Page 43 of Whispers of Ruin
She’d forgotten how freeing it felt… until now. Kaylia gave herself over to the power, the life, and the freedom coursing through her veins as every part of the world imbued her with strength.
They were trapped in Doomed Valley, with who knew what lurking in the darkness, but she felt more alive than she had in centuries.Everythingwas fresh and exciting. The rest of the world fell away as power crackled over her skin, her heart raced, and a bubble of laughter caught in her throat.
She was free, alive, and very aware of the newly awakened desire she’d experienced for Brokk as her nipples hardened and an ache spread between her legs. Small beads of water continued to trickle between her thighs.
Closing her eyes, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining that water was his hands as he stroked between her thighs while kissing her. Unable to resist, she feasted on the energy around her while her hand caressed her nipple.
She gasped as the familiar sensation of pleasure speared her. Only, it had been very unfamiliar to her over these past centuries.
The last one to touch her like this was Fabian. She’d been so deadened since his death that she hadn’t given any consideration to sex or the ecstasy it brought. It had been one more thing she completely closed off from her life, but now, in this strange world and in the last place anyone should be waking, she was.
Like most witches, she’d always enjoyed sex before Fabian and, of course, with him. She was free with her sexuality and embraced the power that came with it, even if she was choosy about her partners. The men she’d chosen, she enjoyed.
But Brokk wasn’t like any of them. He was far more wild, powerful, and the things he’d do to her….
She moaned, and her back arched off the ground as her hand slid down her belly. Alive. So alive. And aching so badly for release, for life, for the ecstasy that would unravel through her, the cries of joy, and the abandon that came with giving herself over to the pleasure.
As her skin crackled with energy, the moon invigorated her, and the earth pulsed around her, Fabian’s handsome face rose to replace Brokk’s. Her eyes flew open as the new awakening of her body crashed around her.
Like a band pulled too tight, the energy pulsing through her snapped and was ripped away. It all vanished as swiftly as a shadow from light.
CHAPTERFORTY-ONE
Staringup at the towering trees above and the stars poking through, an icy chill seeped into Kaylia’s body. That chill wasn’t from the warm air encompassing her but the self-hatred churning inside her.
Sitting up, Kaylia hugged her knees against her chest while staring at the stream. She should get up, dress, and move, but she didn’t have the energy. Seconds ago, she’d teemed with vitality; it was gone.
She was in Doomed Valley, exposed to anything that could be watching her from the woods, yet she didn’t care. For the first time in months, she felt as deflated as when she retreated to the crone realm.
And Kaylia also felt robbed. Robbed of the joy she’d just experienced, the abandon she’d forgotten she could possess, and the release she so desperately needed.
Tears brimmed in her eyes and slid down her cheeks as conflicting emotions battered her. She wouldnevermove on from Fabian or forget him, but that breathtaking moment of coming alive again reminded her of the woman she once was… and could never be again.
It was almost as painful as his death.
“Kaylia.”
She closed her eyes against the shiver Brokk’s voice sent down her spine. It was so…sexy.
His gravelly tone and the way he said her name caused butterflies to erupt in her belly. She could listen to him say her name a few dozen times a day and still never get enough of it.
However, she was naked in a jungle, and despite the allure of his voice, it also held a note of concern. And he was coming closer.
She wiped away her tears as she spoke. “I’ll be right there.”
Shoving aside her self-hatred and guilt, Kaylia pushed herself to her feet. She couldn’t sit here and wallow; she’d done that for centuries and refused to do it anymore.
She’d most likely never know the touch of a man again, and she could live with that. Even as she told herself this, her body mourned her decision, and the air caressing her skin brought back the memory of her hands doing so.
She bit her bottom lip as she pulled out a pair of brown fae pants and tugged them on. Next, she removed a black bra and green tunic she hastily donned. She missed the comfort and freedom of her dresses and skirts, but they weren’t the most convenient clothing for running for her life through a jungle.
Lifting her pack, she shrugged it onto her back and strode to where Brokk stood, half hidden in the trees. She was still so focused on her misery, she didn’t remind herself not to look at him.
It was a mistake.
The second her gaze fell on him, she came to an abrupt stop while she drank in the tantalizing sight of the man leaning against a tree with his arms folded over his chest. His disheveled dark blond hair stood out around his handsome face and nearly touched his shoulders. He’d shaved while in the water, and without the stubble, the striking handsomeness of his face was completely exposed.
The tips of his pointed ears poked through his hair. She fisted her hands against the overwhelming impulse to touch those ears and trace their contours while drawing him closer.
