Page 61 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
Shadows pour from the wound, dripping down and encircling me. Several tendrils loop around my neck. Lenore’s eyes are massive as she watches. Her lovely face is even paler than usual. I take in a deep, grateful breath as the shadows knit my skin back together. The pain subsides. I don’t enjoybeing stabbed. But I’d do it again for my little raven. Her safety is everything. The time commitment of my duties down below means I cannot always be here to protect her.
“Clever. Very clever.” I drag her into my arms. Running my fingers through her hair, I work to remove the shell-shocked expression from her face. Planting kiss after kiss along her cheeks and neck, I praise her. “You did so good.”
Her body is stiff in my hold. “You aren’t angry?”
“Not at all.” I smile. “Well done, Roseheart. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
She raises a dark brow, uncertainty lingering across her features. “Don’t be an ass. You’re not mad? I stabbed you.”
“You did. Now our lesson is complete.” My grin turns wolfish. “Did you really think I’d let you off the hook without spilling a little blood?”
“You traumatized me!” she protests.
“We both know you were traumatized well before this experience.”
She laughs, smacking me on the chest. “You’re a dick.”
“What’s that? You want my dick?”
Lenore rolls her eyes. “Did getting stabbed make you horny?”
My hand tightens in her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck. My lips trail up the column of her throat. Once I reach her ear, I murmur, “Do you have any idea how sexy you look when you’re trying to kill a man?”
Her response is breathy. “That’s twisted.”
Pressing my hips against her stomach, I allow her to feel how much she affects me. “Is it?”
She initiates the kiss, dragging me down and pushing her mouth against mine. “No more talking. Give me my reward.”
“You’re quite right. I promised you a reward, didn’t I?”
“Your tongue.” She nods.
“I fear I’ve turned you into a sexual fiend.” I nip at her lower lip, loving the way she groans. In two quick steps I have her back against a large oak. “Do you want it standing or lying down?”
Movement to the right has both our heads turning that way. Two guards approach. They halt when their eyes find Lenore. The two armored men do not approach. Instead, they separate, taking up stiff sentry postures.
“They found me.” Lenore’s disappointment is palpable.
“They won’t approach?”
She shakes her head. “My father will have given them specific instructions to stay away. They’ll only interfere if I don’t return to the castle before nightfall.”
“They’ll stand here, watching you until nightfall?” I don’t like the idea of eyes on my raven for so many hours.
“Yep. We’d better move this little rendezvous indoors or it’s not happening.”
Cocking my head, I question, “Why? They can’t see me. They’ll have no idea my face is between your thighs.”
“You mean…” Lenore swallows. “They’re sure to notice my skirts pushed up above my waist though, aren’t they?”
“Hmmm. That is a good point. Stay right here.” Shadowing into the castle, I snatch a book off the library shelf and quickly return to Lenore. “Here.”
“Reading? But I thought?—”
“Take a seat.”
Lenore pouts again, but sits. She examines the title. “Ancient dead languages? Not exactly light reading.”
