Page 19 of The Stones for It
Safety finally came into view as a lashing whip of blue through the tropical ferns ahead. The river was wide enough to separate one side of the canopy from the other. With the shelter of the tall trees, the wind shouldn’t jump the fire across.
“Vrath…” the human warned, tensing in my arms as I sped towards the rushing water.
I ignored her worries like I ignored the drugging feel of her soft, peachy skin and the enticing heat radiating from her toned body.
My focus narrowed on the approaching river. Too many creatures lived beneath the innocuous surface for me to get it wrong.
I hit the grassy bank and spread my wings, leaping into the air with my charge secured in my grip. She sucked in a breath as the ground dropped away, but didn’t fight me. For once.
The water churned below, and silver flashed through the pale blue. Fish bigger than the mortal I held breached the surface in high arcs, their toothy jaws snapping. The deadly creatures could strip the flesh from a human within seconds. Within the minute, the bones would be devoured too.
The mortal squeezed my forearm like she was afraid I’d drop her.
The idea held merit.
I flapped hard, keeping us well out of reach before I touched down on the opposite bank. Folding my wings, I righted the human and finally released her.
She let out a rough grunt as her feet slammed to the grass, but at least I hadn’t dropped her on her perfectly shaped backside.
Not that I’d noticed.
She tipped her face up with a thunderous scowl. Only inches separated us as I loomed over her, letting my menacing glare out to quell her fire.
It didn’t have its usual effect.
Her expression remained unchanged, and where any sane being would have lowered their gaze and stepped back, she leaned closer.
The feel of her body was imprinted into mine, and I hated the clinging sensation as much as I craved more. My hand clenched into a fist, longing to wrap around her delicate little throat instead. I could practically feel the whimpers and moans that would try to slip past my hold again, teasing my palm.
If she weren’t a pathetic human, I’d have considered doing just that. How would she sound, breaking apart on my cock this time? How would she taste straight from the source? Rather than the stray drop I’d shamefully licked off my fingers, swiped from my tail after she’d come all over it.
A menacing growl spilled from my chest as I fought for control.
Firelight graced one side of her features, creating a deep hollow under her sharp cheekbone, decorated with light freckles that glided over the bridge of her nose to the dark side.
Her full lips pressed into a hard, dusky pink line. They still looked rose petal-soft. Delicate enough to lure you in, yet hiding a sharp thorniness beneath.
Like most gargoyles, I was all too aware of a pretty set of lips.
The blaze across the river stole her attention, as if there wasn’t a bristling fae, twice her size, growling in her face.
Whatever magic she’d captured me with broke.
Foxfire swallowed more of the jungle with every passing second. Thankfully, I was right in my assessment that it couldn’t cross the natural barrier. Eventually, a water-type fae would drown the wildfire, but it wasn’t something I could do myself, and I was in no mood to hunt down my only aquatic fae ally.
Addinghiminto the mix would be like pouring napalm over foxfire.
I eyed the female, standing far too close to the water’s edge. There was no chance even a mortal’s inferior eyesight had missed the deadly fish that had just tried to devour her.
Her glare stabbed me, lips puckering in an angry pout. “He’s alive, and we’re going back to find him.”
Clearly, I had bigger problems than a measly wildfire.
“Why are the boudas after him? What did you do?” My tone held a distinct snarly edge as worry for my friend threatened to choke me.
Neiron may have antagonised the Bouda King a few times over the years, since their court kept trying to conquer others like the unfortunate jackalopes and stags, but Neiron had never started a war with them before.
Kitsune were rare enough that the boudas alone would outnumber Neiron’s court at least four to one.
