Page 57 of Oath of Rebellion

What was she doing? She couldn't explore him. Who cared if he had horns and scales? It didn't matter when she was stuck in limbo.

She couldn't go back to Demerel, not until she figured out what was going on. She drew strength from his solid, stoic presence.

He might be a lumberjack, but he was a great oak, standing tall and unwavering as the storm of life tried to sweep her away.

His green eyes held so many promises, and she leaned closer, her hand on his scales dropping to cup his cheek.

She felt as if a spell was weaving between them, the tendrils tightening around them like a draw-string. She wanted to step into his embrace, kiss him on those beautiful pouty lips while she rode him until they both burst.

He didn't pull away, and she considered that a huge win from their previous encounters. This night hadn't ended up in a small room above the tavern with a fantastic but quick orgasm.

It was so much more than she'd ever expected. As she held his hand, touched him, tasted him, finally saw him for who he really was... it was like a missing puzzle piece had finally found its way home.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, scaring her into jumping away. Her hands dropped to her sides, and she gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Ah, the storm. Scarlet–she's not going to kill me, right? I mean, she said she wouldn't, but she's a Hunter..."

Eirwyn hated that her voice came out small and breathy. She wanted to be strong and independent, be someone Knox could be proud of. She wriggled her fingers, sending wind to hold the storm at bay for a few more minutes.

He shook his head. "No, I won't let her, and she knows that."

Silence settled between them, and he reached for her hand again to walk toward the cottage. The warmth from his hand helped settle her nerves. There was something in his gaze that made her want to dive deeper.

"Why won't you let her?" she whispered.

His green eyes sparkled like the clearest emeralds. "That's another question that I haven't been able to answer yet."

He finally broke his stare and looked into the darkness around them. "Scarlet's in quite a bind now, but we'll make a plan that will keep both of you alive."

There was a steely undertone to her words that made her feel safe.

"Are you hungry?" He waved with his other hand at the cottage.

She sucked in a deep breath, realizing that she still held on to her light magic. She released it, and the black tendrils of shadow dissipated in the light.

"Food would be great, Although..." She trailed off as they approached the back door of the cottage.

"Although?"

She shrugged, a sly grin slowly spreading over her cheeks as they stopped and faced each other.

"I'm not just hungry for food. I wouldn't mind a snack of one big, burly lumberjack. Not going to lie. I was looking forward to meeting you at the tavern tonight for a long night of fun."

His brows shot up, but where last week, he had been closed off, stern and gruff, this time he was different. He seemed to have a softer side now that the protective barrier of his hood and secret scales had come down. Or maybe it was the explosive orgasm.

He grinned down at her, the light from the lantern illuminating him.

"I have a big body to explore. Depending on our plans to keep you safe, maybe we can do some exploring together soon?"

She threw her head back and laughed. "We'll see just how good you are with your wood?"

He wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed again, putting her other hand on his arm and leaning against him.

"That's right, princess. I'll show you how I can wield my axe. Just wait and see."

She grinned, her hand caressing his forearm as she leaned closer to him, rubbing her breast against his bicep.

"Oh, so you've graduated from a knife, have you?"

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