Page 56 of The Rat King
“How?” she asked. “Oh.” She got her answer as I lowered myself to where I was eye level with the softest part of her.
I hooked my arm around the side of the ladder to brace myself and used my other hand to spread open her thighs. Gooseflesh dotted her skin, and I blew hot air onto her folds. She squirmed.
“I’m going to eat you now,” I said, hovering an inch away from what I so desperately wanted.
“Okay,” she said, and as soon as the words left her lips, my tongue darted forward, licking across her slit. I dipped lower and circled her clit with my tongue, teasing and sucking it until she was making little gasps. I went back and forth until her thigh shivered beneath my palm.
I moved my hand further up so I could separate her cheeks, and I glided my tongue over the other tight hole. She tried to bolt up, but I planted my face and shoved her down with my free hand and as I worked licking between her ass and her pussy, she began whimpering in earnest. I thrust my tongue deep inside her and she cried out as her legs went tense in front of me.
“Oh, Nigh,” she bit out, between pants. When her breathing evened out, she said, “I’ve never had anyone kiss methere.”
I knew precisely whichthereshe was referring to by her little surprised jump. “Did you like it?” I asked her, helping her onto the ledge. She rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows. I drank her in, from the impression of the rock which made a pattern on her flushed skin to the drizzle from her wet hair which traced down across her breasts, some sliding off and some pooling in her navel.
“Yes,” she said, though her grin was a little sheepish, but she leaned forward, licking her lips, probably steeling herself for what she believed I expected her to do for me. Sure enough, she said, “Come here so I can return the favor.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, crawling onto the platform and then over her. In a single thrust, I was inside her heat. Just the taste of her had almost caused me to explode, a few slaps of our wet flesh, and I was seeing stars.
When I gathered my bearings, I rolled off of her, the chilly stone cooling off my overheated skin. Propping myself up on an elbow, I watched her savor the sensation of sunlight beating down on her. Her serene face shed any of the worried tension it occasionally carried. She was so beautiful like this, experiencing the simple joys of life, and I suddenly wanted to know everything about her.What were you like as a kid? What happened to your parents? How many lovers have you had? Were any of their names Chase?
Damn my spiraling thoughts.
I’d done a decent job of preventing the nagging question from eroding the time I spent with her. That didn’t mean it still wasn’t in the back of my mind and the question it brought up. Soon enough, I’d know who she saw, or didn’t see, and then some past lover would be the least of my concerns.
I kept my mouth shut for fear of what would come out of it and adopted a prone position beside her, closing my eyes. I don’t know how long we laid there, but eventually she rustled beside me and then was out of sight. There was a splash, and I looked up to see Avery swimming across the grotto.
I let her swim for a while before I joined her. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the picnic she brought and even offered Eclipse an apple and some carrots she had thoughtfully packed.
As she dropped the towel, I noticed a thin red line across the back of her thigh and my heart went cold. I glanced down at my hand and sure enough, one of the caps must have come off in the water. Dread sluiced through me, and I rushed over to her and knelt down to inspect it. The blood was dried, and it was barely a scratch, thank the goddess.
“What?” she asked, craning her head around to see what had captured my attention. “Nigh, that’s just a scratch. I probably got it on the stones. Don’t worry about it, okay? It will heal and be gone in a week.”
Her gentle hand cupped my cheek, and she tilted my head up toward her. She leaned down and gave me a kiss. “I’m not breakable, okay? You need to quit treating me like I am.”
If she knew where the scratch had come from, she would be horrified. I should never have allowed myself to sleep with her except on the full moon, but I was so weak. She was someone I couldn’t resist and at the first opportunity, I caved with hardly a fight. I truly was the monster she thought I was.
As I stood, I vowed to myself and the goddess that I would not give in again until our wedding night. That meant six more days. And nights. I could do that. I would make up some excuse about wanting our wedding night to be special and stay away.
If I had only allowed her to say it that night, this would all be over with, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her hating me, though I knew it was inevitable. I still felt awful, but the decision gave me some comfort. And as we rode back to Ravsted, I thanked the goddess that the cut hadn’t been worse.
Chapter 40
Avery
Nighvalhadbeengonethe last few days, and I was aching to see him. I stared at myself in the mirror, alone in my room. This wedding would be different. It was to a man that I had more than warm feelings for, who I knew in the depth of my person felt the same as I did. Had it been me and him in the beginning, what would have happened?
But I couldn’t let myself think of that. By the end of the night, we’d save the people on two different planes and be basking in this thing that had grown between us against all odds. I couldn’t wait to see him. And for him to see me.
I’d designed my dress this time and though Nighval hadn’t seen me in the other, this dress would be one of my creations. The white fabric was embroidered with sequins and pearls, full sleeves, a high neckline, and hit just below my breasts so it exposed a sliver of my tiny midsection I knew he liked. The bottom also hugged my curves down to where it flared out at the knee slightly in a subtle mermaid cut.
It hardly revealed any skin, but with the way it showed my physique, I knew he’d love it. A part of me wanted to take over and design his tux, but this was important to him, and I imagined after everything he’d experienced with the other witches, he would want some say.
Like the full moon party, he wanted the moment we said I do to be when the moon was at its peak. I loved his reverence for the goddess and the significant role nature played in his life.
I started for the door, but at the last minute rushed over to my makeup kit and wiped off the bright pink I was wearing on my lips, changing it to a lighter shade. I took another glance in the mirror. Perfect.
I walked out into the garden. A little pathway had been created with white rose petals that wound through the flowers to a small marble gazebo. Inside it stood Nighval and a priest I’d never met. The wedding would be just the three of us, and I love it.
Like I imagined, Nighval’s tux was a longer 1940s style with a squared off bottom and a classic black bow tie. His eyes lit up as he saw me, and the world was silent for a moment. My heart thundered in my ears and then the sounds of crickets singing came into my awareness.
