Page 203 of Shifting Hearts 1
“Oodfoorooo,” I muttered crankily. “Etteeeown?” I cast a hopeful look upward.
“No.” Wolf’s claws trailed my dress. In one smooth motion he slashed through the rest of the ruined material. “I think we will keep playing.”
So much for talk of trafficking—which I still didn’t believe, though a thought of the children beingofferedup by wealthy and often undesirable looking shifty peoples niggled at me.
I always assumed the missing kids were potential sacrifices to the woods, to prevent the forest from encroaching on the living. A hated but long enough running tradition that I believed in…its lies? But the forest never grew, and only a few were ever taken, long ago. They were rough kids, too. Ones I’d seen beating on the littles, adding to their collected traumas like a treasure trove of sins and trophies.
Bile rose in my throat at the memories. I forced the bitter acid back. No. They couldn’t be right. This had to be a trick.
It had to be, else my entire life drew a picture of the lie that Wolf painted.
I wasn’t protecting those kids. I was leading them to a life of imprisonment.
The fight left me and I sagged in Tree’s grip.
“His name is Dagan.” Wolf cradled my cheek in his palm, repeating Tree’s name. “We have watched you for years. Him, all your life. He’s for centuries, warding over this place, protecting those he could from disaster at either end of the forest, though his duty is to these trees. Me, I’ve only been around since you turned seventeen. Usually I collect my bounties and call it a day but you… I’ve been watching.” He leaned forward and licked at my tears, first one side of my face, then the other, taking his time in tasting me. “I feast on your fear, and I take my pleasure on your moans. Did you know, my oldfriend,” he stressed that last word, clearly addressing Tree-Dagan, “That when our little princess found pleasure last night it was from—” He broke off and smiled slyly at me.
“Well, why don’t we let her tell this part of the story.”
FIVE
WOLF
There’s nothing more beautiful than seeing a woman struggle, knowing pleasure is coming for her but that she’s unable to reach it. Being stripped of control. All Bryn could do was suffer at our pleasure. After waiting so long to claim her as part of this forest, I refused to rush these last moments before she truly became ours.
Dagan didn’t appear to object in sharing her, and that was enough for me.
“Tell him about your little toy,” I prompted, shifting my gaze to Dagan who watched her from above with curiosity.
Curious, but not inactive. Did that constitute consent? After everything we did I refused for our little princess not to be able to tell usno… Not that I expected her to refuse either of us. The way she kissed and bit back, opening for me as I plunged my tongue into her sweet mouth— Gods above, I could die in her arms tonight and be happy for it. Wanting her, craving her… My need consumed me. Last night had been my pinnacle, until now.
Now, when evening was close enough to shift into full night, dimming the darkwood further. A thought occurred to me. I frowned, holding up a hand when she opened her mouth—presumably to yet again rip me a new one.
“Tonight, now. Why did you come back into the woods?” I barked, glaring at her without giving her physical space. “You know better than to enter the woods when the light fails.”
Dagan’s branches released their hold on her. She stood on her own again, working her mouth around the knob of wood that stretched her soft, fuckable lips. I had a damn good idea what Dagan would do when he heard her side of the story, but right now all I wanted was a solid seat and to haul her over my lap with the singular goal of turning her pale ass pink.
Then we could have our fun.
She stared through me with red rimmed, wide eyes. A breath escaped her, but emitted no other sound as she stood frozen between us. I cursed myself as an utter fool. For fuck’s sake, she just learned the truth about her family. I still wasn’t quite sure how much of a blind eye she turned or how well they kept their secrets from her, but I would hold to my promise and not turn her in. If I discovered she played an active,knowingpart in the children's abuse cycle, however…
The urge to slap myself silly doubled when she let out a shrill of borderline hysterical laughter. The sound filled the clearing that Dagan had custom created with her in mind.
“Are you mad? You worry aboutmecoming into the forestat nightwhen the two of you have been plottingthis?” she cried. “What iswrongwith you?” Bryn shook her head, glancing between us, and huffed. “This is all sorts of fucked up madness.”
I snorted. “Nothing truer was ever spoken.”
Dagan rustled above her, making a space in his trunk. She sidled into his embrace, still glaring and huffing, but cuddling in all the same.
Our little princess isn’t saying no.
But I needed to be sure. I refused to become like those I hunted. There was a significant difference between ruining a life and taking one, and I refuse to stoop to the former.
“You understand what will happen if you stay,” I said in a low voice designed to intimidate, to threaten.
But our princess only raised her chin. “Yes.”
“Say it,'' I grated out, my voice as raspy as Dagan’s with the strain of holding back from her.
