43. Merrick
43
MERRICK
T he vast, empty training room echoed around me and would be the perfect place for the start of the afternoon I had in mind. Pillars marched along the outer walls, evenly spaced, creating small alcoves between them where various weapons hung, ready for use. Polished wood covered the floor, though training mats had been placed here and there for wrestling or to work from various positions.
The door opened and there she was, my fiery little bride. Dressed in supple leather that hugged every tempting curve, I could stand here and stare at her forever.
I dismissed the guards. They'd surround the room and ward it to protect us. My own wards would block whatever sound might erupt from inside. I hoped it would be my wildfire's scream of pleasure.
She walked right up to me, her boots lightly padding, stopping when the front of her snug leather tunic brushed against my bare chest. “Not wearing much, are you, King Merrick?”
“Would you like me to wear more?”
“Don't dress on my behalf.”
I grinned as she sauntered around me, trailing a fingertip across my exposed skin.
“You work out,” she said. “A lot.”
“That I do.” I rocked on my heels.
She traced her fingertip along a scar zigzagging above my left ass cheek. “What happened here?”
Her simple touch blazed through me. My cock twitched and shifted beneath my loincloth, eager for the sport yet to come. “I got a little too close to a wild youngling dragon.”
“Why did you go near one? They can be vicious.”
I frowned, staring forward, unable to grab onto the memory. “I’m not sure why. I felt . . . like I had to.”
“Had to?”
I scrunched my nose. “I was young. Impulsive, I guess.”
“You, impulsive? I suspect you never act without thinking everything through.”
“You’re right.” She knew me well already, and I liked that.
“Who won, you or the dragon?” I asked.
“It was a draw. We both lived.”
She shifted around to stand directly behind me, the heat of her gaze warming my skin. “Nice ass.”
“I’m quite proud of it.”
She poked my right butt cheek. “Cocky too.”
“That's in the front, Wildfire,” I rasped. “Come breathe your flames on it and see what happens after that.” I loved playing with her, teasing her. The taste of her arousal coasted through the air, and I couldn't wait to place my tongue in that delicious spot that drove her wild.
She moved to stand at my right side, the stroke of her gaze gliding down my leg. “Your cock's going to have to wait.”
“Poor thing. It's sorely neglected.”
“Stroke it with your hand. Yank on it hard,” she quipped, her brown eyes sparkling. “You might be surprised at what happens after that.”
My laughter burst out.
“Where's the dragon now?” she asked.
“Still free.”
“You rarely ride them.”
“I do when I can. There’s nothing like it. Nothing.” Except the thrill I felt when I was with her .
“Have you traveled far with them?”
“Here and there.”
“Not an answer.”
“I go where I must, but duties, sadly, keep me grounded at Evergorne.”
“Royalty sucks, right?” she asked, laughter bubbling in her voice.
“Only in my family.”
“Hmm.”
So much weight in that simple sound. What had she discovered?
“No one seems to flit here,” she said. “Though I'm not sure why. ”
“I don't believe any of us have that skill.” I'd only vaguely heard of flitting, how the fae in the northern realms could—
She was beside me and then she wasn't. Another blink, and she stood in front of me, the point of one of her blades pressed against the soft part of my throat. “I can flit, though not every time I try, unfortunately, and not for long distances—yet.”
I pinched the tip of her blade and drew it away from my neck. “A pity.”
“Why so sad?”
“Imagine the trouble you could get into if you could flit to the other courts.”
Her head tilted, and she lowered the blade to her side. “I’m not sure the other courts would welcome my sudden appearance.”
“They’d never let you go.”
“Would they lock me in a tower or stuff me into a cell in their dungeon?”
“If they knew who you were, they’d kill you.”
She shivered. “This land’s three courts are enemies.”
“Fast and sure and forever.”
“Why?”
“Few know the details.”
“Have you looked into it?” she asked, shadows lurking in her eyes.
The true secrets of Evergorne remained hidden, but someone with a hint of savvy, what this woman possessed unlike any other, could worm out a few clues.
“I’ve researched this for most of my life. If I could find out what happened, I might be able to—” My throat closed, freezing the air in my lungs, and I shifted my neck and shoulders, working it out.
“Be able to do what?”
“Things.”
She huffed. “That's also not an answer.”
I could only agree. I took her hand and tugged her fully against me. She whoofed when we made impact and leaned back in my embrace, one hand resting on my forearm, the other sliding the blade up between us again.
“How dare you attack your king,” I purred. “What should I do to punish you?”
“I'm sure you can think of something.” Her lips curled up, and she stepped backward, leaving my arms before I was ready to release her. “But we didn't come here this afternoon for distractions.”
“What did we come here for then?”
“Not to take in the view.”
“Aw, I thought you were appreciating what you could see.”
“I did. I will again soon.”
“A promise, my pretty little bride, I'm dying for you to keep.”
“Not yet.” Quick as a viper, she stabbed her blade toward my belly.
A blink, and I'd magicked a knife from the wall and met her thrust with my own. Metal rang in the stillness.
“How predictable, wildfire,” I mocked, stepping to the side and watching her eyes, waiting for her to give away her next move. “Surely they trained you better in that border fortress.”
She attacked again, her movements tense and controlled. She flowed like water, slashing at me while I deflected each blow.
“There must be more,” I said with a grin, loving how she moved and how well she used her blade. “You'll have to do better than this if you hope to nick my gorgeous skin.”
“You are so fucking arrogant.” She pulled her second blade and slashed out, swiping both with stunning, equal skill. It was all I could do to fight her off, and I'd trained for hours each day for most of my life.
She backed off and swiped her long, copper braid back across her shoulder. While she studied me, hoping to gauge my next move, I watched her as well, though honestly, I found the sight of the peaks of her breasts shifting with her breathing much too distracting. They were full and round and her nipples—
With a bellow, she attacked, her blades singing and her body spinning. She swiped out with her leg, knocking me off my feet and onto my back. A leap, and she pinned my ass to the floor with her own.
“I thought you said not yet.” To add to the tease, I thrust my hips up, impacting the juncture between her thighs with my stiffening cock.
She stilled before gouging her blade at my throat.
A flip and she lay beneath me. I pinched her wrists while she ground her teeth and fumed. After she dropped her blades, I still kept her hands secured above her head.
“I love seeing you this way, Wildfire,” I drawled. “Beneath me. ”
“What about fucking me from behind?”
This woman had a mouth on her that I would crave until my dying day.
“I'm going to fuck you from every direction,” I said. “You’ll scream and beg me for more.”
“I do like to scream.” Her gaze traveled to my mouth, and I couldn't resist kissing her, sliding my tongue across the seam of her lips until she relented and gave me full access.
I deepened the kiss, and she responded with a feral need that nearly undid me. Her body arched against mine. My cock had become a throbbing, insistent thing, but I reined myself in. Waiting would make this all the sweeter, though it took all my will not to ravage her right then and there.
I tore my mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her neck, savoring how her pulse quickened under my lips. She tasted of salt and sunlight, and I couldn't get enough. Her low-cut leather tunic exposed the tops of her breasts, and I followed the line with my mouth, my tongue darting across her skin. She shivered, her breaths hitching up her throat.
Easing my hips to the side, I thrust my knee between her thighs. She spread her legs wider, opening herself up to me, her eyes never leaving mine. The flames I found there matched the fire blazing within me. With my elbow on the floor, keeping her hands pinned above her head, I slid my other hand along her hip. I watched her eyes, looking for any sign of hesitation, but all I found was heat and desire.
I unfastened her pants, spreading the fabric wide. She lifted her hips as I tugged her pants down. The curve of her thighs held the promise of what lay between them. My mouth went dry, and my heart hammered against the back of my ribs. She was giving herself to me, piece by piece, and I would soon claim all of her as my own.
I slid my hand between her thighs, feeling her heat before I even touched her. Wet, she was ready for me, and I groaned against her neck. I dragged my thumb up to her clit, that sensitive spot that would drive her wild, and circled it. Her breath came in short gasps, her body tensing beneath mine. I wanted to feel her let go, to watch her as she came. I wanted to be the one who gave her pleasure.
When I slid a finger inside her, her body tightened. She was so responsive, so alive from my touch. I added another finger, filling her, stretching her, as my thumb continued its relentless pace on her clit. She bucked her hips against my hand, her body seeking more, seeking what only I could give her.
Her eyes closed, and her teeth sunk into her lower lip. She was lost in the sensation; lost in the bliss I was giving her. And then she was coming, her body convulsing around my fingers, her cry of release echoing through the empty training room.
When she opened her eyes, I saw everything there.
She was close. If she reached out her hand, I would take it. Take her.
I slowed the pace of my fingers, bringing her back down to the ground and centering her in me.
When vulnerability flashed in her eyes, I knew this was over—for now.
She flitted out from underneath me, appearing near the left wall, where she fastened her pants and straightened her clothing. Reaching up, she grabbed new blades from the wall and sent me a slick smile. “Stop lounging on the floor and show me what you've got.” Her low, husky voice made my poor cock howl.
“I have everything you need, my pretty little bride. Come back over, and I’ll show you.”
“You already did.”
“Not truly.”
“Hand job, Merrick.”
“Your hand or mine, Wildfire?” I rose onto my haunches, waiting for her to betray her next move.
“Fight me!”
I sprang up with her blades in my hands. “Then come at me, Wildfire. Show me what you’ve got.”
We battled for hours, and while it was clear that my larger body would eventually overcome hers, we were nearly evenly matched. I loved it because it meant she had the means to protect herself.
Finally, we called a truce. She returned the blades to the wall, and I slid hers back into their sheaths at her sides.
“I can see where you get all your glorious muscles,” she said, panting lightly. “You earned them.”
“You as well.”
“I’m smaller than you.”
“I noticed.” Couldn’t help it.
“I wish I was taller, broader.”
“Strength isn’t only about muscles or build. ”
“I know that, but if I was bigger, then . . .” Shadows flickered through her eyes, and I knew she was thinking about the man she’d lost.
I waited, silently, while she processed that moment.
“Anyway.” She jerked her mouth up in a feral smile. “This was fun. We should do it more often.”
“We will.” I swept my arm around her waist and tugged her close. I was sure she thought I was going to kiss her, but I held her instead. Comfort was what I wanted to give her most.
“You carry so much heartache alone,” I whispered against her hair. “If only I could inhale every slice of your pain.”
“You’ve given me hope my world will no longer be dark,” she mumbled against my chest.
“A dark passage still stretches ahead of you. I’ll cover the roof with stars to light your way, to guide you to me where I wait at the other end, unable to think or breathe until you stand by my side.”
“Merrick.” She looked up at me, and in her tear-swept eyes, I found something to cling to. Would she . . .? Could she?
There was still time. Please, let there be enough time.
“Would you like to see my gift?” I asked.
Her smile came out shaky, but it was true, and it stabbed through my heart cleanly. “You don’t need to give me anything.”
“These are sturdy. Effective.” I flicked my fingertip on the hilt of one of the blades sheathed at her sides. “But this . . .”
She could flit her body, but I could move objects. I’d arrived before her to hide this. A blink, and I held out my gift wrapped in cloth in my hands .
Her head tilted and a bemused expression traveled across her face. “What is it?”
“Open it and find out.”
We sat on one of the soft mats, and I laid the gift on her thighs. She delicately peeled back the cloth, revealing twin blades.
“I had crafted them to match the hilt of your sword,” I said.
“You made them yourself?”
I nodded, biting my lip, watching her face. “I wasn’t always with my advisors.” No, I was making something for her.
“They’re beautiful. Thank you.” Her eyes darted away from mine. “About my sword. I should tell you that . . .” She explained that the man she’d loved had given it to her years ago, that she’d used it since, and it showed in the wear on the blade and the hilt. “You need to know that Lore took it from me when I boarded the ship.”
“He mentioned something about that.”
There would be no penetrating her guarded look. “How much does he tell you about me?”
“We share what’s going on in our lives, but we mostly stick to updates. He fills me in on what I might’ve missed while I slept, and I do the same for him. This way, I’m in control at all times. I want to know everything he has to say about you.” A low growl rumbled through my chest. “He admires your strength and bravery.”
“What else does he share?”
“He updates me on your progress with magic. He tells me what you say, how you might be feeling. ”
Her shoulders curled forward. Was she worried about what he’d told me? “ Everything ?”
This bothered her when it shouldn’t. He and I were best friends. We’d never betray each other. “Only what I need to know. He told me he’d had your sword repaired. He showed me how it looked when it was finished.”
Her eyes wide, she slid the sword from the sheath slicing down her spine and tilted it this way and that, admiring it in the light.
“You two have similar skills,” she said.
“Like you, we have others, though our elemental magic is strongest. I think our skills mirror each other because we’re close. We grew up together and have been best friends all our lives.” There wasn’t much I didn’t share with Lore.
“The swords and blades are gorgeous. I can’t imagine using them in battle.”
“Do it. If they get dinged or suffer wear, I’ll make them new again for you.” I tapped one of the golden blades. “When I saw what he’d had done with your sword, and he told me how much it meant to you, I knew I had to give you a gift from my heart as well. They’re not ordinary blades. I infused them with protective magic. They can not only destroy a magical blade like the one that attacked you, but they’ll also never break, never tarnish. When you wear them, they’ll extend my ward around you.”
She slid her sword back into its sheath and lifted one of the blades, studying it with an almost pained look on her face.
“You don’t like them,” I said, my chest so tight, I could barely breathe .
She looked up at me, and the shimmer of tears in her eyes gutted me. “I love them. Thank you.”
When she pressed her face into my chest, I tightened my arms around her.
She loved them.
Nothing could make me happier.