Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Knox
I ran my hand over the stubble lining my head as I stalked toward the healer’s workroom. I’d just taken my seventh shower since yesterday, and my skin was still raw from the scrub brush I’d used to scour it.
With the mood I was in, I should stay away from Briar, but I had no idea where she’d gone since yesterday. I worried the elf might have tried to hatch some escape plan with her.
Plus, she was determined to harvest more mushrooms, and I didn’t trust her not to attempt going out there on her own again. The sweet scent of something brewing wafted down the hall before the healer’s workroom came into view.
Metal clattered against metal as fire crackled and smoke drifted through the air. If Briar wasn’t in the workroom, then someone was.
When I stepped into the open doorway, I froze when I spotted Briar standing before the black, marble island, her head bent and her brown hair swept into a knot at her nape. The crackling fire and boiling cauldron made the room almost intolerably hot, but there she was, chopping mushrooms.
An enticing sheen of sweat shimmered on her ivory skin. Her damp clothes clung to her, emphasizing her lush curves.
I’d spent most of the morning trying to bury memories, but a new one emerged of me standing behind her, holding her, as I ran my tongue along her nape. I’d savored the saltiness of her skin while her strawberry and eucalyptus scent entwined its way around me.
My cock was inside her while we lay on our sides, moving together as she bowed her head and issued the most delicious sounds. Her full breasts lay against my arm as her pussy gripped me tight, drawing me deeper.
Her body was a paradise I’d reveled in. She’d made me feel pleasure in ways I’d never dreamed possible. I hadn’t experienced it again since her.
The beast had always come in the harem when the casters forced themselves on him. As much as we hated it, we couldn’t stop the body’s natural response.
However, all those orgasms never felt like they did with her. Instead of feeling right, powerful, perfect, and so fucking good, it left us both unsettled, dirty, and full of self-loathing.
But Briar… Well, Briar had been heaven, and my love for her threw me into hell.
“How much will this make?” Zephyr asked.
When he spoke, I realized he was sitting on a stool on the other side of her. Bent forward, he had his hands on the island. He watched Briar expertly slicing mushrooms with a speed that probably would have taken pieces of my fingers.
The rodent was curled up on the windowsill, its head on its paws while it slept. The fire in the hearth and the flickering lanterns weren’t the only source of illumination. Briar had also set up dozens of candles on the counters; their small flames added a cozy air to the room.
“I’m not sure,” she replied.
Pinching a pile of lavender, she sprinkled it into another black cauldron, which sat on the counter beside her. Steam rose from the cauldron hanging over the fire; the sweet smell came from the bubbling concoction. Despite the heat, the room was inviting.
“When can I use it?” Zephyr asked.
Without looking at him, Briar lifted a glass vial from the counter and handed it to him. “Here, before you drive me crazy about it. Just a few drops at the base of each plant is more than enough. We can’t do too much at once; it could stress them out.”
Zephyr squealed as he snatched the vial from her, jumped up on the stool, and flew toward me. He was only a few feet away when he realized I blocked his exit.
With a startled squeak, Zephyr pulled up abruptly. The flutter of his wings created a breeze as he aimed them at me and hovered in the air.
“Knox!” he blurted.
Briar’s head turned so fast I was sure she’d given herself whiplash as she gazed at me over her shoulder. Instead of moving out of the sprite’s way, I leaned against the door, crossed my legs, and folded my arms over my chest.
“Don’t let me stop you,” I told him.
Zephyr glanced between Briar and me. He’d been so excited to get to work on the plants, but he hesitated to leave her with me.
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “I thought you were going.”
“I was, but… I… maybe I… ah… should wait for Briar so she can teach me how to properly use the potion.”
“Seconds ago, you didn’t have any problems doing it on your own.”
Zephyr paled as he glanced at Briar again. With a sigh, she released her knife; it clattered against the marble. She wiped her hands on her apron before turning to face us.
“It’s okay, Zephyr; I’m sure you’ll have no problems using the potion,” she said.
His head continued to ping between us as he gulped. “Yeah… sure… ah, if you think so.”
Briar smiled as she used her forearm to wipe sweat from her brow. “I have complete confidence in you.”
Zephyr’s shoulders sagged a little. “I won’t be gone long.”
“Take all the time you need,” Briar assured him. “Just remember, only a couple of drops per plant.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll be back soon.”
He stared at me before zipping out of the room. When the pattern of his beating wings changed, I turned to discover him in the middle of the hallway, watching me. He turned and zoomed away.
“Do you need something?” Briar asked.
The rodent had gotten up. Its front paws were before it, and its back arched as it stretched and yawned. When it finished, it jumped out of the window and onto the counter, where it sauntered over to sit beside Briar; its eyes never left me.
With her face flushed from the heat, the bright red of her cheeks gave her a healthy glow, and her sea green eyes glimmered with vitality. She’d undone the top three buttons of her shirt; a bead of sweat trickled down her chest before vanishing into the V her breasts created.
Not only did the damp shirt cleave to her slender, curvy body, but her rolled-up pants hugged her thighs. I clearly recalled what it was like to have those thighs locked around me or pressed against my head while I tasted her.
The last time I got a taste of her wasn’t that long ago. I’d vowed never to claim her as my mate again or stick my dick anywhere near her, but I’d relished tongue fucking her in the library.
But not only could I see her looking entirely delectable, but so could others. Jealousy coiled like a poisonous monster through my belly.
“Are you trying to give the sprite a show?” I asked with a waggle of my finger at her open shirt.
In all honesty, she wasn’t showing much skin at all, but my desire for her and my jealousy irritated me. How could I possibly lust for this woman after enduring the presence of her mother and sister yesterday?
But with every beat of my heart, I craved her.
Briar glanced at her open shirt, and her jaw clenched. I couldn’t see the edge of the binding restraining her breasts, but its outline was visible beneath her damp shirt.
“Of course not,” she retorted. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hot in here. Not to mention, no part of me is exposed. You’re a dick for thinking such a thing.”
“I thought I was the worst part of the dick,” I threw her words from the forest back at her.
Was that really only yesterday? So much had passed since then that it felt like weeks had gone by.
“Oh, you are,” she said. “Every interaction I have with you reinforces that.”
With that, she undid two more buttons on her shirt, leaned her hip against the counter, and glowered at me. The thin, white binding she’d donned to keep her lush breasts restrained was clearly visible now… as were her dark pink areolas.
It would be so easy to slide a claw down that material and slice it open to reveal the plump breasts beneath. Eager to touch her, the beast rolled within me as saliva filled my mouth and my fangs tingled.