Chapter Fourteen
The Protecto r
“How long are we supposed to wait?” I snap, restlessness pulling at my bones.
“Hmm?” A tired voice pipes up from my right.
I glance over at Scarlett who is half asleep on the settee.
Her pale blue dress is wrinkled and wrapped around her like a tourniquet.
Her chestnut hair is free, spread out along the pillow beside her head.
Her skin is deepening, less pale and more golden as she spends less and less time in her room.
She looks beautiful, peaceful, as she lays there.
She has been joining us outside the walls lately. She comes when Nithe and I check the lake, ensuring that none of the Noterran forces are laying claim to it. That alone has vastly improved her health, and she is no longer malnourished and weak. She’s strong. She’s exactly as my father described.
Scarlett and I have grown close these last couple of weeks, despite all odds.
Despite our earlier hatred for each other.
I don’t necessarily believe it was ever hatred, just discomfort.
Discomfort that we both were hurting and in pain as we wait for Elaenor, but instead of fighting each other, we realized we worked better together.
Not in any official way besides our need for comfort, for release.
She has started to spend some evenings in Emery’s room and the days in mine while we wait. While we wait for either progress or news that Elaenor is gone. It’s a weird situation, one that mostly benefits Scarlett, but not a single one out of the three of us are complaining, at least not to her.
It’s been a month since I saw Elaenor. One month since my hair returned to completely back to black.
I was tired of everyone staring at it, so I cut it all off.
Scarlett actually helped me, she found me losing my mind and going at it with a blade.
I had small cuts all over the top of my head as I kept nicking my skin.
She sat me down, told me to relax, and took the blade to my scalp.
She was quiet as she worked, but I watched her in the mirror.
I watched her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
I watched her hands shake and her shoulders pitch inwards as she stared at the black strands.
She was hurting, but she helped anyway. My hair has grown a bit since then, but so has our affection towards one another.
So has our desire to bring each other comfort.
“How long should we wait until I go back?” I ask, my eyes still searching her soft face for any hint of regret.
I keep thinking she’ll change her mind and decide it isn’t me she wants to spend her time with.
I know feelings weren’t supposed to get involved, but I find I am calmer in her presence.
She brings a feeling of peace I never expected.
I look away, forcing myself to take a deep breath. Distance. I need distance.
But I don’t want it.
“You aren’t going back to Noterra, Enzo. You’ll get yourself killed.” She murmurs with a sigh. I hear something drop to the floor and I glance back over to see the book she was reading laying haphazardly on the rug.
“We can’t just wait around forever, Scar. I need to do something.” She sighs and stretches, her feet ending up on my lap. I rest my hand on her ankle, squeezing it slightly.
An unlikely alliance, that’s what Nithe called us.
I’m not going to pretend I don’t get more out of this arrangement than sex.
She talks about Elaenor, tells me about her personality and how they grew up.
How she was wild and stubborn, but loyal to her friends.
How she would sneak away with Scarlett and explore areas where her father couldn’t find them. It’s almost like having Elaenor here.
Gods, that sounds terrible. Scarlett isn’t a replacement for her.
“If you go into the palace without thought, you aren’t going to be alive long enough to help anyone.
Do you really think this will be easy? If you fly in there as a tiny little raven, how do you expect to leave with a full-grown woman?
” She sits up and tries to pull her ankles from my lap, but I don’t let her.
She scoots closer, her hand coming to cup my face.
I look at her, her chestnut eyes ringed in gold.
Her thumb slides across my lower lip and I lean forward.
Her lips are soft as they press against mine and I sigh.
Berries and sugar, that’s what she smells like. I inhale as her breath wraps around me.
“Promise me.” She whispers before kissing me again. “Promise me you won’t just fly in there.” She pulls back and I reach forward to brush a loose tendril of hair from her face.
“I promise.” She leans forward again to kiss me, and I reach over, gripping her hips and pulling her on top of me.
Her thighs settle on either side of mine, my hands sliding up her back.
She kisses me back with fervor, her tongue clashing with mine.
Her hips grind against me, and I moan into her mouth.
“What do you want?” I whisper before pulling her closer, my lips trailing along her jaw and down her neck. She moans as she shifts above me.
“You.” She responds, her voice deep and husky. It doesn’t take long for my breeches to be undone and her skirt to be pulled up. She slides down slowly, her mouth open and eyes shut. “Gods.” She moans as she settles into my lap.
I grab her lip with my teeth, pulling her back to me.
I taste the tiniest hint of blood as her tongue finds mine.
My fingers squeeze her hips roughly, forcing her to move against me.
I relish the feel of her wrapped around me, warm and wet.
I groan as she rises up on her knees, almost freeing me completely, before slamming back down.
She does it again and I nearly come undone at the feel of it.
Her breasts brush against my face as she rises and I yank her corset down, pulling her hardened nipple into my mouth.
I bite down gently before sucking on it to ease the sting.
She cries out and moves faster, her hands pulling my mouth back to hers.
“Fuck, Scarlett.” I moan into her lips before throwing my head back.
She presses her lips to my throat as she rides me.
Her teeth graze my skin and then she bites down.
A yelp escapes my lips, but the sting shoots straight to my cock.
I shake under her, and she cries out. I feel her core clench around me as she finds her release.
I move her hips back and forth, letting her ride the wave of her orgasm, milking as much of her as I can.
She pushes my hands away and greedily moves on her own, slamming into me over and over.
I feel her legs beginning to shake again, her second release coming, and I press my thumb down on her clit.
“Enzo.” She cries, and I yell out as I come. My body shudders under her and she finds her second release a moment later.
We are left panting and sweaty, but she doesn’t move.
Her hands are resting on my chest, her forehead pressed to my shoulder.
I turn my head slightly, pressing my lips to her cheek.
The sun is fading, with the only light coming from the roaring fireplace.
It’s still cold out, which is strange for early summer, but it’s nice for moments like these.
My arms wrap around her, holding her against me as she shakes with the aftershock.
Her forehead presses against mine and I brush my lips against hers softly.
Scarlett has been on the herb that prevents pregnancy for a few weeks now, ever since that one day that changed our relationship, which I am grateful for.
It means we can enjoy moments like this without fear of a child.
Although part of me wouldn’t be opposed to a child.
Just not right now. War isn’t an ideal time.
She sighs and I tighten my arms around her as she nuzzles into my neck.
“Can I stay here tonight?” She whispers, her breath tickling my throat. My pulse skips and I find myself questioning my reaction, questioning the excitement I feel at her request.
“What about Emery?”I respond, trying to play it off.
“I just want to stay here, like this.” She responds softly. I nod and she sighs again.
“Is she going to be mad?” Scarlett groans and I smile. I pull her head back and brush the messy tendrils away from her face. The movement sends a shudder through me again and I can feel her clench in response.
“I don’t care.” She whispers before her lips find mine again.