Echoes of the Raven (The Eldrystone #2)

33. CHAPTER 33

33

RíFíOR

“It has started. A dark shadow falls over Castellina.”

Gaspar Patrach - Romani Diviner - 21 AV

T he river feels frigid under the light of the moon above. While everyone else in the camp sleeps, as I should be doing, my mind remains restless. Despite my efforts, I can’t quell the hunger within me. It’s been present all along, but it intensified earlier when I sensed someone watching me while I bathed. It took me a moment to spot her—a little raven perched at the top of that tree, hunting for a meal. But I found her.

She was a fair distance away, but I saw her more clearly than she may realize. Desire flickered in her expression—her pupils dilated, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she trembled. It was this unguarded display that did this to me.

I’m submerged up to my neck, and this icy water should quiet my instincts, but this want is unlike anything I have ever experienced… even with Saethara.

Valeria has done a convincing job of making me believe she hates me, but her face told a different story.

A story that sets fire to my blood .

Cursing under my breath, I walk out of the river, water dripping down my body. I crack my neck and don my now-dry clothes. Sleep will be impossible tonight. Curse all the gods!

Once dressed, I sit on a rock and stare at the flowing current. Moonlight silvers its surface, which I disturb with a handful of rocks as I search for yet another distraction. I try everything to get her out of my mind, but images of that one night we spent together keep parading in front of me, blinding me to everything else. Her naked skin glowing in the lamplight, the peaks of her firm breasts, the column of her neck as she threw her head back in ecstasy. I can almost taste the sweetness on her skin in my mouth and feel the warmth at her core as I entered her.

I jerk to my feet, growling in frustration. My cock is so hard it throbs uncomfortably. Lust clouding my every thought, I whirl and march back toward the camp. With every step, reason fights valiantly against my desire, but it loses every time.

The clearing is quiet, only the chirp of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl disturbing the peace. I stand at the edge of the clearing, chest falling and rising as I survey the camp. Tonight, everyone sleeps under the stars, except for Valeria. She opted for spreading her bedroll inside the wagon. It couldn’t be more perfect, especially because she left the door open, and I’ve convinced myself it is an invitation for me to come in.

On bare feet, I cut across the clearing and gently step onto the wagon. It lowers with my weight as I watch Valeria’s prone shape stretched along the length of the planked floor. She is sound asleep. Her rhythmic breathing tells me that much.

I hesitate only for an instant, thinking there’s still time to turn around and take another dunk in the river. She is not waiting for me. She is lost in a dream, judging by the way her eyes revolve under closed lids.

But who am I trying to fool ?

I ease the door closed, shutting out most of the moonlight. However, I can still discern her silhouette illuminated by the faint rays filtering through a small window carved at the highest point of the front wall.

Doing my best not to scare her, I kneel at her feet, then crawl on hands and knees up the length of her body, never touching her. I feel her radiating warmth, and it is like a salve that promises healing and maybe even salvation.

When I am face to face with her—my arms and legs framing her body—I inhale her scent, impossibly getting more aroused.

“Valeria,” I whisper, her name a guttural growl deep in my throat.

I wait for her eyes to open and her sleep-addled mind to clear and realize I am here. It requires all of my will not to take her right away without even asking. When her gaze locks with mine, I wait for her answer. I hope she will say yes .

If she does not, I will beg if I must.

VALERIA

My eyes spring open as a low rumble, like a caress, travels over my skin. I nearly scream when a feral gaze locks with mine, but a callous finger to my lips makes me hold back.

“ Shh , it’s me,” Rífíor says. “I am not here to hurt you, unless you want me to.”

“Get off me,” I manage in a trembling voice. He could be here to steal the amulet.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, Princess?”

“Of course, I’m sure. ”

“The way you were looking at me earlier makes me think otherwise.”

The hunger in his eyes tells me he’s not worried about The Eldrystone right now. I press my hands to his chest, ready to push him away, but the effort is feeble, and instead, I find myself enjoying his solidity.

He chuckles, a sound as deep as the darkness in his eyes. “You want me.”

“You want me more.” I toss the words like a challenge.

“Yes, I do.” He cups my face with one hand and starts lowering his mouth to mine.

“No!”

He stops, frowning.

This time, I do push him away. Reluctantly, he sits back. I slide my legs out from under him and sit.

A combination of annoyance and disappointment shape his features. His lips part to say something, but no words come out. Shifting my legs, I kneel, which brings me closer to him. I can’t help it. My body takes the reins from my brain when Rífíor is this close. My nose is inches from his. His chest rises and falls at a faster than normal rhythm.

“Was that all it took, Veilfallen? A look from me?” I ask, chest brimming with satisfaction.

His nostrils flare. “That was more than just a look . Maybe it was an invitation.”

I lean closer still. His breath is warm. Gently, I lay a finger across his lips at the same time that I press my lips to his jaw and begin to kiss him.

He groans, and his hands wrap around my waist.

“You may kiss me, just remember one thing,” I say, pulling away but leaving my finger across his lips. “ Not on the mouth.”

There’s a glint in his eyes, come and gone in a second, but I interpret it for what it is. Relief. He agrees with what I’m asking.

Sex but not intimacy .

We are adversaries, pieces sitting on opposite sides of a board with a clear dividing line across the middle. There can be no intimacy when such a chasm lies between us, when betrayal has been the fuel to this fire between us.

He nods, then lowers his mouth to my throat and begins to kiss the very spot where my pulse beats out of control.

“I shall kiss you everywhere, milady,” he says, his tongue tracing a circle under my earlobe as he easily lays me back down and settles on top of me again.

He takes his place between my legs, his hardness pressing deliciously against my middle. I groan and throw my head back as he continues to dispense kisses along my neck and collarbone.

Expertly, his hands pull my tunic over my head and discard it to the side. Just as quickly, he removes his own shirt, and then his heated skin settles over mine. We both sigh, enjoying the silky pleasure of it.

Trailing kisses lower and lower, he places his mouth on my left nipple, over the fabric of my binding. His hot breath filters through, making me quiver with need.

Abruptly, he pulls on the binding and rips it apart. My breasts fall free, and he growls deep in his throat, hooded eyes roving over my naked torso. Hungrily, he lowers his mouth again and begins to suck, whirling his tongue at the same time. The sharp points of his teeth scrape my skin, and my core thrums, hot and wet.

I suck in a breath as his tongue whirls and flicks. Greedily, my hands travel down his muscular abdomen. He thrusts his hardness into me as I pull on his waistband, fully distracting me from my goal.

“This is my moment,” he rasps, then pulls down my leggings along with my undergarment before I have time to realize what he’s doing.

He leans back and kneels for a better look. I feel both shy and exuberant under his dark gaze .

Tugging on my legs, he places me exactly where he wants me. I gasp as his right hand travels down the inside of my leg. He stops just short of his target and begins to trace the outer lips with his forefinger. He stops again, this time right in the very center. Holding my gaze, he slides in, making me moan.

His finger curls as he dips it in and out. I’m lost in ecstasy and miss the exact moment he lies next to me, but now he’s there, kissing my breast, sucking on my nipple, all along reaching deep inside of me. I buck my hips, desperate for all he has to give.

As I tremble, he slides another finger inside me, then moves to kneel between my legs again. Slowly, he lowers his mouth to my apex and laps once. My eyes fly wide open in surprise.

He smiles in satisfaction.

I stare at him intently, asking for more. He obliges, lowering his head and circling my most sensitive spot with the tip of his tongue. His hand thrusts harder, and I accept the offering by lifting my hips.

My body tenses with ecstasy as he simultaneously sucks and flicks his tongue against my tender nub.

Undone, I moan in rapture, my body assaulted by tremors as release washes over me, leaving me feeling boneless and in awe of all the amazing sensations he can easily coax from my body.

Gods! Why does he have such power over me?