Page 176 of In Violent Waves

The shadow moved then and cleared its throat.

“Yes?” Lyra asked.

But there was no reply.

An unusual noise had her sitting up taller. It was a squelching sound, like when your boot gets stuck in mud.

Then there was a groan. A groan deep enough that her cheeks heated.

Surely not, she thought as she tiptoed to the tent door and peered out.

It absolutely was.

Ridge sat very rigidly as Maelys lay between his spread thighs. The shaft of what looked to be an enormous cock slid in and out of her mouth.

Lyra’s eyes bulged as Maelys worked Ridge into a pulsing, thrusting mass of male.

Sunlight shone on Maelys’ golden brown hair as she bobbed her head up and down, at the same time she twisted her fist around him.

Lyra knew it was possible because Wilder had done that very thing to her, but she couldn’t understand why he hadn’t asked her to do that in return. It was obviously enjoyable if Ridge’s bucking hips were any indication.

When Ridge increased his thrusting from his seated position, Maelys popped off and stood.

“Hurry and fuck me before they return,” she whispered as she grabbed Ridge’s hand and scurried off into the trees.

Lyra stood frozen as a statue. The intimacy of that moment was not hers to partake in, but she had enjoyed it. The freedom that Maelys exhibited, the power she held over Ridge at that moment, was astonishing.

Lyra hadn’t realized something like that was truly possible. Or that you could take pleasure in it.

With slow, deep breaths, she worked to calm her pounding heart.

After what felt like an hour, she had mastered herself enough to step out of the tent and into the dappled light.

The campsite was empty.

Maelys and Ridge were probably not too far away from finding their completion. But where had the others gone?

Instead of doing something stupid like searching for any member of their guard, Lyra plopped down beside the ash remains of their fire.

The sky was turning a powdery blue, and the birds chirped in the trees. They had to be getting close to the Mannereds. The land felt different here. More orderly than what they had come from.

A shimmer caught her eye, and she turned to see a creature appear from between two large ash trees. Lyra’s breath caught, and she scrubbed her eyes with her fists. There was no way. With a stuttering breath, she smiled at the unicorn.

Its white mane glittered iridescently, like that of the pearls from the ocean. Its twisting horn dripped with blood and gore.

It took a step closer to her, and Lyra stood. She had read so many stories as a child about them, but she never fathomed they were anything but a fairy tale.

Once more, she blinked to see the creature taking another step towards her. It was magic. Pure undiluted magic. The unicorn was majestic, but with the gore dripping from its horn, it was also monstrous.

Lyra considered the juxtaposition of it all. The creatures associated with rainbows and sunshine were the same creatures that mutilated or murdered others. Like her.

Outstretching her hand, she took another step closer, at the same time the unicorn did until she brushed her hand up its snout. It felt like velvet before she got to the long mane. Up close, the hair was white, but also every shade of color.

It smelled like the fluffy purple petals that had been in the Wilds. Closing her eyes again, she savored this moment. The feel of the life next to her, the softness of its warmth, and the lightness of its scent.

The wind sang through the trees, and with it, the unicorn’s ears flicked. It stood up taller and backed away before it disappeared into the thicket again.

“Farewell,” Lyra whispered.