Page 38 of Knave

“Let’s hurry to the lake while the coast is clear.” Ferris crawled out from beneath the stairs and rose to his full height. He helped her up and led her to the front door, where he peered out, then waved her to follow. “No sign of the beast.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she walked out the door beside him. A light breeze rustled the hem of her dress and the sky was darkening, the half-moon high up in its depths. Above the castle, a large bat flapped its wings while gliding through the air.

As they passed barren trees and the deteriorating statues, Mouse listened for any sign of the Jabberwocky, the crack of its leather wings, or the pounding of its heavy footsteps. But nothing sounded. She prayed the creature wasn’t back in Ivory or Scarlet either. If it were in werewolf territory, that would be a dream come true. It could feed on those awful creatures forever.

A dead garden came into view, not a single leaf bloomed from any of the bushes, and they skirted around it. It would take a lot of work to revive this territory, but the potential was there, especially when they rounded the castle to the back. Her gaze settled on a low decorative stone wall that ran around the edge of a glistening crystal-clear lake, forming a walking path along it. Tall trees that weren’t completely barren sprouted a few deep purple flowers.

“This area doesn’t seem so bad,” Ferris said, kneeling in front of the lake to fill up his canteens.

Mouse mirrored his movements with her two, then placed the bottles in her backpack. She zipped up her bag and stood, finding Ferris’s gaze trained on her, his dark irises shining.

“Turn around so I can undress,” she said softly.

Ferris arched a brow and smirked.

“What?” Mouse placed her hands on her hips.

“You do realize you’ve seen me naked more than once now, and I’ve seen you pretty damn close to being so.” That deep voice of his pulled at her, making her skin tingle.

Again, the way he’d touched her came to mind, that rush of heat spreading through her veins. But they needed to get cleaned up and hurry back inside the castle. Even though the Jabberwocky had been inside, it was still safer than milling around out in the open.

“Well,” she drawled. “Then you can wait until later to see me fully. Now, turn around.”

“Until then.” He smiled seductively, facing the opposite direction as she took out a black dress from her pack.

Mouse glanced at Ferris’s back, her gaze drifting to his buttocks, the way his tight jeans hugged the curve of it, how they showed off his muscular legs. As butterflies swarmed in her stomach, she pulled off her dirt-covered dress and kicked her boots away before slipping naked into the warm water.

“All right, come on,” she called, unraveling her plait.

Ferris turned around, his dark gaze studying her as he crossed his arms.

Mouse tilted her head to the side. “What?”

He lifted a finger and slowly spun it in a circle, that perfect digit which had brought her to bliss so easily. “Now,youlook away, luv.”

Fighting a smile, she rolled her eyes and did just that. Even though she couldn’t see him, she couldn’t stop listening to his every movement, the way his clothing rustled as he peeled them from his body, how the water sloshed against his flesh when he moved through it,toward her.

“You can look at me now,” Ferris said, his voice gruff.

A blush crept up her face as she found his hair already wet, the beads of water glistening against his strong arms and broad chest.

Neither spoke as they scrubbed the dirt from their bodies, but her gaze continued to drift toward him as if he were her beacon. Smiling to herself, she glanced toward the castle where a pristine balcony rested. Not a single crack or missing piece marred the stone. A trellis woven with dead vines hung beside it, reminding her of the balcony inRomeo and Juliet, and how Shakespeare had written the scene so splendidly.

“Are you thinking about Shakespeare?” Ferris asked, running his hands through his wet hair, his lips tilted to one side.

“How did you know?”

“You have that look when you read his plays or talk about him. Should I be jealous?” His grin widened.

“Hmm.” She pretended to mull it over. “If the master of plays were alive today, you might have a bit of competition there. He does have a way with words,” she teased.

Before she knew what was happening, Ferris’s hands were around her waist and her legs circled his hips. “I can have a way with words,” he purred in her ear.

“You really like getting me in this position, don’t you?” she said, pressing herself into him.

“I do.” He tightened his grip on her, somehow bringing her even closer, her softness pressing into his hardness. “And didn’t I say we would fuck after we fed?”

As she parted her lips to give into temptation, a roar tore through the air, followed by the cry and howl of a werewolf in the distance. The Jabberwocky must’ve found a meal…

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