Page 27 of The Stones for It
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, sending an irrational thrill through me. “Seemed more thanadequatewhen you almost blew your load just touching me.”
“I already told you; bratty mortals get punished,” I snarled, barely stopping myself from crushing her snack as I imagined grabbing her by that tiny little neck.
She ran her tongue across her lower lip in a sensual taunt that threatened my sanity. “And I told you; you haven’t got the stones for it.”
My jaw clenched so hard, I almost snapped a fang. Everything about this mortal was designed to drive me to the brink of my control.
Taking a deep breath, I looked away, claws stabbing into my palms as I fought the burning need to pin her to the ground and rut her like the monster I was. Fuck her into submission. Drown her in my cum. Breed that hot little pussy.
Until she knew exactly who she belonged to.
What?
The thought was so jarring, it snapped me from the haze of lust.
She wasn’tmine. No mortal ever would be.
“They’re mara nuts,” I grunted, popping one between my fangs with a quick crunch and swallowing, barely tasting their rich flavour. “Like the coffee beans of your realm. All the energy, none of the bitterness.”
For some odd reason, her considering stare had my toes curling into the dirt.
She swiped a single nut from my palm, inspecting the crescent-shaped delicacy. Unlike the beans I’d related them to, these were a soft orange hue. With a shrug of her daintily toned shoulders, she took a bite.
Her earthy eyes widened in delight, and something warm expanded beneath my sternum.
“Do you like it?” I rumbled, holding out more.
“Actually, yeah.” She took the rest, chewing through them with a pleased hum. “Thanks, big guy.”
Why had I asked that? Why did I even care what a tiny mortal thought? It was sustenance when she needed it. Nothing more.
Her shrewd gaze raked my face, lips pursing as if she could sense the shift in my mood.
I grunted, and that bubbling feeling popped as reality forced its way back in. “Let’s go.”
This time, I didn’t reach for her hand.
I led us through the wilted vegetation for a few minutes before turning into the burnt section.
Moonlight streamed through the destroyed canopy to pool amongst the ash littering the ground. Charred bark flaked off the trees and not a single bush or flower had survived the foxfire’s rage.
Only chaos remained.
It didn’t take long to find the site where the boudas had ambushed us. I knew this was the spot we’d fought in, and yet not one body lay among the charred ruin.
I filtered through the heavy scent of wood ash and sap. Faint traces of sharp bouda magic lingered within the smoke, and I wrinkled my nose at the off-putting scent.
There was no sign of Neiron.
What if, this time, he’d got himself into more trouble than he could handle?
Panic scrabbled at my middle, stabbing its claws deep.
Something brushed my hand, drawing my focus before I could spiral.
Kelsea’s warm fingertips trailed along my skin. I hadn’t realised I’d dug my claws into my palms, but it was like seeing it made it real. I felt their sharp bite and the warm trickle of my blood as it dripped onto the burnt soil.
“We’ll find him,” she murmured.
