Page 43 of Christa's Obsession

His laughter, so unexpected, came with a smile that revealed a handsome man, and left Christa gawping. “You have nothing to fear, tree fairy. The wards will persuade those who wish to venture here to go elsewhere. They will also detect those with thoughts and intentions to cause harm. Those individuals will suffer pain, the likes they cannot comprehend, if they attempt to enter this forest. Anyone with an invite and with pure intentions will gain access without issue. Those you will know about because my wards will alert Christa of their presence. Does this answer your concerns? Fears?”

It wasn’t any one thing, but Christa felt the weight of the invisible blanket of Wanda’s fear lift at what Asmodeus promised her. She let go of Christa’s hand and rose, taking thefew steps to the king. Christa was up and right behind her, just in case.

She placed her trust in her blissful one to handle whatever her intentions were. That didn’t mean she wasn’t prepared to snatch Wanda away from the king if things became a problem for Wanda.

Dwarfed next to Asmodeus, Wanda had to stretch her head back at an awkward angle. “Saying thank you seems so little after what you have given me.”

She opened her hand and there, on her palm, lay a rooted branch with a few lush, green leaves.

“I offer you this as a gift from my trees. If you plant it and look after it, you will have the deliciousness of fresh peaches whenever you wish. And a little part of the forest to remember what you have protected.”

The sweetness of the gesture gave Christa’s heart a little bump. She was also very curious about the king's cheeks, which looked to darken as he stared at the offered gift.

“That is very…” he met Wanda’s stare and back was the smile, shocking Christa once more, “generous of you.”

He took the offered gift, hesitated, then patted Wanda on the shoulder. The plant disappeared from his hand and became replaced by a small tumbling stone of blood red. It lay in the center of his palm, glowing in the sunlight. “A gift for you.”

Wanda looked at the stone, then up at the king, frowning. “But you’ve already given me a gift.”

He wore a look of impatience as he huffed. “Take it. You need only to rub your fingers over the surface three times and it will summon me… if there should ever be a need.”

He was most definitely blushing. Christa would bet her life on it as she was back to being slack jawed at the gift. One that meant Wanda need never worry about being scared again, because she had the protection of Christa’s king.

Her heart slammed against her ribs at the generosity of such a gesture. Never had she heard of him ever being this kind.

Wanda took it and bowed her head. “I will treasure it and hope I never need to use it.”

The king’s returning nod was curt, then he disappeared along with the chair he’d used.

Wanda looked about, then at the stone, before smiling at Christa. “That was… interesting.”

That was one word for it! Christa wasn’t sure she’d ever recover from the shock. “It was most certainly that. I do not believe he has ever offered a stone of such value to another soul. And the questions, I’m sure he never asked those of Dakata.”

“Really?”

Christa gave it some thought, then shrugged, doing her best not to think too hard on the reasoning behind such magnanimous actions. Slipping an arm around Wanda’s shoulders, needing the contact, she brushed a kiss over her forehead. “How about a trip to see Silas and Dakata to ask?”

Wanda gave her a searching look. “Is this a test?”

Was it? “Did I not feel you release the fear, my love?”

“I…” Wanda hesitated and leaned into Christa’s touch, seeking comfort. “I did… it’s just, I thought maybe we would take a walk to the house first… talk about what you feel needs to be done there? What you think would work for visitors?”

Warmth of the love they shared flooded Christa’s chest and her demon receded. The size difference was still very noticeable, but Christa didn’t need to bend as far when she wanted to kiss the upturned mouth.

Joy at all the possibilities effervesced inside her. “I think that’s a perfect idea.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Wanda

Christa was right, the fear had abated in a very noticeable way with the stone the demon gave her, but Wanda wasn’t sure if she trusted its sudden disappearance. She knew what magic felt like and she suspected, but couldn’t say for sure, that King Asmodeus had taken away her fear. If he had, she was grateful for it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t wary, for now, of its return.

Tucking the stone into the bodice of her dress to prevent her rubbing at the surface accidentally, the presence of it lightened her heart. Except there was little time to focus on that when Christa took her hand to tug on it, encouraging her to walk with her or get dragged towards the house. Her enthusiasm was evident in every hurried step she took, even in high heels.

Wanda didn’t understand why Christa chose to wear them, though she definitely appreciated how they made her legs look. The sexy line of her very long legs became accentuated. Curvy thighs led to shapely calves and slim ankles. The dress sat just below the knee. The silk clung to her voluptuous bottom and Wanda had an urge to walk behind so she could watch it sway.

“Don’t you want to go?” Christa questioned, making Wanda take notice of the fact she’d slowed down and was working on catching a glimpse of Christa’s backside.

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