Page 56 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

Elias slowed, his length slipping from me.My heart fluttered, and I tried to ignore the feelings igniting within me.I turned from him as I caught my breath, but his fingers gripped my chin, forcing my attention back to him.

“Oh, princess, we are far from done.”

I moaned as his mouth closed around the lobe of my ear.My body trembled as those kisses traveled down my neck.I whimpered as he dragged that warmth to my breast, his tongue twirling against the sensitive flesh there before he dropped those kisses lower still.His stubbled chin sent shivers through my spine as he kissed my hips, my thigh, the crease between my leg and my heated core.My breath came in short bursts as I arched against him, waiting for that warmth to consume my center, for that tongue to explore my depths.

With my chin resting on my chest, I locked my gaze onto him as he devoured me.My fingers tangled in his hair as he moved between my legs, his tongue teasing that sensitive spot while his fingers traced lines along my thighs, tantalizingly close until they plunged into that warmth, making me throw my head back in ecstasy.

Just as I teetered on the edge of another orgasm, he pulled away, leaving me wanting, until he positioned himself between my legs.Then, with the softest, slowest movements, he took me.His fingers grazed my brow, the sides of my face, my jaw.With tender kisses and soft touches, our bodies moved together, slow and steady.Lovemaking.The last bit of resistance in my heart shattered as he made love to me, as if I were the most precious thing in the world, as if I truly were his.And as he moved with me, I unraveled in his arms all over again.

Afterward, as we lay entwined beneath the canopy of trees, something settled deep in my chest.A sense of completion I'd never experienced before, as if puzzle pieces I hadn't known were scattered had finally clicked into place.When Elias traced lazy patterns on my skin, each touch felt like a promise, like a vow spoken in a language older than words.Whatever this was between us, it felt eternal, unbreakable, written in the very fabric of our souls.

My Own Voice

ELIAS

Ihadn't intended to bring us here to this path, but I’d lost myself in her.Every shield around my heart crumbled, and everything I knew vanished.Everything changed.I gazed at her sleeping beside me on the mossy blanket of our lovemaking, both of us so tired from our rushed journey here that we’d slept the entire day away.I knew now that I could never follow through with my plan.Maybe I always had known and had been deceiving myself all along.

Stupid.I’d been such a stupid fool.I was doomed to fail.I would never have been able to betray her.Why I ever thought that would be a valid plan was beyond me.I stared down at her naked body, the silver light of the waning moon casting an ethereal glow across her naked skin.Her golden hair spilled out around her shoulders, and her soft, rhythmic breathing was steady, soft.She looked peaceful, so innocent in her sleep.

I had done exactly what I had promised myself I wouldn’t do.I’d taken this too far.Selfish.Even if I knew I wouldn’t be able to betray her, this would still end in heartache for her, I would still leave her broken.As I stared down at her, that thing that had been held at bay for so long clicked into place, making her mine in a way I’d always wanted but would never force upon her.Until now.As we had devoured one another, we’d solidified that mating bond, and she didn’t even know it.

I sat up, running my hands through my hair, frustrated with my selfish act.A sharp sensation rippled through my spine, like the sudden snap of a twig, and I instinctively jerked my head upwards.To the moon.

No.It couldn’t be.It wasn’t time.Not yet.

I jumped to my feet, silently putting distance between Rosemary and me as my bones began to crack.My teeth clenched against the pain of it as my body broke.With a final glance at Rosemary, lying vulnerable on the ground, fear clawed up my throat as the change overtook me.

My fear, my anxiety, must have woken her, because as my shift settled over me, leaving me standing several feet away in my crow form, she jolted awake, her hands wrapping around her chest as she realized how alone she was.

“Elias?”she murmured into the darkness before her gaze found mine, and she studied me.

I cawed, begging her to trust me even in this form.I hopped across the forest floor until I settled along the edge of the mossy bed we had claimed.

“You aren’t Herb,” she said, her head cocking to the side as she studied me.“You’re too thin, and you lack the white mark on your head.Besides, he would never leave Briar.”

Who the hell is Herb?

I wanted to ask, but all I could do was caw.Her eyes searched the darkness for me as she hurriedly reached for her discarded clothes.I flew to a nearby branch, determined to watch over her.In this useless form, I couldn't do much to protect her, but I would remain vigilant.She snatched up her clothes, putting them on with angry, jerky motions.Occasionally, her gaze flicked up to meet mine, and I could see the war of emotions playing across her face, fury at discovering what I truly was, yes, but something deeper and more wounded beneath it.As the night wore on without my return to her side, that fury sharpened into betrayal.The hurt in her wide eyes cut deeper than any blade.

After a time had passed, she stormed up to the tree I’d chosen for my perch and pointed her finger at me, shaking it as she said, “I don’t know who you are, but you’re not Herb.This is the second time I’ve seen you though, so I know you're someone or something because you’re following me and I haven’t done anything recently to earn the trust of another crow.So, who are you, and why are you still here?”

I’m keeping you safe, I wanted to say.I wanted to scream it in my own voice, but instead…

Caw!Caw!Caw!

“I taught my crow how to communicate with me.He can at least shake his head in yes or no movements.Can you say no?”

Again, I wondered who the hell this Herb was even as I shook my head from side-to-side.

“Good.Now I know that you’re at least an intelligent creature.Maybe you’re what I suspect Herb is.Are you a familiar too?”

I shook my head.

She hummed.“Did you see where Elias went?”

I couldn’t answer that.Not with a simple yes or no movement.Her lips tugged downward, and I shifted my talons against the branch I stood upon.

“Maybe I need to test you first before I deem you an intelligent creature,” she said, her hands on her hips as she stared up at me.“Is my hair pale blond?”