Cursed by Malignant Magic (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 24

Chapter

Twenty-Four

O nce again, I had passed out, or at least close to it.

With a groan, I shifted. I was just conscious enough to feel it as my head was lifted gently, and something was placed underneath it. I didn't move for another few minutes, but finally I pried my eyes open.

Legacy arched her eyebrows and prodded me with her finger, although it wasn't as rough as it could have been.

Her expression soft, she leaned a bit closer to me. "How are you feeling? You should have said you were so tired before you passed out."

I flushed and leaned slowly up on my elbows in our small camp hidden within a copse of trees, my head spinning. I hadn't intended to pass out at all, let alone in front of her. I hadn't realized that my body would simply give up like that.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, closing my eyes again.

I didn’t want to feel her judgment, but there was none in her voice when she stroked my hair.

“I’m not angry,” she murmured. “Only concerned.”

I opened my eyes, and this time I sat up fully, searching her face for…I didn’t know what. Who had ever been concerned about me before, let alone a girl who had started out as an enemy? A strange journey for us, to be sure. But not one I regretted at all.

Maybe it was relief that Legacy had shown me the closest thing to affection I'd had in years or some small bit of madness brought on by my exhaustion, but a fierce desire to kiss her suddenly overcame me.

So I did.

Terrible idea, something I realized when her lips remained firm and unyielding under mine, as if she didn't know how to react.

My cheeks flaming, I ripped away from her and turned my head, already trying to scramble together a reason as to why I had done that.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I have a tendency to do very foolish things,” I blurted, “and then I realize immediately afterwards that was a bad idea, so let's just ignore that ever happened."

My shoulders practically pinched my ears, and I refused to look at Legacy. How could I have been such a fool? She was my enemy. She had knocked me out, stalked me, kidnapped me… And those were only the things I could name right now.

But she had also given me water, cared for my wounds, saved me from torture… What was I supposed to think?

Legacy muttered under her breath behind me, more like she was talking to herself than to me, but I didn't turn. Maybe if I pretended it hadn't happened at all, then Legacy would too.

"You talk too much," Legacy finally said, and my flush deepened.

I didn't turn, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me to face her.

“The last thing I want is to listen to why you think I’m a f—” I started to say, but she cut me off with her lips.

My mind blanked, but I scrambled for a reason to keep kissing her. I didn’t need one. I just wanted to feel this for a little longer.

“We shouldn’t do this,” I whispered, but it was not at all convincing even to my own ears.

We were still kissing, but as soon as I said it, Legacy pulled back from me, her cheeks fiery red.

“Do you want to stop?” she asked. “I know we don’t know each other that well. If you’re not ready, we won’t.”

I sighed, irritation skittering through my veins. I didn't really want to stop, but she'd asked for consent, and now I didn't have any reason to stop. We had been through a lot together, and she was more than a friend now, even if we’d been far from that when we'd met.

With everything going on, this probably wasn't the best time for a romp, but why not? We deserved a rest, and if I was meant to be resting up from passing out from exhaustion, I might as well make use of the energy I did have before we started traveling again.

I shook my head, leaning forward to place kisses on her collarbone. Thankfully we were about the same age, so I wasn't worried about her being much better at this than I was. Maybe we could learn together.

"No, I don't want to stop,” I admitted between kisses. “But we will talk about what this means when we're finished."

Legacy smirked, her hand tangling in my hair as she pulled my head back gently so she could mirror the kisses I'd placed on her. "It means I care about you, silly. But more than that… We can talk about that later."

My heart leapt, but I forced myself to calm down and not to panic. She might only be saying that in the heat of the moment, but I might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

I relaxed and let myself ease into Legacy's gentle touches, determined to give as good as I got. Her warm breath tickled my neck as she pressed her body against mine, her lips finally making contact as her tongue drew torturous circles atop my skin. The tension that had once existed between us had long dissipated, replaced now by an undeniable desire that pulsed through me with every beat of my heart.

I traced down her spine with one fingertip and was rewarded with a shiver beneath my touch and a silent plea for more. Our lips met in a hungry kiss, igniting a fire within me that threatened to consume us both.

In that moment, there was no past animosity, no uncertainty about what tomorrow might bring. There was only us, lost in each other, finding solace in the embrace of an enemy turned lover.

Legacy pulled away slightly, her eyes locking with mine as if searching for any hint of hesitation.

She’d find none in me. I was all in. When I gazed back at her, raw emotion reflected in those deep pools of green, as well as a yearning that matched my own. The passion between us crackled like electricity from an exposed live wire, making my skin tingle and my heart race into a fevered gallop.

I couldn't help but gasp as her hand traveled down my body, mapping out little dips and swells along the way, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. My back arched instinctively as her slim fingers caressed my most sensitive areas with expert precision.

Closing my eyes, I surrendered to the intense pleasure coursing through me as she traced intricate patterns on my skin. Each touch ignited a fire within me, propelling me further into a state of pure desire.

Legacy's lips were warm and inviting, drawing me closer with a tenderness that contradicted the wild fervor of our embrace. Her fingers were a mere feather touch as they glided over my skin, teasing and coaxing until the sensation pooled in the pit of my stomach, gnawing away at me until I begged for release.

A primal hunger stirred within me, urging me to contradict my self-assured demeanor and succumb to the rapturous frenzy of female desire.

As I arched my back in response to Legacy's tender ministrations, the fire that had been smoldering within me erupted into a lustrous flame. My body trembled, rippling with the raw intensity of my arousal. Feeling the torrent of lust consuming me, I pressed myself closer to Legacy, yearning for the sweet relief that only her touch could bring.

Finally, our clothes now gone, she reached the source of my desires, her fingers gently parting the lips of my womanhood. The moisture that had been building inside me pooled around her fingers, and the sight of her moonlit face, her eyes half closed in unbridled lust, drove me wild.

Her fingers dipped inside me, pulling at those strings of pleasure the faster she moved. The palm of her hand brushed my clit with each movement. I was wound tighter than a bowstring, just on the edge of that precipice, and wanted so badly to fall over the edge.

Her mouth swallowed my moans when she claimed my lips, her hand still working its magic below. It was all too much and yet not enough.

I reached out to stroke her most intimate parts, mimicking her rhythm and needing her to feel the exact same things I was feeling. She was so wet. So very wet.

I had done that.

I was the one who had brought out this lust and passion within her.

Only me.

I smiled against her lips in satisfaction.

But this wouldn’t last much longer. My back arched, and I cried out as I reached the edge and fell over, free-falling into a blissful pool of euphoria. Judging by her shouts, she did as well.

Once we finished, she curled up next to me and propped her head on her hand, her red hair falling like silk over her bare shoulder. She grinned down at me, her expression smug.

I snickered as I pushed her away, our skin slick with sweat. “You needn’t look so pleased with yourself.”

“But I am pleased,” she responded, offering another kiss as she flipped her hair behind her back.

Now that the heat of the moment had died down, I realized that we had somehow managed to lie on top of our clothes, which protected us from the hard ground. A small mercy, to be sure, but I sat up suddenly, the adrenaline rush driving something home in my mind.

Legacy’s dark eyebrows cocked. “What is it?”

"I realized why the advisors are doing what they are,” I told her. “Power."

She nodded. "We already knew that. But you seem to have something else to point out."

"Not just power from the magic itself. By merging the advisors on both sides of the war, they can ensure that this war will never end and that they will always have power, always be on top, always have a way to control both magic and the power of the Montrose and Caputo kingdoms themselves.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat up quickly. I could practically see the wheels turning in her mind, and she nodded slowly.

"Now we know,” she said. “It makes sense, but we'll have to figure out what we plan to do about it."

I flushed and leaned back to let my head hit the ground, trying in vain to hide my grin. It was such a small thing, and I might not even have noticed if not for what we had just done.

She had said “we.” With no hesitation whatsoever.

I was not the last resort for her, not an enemy or a reluctant ally anymore. We were a pair, and she had acknowledged it.

It made my heart warm.