Authors: Calista Fox
Jade sliced her pieces of ham as Darien refreshed her
wineglass. When she sampled the stuffing, she nodded enthusiastically. “Mm,
chunks of apple. Nice touch. I wouldn’t have thought to add them.” She was a basic
cook, never crafting anything too fancy.
The meal was the best she’d had since the last one her
mother had made. Jade was so thrilled with the food and so ravenous that she
devoured everything without uttering another word.
In the back of her mind, she realized she was avoiding a key
point she’d someday have to address. A compelling notion Darien had brought to
light. But she wasn’t ready for the mental debate. She’d had a horrific few
weeks following the fire wraith’s assault. No doubt one of the reasons she’d
been so interested in algebra lessons from Sheena was because the complex
equations occupied her thoughts and kept her mind off other impossible-to-solve
problems.
Following dinner, they cleaned the dishes and finished the
bottle of wine. Darien sprawled partially on the sofa—since he was much too big
for it—and she lay on top of him. His hands rested on her hips because he was
clearly wary of touching her back.
She said, “I’m almost fully healed.” She didn’t want him
fearing he’d hurt her.
“Did you glean anything new from this experience?”
“Yes, definitely. I have a terrible time concentrating on
one specific wound to repair.” Thinking of this, she added, “I should practice
separating sensations. Like when you touched the cut at the back of my head. I
felt that and was able to focus on it.”
He groaned. “I’m not liking the sound of this.”
With a smile, she assured him, “I would practice with
pinpricks, not burns and lacerations.”
“Hmm.” He clearly wasn’t on board with her.
“Anyway, I’ve had enough of the pain.” She kissed him and
added, “How about we pick up where we left off with that last dream?”
One side of his mouth lifted. “Enjoyed it, did you?”
“Very much so. The waterfall was beautiful.”
He was quiet a moment, then asked, “How does it work when I
weave a fantasy in your mind? It doesn’t divert your attention from your
healing efforts.”
“I can’t really explain it, except to say it’s easy to
follow your lead and not put any serious thought into it, so I can leave my
focus elsewhere. It’s almost as though I’m cloaked in serenity—and it’s
completely mindless. More instinctual, so I don’t have to think about my
actions.”
“But you would have to divide your attention if we were to
have a conversation.”
“Yes. So please don’t be offended when it’s one-sided.”
“I deduced that was the case.”
She fiddled with a button on his shirt and asked, “Are you
done quizzing me? I’m a bit muddled from the algebra lesson.”
He cupped the side of her face with a hand and guided her to
him for a long, sexy kiss. Her insides instantly blazed.
“Oh that is so much better.” The heat flooding her veins
chased away the lingering pain.
With deft fingers, she slipped the disks on his shirt flap
through their small holes and peeled away the material.
“Christ, you are hunky,” she said as her palms smoothed over
his chest. Her lips skimmed his warm skin. “And so delicious.”
Darien’s fingers curled around the satin and bunched it. She
lifted slightly as he pulled the skirt of her nightgown up to her waist. His
hands grazed her bare cheeks, gently massaging.
She kissed him, then whispered against his mouth, “I want
you inside me.”
His hands slipped between them and he unfastened his pants
and shoved them and his briefs over his hips. There wasn’t much room on the
sofa, but she managed to straddle him and ease down onto his thick erection.
She moaned softly.
“I like the fantasies,” Jade told him, “but reality is
infinitely better.”
He sat up and she wrapped her arms around his neck as his
cock thrust into her.
“Nothing feels better than this,” she murmured. “Feel free
to stay as long as you’d like.”
His low chuckle brought a smile to her lips.
“I’ll eventually have to return to the castle or Morgan will
think you’ve kidnapped me.”
She laughed. “Not kidnapped. Seduced you into never leaving so
I can use your body for my own personal pleasure whenever I want…”
“Put that way, I’m not going anywhere. Sheena can run the
castle.”
His hands roamed Jade’s front under the nightgown, easing up
her stomach to her breasts. The loose structure of the bodice allowed him to
cup the mounds. He caressed them tenderly.
“You’ve definitely lost too much weight,” he commented.
“Not into the flat-chested types?”
“You’re not exactly flat-chested, but you used to come
closer to filling my hands.”
She suspected she’d lost ten or fifteen pounds since the
first attack and because she’d been working out regularly with
Tanner—unbeknownst to the king, of course.
“Are you complaining, my Lord?” she asked in a mocking tone.
He grinned. “Never. But I do want you healthy.”
“I’ll be fine. Especially if you keep doing that.”
His thumbs whisked over her tight nipples. Her head fell
back as he kissed her neck, his teeth lightly scraping, his tongue teasing her
skin. She felt all the glorious sensations he elicited as acutely as she had
the first time they’d made love. Perhaps more so, because the bond between them
continued to strengthen.
Their feelings for each other were intricately laced and
Jade no longer considered them tenuous, but substantial and significant.
Although she’d been honest with Sheena about castle life not being in her
future, she was pleased Darien came to the cottage for her.
As they moved together in a sensual rhythm, her arousal was
heightened not just from the way he touched her and loved her but also from the
fact he seemed so swept away by her.
Threading her fingers through his hair, she said,
“Everything about you causes my heart to pound wildly. Sometimes I feel as if
it’s going to burst from my chest.”
He groaned. “More pain inflicted because of me.”
She sighed. “Metaphorically speaking, of course. Stop being
so sensitive.”
“Difficult to do. I’m in love, remember?”
“Still? I thought you’d get over that silly human emotion.”
He nipped playfully at her throat. “Have you?”
“Of course not. I am a silly human.”
He surprised her with a not-so-romantic snort. “Hardly. And
for the record, no I haven’t—nor will I—get over it. Now,” he said as one hand
moved between her legs and his thumb rubbed her clit. “Stop talking and let me
make you come.”
It didn’t take much effort on his part. With his cock
filling her and his thumb expertly working that swollen knot of nerves, erotic
sensations swelled within her. He continued to kiss her neck, and roll and
pinch her nipple as her hips rocked against him. Her soft whimpers mingled with
his occasional groans. She clung to him, her fingers twined in his silky hair.
Maybe she really did like living on the edge, because
everything about her demon lover drove her crazy with desire.
The hand on her breast slipped around to her backside. His
finger circled her anus and then dipped inside as his wide shaft continued to
stroke her inner walls and he rubbed her clit.
Jade let out a sharp cry of pleasure. The man’s talents knew
no bounds. Her head fell forward and her arm around his neck tightened.
“You so easily unravel everything inside me,” she said
against strands of his hair.
He worked her a bit harder from three different angles and,
moments later, tension gripped her body and then shattered as she climaxed.
“Darien,” she whispered against his temple. Her pussy
throbbed and her breath came in ragged pulls. She squeezed him tight and he let
out a low, sexy growl. Then his body tightened before it convulsed. His cock
surged as he came inside her. She clutched him as they both reveled in the
powerful release.
Jade trembled and her pulse raced. The tingly feeling along
her flesh and against all her erogenous zones made her feel vibrant and alive.
Human sensations she knew to cherish. Euphoria flowed through her, which
brought on a curious bout of the giggles.
Darien pulled slightly away, his brow crooked. “I’ve amused
you?”
She laughed heartily. “No. I can’t help but think what a
paradox this is.”
“How so?”
“In the presence of a demon, I feel more human than I have
in fifteen years. Not numb and gloomy but…fantastically alive.”
“Oh good. So no more talk about death and how it’s the
natural progression and all that.”
Despite the rather somber and morbid topic, she grinned. “I
still contend that’s the realistic view even you have to face. Because someday
I will die. But until then…” She kissed him, not needing to say more.
He fell back against the pillows in the corner of the sofa,
bringing her with him. His fingers swept through her hair and he mumbled
against her lips, “The overarching issue is that you’re telling me you like how
I make you feel, yes?”
“Oh God yes. So much.” She added, “I’ve spent so many years
just going through the motions, without letting anything register too deeply.
But I have to admit, all of this warmth and exuberance inside me is a nice
change of pace.”
He said, “But it hasn’t been easy. The fire wraith, your
conflict with Michael, the fact we live in two different worlds, despite being
only five miles apart distance-wise…”
“We live in the same world,” she corrected him. “You’ve
gotten a good look at what it’s like to be human in this village. You and
Sheena have both brought me luxuries I don’t have access to or can’t afford
because I live outside the castle walls. But you can’t honestly tell me you
haven’t given consideration to the fact that I’m not the only mortal who might
enjoy a little variety versus the plain gray that fills all aspects of our
lives?”
His gaze narrowed on her. “Are you suggesting I have a soft
spot?”
She mimicked the gesture. “Are you going to lie to me and
tell me you don’t?”
He huffed.
She stared him down.
Finally, he rolled his eyes. “You’re not seducing me. You’re
manipulating me.”
Her lips curled. “Am I?”
With a grunt, he sat up again and got to his feet. Her arms
and legs wrapped around him and he carried her into the bedroom. He placed her
on the mattress and she slid between the sheets.
Following her under them, he reached for her and said,
“Seduce me a little more.”
* * * * *
Darien was off on another military mission, leaving her a
few days before Christmas. He wouldn’t give her any indication of what he and
Morgan had discovered that had them so hush-hush and scouring the Canadian
border. All he told her, in a placating tone that had made her simper, was that
they had a lead on a small colony of demons they thought were under the rule of
the fire wraith.
The fact that the demons had vacated the area made Darien
and Morgan believe the wraith wouldn’t terrorize her again. Especially since
Darien wouldn’t be close to the village—there’d be no point in using Jade as
bait again. That, however, did not keep the slayers from heavily protecting
her, upon the king’s orders. He’d also charged a small patrol with watching the
woods on the demon side of Ryleigh’s border.
When Tanner dropped her off at the village square on
Christmas Eve morning, he said, “We’re back to training tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. I’m fine now. Come for me in the afternoon.”
He nodded. “Walker will take you home tonight after you’re
finished at the tavern.”
“Thanks,” she said. “You’ve been a huge help, Tanner.”
He rode off and she headed toward Lisette’s library. But the
line of people outside the bakery drew her attention. So too did the fact the
sidewalks and streets had been cleared of snowbanks. A layer of packed snow
still covered the surfaces, but it was so much easier to trek through the
village—a treat this time of year.
As she approached the bakery, Ginny Lambert, the last in
line, called out to her. “Jade! Thank the Lord. You really are safe.”
Unexpectedly, the older woman gave her a firm hug.
Malcolm Carter, the town’s highly skilled blacksmith, said,
“You had everybody worried.”
“I’m fine,” she assured them as her presence drew interest.
Ignoring the curious looks, she nodded toward the inside of the small shop and
asked, “What’s all the fuss about?”
Just then, Marge Leighton, the baker’s wife, appeared. “I
heard Ginny say your name. Thank goodness you’re okay. Attacked by a fire
wraith? How horrific.”
“Yes,” she said as she fought the shiver that chased down
her spine at the reminder.
“Here, take these.” Marge thrust her plump hand toward Jade.
She held a small bag. “Cranberry and orange muffins. They’re to die for. Well,”
she added hastily as the group gathered about seemed to collectively gasp.
“Those aren’t quite the appropriate words to use in our village, are they? But
the muffins will not disappoint.” She whirled around and headed back inside to
keep the customers moving along.
“Wait!” Jade called out.
“For you, they’re on the house, Jade!”
She gazed down at the bag and shrugged. “Okay.”
Leaving the crowd, she found another line at the coffee
shop. Similar to the bakery, it was a rare instance. The shop offered little
more than the standard fare in coffee. It was just more convenient to grab a
mass-produced mug there than brew a pot over the fire.
“What on earth is going on?” she asked Walt Steinham, the
village dentist.
“Gourmet coffee, so I hear.”
Jade sniffed the air. “Smells like Christmas.”
Walt said, “Nutmeg. Cinnamon. Hazelnut. I can’t even figure
out what they’re using to spice up the coffee, but it beats the hell out of the
same old, same old, don’t you think?”