Page 71 of To Hunt a Demon King

“Have I not been creating art with you?” he jested, his smile morphing into that wicked smirk again. “Allow me to try harder.” He dipped his head between my legs, stroking firmly with his tongue and making me gasp out. I arched into him, no longer tense or anxious as he pleasured me in what had become a familiar and exceedingly enjoyable way over the last few days.

“Does this mean that I’ll be your only canvas for the foreseeable future?” I asked, gasping out a breath as he teased me apart with a firm finger.

“Believe me,” he said, curling his finger gently and making me arch into him. “I have no intention of making art with anyone else.” He renewed his focus on me, and I let him, feeling the tension coil in me as he moved his finger and his tongue, sometimes in unison and sometimes at odds, until I was bursting at the seams with need.

“Please,” I breathed, as he continued his torturous rhythm.

“Tell me what you want, Red,” he said between sweeps of his tongue. I flushed, but I was too far gone to feel that embarrassed.

“More,” I said. “Faster.” I felt Carnon smile against me as he allowed a second finger to part me, and the pressure was enough to send me over the edge. I cried out, gripping his hair with one hand and the bedsheets with the other as he licked me through my release.

“Art,” Carnon said, in a satisfied way, as he prowled up the bed and positioned himself over me.

“Wait,” I breathed, putting a hand on his chest. He stilled. “I want to try something.” Carefully I raised myself, pushing him back down on the bed. He was fully naked and extremely ready, and my throat dried out a little, not sure if I really knew what I was doing here.

“What do you want to try, Red?” he asked, propping himself up on his elbows, one knee raised while his other leg remained flat on the bed. I bit my lower lip.

“This,” I said, bending down and kissing a spot on his bare thigh. “You have a freckle here,” I pointed out, kissing from that tiny spot to his length, which was very, very excited about my mouth being so close. I licked up the column of his length, which jerked slightly as I closed my mouth over the tip.

“Fuck,” he breathed, as I turned so I was straddling his legs. I wanted to be able to watch his face, and his eyes were currently feral. “You don’t have to do that, Red.” I swirled my tongue over the tip, beads of salty moisture already gathering there, and he groaned.

“I want to,” I said, giving him a little smirk of my own. “But you’ll have to teach me.” I lowered my mouth over him again, swirling my tongue around him and over him, trying to figure out what he liked.

“You might be a natural,” he breathed out, falling back with a groan that made me smirk wider. “Gods, Red, just do whatever the hell you want down there.” I laughed, choking a little with my mouth around him, causing him to buck a bit.

“Elara,” he breathed out as I experimented with placing my hand around his base and squeezing gently. I began to suck, and he bucked again, weaving his fingers through my hair and tugging slightly, as if trying to hold on. “If you don’t stop, this is going to end very messily.”

I didn’t stop.

He neared his release, taking control and thrusting a little quicker each time I sucked. I could tell he was restraining himself a bit, which I appreciated having never done this.

“Fuck,” he shouted as he spilled into me. I swallowed him down, pleased with myself that I had given him pleasure, even if I decided that this was not my favorite thing to do with him. My jaw ached a little, and the taste was…different. But his shuddering pleasure was worth it as he pulled me down onto him, crushing my mouth to his, totally heedless of where they had both been. The taste of us mingled into something heady and new, and warmth coiled through me again as he rolled me onto my back and collapsed atop me.

“Please tell me you didn’t learn that from someone else,” he growled into my shoulder as he pressed gentle kisses to my collarbone. I laughed, reaching up to stroke his hair.

“No one,” I confirmed. “Just a fast learner, I guess.”

“Hmm,” he replied, murmuring against my neck. “Or you have an excellent teacher.”

???

We forced ourselves out of bed when Herne came knocking, threatening to break down the door if we didn’t come out on our own.

Cerridwen was already out for the day. She and Herne it seemed both served as part of the royal guard, and even though they were not on active duty, they had to report daily to run drills and file paperwork.

“Who knew so much of soldiering was paperwork,” I said, as Carnon and I wandered down the high street toward the market where he thought I might be able to find supplies for my spellcasting. While I hadn’t given up hope of trying to contact Mama through a witch mirror, I knew my chances of finding one were slim. At the very least I could maybe scry for her, to see where she was and hopefully know she was safe. Divination magic was tricky at the best of times, but I had to do something.

“It’s not a glamorous lifestyle,” Carnon confirmed, squeezing my hand in his. He insisted on keeping me close, lest I get distracted and run off. I rolled my eyes at this, but I privately enjoyed the warm press of his palm against mine.

Akela had stayed behind with Herne only after Carnon commanded it. “A giant wolf plodding after us will upset all the stalls,” he argued, patting Akela’s head as he whined in protest. “You’re too big for such small spaces, my friend.” Akela had huffed, giving my hip a nudge with his wet nose until I scratched his ear, then let us go with a final look of abandonment. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing at his big puppy dog eyes.

Artemis had been nowhere when I looked at the window ledges, but Carnon didn’t seem worried. “She knows her way around, Red,” he said, exasperatedly. “It’s you I’m afraid of losing.”

Carnon took me to the market square, which was apparently just one of several places in the city to shop. There was an herbalist and an apothecary, which seemed promising for spellcraft, and an antique vendor and a seller of curiosities, who Carnon warned me would swindle me if given half the chance.

“Oh,” I said, frowning as I looked up at him. “I just realized I don’t have money. I can repay you…”

“Relax, Red,” he said, brushing his lips over my cheek and flipping my copper braid off of my shoulder. His voice took on a purring quality as he added, “I’m sure I can come up with a creative way for you to pay me back.” I flushed, cursing my stupid heart as it pounded a little erratically at his words.

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