Page 30 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

“I’d do that where we could enjoy comforts such as pillows, wine, and delectable delights like chocolate or frothed sugared milk.Regular opportunities to bathe would also be preferable for that goal."I smirked, and her lips twitched into a smile of her own."What I said about my brother is true, but what I've learned of your heart these past few days, and the burden you’ve shouldered alone all this time has me more concerned about your well-being than anything else.There could be other options for my brother.I don't want you risking yourself if there's another way."

We stood inches apart, yet it wasn't close enough.A warmth drew me to her, and her sweet scent teased my senses.Her fingers twitched against my shoulders, and I wondered if she wanted to touch my skin as I had cupped her chin before.I leaned closer, and when she didn't retreat, I brushed her neck with my nose and inhaled her essence. My lips neared her ear, and I grazed the soft lobe.She tensed beneath me as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves in a melody just for us.

"I can’t be selfish with you, Rosemary.I don’t want to risk you.Not for anything."

She took a step back, not to distance herself, but to draw me closer.Her hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me with her until her back pressed against the rough bark of the nearest tree.Her body melded with mine, feeling heavenly.I froze, unwilling to disrupt this perfect moment.The magnetic pull between us was undeniable, an invisible line drawing us together, igniting a heated electricity at her touch.

Her breath hitched as my hands traced her hips to her waist, slowly following her curves.I buried my face in her hair and dragged my lips along her jaw, reveling in her breathy gasp.Her big brown eyes radiated a wild heat, intensifying the warmth in my veins.

The spark between us ignited into a blazing inferno as our lips met in a passionate dance.The forest fell silent as the sun dipped, but with her in my arms and our lips entwined, we were oblivious to the darkening world around us.Her fingers tangled in my hair, holding me close as her lips parted, welcoming my tongue to explore its honeyed warmth.It was blissful torment, a place I could lose myself and never want to leave.

Her leg lifted, wrapping around mine, and I wasted no time in cupping her backside within my palms so that I could hoist her upward.Her legs settled around my waist, anchoring her to me as both her arms cradled the back of my head, her fingers still deep within my hair as her skirts fell in a wide curtain around our hips.I could feel every inch of her against me, and my legs nearly buckled at the ecstasy.The taste of her on my exploring tongue, the feel of her chest pressed against mine, how tight her legs held her to me...

My lips left hers to trail searing kisses along her jaw, down her chin, to the curve of her neck.Her breath fell hot against my skin, and just as I thought I might lose myself completely, she pulled away.

"Wait."Her voice was breathless, uncertain."I don't...I don't even know your last name."

I pulled back, studying her face in the dappled light filtering through the trees."Does it matter?"

"Yes, of course it does," she whispered, and the honesty in her voice almost undid me.

"That's what scares me," I admitted truthfully as I tightened within my trousers and struggled to breathe.Everything but the two of us dropped from existence.There was only us."I promise I'll tell you my last name, but for now can I just be Elias?"

She searched my face as if warring with indecision but then nodded.

Her fingers twisted into the fabric of my tunic, fisting there as she pressed her forehead to mine."Elias," she breathed, and I nearly buckled at the sound of my name on her lips."We can't...we shouldn't..."

I silenced her words with a fervent kiss, craving her like a ruinous addiction.Despite knowing our fated path, all I wanted was to lay her among wildflowers, to worship her until my name echoed from her lips.Yet, as I drowned in the heat of our embrace, a cold dread crept in.This beautiful, brave, stubborn woman could unravel me with a touch.If I let her awaken all she stirred in my battered heart, I'd never do what needed to be done, for her or for myself.

With a shuddering breath that felt like daggers to my parched throat, I wrenched myself from her intoxicating grip, setting her down gently until her boots touched the ground.My breath fell from me as I stepped backward, putting space between us.When my heated gaze dropped to hers, I saw the remnants of desire even as that adorable, confused wrinkle cut between her brows.I swallowed hard, putting another step between us as I steeled myself against the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

"Rosemary, I..."My voice cracked, raw and unsteady."I’m sorry.I overstepped."I turned from her, groaning as I adjusted myself.My heart throbbed at the flicker of rejection that flashed behind her gaze before I turned.

She cleared her throat, a nervous chuckle tinkling into the night at my back.I wondered if she felt the cold as much as I did, now that we’d let each other go.With my back to her, I lifted my chin to the trees above, the sky darkening too quickly.I knew now, though, that this journey, what I must do, would destroy me in the end.

The plan was simple, even if it would destroy me.Make her fall in love with me during this journey, just enough to break the curse that had destroyed both our lives.Then, when we reached the daemonacus flower, I would ensure she got the cure she needed for her sister.And after that, I would disappear from her life forever.

She deserved a future free from the darkness of my world.Free from the monster I'd become in my mother's court.If I could give her that freedom by breaking our bond and walking away, then the pain would be worth it.

Even if it killed me to do it.

I pressed my palm against the tree, feeling the rough bark dig into my skin.Tomorrow, I would begin in earnest.I would charm her, protect her, make her trust me completely.And when the time came, I would break both our hearts to save her from a life chained to someone like me.

The perfect plan.The cruelest kindness I could offer.

It was the only way she could ever truly be free.

Even if it destroyed me.

Out for the Moon

ROSEMARY

My fingers brushed my lips, feeling the warmth left behind as I watched him walk away.The sensation was like touching sun-heated stone, and I found myself pressing harder, as if I could somehow capture the memory in my skin.My heart fluttered wildly, a hummingbird trapped against my ribs, beating so fast I was certain he could hear it even from this distance.His kiss had been so intense that my lips still tingled, the taste of him lingering on my tongue like honey and lightning.

Almost every part of me yearned for him, a physical ache that started in my chest and spread through my limbs like fever.My mind spun like a child's top, careening from thought to thought without finding purchase.What just happened?One moment we were talking, our voices soft in the growing dusk; the next, his lips were on mine, his fingers gripping my waist with desperate hunger, pulling me closer until we melded into one being.My breath remained shallow, my chest rising and falling in quick, uneven gasps as my mind raced to catch up with what my body had already decided.

Distance now separated us, and reality hit me like a hurricane tearing through a peaceful village.I turned away, mirroring how he had turned from me, shame and anger burning through my skin like nettles dragged across bare flesh.How had I let myself become so distracted?The question echoed in my skull, each repetition like a hammer blow.He was unseelie!The enemy of everything I'd been raised to protect and cherish.I had a mission, a purpose more important than anything else in all the realms.How much time did Briar have left before her body completely deteriorated before my very eyes?The countdown felt like sand slipping through an hourglass, each grain precious and irreplaceable.