Chapter 19

EIRWYN STOOD JUST INSIDE, cloaked in shadows as the wind whipped up around Knox. The storm was moving closer. The wind tore his hood from his face just as lightning shot across the sky.

She gasped, her eyes widening. He glanced up at the sound, his green eyes meeting hers even as he reached for his hood and pulled it back up.

His expression was serious and resolute as he strode forward into the barn and out of the wind. She waited but as soon as he relit the lantern, she sent a small gust of wind to pull his hood back again.

Her jaw dropped as she stepped closer, her hand reaching up.

"What are those?" Her voice was breathless but she didn"t care.

He scowled, backing away and pulling his hood back up over his head. "Nothing. Are you steady? We can make a run for the cottage before the storm breaks."

She seized the edge of his hood and tried to tug it away. "Let me see," she said in the commanding voice of a princess.

He ducked out of her reach, grabbing her hands and turning them both. He pressed her against the side of the stall, his body trapping hers.

She gasped, the lantern now falling directly on his face. He froze, his body going absolutely still.

"Don"t order me around, princess. I"m not one of your servants."

No, he definitely wasn"t, not the way he practically dwarfed her frame against the stall wall.

He had a strong jaw with a cleft in the chin, pouty lips that should be outlawed on a man, and freckles everywhere. His jaw was covered in short brown stubble, and his nose looked like it"d been broken a few times.

He was a hooded, mysterious, outdoorsy type who would fit in at the tavern. He was the exact opposite of the pompous dandies at court.

And yet there was something about him that drew her to the edge of insanity. He made her want to throw all her cautions in the wind and jump into his arms.

How many times over the past two weeks had she wanted to sneak into the forest and find him? She licked her lips, and his eyes drifted down to watch the movement.

"Please? Let me see," she asked softly.

Something flickered in his eyes that made her want to hold him and tell him it would be alright. A flash of vulnerability crossed his face, and a small, green tendril of gassy smoke came out of his nose.

Her eyes widened, and they both stepped back. Her heart raced. If he was anything like her brother, that smoke meant anger, and who knew what would happen next?

She waited with bated breath for Knox to freak out, but he just waved the air and forced the gas to sink to the ground. He pursed his lips and held his hands behind his back as he watched her warily.

Maybe it didn"t mean anger and pain.

She held her hands out, but he didn"t attack. Slowly, palms up, she reached for his hood. He didn"t step away, just stood there rooted in place as he watched her. The hood fell back, and she sucked in a breath.

The hundreds of freckles that dotted his face faded into larger spots past his temples. The spots grew larger and larger, some with bumps and ridges and even points. Most were the same brown color as his freckles, but the skin from his temples back was tinged green.

She blinked, running her fingers lightly over the bumpy knots. His eyes fluttered at the touch, but it almost appeared as though he"d stopped breathing.

She traced the two larger pieces, triangular like a cat"s ears but hard like horns where they jutted out from the skin on the sides. He shuddered, his eyes flickering at the touch.

He had long brown hair at the top of his head that was pulled back in a tight braid down his back. She ran her fingers over the braid, then moved both hands back to his...

"What do you call these?"

His eyes opened, and he seemed to snap out of a spell. He stepped back, his spine straightening and his chin going up in defiance.

"Horns and scales."

Her eyes widened. "Scales like a snake or a lizard? Are you a lizard man?"

He pursed his lips and scowled, stepping back from her and walking to the door of the barn. "No, I"m not a lizard man. If—if it bothers you, I"ll put the hood back up."

He stared out at the darkness, the storm still building and his body stiff as if waiting for her ridicule or judgment.

She stepped up beside him and slid her hand into his big, calloused one. She linked their fingers together and stared out into the night with him. He froze at her touch, as if afraid to breathe.

Her voice was soft and low, the way she"d talk to a bird she didn"t want to startle. "It doesn"t bother me."

"Are you sure?" Uncertainty clung to his tone like a cape, the shadows rolling around them both now.

She stepped in front of him, her hand trailing up his bicep and across his chest. "I"m sure. In fact, it turns me on. What else are you hiding under all these clothes?"

A flash of lightning lit his face, brows high in surprise. Then he grinned and leaned a hand on the frame of the door, caging her in. Her core clenched, and she licked her lips.

"Would you really like to know?" He practically purred, and she breathed deeply of the woodsy aroma that was him. His scent had haunted her dreams, and she"d leaned close to one too many nobles over the past few weeks just trying to find someone similar.

No one smelled like Knox, though. No one–what would he taste like? She licked her lips and hooked her fingers into his pants, popping a button off.

"I really would," she said softly. "You"re not a lizard man, then. What do I call you? Are you a monster that prowls the forest?"

His eyes turned wary but were still glazed with desire. "I"ll show you my monster," he gritted between clenched teeth, popping another button on his pants.

She flicked the next one open, then he undid the last one. It was more erotic than any dance she"d ever participated in before. Her heart raced, and her body was on fire.

She sank to her knees and gripped his dick through his pants. He didn"t move, didn"t even breathe as she stared up at him. "Can I play with your monster, Knox?"

He groaned and a green curl of smoke sank out of his nose and onto her head. Her body flashed with heat. She needed him. It was like a clawing hunger, and she pulled his monster out.

It stared at her, larger than any she"d seen before. She blinked up at him, suddenly worried as she bit her lip. "I–I"ve done a lot but I"ve never done this. Tell me if I do it right?"

Before she could second guess herself, she wrapped her lips around the head. He groaned, his hips thrusting slightly as he held himself up against the door frame with one hand.

The other settled on the back of her head, and she sank down on him. Her mouth wrapped around him in a hot, wet slide, and her eyes fluttered. Every movement of her mouth, every swirl of her tongue sent a shiver of pleasure straight to her clit.

She began to throb, and her hand cupped her mound over her dress. He gripped her hair, pulling her forward and back, faster and faster. She rocked on her knees as he began to thrust into her face.

She moaned as the honey taste of him burst on her tongue. It was sweet and salty, the perfect combination. Why hadn"t she ever done this before?

Oh yeah, because she was the princess. She didn"t want to bow to any man.

The sweet nectar pulsed into her mouth, and the hunger between her legs made her quiver with anticipation. She needed more than just this teasing taste. She needed all of him, filling her again and again.

Her eyes fluttered open as he twitched, his head leaning on the back of his hand on the door frame. His breathing was labored and a rush of joy speared through her. She"d brought this great hulking brute to this mindless moment. She paused, rubbing herself as she thought through what this meant.

He was different. She didn"t mind kneeling for him. There was a certain rush of power that came to her from doing this.

His green eyes opened, practically glowing in the dim light. "That was–incredible," he panted. "But now it"s my turn."

He cradled her head, his hand tangling in her wild, black hair. He lifted her by her hair, and she gasped at the sharp stab of pain as she stumbled to her feet.

It made her core ache. Then he released her, caressing the back of her head and pressing her against the door frame. He buried his head in her neck and sucked on a sensitive spot at the base of her neck.

She gasped and arched her back. "Knox, what are you doing?"

"If you can talk, then I must not be doing it right," he growled out. He picked her up by the ass and tossed her onto the pile of hay by the door.

She bounced, the scent of grass surrounding her before he caged her in between his arms. Hay and dirt flew into her mouth, and she hissed as a rush of liquid need flowed through her veins.

"Oh gods," she murmured. She arched, trying to bring her mouth up to connect with any part of his body.

"No, not gods. Just me. Just Knox." Another flash of vulnerability in his voice left her opening her eyes. She reached up and caressed the scales on the side of his head.

He growled and his hands grabbed her wrists, holding them by her head. "Now, now, don"t start that again, or this will lead to more than heavy petting."

She whimpered. "I want more than heavy petting. Please, Knox, I need you."

She turned and bit into his arm. Her hips thrust up as she moaned.

By the gods, he felt amazing. She"d had none of her partners hold her down like this before. She hated the idea of being weak and vulnerable. She felt like that enough in her everyday life.

But this man, this brick house lumberjack with tree trunks for legs, tossed her around like she was nothing. And in his arms, she felt safer than she ever had at the castle.

He held her wrists in a vice like grip that made a tingle run down her spine.

"Oh yes, how I like to see you squirm, feel your body wiggle under mine."

His voice was mesmerizing, and she thrust her hips, flattening her feet on the dirt floor to get more traction.