Page 23 of The Witch & the Grizzly

She moaned, her cheeks flushed and the rest of her body flushing as well from the intimacy. The moan turned into one of frustration when he pulled away, half leaving the fort and tugging a part of the carefully constructed support away as he reached for something. That something turned out to be a condom box, one of which he removed and took his time to place on, allowing her to admire his physique. The condom now coating his length seemed well-filled. Then he smashed against her, eyes flashing in mad desire, unleashing a growl like the bear he could transform into.

Her senses lit up like wildfire when he finally entered her, and though a part of her really wished she’d taken the Animal Sense potion, the other part was deeply satisfied that this one was only them with their natural emotions, well, perhaps, aside from a pleasant buzz from the wine, but nothing like what she used to do in her blackout drunk nights. Both of them were very much here and present, focusing on one another, fighting to drive one another to ecstasy.

Pieces of memories returned, but she soon realized she didn’t need them because this would be enough to fuel her for months.

The blanket fort collapsed in a final, fluffy whimper, and they rolled and tangled in the duvets and pillows before emerging hot and sweaty for a bit of cooler air, neither willing to let the other one go. She clung to him and encouraged every thrust with gasps and moans, bracing herself to feel each one deeper, excited by the growing, roiling sensation that brewed within. She chased that sensation, her voice, like a conductor, letting him know when he fell short and when he got her just right. Sometimes, it was clumsy; sometimes, they giggled for no reason, and sometimes, things were so unbelievably hot that her mind had trouble processing it all.

With the friction of the sheets and his body, that roiling sensation grew to a bursting point before it rippled out through her body, slamming against every nerve and flooding her brain in sheer bliss. He followed shortly afterward with one last hard thrust before slowing, then stopping, and drinking in the climax with her. Neither wanted to move for some time. When they did, it was with a renewed sense of intimacy, wanting to be close, to touch, to grin and giggle.

They both went to clean themselves up, respectful and quiet about it, before eyes glittering in anticipation, he offered her another glass of wine. “We still have a whole evening to go, Eva. And I very much look forward to spending all of it with you.”

Chapter Seven – Nathan

A part of him wondered if he’d made a mistake, giving into his lustful emotions too soon. He wanted to take things slowly, to actually give whatever was happening between them a fair chance. And yet… it had felt right to do so. It already took all his willpower to keep things chaste on their picnic date. He’d proudly wrestled with his near-teenage horniness when getting lost in her kiss in such a romantic setting.

This time, however, he’d fully given into the drama without so much as a blink of an eye. He’d arranged for that date after being sent on mission after mission, and then… it all developed from there. The sight of her in his bed, lying on his arm, as it erupted into pins and needles without any desire to move, except maybe in like ten minutes, once it became too painful.

I guess the difference here is that she hasn’t rushed out the door, and neither have I.

More than a few times, he’d ended up sneaking away to avoid making morning conversation with strangers.

Eventually, his arm became painful. He nudged Eva until her eyes fluttered open. They were glazed as if she’d been interrupted from a dream.

“Wha?”

“Good morning, lovely one. Uh… may I have my arm back? It’s dying.”

She blinked a few times before finally registering her location and what he was saying. “Ah.” She lifted her head and allowed him to escape at last. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he murmured, stroking her cheek gently before rolling out of bed and, shaking the numbness out of his arm and stretching. “This feeling is the worst.” After one trip to the bathroom trip and tidying up a bit, he’d prepped two cups of coffee and brought one to the bedside for her to sip.

“Ah, thanks,” she said, placing it on the side. “I prefer to eat something first before coffee. Otherwise, it kinda hits me too hard…”

So, he ended up making peanut butter toast for her and spent the morning in a more or less companionable quiet, interspaced with little bursts of conversation. He liked that. He didn’t want to talk endlessly, especially in contrast to his jobs, where he was required to charm the socks off the Unseelie, although the last one had been rather close to disemboweling him at one point because it wanted to see if he looked more human or fae on the inside. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that point, but it still left him a little nervous about encountering the next one. It was as if Morgryn was sending Nathan to the fae from easiest to hardest.

It made sense. He wanted to get the easy ones out of the way first. They required less effort than the ones that might stab someone for looking at them the wrong way.

“Do you have any missions today?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yes, I have one. But it’s a revisit, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. At least, I can be reasonably sure they’re not going to do something conspicuous or try to harm me, so that’s a plus.”

“I wonder how much busier they’ll keep us,” she said, her lip pouting slightly, which he found adorable. She really did look cute, and he really liked the color of her hair and how it brightened her features as well. And her eyes. Damn. Their yellow-orange sheen made them mesmerizing to look into, to say the least, as well as the rest of her. Hopefully, if the missions turned out not to be too challenging, they might be able to solve the issue of the Unseelie Court.

They chatted, and it was only when he approached the front door of the dorm that he sensed something was off. A wave of nausea hit him, and he caught the scent of fae magic, but only in the doorway, which struck him as odd and highly unusual. He was more sensitive to fae activity than the average person, but he asked if Eva detected it, too, when she approached the doorway.

“No, what exactly are you sensing?”

“It’s energy as if we’re in the fae realm, but only in this spot.” He scowled. “I have a horrible feeling that there’s a trap waiting for us outside. We can’t go out there without triggering it.”

“Then we should call a professor,” Eva said, going to her phone. She winced. “No signal. Nothing. It’s dead in the water…” She tried to call anyway and send a message before glancing at him. “What should we do?”

Nathan inhaled the strong fae scent for a moment, pondering. “Let’s prepare as best as we can. It could be nothing, but the lack of signal and the strength of the fae magic that’s wafting through right now, it’s foolish not to prepare.”

With that, he dressed for hiking, and Eva, lacking the clothes except the ones she’d come here with, borrowed one of his boxers and got dressed. He noted how the belt Morgryn had given her seemed to disappear when she put it on. When it was not attached to a person, it was visible.

He fished out snacks and two backpacks and stuffed blankets and spare socks, just in case. He added a few bottles of water.

“Jeez, it’s like we’re going on an adventure,” Eva said.

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