Ten - Ranulf
Scarlette, Grandmother, andI enjoyed a peaceful supper without the huntsman. Then Scarlette set out about cleaning and Grandmother pulled me aside to hear exactly what had been going on while she was away.
By the time Gideon returned to the cottage, twilight had descended, and the dark of night in the forest was almost complete. He stomped into the cottage, gave Grandmother a sharp look, and helped himself to the remaining soup without a word.
“Don’t worry,” Scarlette whispered. She had pulled a chair from the table over next to me after she finished cleaning, and started talking about all the healing tinctures and salves stored in the guest room with Grandmother. “I put the leftover pie in the chill box. He doesn’t have a reason to check it, so he won’t know there is any.”
“Good,” I whispered back.
Grandmother smiled at us and stood. “I’m off to bed. We’ll go foraging tomorrow, Scarlette, and I can show you the plants you are unfamiliar with.”
“I look forward to it.”
Scarlette fit in at the cottage. She and Grandmother had taken to each other immediately. It felt like she had always been here. I wanted her to always be here, and that worried me. I knew better than to expect anything and had thought—maybe—I could give into my attraction so long as I remembered her stay was temporary. Looking down at her when we stood in the river, seeing the way her lips had parted, I hadn’t been able to think about anything other than kissing her. Then, as I made my way home alone, I had convinced myself I could maintain a wall between the physical and the emotional.
Scarlette had her own life, far from Drakona Forest. Even if she didn’t have her mother to think about, she deserved more than a life of isolation in the middle of the forest. I couldn’t expect her to stay here forever.
I’d just keep reminding myself of that fact.
She must have sensed my shift in mood, because her smile dimmed. “Are you alright?”
“Fine. Just tired after waking so early this morning.”
“Oh, right. Why don’t you go up to bed, then?”
I frowned. Had I misunderstood Scarlette this afternoon? Well, whether I had read too much into her words—and kiss—or not, I wasn’t leaving her down here with Gideon. I stood up and pulled her with me. “Let’s go.”
She tugged, and I immediately released her arm. “I should wash the pot.”
I shook my head. “I’ll take care of it.”
“But you are tired.”
“Not that tired,” I mumbled.
She studied me, her hazel eyes seeing right through me. She grabbed my hand. “Let’s go upstairs. The pot can wait until morning.”
She released my hand when we reached the narrow hallway and led the way to the attic stairs. I looked over my shoulder and saw Gideon watching us, a smug smile on his face.
Scarlette glanced back at me, her eyes wide. “Did you just growl?”
I wasn’t aware that I had made any sound, but growling certainly fit my mood. “I don’t like the huntsman or the way he thinks of you.”
“I’m aware,” Scarlette said, starting her way up the narrow stairs. “That’s why I suggested we both go upstairs. You weren’t going to leave me alone with him.”
“Of course not.” I followed her up. I tried not to stare at her ass the entire way, but it was a losing battle.
“I do still have the enchantment you gave me, you know.”
“Good. Keep it with you.” I closed the trapdoor and looked around the room. The bed that had belonged to Rosalia when we were children caught my eye, and I grimaced. I had sat there carving symbols into wooden discs the first night after I met Scarlette. It was a mess.
I crossed the room and tried to sweep the wood shavings into a tidy pile.
“You are going to get splinters if you sleep there,” Scarlette announced.
I turned and froze. She had already removed her kerchief and was busy working on the laces of her bodice. She faced me, making no attempt to shield her body. The invitation was clear.
I closed the distance between us in quick strides, and her fingers faltered on the laces. Reaching out with a single finger, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you certain, Scarlette?”
Her head tilted, pressing into my hand. “Your magic can prevent conception, right?”
I should have thought of that earlier. “Right.”
“Then I’m certain.”
I cupped her face between both palms and kissed her. I meant it to be soft, a promise of what was to come, but once our lips met, my control slipped. I licked at her and groaned when she opened without hesitation. My tongue swept inside, tasting her. I gave myself until we were both gasping for breath, then stepped back.
“Let me get the enchantment.” I went back to the other bed.
“Do you need one?”
I found a disc waiting for the contraceptive spell, with a hole already drilled into the top to let it hang from a cord or ribbon. “Magic requires focus. My attention will be on other things.”
Scarlette laughed, the sound rich and full. I resisted the urge to turn back to her. I had to make the enchantment first, and looking at Scarlette would not help me manage the magic. Pulling enough power to last the night into the wood, I shaped it into the correct form. Since I didn’t need to make it last long or set a way for a non-mage to activate the power, it only took about a minute.
I turned around, and the disc slipped from my fingers.
Scarlette had used the time to finish undressing. She stood next to the bed, clothed in nothing but her hair. The long red strands ended just above her nipples, drawing my gaze. I continued tracing the path down her body with my eyes until I reached the patch of red curls at the apex of her thighs.
“Are you going to pick that up?” She put her hands on her hips.
I swallowed and bent down to retrieve the enchantment. A flick of power activated the spell. I walked over and held it out. “You’ll need to wear it,” I explained, though I was certain she knew that already.
The enchantments were commonplace in all parts of the kingdom. If you didn’t want to make a man permanently infertile, the contraceptive talisman had to be used by the woman. Most healers made them as necklaces or rings.
Scarlette looked at the plain disc with its hole and tugged a small section of her hair free. She braided it with nimble fingers, then took the charm and threaded it onto her hair. She knotted it in place and tossed the entire section of hair over that shoulder, baring her breast completely.
I couldn’t resist any longer. Giving into temptation, I lowered my mouth to her breast. Scarlette arched into me and held my head in place. She went up on tiptoe, but it wasn’t enough. I placed my hands on her thighs, just below her ass, and urged her to jump. She wrapped her legs around me, and I was hard pressed not to fall at the pleasure of her core pressed against my aching erection.
I spun around and toppled onto the bed, switching my attention to her neglected breast and rocking against her wet heat.
“Ranulf.” Her fingers scrabbled at my shirt, tugging it up. I’d have to stop what I was doing to pull it off, and I didn’t want to. “Ranulf, I need skin against skin.”
There was so much soft skin to explore. I ran my hands down her thighs, then back up. Then higher. She locked her legs tighter around me.
“Naked, Ranulf.” She writhed when I pinched her nipple. She tugged at my hair until I met her eyes. “Either strip, or start talking to me, damn it.”
I kissed my way up her chest and to her throat. My words came in short bursts between kisses. “You are so beautiful. Sunshine given form. A ray of brightness cutting through the fog. I want to worship you as the goddess you are.”
She moaned.
I slid a hand down between our bodies and rubbed at her clit. “I have never wanted anyone the way I want you. Your smiles bring me joy, and I want to give you that same pleasure in return.”
I kissed her mouth and added a touch of magic to amplify the sensations caused by my fingers. She splintered in my arms, but I didn’t stop. I stretched her release out for as long as I could before gentling my touch and dropping kisses on her eyelids and the tip of her nose.
Finally, she blinked her eyes open again. “I didn’t expect you to choose talking.”
I grinned. “I know.”
I ached with the need to be inside her, but watching her come undone in my arms was worth the frustration. Knowing I had brought her to that point was a potent feeling, and at least half her enjoyment had come from the words. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to string any together once I was inside her.
She traced the shape of my lips with a finger. “You should smile more. It suits you. Though maybe it’s better that you are usually scowling and silent. You are potent.”
“You haven’t had too much already, have you?”
She shook her head.
“Good, because I’m not done.” Rising from the bed, I stripped off my clothes. Then I returned to my spot between her thighs.
Scarlette splayed her hands against my abdomen the moment I was within reach. “I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you.”
“Instead, you pushed me into the river.”
“Not today. The first time I saw you, Ranulf.”
I kissed her. “Me too. Why do you think I was so insistent that you leave? I never stood a chance of resisting you. You are going to destroy me, Scarlette.”
The words were unvarnished truth, and I wondered if she understood that I was referring to more than the physical. Then she tilted her hips and took my cock in her hand, and my thoughts splintered. She squeezed once, then notched me at the entrance to her body. “We’ll destroy each other.”
I surged into her, succumbing to the physical sensations. Scarlette would do more than wring me dry. When she left, she’d take her all the joy and laughter with her, leaving me once more in the shadows. But I couldn’t focus on that now. At least here, in bed, we were equal in our need for each other.
I thrust into her, the pressure building. She met my movements with her own. Her hand tangled in my hair and pulled me down for a kiss that was as wild as the rest of our joining. I felt myself coming apart and managed to pull enough magic to flick a burst of pleasure through her. It was enough to send her hurtling into her next release. I joined her, her pleasure intensifying my own.
I collapsed, careful not to put my entire weight on her. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me more fully onto her. After a few heartbeats, I pulled out of her and flipped us so that she sprawled atop me. I reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear once more.
“Ranulf?”
“Yes?”
“I know I gave you the choice of naked or talking, but do you think we could maybe do both for a little bit? Staying just like this, but talking? I have so many questions.”
“I was wondering how you had taken everything so in stride today. Ask your questions, Scarlette. I’ll answer.”