it was just us. The nation could fall to ruins and crumble beneath us, but we wouldn’t notice, because we would be locked into this luxury of desire. Bastien let out an impassioned bleat that sounded like fear and vulnerability. Bastien the Bold was afraid of me, his barely audible whimpers escaping his control.
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