Chapter 25

SHE TILTED HER HEADslightly. "I"ll give you my everything, Knox, my body, the world. You name it, and it"s yours."

Her eyes widened at her words in surprise. Did she really mean that? She"d only known him a few days, so why was she making dangerous promises?

If she"d learned anything from growing up at court, it was to keep your dreams and hopes a secret. She might be a bright, bubbly, sunshine smiling her way through society, but she never let anyone get too close emotionally.

What was she doing?

She needed to distract herself from the promises his eyes gave. She pushed onto her toes to kiss his neck. He"d said no kissing on the lips, but she could kiss his neck like he"d done her. Lick him. Suck him.

He shivered in her arms. Her eyes closed as she brushed her lips over the salty, raspy skin.

"Oh Eirwyn, you have no idea what you do to me," his voice was low and deep. His hand squeezed her ass and pressed her against him. The other hand stroked up her back to bury into the hair at the base of her neck. He turned her so that his lips feasted on her neck too.

She gasped at his nipping, fisting his shirt as her eyes fluttered closed.

It was completely different to what she"d experienced in her short life. The men she"d been with had been practically spellbound over the fact she was a princess. They did whatever she wanted, and she"d gone in, gotten hers, and left. They"d left sated, and she"d gotten a few hours of relaxation in. Kisses hadn"t been the priority since she"d first started exploring.

She wanted to kiss Knox, but there was so much more to explore than just his mouth.

His cock seemed to jump where it pressed against her stomach, making her gasp. His lips on her neck shifted, turning harder and more desperate. It was a different desperation than anything before.

With the others, it had been more curious, laughing fun.

But with Knox... the intensity shocked her. His lips on her neck turned almost feral, making her legs shake.

He pressed her back against the tree. Dusk was near, and she flared light to cocoon them. She moaned, gripping his shirt.

His hand shifted to her shirt and slid along her stomach up to her breast. She gasped, her head falling back and turning to the side.

His mouth pushed all the chaos of the past few days from her mind. The only thing that took up her brain space was the ever growing pulsing need in her body. It was everywhere, threatening to consume her. Between her legs. On her tongue. In her heart.

She pushed the last thought away. It was too soon to open her heart.

But her body, that she could share. She gripped his shirt in her fists and jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist even as his hands lifted her by the ass. Their clothes separated them, yet still he thrust.

She gripped his hair and he ground her into the tree as she squeezed her legs around him.

"More, princess?" he murmured.

She pushed the hood back, her fingers raking along his scales. He closed his eyes, his body shaking.

She gasped, "Please."

He kissed over her jaw back to her neck, making her whimper.

"I like the sound of that. You beg so prettily."

Her heart raced in anticipation, then he latched onto her jugular, making her go limp in his arms. She didn"t know that a mouth could feel this good on her neck. He sucked, not breaking the skin but still the sensation made her grip in his hair tighten.

"You"ll be my cum princess, yes?" he whispered, moving his mouth down her neck and sucking again.

She squirmed in his arms, the need building as she nodded and whimpered. "Yes, gods, yes."

He swiftly set her on her feet and spun her around. "Put your hands on the tree," he commanded, his barbed tail sinking into the bark above her head with a thump. He was so excited, he didn"t want to risk hurting her.

She gasped and did so, pressing back as if seeking his touch. He yanked on her shirt, pulling it up out of her pants. Then he pulled her pants down to her knees.

His hands slid up the outside of her thighs, and she groaned, her head falling forward. She spread her legs as wide as she could with the pants still on.

"I"m going to fuck you now. It"s going to be hard and fast because night is falling, but one of these days, I"m going to get you in a bed and fuck you for days. Do you hear me, princess?"

She nodded, licking her lips, her spine tingling and goosebumps slithering over her skin. His hands slid around to the front, one skimming along her torso and one diving to cup her mound. He touched her, and she jerked in his arms.

He slid his finger down her clit to her pussy, and his head rested between her shoulder blades. "Gods, you"re so wet."

His hand on her torso slid away, but she didn"t care. She was too focused on the smooth sliding of his finger in and out, each time coming up to circle her clit before diving back in. He set up a steady rhythm, then she felt a probing behind her.

She pushed back, arching her back and throbbing for more. His finger settled on her clit as she felt the wide head of his dick push slowly inside. Inch by inch, his erection filled her, stripping away everything but her need for more.

He pressed her into the tree, seating himself into the heated core of her body. Then he stepped back, and she slid down the tree until she was almost bent at the waist. His hand settled on her hip even as his fingers played her clit like a lute.

Vines came up to give her a hand hold, cradling her upper body. They wrapped around her ankles and calves, forming a sort of bench for each knees to rest on. Flowers bloomed, cushioning her body and flooding her senses. Her feet left the ground, and she was held in position by vines and his hand on her hip.

He plunged back into her wet heat, the scalding hotness of him searing into her like a brand. She gasped, throwing her head back as her eyes widened.

Light and shadows surrounded them, blinding her to anything but the tree in front of her and his tail buried in the bark. A green ooze dripped down the tree, and the strangeness of it all made her want even more.

"Knox," she moaned.

He was impossibly huge, and it hurt so good when he wiggled his hips as if feeling around inside her. Her pussy tightened around his shaft, and he groaned. "Eirwyn, I–I"m not going to last very long. I–"

She shook her head. "Please, Knox, just move."

His hand on her hip tightened, and she felt his nails sting as they bit into her skin. "Gladly," he groaned, setting up a slow but deep rhythm as old as time.

She was stretched, filled by his manhood as she squeezed down on him. Deep, steady strokes shook her. Every inch brought her closer and closer to the edge, making her tighten.

She couldn"t believe how wide he was. It was like she"d never been with anyone else before. He put them all to shame.

She gasped, lost in the wild, wet, hunger that grew inside her. Her desire grew with each hard thrust that sent her reeling. Then he seemed to stop savoring every moment. The rhythm changed, the plant like bench changed angles, and he hit deeper.

She screamed, dancing along the edge of orgasm. Pleasure racked her body as he pistoned harder, and she tried to hold off her orgasm. His shaft slicked in and out, the sounds melding with the forest noises around them.

He hammered into her, a hot rush of pure need racing up her spine. The fast fury of his deep thrusts filled her, and white spots began to form behind her closed eyelids. Her body raced along the edge, the fire burning brighter until it flashed like lightning in the sky.

Mindless ecstasy gripped her as a wild orgasm sent her voice screaming into the night. A rainbow of color burst around them, sparks of light shattering the air.

Her mind splintered, shrinking into primitive passion. Pleasure short-circuited her brain, shocked her body, and made her bones go liquid.

He grunted, his hand on her hip tight as his finger flicked her clit furiously. Then he stilled as he thrust and moaned. She felt him tense as he came with a hot and violent release, savage like him. His body jerked with every spasm as she milked him. The hot spray of his seed was like lightning inside her as he exploded, coating her core.

She shivered and spasmed, and his finger finally released her clit to hold her torso. Thank the gods for the vines because her legs felt like she would fall into the dirt without them.

She gasped as he slid out and the light magic faded. The plants receded until she was lying on a bed of blue and red flowers.

Her face was still near the base of the tree. Adrenaline began to slow through her veins, but the scent of the venom made her sniff.

The honey sweet smell drew her in, and she wanted to lick it. It was like a haze, her mind wrapped in desire and need so she couldn"t think straight.

She leaned closer to where the barbed tail dripped the green syrup down the bark. He wrapped his hands around the tail and pulled out of the tree.

The sharp movement made her blink and pull back. What was she doing again? She looked around, fingering the flowers.

"These are beautiful," she said softly as she sat up.

He bent at the waist and took her chin in his fingers, tilting her face up to meet his glittering green gaze.

"They"re nothing compared to you, love."

She gasped, her heart melting at his words. He ran his hand over her cheek, pushing her wild hair away from her face. She nuzzled into his palm, then he was stepping away. She sighed and reached for her pants.

She stood on shaky legs, one hand on the tree and carefully avoiding the venom still dripping.

Knox lifted her, making her gasp and hold his neck tight. Then he laid her reverently on a soft plant bed, stems woven together into a hammock.

He brushed the hair away from her face again and smiled. "Are you alright? How was it?"

She nodded, more relaxed than she"d ever been before. She blushed at his attention. "I feel amazing. We should do that again."

He grinned with pride and stood straighter. "I"ll gladly do that again with you, princess. The light show took me by surprise."

She chuckled, her eyes growing heavy as he set the hammock to rocking. "Yeah, me too. It"s never happened before."

She yawned, not wanting to think about why her magic had slipped her control.

Knox then reached over her to wipe the venom on the grass.

"We might as well camp here for the night. Get some rest while I check on Ryder and make sure he"s safe. I"ll be right back."

Eirwyn sat on the hammock and then turned to lay down. She was barely drifting to sleep when the hammock dipped, and she rolled into Knox" arms.

Her head fit perfectly against his chest and she hummed. "This is nice," she said softly, her hand coming up to rest on him.

He took her hand and kissed the palm, the glove still bloodied. Then he turned his head and kissed her hair. "Sleep well, princess."

Her eyes fluttered open to see the hammock growing a type of shell over the top of them. She felt like they were sleeping inside a giant acorn or something, but the gentle sway of the hammock pushed her to a deep sleep.

****

Hours later, the hammockdipped as Knox pulled away from her. She groaned, "Just five more minutes."

He stood, stopping the hammock from rocking too much as he chuckled. "Dawn is here. We need to get a move on if we"re going to make it to the halfway point to the dwarves."

She groaned as he walked away. The vines no longer covered over them like a shell. She blinked, the faint lightening of the sky the only sign that day was coming.

She looked over and saw Knox walking back toward her, looking up and tucking his shirt into his pants. He adjusted his suspenders and stopped next to her.

He frowned and whispered, "The eagles are coming. Are you awake? We need to go before they find us."

She stretched and swung her feet over the side of the hammock. Knox gently grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. Once she was standing, he let her go and then turned to look up, scanning the trees.

She blinked, her mind still asleep but tension growing between her shoulder blades. Something was wrong. She stepped around the tree and took care of her morning business before kneeling at the creek and washing her hands.

When she turned back, Knox stood tense, a frown on his face as he stared overhead. She wiped her eyes and yawned. "Is there food?"

An owl hooted nearby, and the wind began to blow through the trees in strange patterns.

Knox walked to her but didn"t look at her. He reached out a hand, and she linked their fingers. "Yeah, in the saddlebags. We"ll have some jerky in the saddle once we"re safe from the eagles."

"What eagles?" she asked, tilting her head. She didn"t hear any eagles. She tried to clear the confusion and wake up, but she just wanted to curl up next to him some more.

The owl hooted again, and her eyes widened.

Knox pushed her behind him and backed up slowly toward the horse, his eyes never leaving the treetops above them. "The eagles that terrorize the edge of the Hartsgrove land. I didn"t think we were that close to the center."

The owl hooted. She gasped, "We have to go." The fear from the owl tinged her own words. "The owl says danger is coming."

He frowned and grabbed her hand as they reached the horse, who now stood frozen, his eyes wide with fear. Knox helped her swing into the saddle, the soreness between her legs still pulsing so good from the feel of him.

He sat behind her and gathered the reins. "We can"t outrun them to the dwarves. They"re too fast. We"re going to have to head into Hartsgrove. They won"t go near the place."

They waded into the stream, leaping on the bank on the other side. "I hear a but in your tone," Eirwyn said, gritting her teeth and holding onto the pommel at the rough ride.

"But I don"t want to take you to Hartsgrove," he growled as the horse plunged between the trees. "It"s too dangerous for you, princess."

"If we have to get a few scratches to get to safety, it"ll be worth it. The owl–we have to get to safety, Knox. Now."

An ear-piercing screech made her gasp and wince. The horse reared up on his back legs. Fear licked at her stomach, twisting it in knots.

Knox cursed, his arm holding her tight around the stomach as he crooned to the horse to calm him down. "Hells, we have no choice. I"ll protect you, princess. Don"t worry."

They plunged into the forest, the underbrush growing thicker. The eagle screeched overhead, and she held on tight. How could she not worry or be afraid?

Yet somehow, with Knox wrapped around her like a cloak, she knew she"d be alright as long as they stayed together.