Page 19 of The Heartless One
Breathing hard, he released her hair in favor of her throat as he gentlydrew her back to standing. Leaning her back against his chest, he took all of her weight with an arm around her waist.
“You did so well,” he murmured against her shoulder. “So well.”
“I don’t even know my own name right now,” she replied. The sound of her laughter was music to his ears, but it still wasn’t quite enough.
Some dark part of him cried out for more. He needed excess from her, from this. He wasn’t reassured that this was real between them. After all they had done today, after allhehad done, he needed to know that she didn’t look at him any differently. He had played the role of god perhaps a little too well, but to her, he never wanted to be that.
So he guided her to the bed, arranging her body comfortably with her head on a pillow and the blankets pulled away from her overheated skin. She gave him a sleepy smile as he coasted his hand along her ribs, but her sweet expression turned into a frown as he lowered himself between her legs.
“What are you doing?” she asked, those brows furrowed.
“I am a god, Jessamine. Do you really think I would be satisfied by that alone?” He knew the smile on his face was wolfish. “Relax, gravesinger. Let me take care of you.”
Though her muscles were loose, he felt them tense again when he gave her another long, slow lick. Poor thing, he didn’t intend to be finished with her for a few hours yet, at least. Even then, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough.
The next morning, Jessamine rolled over and traced the outline of Elric’s features with her gaze. He really was beautiful when he was in repose like this. Sunlight filtered through the tiny window in the cottage, dancing along his austere nose and the faint frown lines along his forehead. Even in sleep, he always looked a little troubled. Like he couldn’t get away from the demons of his past.
She breathed out a long sigh of contentment. She’d never get used to waking up next to him. He was like a marble statue carved by an artist who knew what was deep inside her most private dreams. And he was hers. For now, at least. Jessamine knew it was foolish to believe she could keep a god forever.
Something in her heart skipped a beat every time she looked at him. And then there was the sex, of course. She couldn’t think of anything better than that godly experience. Even now, she throbbed between her legs at the mere thought of his touch.
But she also had to respect that he wasn’t just a god anymore. This body he was now in was very much human, or at least it seemed to be. He got hungry and tired. He needed rest less than she or Sybil did, of course, but he was sleeping so soundly now that it felt wrong to wake him.
She understood why people worshipped him and his siblings, though. If she’d seen him stride out of a forest toward her, she would have known what he was instantly. The aura that surrounded him was magnetic. She wanted to fall onto her knees before him. She wanted to worship the ground at his feet because it felt like that was what he deserved.
Or perhaps, what he demanded.
Slipping out of the bed, she tried to be as quiet as a mouse. There was a robe that looked almost like a dressing gown in her pack. She usually threw it on top of a shift if she was going out in public, but it would be good enough to sneak into the kitchen for a cup of morning tea. No one should be awake yet, anyway. This was an hour reserved for those trying to hide or those who couldn’t sleep.
Jessamine supposed she was both of those people. Hiding who she was and why she was here. But also someone who couldn’t find rest even after she’d long past hit exhaustion.
Perhaps it was because this wasn’t how she had expected to live her life. She’d planned to be a queen, ruling a kingdom of people who loved her. A queen who still had her mother at her side, making it easy to run a kingdom. A queen who had a husband that loved her, supported her, and didn’t try to kill her on their wedding day. Of course, none of that was going to happen for her now. Maybe it never would have.
Ducking out of the cottage, she padded her way toward the main house and the kitchen, which hopefully held some tea to wake her.
Her mind ran wild with all the things she had to accomplish here. Find Fortuna. Understand what connection her cousin had with Leon. Figure out why her cousin would betray her own family. The Pleasure District would make it easy enough for her to get around, but where Fortuna made her home, she had no idea.
She could already see this area of town had changed in the years since she’d last been here. The best she could do for herself was find a way forward. First, they would need to figure out disguises. Wandering around like grimy little cretins would certainly not do. Everyone in the Pleasure District had a certain style.
Perhaps they could steal clothing, like Sybil already had. There were plenty of vendors who could easily be distracted while Sybil or Elric took what they wanted. Maybe he even knew a spell to conjure the clothing she needed, although she had a feeling that wasn’t Elric’s kind of magic. Shadow illusions, yes, but those wouldn’t be solid enough to fool anyone.
Opening the door, she stepped into the room full of birds and came up short as she saw Elissa Burnham sitting at her table with a regal-looking parrot perched on the back of the chair beside her. They both froze and looked at her, as though she had interrupted a rather important meeting.
“Sorry,” she said slowly, moving to the back of the kitchen to pour herself a cup of the tea that was already steeping. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I didn’t think anyone would be awake at this time of day.”
“I didn’t sleep,” Elissa replied primly.
“Magic has a way of doing that to people.”
“You’ve actually arrived just in time. I have some questions, if you’d be so kind as to answer them.”
There was no question there at all, Jessamine mused. She chose a pretty teacup with blue butterflies painted on it and took her time pouring her tea. Even though she knew that it was important to answer the questions of this new witch, she also very much realized that she was the rightful queen of this kingdom. A fact that Elissa Burnham may have forgotten.
Settling herself opposite the other two, she took a sip of the scalding-hot tea before lifting her brow and inclining her head to indicate that Elissa could ask her question now.
“You said you were here for Fortuna Beaumont,” the other witch started.
“Yes, we are.”
