Page 69 of The Call of Crimson
“I don’t know,” Elijah sighs. “But it begs the question of what else we’re missing.”
Our return walk to the castle is a somber affair, the heaviness we had tried to escape feeling more burdensome than before.
The last of the day’s warmth beats down on me as the sun begins setting. Golden rays dance along my skin, casting shadows behind me. I sit on a blanket in the middle of the palace garden, admiring the beauty of the nature around me. Inhaling deeply, I take in the floral aroma and sigh. Peace settles over me. The irises, roses, and carnations reminding me of my mother.
“Would you like a bite, sweetheart?” Elijah asks, offering me a plate of chocolate cake.
“Is that a serious question?” I giggle, taking it from him.
Decadent, sweet, chocolate hits my taste buds, and I moan at the taste of heaven on my tongue. I try to chew slowly, to savor the delicacy, but I can’t resist the call of the divine treat and shove bite after bite in my mouth.
“So. Good,” I mumble around a mouthful of cake.
“Let me have a taste,” Elijah begs.
Begrudgingly, I hold out a forkful for him.
He swats my hand away, wrapping his hand around the back of my head and leaning in close. “Not what I meant,” he says with a devilish glint in his eyes.
Just before his lips meet mine, he shakes me instead.
“Ophelia, wake up,” Elijah urges, and my eyes snap open.
I blink rapidly, trying to take in my surroundings.
“Where are we?” I ask, my eyes adjusting to the low light of the moon.
“You sleepwalked to the kitchen.” Elijah casts a Faerie light, the soft glow illuminating the kitchen. “I thought you were awake at first and just hungry.”
“I don’t think I’m hungry,” I say, laughing softly.
Elijah’s eyes fall to my hands. “Are you sure about that?” I follow his gaze to find my hands fully covered inchocolate cake.
With a hysterical laugh, I say, “I was dreaming about eating chocolate cake.”
Elijah chuckles, reaching for one of my hands. “It was when you began eating the cake with your hands that I realized you weren’t awake.”
I pull them out of the now destroyed dessert and pray this wasn’t for something important. “We should probably clean this up.”
He raises my hand to his lips, inspecting the frosting covering every finger. “We should,” he says, a lascivious smile spreading the corners of his mouth. His wet tongue darts out, curling around my finger as he sucks the dessert off.
A sudden and violent heat sparks in my core. “Elijah,” I whimper.
Sucking another finger into his mouth, he groans. Releasing my fingers, his voice is a husky rasp as he asks, “Yes, Ophelia?”
He lifts my other hand to his lips, his tongue darting out to swirl around two fingers. I lose whatever thought was plaguing me when he sucks and licks every speck of chocolate from my skin.
“Ophelia.” My name is like a song on Elijah’s lips as he drags a hand down the center of my chest. He lifts my nightgown, exposing my heated flesh to the chill night air.
“Hmmm?” I hum, unsure what he’s asking.
“Arms up,” he demands.
I comply, and the nightgown is removed from my body before being set behind me on the counter. His hands graspmy hips, squeezing tightly as I’m lifted onto the workspace. He pushes against my bare chest, urging me to lie back.
A wicked thought enters my mind when I catch sight of the chocolate next to us.
Instead, I reach for the cake, digging my fingers into the frosting. I smear the sugary substance over his chest, swirling a finger around his nipple.
