Page 119 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

For a while, we just remain there, lying side by side on the thick grass. The river continues gently flowing past a few strides away.

“That…” Draven begins eventually.

Was absolutely fucking mind-blowing, I finish in my mind. It was, by far, the best sex I’ve ever had. Draven wasn’t kidding when he said that he was going to ruin me. I don’t know how I’m ever supposed to fuck someone else after this. How I’m supposed to just forget what his hands felt like on my body. How his cock felt inside me. How he managed to wring every drop of pleasure from my soul.

But I can’t say any of that out loud.

So instead, I finish his sentence with, “Never happened.”

Tilting his head to the side, he looks over at me. For a fraction of a second, I swear I can almost see pain flicker in his eyes. But it’s gone so fast that I’m starting to doubt that I ever saw it. And when he speaks, his voice is calm and composed.

“Agreed,” he says.

Sitting up, I plaster a smile on my face and force a joking tone into my voice. “After all, what happens in the magical forest, stays in the magical forest.”

He lets out a short laugh, but it sounds as forced as mine. “Exactly.”

Suddenly feeling incredibly awkward, I clear my throat and then push to my feet. Then my gaze darts towards my clothes, and my heart leaps into my throat.

Shit. My plan. I need to leave. Now. Before he figures out that I have stolen the ring.

Draven lets out a soft groan as he climbs to his feet as well. I hurry over to my clothes and start putting them on as fast as I can without it looking too suspicious. Hoping that he chalks my jerky movements up to awkwardness after the abrupt end to our intimacy, I yank my shirt over my head and pull my pants up before I sit down to put on my boots.

The ring presses into the sole of my left foot as I put the boot on. I need to remove it before I start running, but first, I need to get out of sight.

“I need to pee,” I announce.

Draven heaves a deep sigh. “And I need to clean off my armor.”

My gaze flits towards where he dropped his armor earlier. Satisfaction shoots up my spine. This is perfect.

I managed to wash off my shirt before we got distracted, so it’s already clean. And it’s even almost dry. But he went straight into the water, so his armor is still covered in green slime.

“That’s why you should have done it before you decided to fuck my brains out,” I say, making sure to keep that neutral teasing tone in my voice. As if everything is normal.

He shoots me a pointed look from over his shoulder. “Yeah, well, it was very difficult to concentrate on anything when you were looking at me as ifyouwanted to fuckmybrains out.”

Heat sears my cheeks.

Using that to my advantage, I clear my throat and pretend to be even more flustered than I am. “Yes, well… Anyway, I’m going to go pee.”

Before he can reply, I turn around and hurry straight into the woods.

As soon as I’m out of sight, I crouch down and unlace my boot. Pulling out the ring, I slip it onto my finger and then lace my boot back up again. Splashing sounds come from down by the river. I cast one last look towards it, even though I can’t see anything through the trees.

And then I sprint away like the little thief I am.

My legs are still wobbly from the intense orgasms that Draven wrung from my body, so I almost stumble over a root as I dash across the grass. Channeling my magic, I throw it out towards that cluster of impatient sparks that I felt earlier. They’re still there.

While drawing in deep breaths to steady my pounding heart, I run with everything I have towards it.

Eventually, the ground starts sloping upwards.

A jolt of anticipation shoots through me.

My muscles shake with exhaustion as I dart uphill.

An opening appears up ahead. The river, which has picked up speed from a downhill angle, rushes fast now as it’s forced over the small hill and up through that hole. Keeping close to the side of it, I duck my head and run through as well.

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