Chapter 15 Zara #2
Gods why does he have to be so damned good looking? I bite the inside of my cheek. I need to snap out of whatever this is. I squeeze Leer’s arm, and he moves it onto my shoulders, pulling me close. I breathe him in. This is where I’m supposed to be.
We look like a coven of witches as we move quietly through the night, heavy black cloaks trailing behind us.
We don’t head into the village. Instead, Emlyn guides us into the Woodlands that surround the palace.
The trees loom over us as we approach, and the canopy blocks out the moonlight as we step over debris and brush scattered along the path.
Leer keeps a tight hold around my waist as we move deeper into the trees. “I’m not sure this is a great idea.”
I smile and give him a sidelong look from under my hood and try to act confident, but the farther we walk, the more terrifying this trip becomes. The dense evergreen trees sway gently in the breeze, leaving haunting shadows along the trails.
I know there are creatures in the Woodlands that would never be welcome at court.
Trolls and ogres, glaistigs and goblins, and dozens of other not so friendly fairies stalk through the vast forest separating Masseda and Lanray.
All creatures except our own were pushed out of the Seelie Courts after the Great War, thought to be allies to the Unseelies.
I suspect they were also seen as inferior.
Then again, Fae don’t usually eat each other so, perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing they were banished from court.
All I want to do tonight is spend time with Leer. I don’t necessarily want to become dinner for a monster.
“Do we have a destination in mind?” Alfrie’s voice is soft and low.
I look over my shoulder at Emlyn, hoping she knows where we're going. She shrugs at me, and I notice her arm is wrapped around Alfrie’s.
My cheeks flush and I face forward again, a twinge of annoyance at the sight of their limbs intertwined together.
Which is crazy. I don’t like him. Perhaps that’s why I’m so bothered.
I don’t like him, and I don’t want him anywhere near my best friend.
Still.
I clear my throat. “Emlyn, maybe you should go ahead and scout? To make sure we’re hiking in the right direction?”
“Sure.” In less than a second, Emlyn is covered in brown feathers, and her wings are beating hard to lift her newly formed avian body above the treetops. She soars high enough that I can no longer see her and before we walk another ten feet, she's back on two legs striding next to me.
“There's a bonfire about a quarter of a mile that way.” Emlyn points to her left and the four of us trudge along.
A faint hum of a guitar carries through the silent forest, and the smell of wood burning intensifies as we approach the hidden party.
Flames light up the night sky and there are about a dozen folk dancing and drinking around the bonfire.
Finely dressed courtiers mingle with phookas and tree nymphs from the village, all enjoying a night of lewd and vulgar revelry.
Leer’s hand rests on my lower back, guiding me toward a large log bench, and Emlyn and Alfrie follow. Leer sits on the log and pats his knee. I make myself comfortable in his lap, with my back to his chest and he rests his chin on my shoulder.
I look up at Emlyn and Alfrie who hover awkwardly a few feet away. I try to catch Emlyn’s eye, raising my brow and tilting my head toward the other side of the clearing, hoping she takes the hint that she and Alfrie should go find somewhere else to hang out.
Emlyn grabs Alfrie by the arm again. “Let’s go get a drink.
” She nods at me and leads him over to a group of fairies drinking from a couple of different bottles.
Alfrie furrows his brow when he glances back at me and Leer and I can’t tell if it’s annoyance or concern on his face. Perhaps a little bit of both.
“I hope Alfrie doesn’t tell your father about us coming out here tonight.” I lay my head back and nuzzle my nose into Leer’s neck. His warm and heavy arms envelop me, and he twirls his fingers through mine.
“No, he’ll always cover for me.” His nose brushes up against my ear.
“Should we take a walk?” A swift flick of his tongue along my earlobe shoots a spark through my core, and I arch my back slightly, leaning closer to his mouth grazing my cheek.
His parted lips trail down the angle of my jaw to my throat and land with a soft kiss between my neck and shoulder.
I rise from his lap, keeping my hands intertwined in his, and pull him from the log. I peek over at our companions to make sure they’re occupied then I follow Leer farther into the dark woods and away from the bonfire.
We venture into the Woodlands until we can no longer hear the music or crackling of the flames and suddenly, I’m being pressed up against a tree.
Leer holds my arms over my head, gripping my wrists as his mouth collides with mine. He parts my lips with his tongue, licking and tasting every inch of my mouth while our lips move in a divine unison. He releases his hold around my wrists, and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into me.
“I can’t stop thinking about the night in the village.
” His voice is a low growl in my ear, and I shiver as he playfully nibbles it.
He slides his hands down along the sides of my gown, his thumbs caressing the curves of my breasts as he cups them through my corset.
He playfully bites my lower lip as he pulls his mouth from mine and his tongue glides along the skin of my neck and collarbone.
I gasp when his lips skim over the tops of my breasts at the same time his fingers get lost beneath my skirts and graze feverishly over the sensitive place between my thighs. It takes everything I have not to cry out when he slides his finger into me. Then another.
His lips are at my throat now, licking and kissing as I pulse with pleasure against his magical fingers as they move in and out while his thumb traces circles over my sweet spot. I grab a handful of his hair in my fist and let my other hand travel to his trousers, but he pushes it away.
“I want tonight to only be about you.” His voice is husky and low in my ear and I can barely hear it at all through my own building ecstasy.
He yanks down hard and rough on the top of my bodice, revealing my breasts and flicks his tongue over my nipples, pulling and nibbling playfully with his teeth.
I moan and he clamps his hand over my mouth. He whispers for me to be quiet, his breath hot in my ear, making me want to scream out even louder. He removes his hand and quiets my moans with his mouth instead, suffocating any other sound that might escape my lips.
He drives his fingers into me. Deeper and faster with every thrust of my hips until my release comes in waves around his talented hand.
He holds my face with his free hand, and it glides down to the base of my throat with a firm caress.
He has me pinned in place, my body tense and trembling under his grasp.
He releases me and lightly grips my chin.
His lips press hard against mine, breathing in my rapid exhalations as I try to catch my breath.
He rests his hands on my hips and leans his forehead on mine. He smiles, his chest rising and falling in quick succession. I’m drunk with elation, and I kiss him before relaxing my head back against the tree.
He backs away from me, adjusting himself and smooths down his dark hair. When I can finally breathe normally again, I straighten my skirts and pull my bodice over my exposed breasts, before tucking pieces of hair that have fallen from my updo back into place.
Leer stares at me, his sapphire eyes dark with raw emotion, and I can’t tell what it is exactly. Hunger. Madness. Rapture maybe? In an instant, his irises are bright again and he reaches for me. “Shall we?”
I grab his hand and pull him close to me again. I explore the planes of his firm chest. “I don’t want to go back yet,” I whisper and leave a trail of kisses down the soft skin of his neck, making my way lower and lower until—
He takes my wrists and stops my descent. I’m about to object but he’s looking past me into the forest. He clenches his jaw, and a muscle tenses his cheek.
“What’s wrong? Did you hear something?” I’m staring off in the direction of his gaze but I can't see anything. Only darkness. An image of the troll…or beast…or whatever it was invades my thoughts and I forget how to breathe. What if it's out there? My voice is barely a whimper, “Leer?”
His eyes darken again, and a wrinkle appears between his brows, as if he’s concentrating. Listening to some sound in the distance.
I force the monster’s face from my brain and continue to scan the black woods around us trying to see what he’s seeing. Or hearing. “Leer? What is it? Did you see something out there?” My heart beats faster and panic creeps in. I start to move past him to go find Emlyn and Alfrie for help.
Leer grabs my arm so tightly I wince, and he yanks me to a stop. I gape at him, terror gripping my chest like a vise. “Wh—what’s…going on? Leer, you’re scaring me.” Tears prick the corners of my eyes and I’m shaking in his grip.
He shakes his head slightly and focuses on my face as if he’s just realizing I’m standing next to him.
“Nothing.” He drops his gaze to the hand he has wrapped around my arm, and his eyes widen briefly.
He lets me go immediately. “I’m so sorry.
I—I thought I heard something.” Leer’s expression softens and he cups my face.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please forgive me.
” He strokes his thumb over my cheek. His icy-blue stare holds my gaze for a moment.
“Don’t worry. I promise, it was nothing.
” His eyes linger on mine for another moment and I don’t even know why I was so frightened to begin with.
My shoulders relax.
His do too. “Come on, let’s go back to Emlyn and Alfrie.”