Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The warmth of the bed crashed against Mal's back as she came awake.
The soft weight of blankets held her down as she gave a tentative kick in an effort to be free of them.
The blankets held fast. She decided to give in.
What would five more minutes of resting hurt?
It wasn't as if she had anywhere to be. Anyone waiting for her.
Her parents had passed on to the Afterworld. Phillip was gone. And… wait. No. That wasn't right.
Mal ran her big toe up her calf. She felt an ache between her thighs. Not a painful ache. It was the ache she always felt after she'd lain with…
Her eyes slammed open. She reached out beside her. And came up with air. She stared at the empty place in the bed.
Panic twisted in her chest. Had it all been a dream? Had she imagined Phillip’s return, his touch, the way his kiss had brought her back to life?
All around her, it was quiet—too quiet, too still. Her heart plummeted in her chest, sinking under the weight of the loneliness she thought she'd banished.
She sat up, clutching the blankets around her, her breath shaky.
Then the faintest sound. Weight upon wood. Like a footstep not wishing to disturb. The door creaked open. And there he was.
Phillip stood in the doorway. In his hands, he held a steaming mug. He gave her that soft, lopsided grin that made her heart stutter its beats. "Ah, I woke you."
He crossed the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and handed her the mug.
The scent of it wafted up—rich, earthy, with a hint of sweetness.
It was exactly how she liked it. Because he’d remembered every detail of what pleased her.
The bruises on her skin and love bites between her thighs were testament to that.
Phillip leaned in and kissed her. Mal gave in to him without a second thought. The press of his lips was warm and lingering. Her eyes fluttered closed, savoring the kiss for a moment longer, as if storing it away for later.
She'd taken moments like these for granted. She'd forgotten the small touches, the quiet moments, the glances they shared that spoke a language only the two of them knew. She knew this man so well, and he knew her. How had she survived these last three years without her other half at her side?
She set the steaming mug on the bedside table. She threaded her warm fingers through Phillip's hair and pulled him down for the morning treat she truly wanted. He came to her. But he didn't lick into her mouth like he had all the time in the world to savor her.
Mal pulled back. Phillip winced as he looked at her. The warmth of the kiss faded into suspicion.
"You’re leaving."
Phillip sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I owe Aurora an explanation, Mal. I can’t just... disappear on her. I’m not going to break things off through a carrier pigeon note."
"So you are going back to her?"
"It’s not like that. I just need to—"
"Are you still under her curse?"
"We don't know that she—"
"You must still be in her thrall if you take her word over mine."
"Mal—"
Phillip reached for her hands. Mal snatched them away. She slid out of the bed, from the side opposite Phillip. She snatched up one of the linens to cover her naked body as the heat of desire left her bones cold.
"After everything, after three years apart, you still think that pritch is innocent?"
"Pritch?"
Mal gritted her teeth instead of explaining.
"I’m not saying I don’t believe you. I just—"
"Taking her side over mine."
"There are no sides, Mal. Not if you’re in the vicinity. My place is next to you. Everyone else... they’re just outsiders."
Mal’s heart wavered. The anger in her chest flickered like a candle in the face of a door swinging open. His words settled over her like a balm, soothing the sting of her doubts. She searched his gaze, looking for any trace of dishonesty, but found none.
"Then I'm coming with you."
"That is not a good idea."
"Why not?"
"The two of you in a room…" Phillip opened his mouth. Closed it. Then just shook his head.
"I won't hurt her."
"I don't believe you."
"Yet you believe she didn't hurt me."
"Mal, let me handle this."
Mal turned away from him again. As one of the most fearsome creatures in the forests, she knew better than to give an adversary her back.
But ever since she was a young sapling, she'd felt the urge to lay down her weapons before this boy so that they could share them like toys.
As she grew into a girl who would become the fierce Guardian of the forest, she developed a habit of showing this young man her shoulder blades so that he could kiss them.
She felt Phillip's breath against her ear, his nose against one of her horns. Then his tongue. Involuntarily, she shuddered. Voluntarily, she pressed her back into his chest and exposed her entire collarbone.
"You remember what happens when you give me the silent treatment?"
He wrapped a hand around one horn and tugged her head back. Mal's lids grew too heavy. She couldn't keep them open under the onslaught of pleasure.
"I make you scream my name."
She pushed her chin higher into the air. Her shoulder blades pressed into him. Her chest rose into the air. Her heart was trying to do a backflip to get to the one who owned it.
She was airborne. She crashed into the mattress. Her back hit the pillows. Her thighs were tossed over Phillip's shoulders. His tongue made good on his threat. It wasn't long before he had her screaming.
The battle was lost before she'd picked up any arms. She couldn't have. Not when he pinned her arms beneath her. Long after she gave in, he didn't stop. Not until she whimpered and begged. But her words formed no concrete meanings. She wasn't sure they were actual words. Only pleas.
Rising up, Phillip licked his lips. Mal got a thrill knowing that her essence was all over him. She wanted him to go and see Aurora now. She wanted that pritch to see the evidence of Mal's claim on him.
Phillip smiled, brushing a thumb over the exposed flesh between her thighs. Her core wept at his touch. "It will always be you and me. That's simply how the world made us."
Mal huffed but leaned forward, pressing one last kiss to his lips—slow, deliberate, a warning wrapped in affection. When she pulled back, she rested her forehead against his. "Be careful," she commanded. "Come back to me."
"I promise I’ll be back before evening. You’ll see—everything will be fine."