Page 48 of Knave

“Fucking perfect,” he murmured. “I love touching you. I love you touching me.”

Heat spread through her at his words and she arched into him. “I think we have time for one more round before we head home, don’t you think?”

Ferris grazed his hand to her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple as he hardened again. He drifted his fingers down her stomach to between her thighs and, as her heart screamed in anticipation, he buried his length deep inside of her once more.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ferris

“Do you feel okay, luv?” Ferris asked.

Mouse snuggled closer into his side beneath the blankets and wrapped an arm around his waist. Her breasts pressed against him, stirring his lust. But after worshipping her body three times last night, it was safe to say they were both too worn out for another round. Still, he trailed his fingertips up and down her bare back. Having her next to him like this made him feel like he would combust. Like he was free. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so … content.

“Mm-hmm,” Mouse mumbled around a yawn.

“I hate to say this since it’s so cozy in this bed,” Ferris said as he kissed her forehead, “but we’ve both finally gotten the rest we needed, so we should head back to Ivory.”

“We should.” Mouse sat up slowly and stretched her arms over her head, giving him a view of her full breasts, nipples peaked. “I don’t like going back empty-handed though. None of the things we found answer any questions about the Jabberwocky.”

“Me either, but they’ll worry if we don’t come back soon.” All they’d found in Red were fucking monsters. Rogue werewolves, the Jabberwocky, a rabid ancient. A few foreign relics and finger bones, for whatever those were worth. If there were answers, it would take longer than they had to locate them, especially with all the hidden rooms. And that wasn’t even counting the rest of Red. The answers could be anywhere in the territory.

“That’s certainly true.” Mouse gave him a lingering kiss on the mouth, then shoved the blankets from her lower half and climbed out of bed. “Maddie is probably losing her mind by now.”

Ferris chuckled and swung his legs off the bed, standing. Mouse’s gaze raked him up and down, her lips tugging up at the edges. He smiled, turning around so she could admire his backside. That they were comfortable enough to look at each other naked with nothing unspoken between them put a smile on his face.

Ferris leaned over to get his trousers. Mouse followed suit, gathering her dress and shaking the wrinkles out. He grabbed her panties and held them out to her, dangling them from his fingertip. “Missing something?”

Mouse laughed and snatched them from him. “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer it if I left them off?”

“Of course I fucking would, but then I’d be distracted the whole way back to Ivory.” He winked at her and they both finished dressing. Mouse fished out a dagger from her backpack, one from the relics room, and tucked it into her boot. With a quick peek inside their bags, he realized they only had six blood pouches left. That would be plenty enough to get them back home, but their canteens needed to be filled. “We should stop at the lake for more water before we head out.”

“You read my mind.” Mouse brushed a kiss against his cheek. “Let’s go.”

Ferris followed her through the palace, throwing glances down at her to make sure she was all right while keeping an ear out for the Jabberwocky’s boisterous screeching. His free hand lifted subconsciously to the ring hanging beneath his shirt. Circling the metal through the fabric, a sense of peace descended over him. Like he was finally ready to let them go. No—maybe that wasn’t the right way to explain it. Ellie and their daughter would always be with him, but he was ready to let go of the guilt over the accident. To move on and allow himself to finally fuckingliveagain. They would want him to be happy.

“I love you,” he whispered to Mouse.

Though he’d said it before, her eyes lit up like she was hearing it for the first time. “I love you too,” she murmured.

“Let me make sure the coast is clear,” he said when they reached the broken front doors. Stepping out first, Ferris scanned the sky for the Jabberwocky. The horizon was lightening to a soft gray as morning rose, but there was no sign of a threat. “All right, luv. Come on.”

Together they went back to the same lake they’d bathed in the day before and he listened again for the return of the Jabberwocky. Only silence greeted him as they reached the water’s edge. Clouds reflected on the glassy surface and, as Ferris dipped his hand into the cool liquid, goosebumps prickled his skin. It was colder than last time—or maybe he hadn’t noticed because he’d been too focused on Mouse. Still, he cupped the water in his palms and splashed it on his face. He’d give anything for a warm bath or shower after this journey.

Mouse handed him one of the empty canteens and they filled them in companionable silence. When they were finished, she tucked them in the backpack again. “I can’t wait to be home,” she said, digging through Ferris’s bag for the other two canteens. “To feed Des a new leaf, to watch my sister work on a new hat, to hear Ever’s viola. I still wish we had better news to bring.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he assured her. “There’s always more than one way to fix a problem.”

“But if someone could’ve killed the Jabberwocky, why—” Mouse’s body froze, her eyes growing wide before she shot to her feet and pointed across the lake toward the dead gardens. “Do you see that?”

Ferris sucked in a breath and stood, his heart pounding as he saw what she was staring at. Bright green light shimmered in the air. What looked to be an emerald rectangle expanding, glimmering wider, until it formed a doorway. It carried a light, earthy scent, like a field after it rained. And it … it seemed to be a portal. That was impossible though. Portals just existed where they were—they didn’t appear out of nowhere like this.

“What the hell is that?” Ferris hissed, grabbing Mouse by the wrist and hauling her over the low stone wall that circled the lake, kneeling behind it. It was best to see their new potential foe before they were seenbyit. Ferris could assess the probability of winning a fight or if they needed to haul arse out of there. Honestly, as much as he enjoyed taking down a rival, his body was a wreck. He’d healed from all the injuries he’d received over the last few days, but he needed a live mortal to feed on to truly regain his strength.

“Stay low,” he whispered to Mouse. They both peered over the top of the wall, waiting to see what would happened next. He held his breath and reached in his bag to retrieve a weapon. Except—shit.Their bags were still by the lake. A few yards away. “Do you still have that dagger on you?”

“Yes.” Mouse pulled the blade from her boot and handed it to him.

Just as he wrapped his fingers around the handle, a form stepped from the green doorway. A shadow at first, then a fully formed male. Dark silky hair hung down his back and he wore a loose white shirt, shoved up to his elbows like he’d just walked out of a renaissance faire, with a brown satchel slung over one shoulder. Another looming form appeared behind him. Taller. Carrying an axe. He had long silver hair, a blue tunic, and fucking green sparks shooting from his hand. They exchanged a few words, but Ferris was unable to hear from this side of the lake. Whatever they’d said had the dark-haired male rolling his eyes as a swirl of red smoke curled around his arm.

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