Page 95 of Happily Ever Witch
Esmeralda ignored their opinions. She didn’t like being in the atrium. The humidity beaded on the glass walls and water was never her friend. Exiting the overly-warm space, she found herself in the kitchen.
Wonderful! She could use some breakfast.
Taking a moment, she grabbed up one of the wabeberry tarts she’d made the day before and peered through the hole she’d left in the dining room wall. No sign of Trevelyan. Ha! She’d known those hundreds of doorways would lose him for a while.
Loud guitar music blasted through the castle, like a classic rock anthem played on full blast.
Esmeralda laughed in delight and then slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. Shoot! He’d just tricked her into giving away her position. Such a clever dragon. She hurried into the dining room and took a bite of the tart.
Electric, pulsing and played with perfect virtuosity, the magical guitar music was way better than any record store owner could’ve produced. Trevelyan’s powers were bouncing back faster than she’d thought they would. That probably meant he was healing from his long sleep.
It also meant he was going to find her soon.
“Ez.” He called from somewhere off to the left. She could sense him stalking through the rooms, searching for her. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”
She waved a hand and made her skin heart-patterned to blend in with the wallpaper. One thing Esmeralda always had total control over was her appearance. Blonde, brunette, bridge ogre… Glamours came easy to her.
“God, Ifeelyour powers.” His voice was a snarl of lust. “You’re using so much of it, it’s in the air. No one else’s energy feels like yours, darling. That’s why you smell as succulent as you do. You’re just pure magic.”
Esmeralda ate her tart and waited him out. Trevelyan went past the dining room, so he must not have spotted her. Excellent. Another win for her team. Turning her skin back to green, she tried to decide on her next move.
The cabbage-y, corkscrew, sailboat-ish “rog” that she’d accidently created in the basement went rolling past like tumbleweed. Lord knew why. Esmeralda ignored it.
Instead, she drew the outline of a heart-shaped door onto the wall with her fingertip. Adding a circle for the knob, she turned it and walked right through. She couldn’t really predict where it would lead, but it didn’t much matter. Her only objective was to play with Trevelyan.
It was probably why her magic was working so well, come to think of it. There was no pressure. No Good or Bad. No Cauldron Society. No rules or plans. Just having fun with her True Love.
She ended up in some kind of study. Esmeralda glanced around. She hadn’t seen this room before. Not a huge shock, since the castle seemed to change on a whim. Wonderland’s magic fed on illogical nonsense. She got the feeling the Heart Castle enjoyed having villains in residence, because she and Trevelyan contributed to the chaos that made everything thrive.
The study had a portrait of a red knight over the massive fireplace, and rugs made from the skins of a frumious bandersnatch on the floor. But there were no exits. Not even a window. She looked back at the heart-shaped door, but it had vanished, too.
When she turned towards the fireplace again, Trevelyan was standing there. He was just somehowthere, right in front of her and gloriously naked.
“So, youdidknow I was in the dining room.” She deduced.
His head tilted to one side, only focused on her. “Dragon.” He reminded her. It wasn’t so much a word as a growl.
Esmeralda took a step back from him, but he was already moving. Her nightgown was ripped off her body before she even hit the ground. Wow! Esmeralda’s eyes went wide as she found herself pinned to the thick carpet. She had no idea how he’d done that, but it was awesome. Just to see what would happen, she tried to move…
He made a snarling sound at her halfhearted attempt to get free, his rock-hard-body holding her still. His fingers found the edge of her underwear without looking, shredding them. Now, she was naked and at the mercy of the Baddest man she’d ever met.
About time.
Her eyes fluttered shut in lust and she stopped struggling.
“You’re never getting away from me and you know it.” It was an evil purr, tempting and cruel. “Submit to the inevitable, my darling.”
“I’m not submitting to anything.” She panted. “I’m just… regrouping to…” She trailed off with a whimper, as a massive hand tangled in her hair.
“What I capture belongs to me.” He murmured into her ear. Then, he licked it. “And I’ve got you, now. You’re not going anywhere.”
Yeah, the most monstrous part of him was at the reins, for sure. “My skin bruises easily, dragon.” She warned breathlessly.
Glowing green eyes slashed over to meet hers.
She smiled at him.
He blinked. Nodded. No matter how wild he got, he was still careful with her. “Open your legs.” His other palm was already between them, readying her for his possession. Long fingers pushed deep, wanting everything as fast as possible.
