Chapter 38
ELOWEN
I wake to the smell of roasting meat.
For a moment, I don’t move—I just lie there with my eyes closed, breathing it in. It’s rich and savory, laced with something green and sharp that makes my mouth water instantly.
My stomach growls—loudly and embarrassingly.
My eyes fly open as I put a hand to my midsection. Goddess, where did that come from?
I open my eyes at once and look around.
The fire has been built back up, flames dancing bright and steady, and over it, skewered on a spit, is a small bird—its skin browned and crisping, juices dripping down into the coals with a soft hiss.
“Goddess,” I breathe, pushing myself up on my elbows. “That smells so good!”
“Tastes good too.” Theron glances over at me from where he’s crouched near the fire. “Took you long enough to wake up,” he rumbles, but there’s a hint of amusement in his voice. “Help yourself.”
Before I can even sit up properly, he’s already moving—quick and efficient. He slices off a portion of the bird and lays it on a broad green leaf, steam rising from the meat in fragrant curls.
“Here,” he says, handing it to me. “Eat up.”
“Oh, thank you,” I say, taking it carefully.
It’s hot—almost too hot—but I can’t wait. I tear off a piece and pop it into my mouth, letting out a soft sound of surprise as the flavor blooms across my tongue.
“Oh…” I blink at him. “This is incredible.”
He huffs softly, clearly pleased with himself.
“Found some wild herbs,” he says. “Figured they’d help.”
They do,” I assure him quickly, taking another bite. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
And it is. The meat is tender and juicy, the herbs adding a brightness that makes every bite better than the last. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was—not just for food, but for something warm and real and comforting to put in my belly.
I eat quickly at first, then slow down, trying to savor it.
Theron watches me as I do, his tarnished silver eyes intent in a way that makes my cheeks warm slightly. He looks like a male animal watching his female feast on meat that he hunted for her—it’s a strange mental image but one I can’t get rid of.
“I hope I didn’t eat too much,” I say after a moment, licking my fingers clean. “Did you get enough? I guess I should have asked that before. I was just so hungry.”
He rumbles laughter.
“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart,” he says, his voice low and easy. “I ate three deer in my Drake form—I’m full.”
He pats his stomach, which is as flat and hard as ever.
I stare at him.
“Three?”
He shrugs.
“I was hungry, too.”
I laugh softly, shaking my head.
“Well, I suppose that solves that problem.”
“It does,” he agrees. “You just eat your fill. Then we’re heading for the Western Wilds.”
“The Grandfather Tree,” I say, a little thrill of anticipation running through me.
“Uh-huh,” he says. “That’s the one. Next to last quest—let’s hope it’s not too hard.”
Once I’ve finished every last bite, I carry the leaf down to the edge of the river and rinse my hands and mouth. The water is cold—still a little intimidating after what happened yesterday—but calmer now, as though the Sacred River has settled back into itself.
I watch it for a moment, then turn away. It’s time to be moving on to our next quest.
“All right,” I say, brushing my hands dry on my robe as I walk back to him. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Step back,” he tells me. “I’m going to Shift.”
I do as he says, taking a few steps away as he straightens. The change comes quickly now—faster than before, smoother. His body expands and reshapes, bones shifting, skin giving way to scales as his Drake rises in his place.
Even knowing what to expect, it still takes my breath away.
He’s so beautiful. Tarnished silver scales catch the morning light, gleaming softly, and his golden eyes fix on me at once, bright and aware.
“Hi there,” I murmur, stepping closer.
He lowers his head immediately, inviting.
I reach up, scratching gently behind his eye ridges, and he rumbles low in his chest, the sound vibrating through the air—and through me.
“Oh, you like that, don’t you?” I say softly.
He nudges my hand, pressing into the touch in what is unmistakably a gesture of agreement. He does like getting scratches.
Then, with a graceful shift, he bends one massive foreleg, offering it so I can climb up.
“Thank you,” I tell him. I gather my robe and step onto his leg, hauling myself up until I can settle between the long spines on his back. Once I’m secure, he spreads his wings, and we take to the sky.
The world falls away beneath us. The forest stretches out in every direction, a vast sea of green broken only by winding rivers and the occasional rocky rise. The air is cool up here, rushing past my face, tugging at my hair and robes as we climb higher.
I hold on, leaning slightly forward, my heart lifting with the motion.
It’s…incredible. Every time I fly with the Drake, I can’t contain my wonder.
The freedom of it…the vast, dizzying height…the way the land becomes a distant and beautiful patchwork beneath us.
I’m going to miss this.
The thought comes unbidden but even as I think it, I know it’s true.
After the Time Weaving, I won’t remember any of this. Not the flight or the mountains…
Not Theron.
I swallow hard and push the thought away.
No, I can’t think about that right now. I need to focus on the task ahead—on the third quest.
The Grandfather Tree is waiting but how am I supposed to find the largest tree in an entire forest. The Western Wilds stretch endlessly before us—thick and ancient and untouched. Every tree looks enormous from up here—towering, sprawling, and impossible to measure.
But even as the thought crosses my mind, I see it.
At first, I think it’s a hill—a rise in the land, something unnatural among the trees.
But as we get closer, I realize the truth—it’s a tree. A single tree that dwarfs everything around it.
“Goddess…” I whisper. “It’s huge!”
The Grandfather Tree rises above the forest like a living tower, its trunk massive, its branches spreading wide enough to cast shadows over the surrounding land. Compared to it, the other trees look like saplings.
There’s no question in my mind—that’s it, the tree we’re looking for. It has to be.
The Drake seems to know as well. He adjusts his course, angling downward toward a clearing not far from the base.
We land with a soft but heavy thud, his claws digging into the earth.
I slide down from his back, my sandals hitting the ground as I stare up at the tree.
It’s even bigger from here—so big it makes me feel like a child.
I walk closer, drawn to it, my gaze traveling up the immense trunk. The bark is thick and ridged, ancient beyond imagination, covered in moss and small creeping plants that have made their home upon it.
Twenty males could stand in a chain holding hands and still not encircle it. It’s that big.
“Gods, what a monster,” Theron says behind me.
I glance back to see him standing there in his human form again, looking up at the vast trunk.
“Yes,” I agree faintly. “It is.”
He comes to stand beside me.
“So,” he says, after a moment. “What are you supposed to be looking for again?”
“The biggest root,” I tell him.
“Well…” He gestures toward the base of the tree. “Let’s go find it.”
He takes my hand, and we begin to walk… and walk…and walk.
It takes longer than I expect. The tree is so vast that circling it feels like walking the perimeter of a building. Roots snake out from the base in thick, twisting ridges, some half-buried, others rising high above the ground like natural walls. But which one is the biggest?
I’m just beginning to get worried when at last, we find it.
It rises from the earth like a frozen wave—thick and gnarled and massive—before disappearing back into the soil with no clear beginning or end. At its highest point, it’s taller than Theron’s head.
I stop in front of it, dismayed.
“I thought this would be easy,” I say. “But look at it, Theron. How am I supposed to find anything under there?” I gesture helplessly at the enormous root. “Where do I even start? I could dig for days and not make a dent. And how would I even know I was digging in the right place?”
As if in answer the air shifts and a faint shimmer appears near the base of the root, like heat rising from sun-warmed stone. It flickers, coalesces, and then—something small and delicate steps out of it.
I gasp softly. It’s a creature no taller than my hand, shaped vaguely like a person but made entirely of bark and leaves. Tiny green eyes blink up at me, and when it speaks, its voice sounds high and whistling, like wind through the top-most branches.
“Hello, good travelers,” it trills. “And how may I help you?”
“Oh,” I breathe, because now I know what it is—we learned of these guardians in the temple. This little fellow must guard the Grandfather Tree. “You’re a Leaf Sprite!”
“That I am, good lady.” The sprite–which is a kind of pixie–bows to me, his little leaf body rustling with the motion. “Am I right in thinking that you’ve come to find the Jewel of Wisdom?” he asks in his tiny voice.
“Yes, I have,” I say. “I need it for a spell I’m doing–it’s one of the four elements I must collect. Can you help me find it?” I ask hopefully.
“Indeed, I can.” The sprite nods. “But be aware—the root will only give up its jewel for the right price.”
“A price? What price?” Theron asks suspiciously.
The little sprite tucks his hands behind his back like a child reciting a poem and recites,
“No blade may cut, no hand may claim,
No chance nor fate may win this game.
The root keeps fast what lies below—
To none but willing flesh will show.
When longing’s fire is freely given,
And need no more is chained or hidden,
Then shall the ancient wood unseal—
And raise to light the buried jewel.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Theron rumbles, frowning.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand either,” I say.
“I think you do, though,” the sprite says. He looks at me knowingly. “You already hold the seed inside you to pay the price–otherwise I would not have been summoned.”
“Are you talking about my magic?” I ask. “Because really, I’m not much more than a novice. I really don’t think–”
“Not your magic–your desire,” the sprite says. “Your thirst for pleasure is exactly what the root needs to grow–a sacrifice of pleasure is what it needs to give up the jewel.”
“A sacrifice of pleasure? What the fuck is that?” Theron demands.
The sprite sighs a tiny sigh of irritation.
“I see that mortals have not become any smarter since last I met with one.” He shakes his green leaf head. “Very well, I’ll tell you plainly. Your lady is in need–you must drink your fill of her to quench her thirst. Only then will the root open to you and give up the jewel.”
“You’re saying I should drink of her? As in taste her juices?”
Theron looks at me with half-lidded eyes and I feel something clench deep inside me. The curse hasn’t been bothering me too much this morning but that one look from him is all it takes to make my body react. Suddenly, my nipples are so tight they hurt, and my pussy feels hot and swollen with need.
But despite my immediate physical response, the idea of letting the big Drake Shifter get between my thighs and taste my pussy has my cheeks burning. Surely he doesn’t want to do that–does he?
From the look on his face, he most certainly does.
“Mmm, little one,” he rumbles. “It seems like we’ll need to work to get this jewel.”
I bite my lower lip.
“You…you really want to…you know…”
“Spread your legs and taste your sweet little pussy?” he growls, his tarnished silver eyes flashing with lust. “Fuck yes, baby—I’ve been wanting to taste you right from the start.”
“But, I–” I begin but I’m interrupted.
“Now that you comprehend the sacrifice that is needed, it seems my work here is done,” the Leaf Sprite says. He gives us a roguish wink and disappears, melting back into the root like smoke.
“Well fuck,” Theron breathes, then turns his attention back to me. “What about it, sweetheart? Do you want me to taste you so we can get this jewel?”
Actually, I do want him too–but I’m still acutely embarrassed.
“What if you don’t like how I taste?” I ask, pressing my thighs together nervously.
“I already know I like the way you taste–I licked your juices off my fingers the first time I touched you. Remember?” he growls.
Oh, right. I remember him licking his long fingers after filling me that first time. The memory makes my cheeks get even hotter.
“But even if I hadn’t, I know I’d still love your flavor,” he continues. “Because I love your scent.” His eyes go half-lidded again. “I could fucking come just from your scent alone, baby.”
“You…you could?” My voice comes out in a squeak, but his words are doing something to me.
I can feel the heat and desire pooling in my belly, making me feel positively molten from the waist down.
The curse is working on me but so is that look on his face and the low rumble of lust in his deep voice.
“Fuck yes,” Theron growls. He puts his arms around me and pulls me close. Leaning down, he cups my face in his big hands and gives me a long, breathless kiss.
I find myself moaning into his mouth and my whole body seems to wake up and come alive for him. The sweet ache between my thighs intensifies as my tight nipples rub against the hard planes of his abdomen.
The kiss seems to last forever and when it finally ends, Theron still doesn’t let go of me. He searches my eyes with his own, as though he’s looking for something.
“Please, baby–let me taste you,” he growls softly. ”Let me give you what you need.”
I know he’s no longer talking about what I need to get the jewel.
He’s speaking of the coiled desire inside me–the sexual need caused by the curse.
But is it only from the curse? I don’t feel like I’d need to be cursed to want the big Drake Shifter holding me in his arms. He’s so big and strong he could break me with one hand…
and yet he chooses to be gentle instead.
“All right,” I whisper, looking into his eyes. “If…if you really want to.”
“I fucking want to,” he assures me. He strokes my cheek. “Come on–let’s get comfortable.”