by Rosalie Redd
“Wynne, you’re driving me crazy.”
She giggled and slipped her hand between their skin. When she reached his erection, she grasped the tip and squeezed. He jerked beneath her, his solid muscles tightening.
Warmth she couldn’t contain expanding in her lungs, she pushed her palm against his chest and straddled his hips. Sweat glistened on his smooth skin, and his erection bobbed with each ragged breath.
Wynne grasped his long length. Her fingers didn’t touch around the large circumference, and her worry that she wouldn’t be able to handle him resurfaced with a vengeance.
Zain’s eyes darkened. “Hey, you don’t have to—”
She bent down, swirled her tongue around his large crown, and using the wetness, slid her fingers over his ridged length.
He shut his eyes, and a low moan slipped from his lips.
A thrill whipped through Wynne at lightning speed. The floor rumbled, and a few particles of dust drifted from the ceiling. In the back of her mind, awareness that her powers were strengthening registered, but she remained focused on Zain. He deserved her undivided attention.
As she stroked him, the muscles in his abdomen quivered, and his grip on her thighs tightened. He opened his eyes and their gazes met.
The green striations in his brown irises seemed to deepen, hope and devotion radiating from their depths.
I love him.
Unbidden and without conscious thought, the words traveled through her mind. Tears moistened her eyes, blurring her vision. Zain’s strong hands grasped her wrists, stopping her caress.
“Let me pleasure you.” His husky voice cracked.
She shook her head and blinked away the tears. “You said I was in charge. I want you inside me. I…need you inside me.”
Zain released her wrists. He tracked his fingers over the bracelet, and a frown tugged at the edge of his lip, but then he met her gaze, and the adoration in his eyes returned. “I could never refuse you.”
His heartfelt words shattered every last wall around her heart. With tears brimming in her eyes, she scooted forward to straddle him. She centered herself over his plump crown and eased him inside.
Her walls stretched to accommodate his size, and at long last, she settled onto him. Neither moved for a long moment.
Tension pulsed in the vein at his neck. “You all right?”
“Yeah.” She breathed a long sigh, enjoying how he filled her.
She started a rhythm, rocking back and forth. He tightened his grip on her hips and joined in but let her set the pace. The rhythmic slap of flesh against flesh, primal in its intensity, echoed in the space between them.
With each slow withdraw, he teased her with the tip of his crown against her entrance before gliding in once again. She relaxed under his attentive care and vigilant consideration, giving him her trust and her heart in equal measure.
As their tempo increased, and his eyes gleamed with admiration, she wanted to remain here in this moment of time, just the two of them. Their rhythm picked up in intensity, frantic tremors overtaking them both, and a rush of pure bliss swelled at her core. Stars exploded behind her eyes. She trembled against him, gripping him tight with each contraction.
Zain’s mouth parted, and a sharp cry burst from his lips. He joined her in his release, his erection pulsing deep inside. When their breaths echoed in the space between them, and her arms wobbled on his chest, he wrapped her in his embrace and held her close.
Wynne relished in his attention, enjoying every moment. Soon enough, reality would rear its ugly head, and she’d have to face the truth. They could never be together. The cards of fate hadn’t dealt either of them a good hand. Not with him a fae and her a witch, but nothing mattered except the here and now, and she pushed those thoughts aside.
As she enjoyed the strong beat of Zain’s heart against her ear and the gentle stroke of his fingers along her arm, she drifted into dreams where dark fae, gargoyles, and witches lived together in perfect harmony.
CHAPTER 24
The back of his scalp plastered against the bed’s wooden headboard, Zain pressed his nose into Wynne’s hair. He inhaled, long and slow, and her lavender scent settled deep into his lungs. Cradled in his embrace, his beautiful witch looked like an angel, and he didn’t want to let her go, but time, the hard, unrelenting taskmaster, never yielded.
Dawn would be here shortly, and soon enough, night would follow day. Tomorrow Wynne would take over for her mother as crystal keeper. The skin along Zain’s arms crawled. How could he allow that to happen? Yet, he had little choice. Gwawl ruled him and all the fae. Unless he wanted to spend eternity drifting through the ether, he’d do as the god commanded, and he had to stay alive to protect Wynne.
He stroked his fingers over her shoulder and along the T-shirt she’d donned in the middle of the night on the way back from the bathroom. His T-shirt, the one he’d removed from the back of his chair and tossed onto his dresser. Male satisfaction expanded in his lungs, but his pride only heightened his awareness of their predicament.
The edge of her birthmark played hide and seek from under the T-shirt’s cuff as he caressed her. Wynne was a once-in-ten-generations witch with the power to control the dark crystal.
Self-loathing stabbed in his gut, twisting like a dull knife. If only—
Wynne inhaled and settled deeper into his embrace before her eyes fluttered open. She stretched, her long legs slipping against his under the sheet. The urge to pull her tighter against him and make love to her again flicked along his nerves, but they didn’t have time.
“Did you sleep well?” Zain continued to stroke her arm.
Wynne blinked and met his gaze. An appreciative smile bloomed on her face, and his skin warmed under her brilliance.
“Sleep?” She poked him in the ribs then trailed her fingers along his chest. “I don’t recall doing much of that.”
He chuckled. Indeed, after that first time, they’d rested for a few minutes, but then they’d made love twice more. Desire for round four roused in his brain, and he did a quick calculation on the timeline. If they hurried—
“Zain.” Wynne’s brow furrowed, and she bit her lip. “I want to believe that what happened between us last night was real, but I have to ask this. Did you use your fae charm on me?”
A dagger of pain pierced his heart. He gripped her fingers and stared into her eyes. “I never turned my charm on you.”
She blinked, a sliver of doubt reflecting in her eyes. “You didn’t?”
“Not ever.”
She inhaled, her eyes tracking back and forth as she studied him. “Not even when we met? Why not?”
He shook his head and traced his finger along her cheek. “Because you are everything I am not. You have honor, integrity, and compassion. I coveted your respect far more.”
A warm smile curled her lip, chasing away the doubt in her eyes. “Wow, you really think that of me?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Oh, dearest Rhiannon.” She tensed, and she glanced at his bedside table. “Do you have a clock? What time is…”
Wynne froze mid-sentence, and her skin turned ice cold.
Zain bolted upright. Must be dawn. He gently laid her on the bed, her hand still splayed.
He rose, tugged on his jeans, and yanked on a clean shirt from his dresser.
As he paced between the bed and the fireplace, he combed his fingers through his hair and kept his focus locked on Wynne. The seconds dragged. Why did this happen to her? She’d refused to tell him, and that bothered him more than he cared to admit.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few minutes, she roused.
Wynne exhaled a hard, fast breath and sat up in bed. Strands of blonde hair stuck out from her head like wisps of straw in a summer breeze. Her brows furrowed. “I started to ask you what time it was, but never mind. It’s dawn.”
She swept her long, elegant legs over the side of the bed, rose, and tracked to her pants.
“W
ynne.” He picked up her clothes before she reached them. “You ready to tell me what that was all about?”
Fire and ice daggers flashed in her eyes. She clasped her hands around the bundle in his arms, and she tugged the clothes away.
She put her back to him. Her shoulders tense with strain, she slipped into her pants in silence. The rustle of material sounded like the construction of a giant wall, too thick and too high to penetrate.
He wanted an answer from her. “Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”
Her shoulders sagged. “You can’t. This is my punishment. One I justly deserved.”
Zain closed the distance between them in an instant. He placed his hands on her shoulders and encouraged her to face him.
Her gaze, eyes moist with unshed tears, seemed to hold the weight of the world. A tear slipped over her lashes and landed on her cheek.
Empathy swelled in Zain’s heart, and love for her tightened his resolve. He cupped her chin in his palm and brushed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tear. “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of. I won’t judge you.”
Wynne stared into his eyes, as if assessing whether she could share her secret with him. At long last, she shook her head and stepped away.
The lack of contact left him cold. His fingers jerked with his need to pull her close, tell her everything would be okay. He couldn’t make her that promise, though, so he wiped his palm on his jeans.
“Do you know Beaumont?” She stared into the fireplace. The embers long extinguished, only black coals remained, brittle and cold.
The hair on Zain’s scalp prickled. To hear another man’s name on her lips had his skin crawling with jealousy. “A gargoyle. I’ve heard of him. He’s human now, right?”
“Yeah, he fell in love, passed his test, and returned to live a human life.”
“What does this have to do with you?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. Features pinched tight with strain, she bit her bottom lip and gnawed on the tender flesh. Memories of her soft lips against his and their night together stole into his mind on a whisper.
He crossed the distance and wrapped his arms around her front to back. She fit against him like she belonged there. He tugged her close and placed a kiss along her nape.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
“I’d had a crush on him for years and wanted him to love me…”
Zain’s breaths bottled in his lungs, held down by the weight on his chest.
“I offered myself to him, and he turned me down.” Wynne let out a self-deprecating laugh. “That pissed me off, so I let the spell that protected his stone gargoyle lapse. A human man destroyed it. Beaumont couldn’t return to his sanctuary. If he hadn’t passed his test, he’d have perished, and his soul would’ve slipped into the ether because of me.”
Wynne shivered in his arms, and he turned her to face him. Vulnerability hid behind the spark of self-hatred in her eyes. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Filled with the urge to protect her, he wanted to return through time and smash this gargoyle’s face for hurting his Wynne. “Beaumont didn’t know how lucky he was. You are a smart, beautiful, passionate woman. Any man would be honored to be with you.”
Wynne blinked and stared into his eyes. “I wish that were true. For me, I have a bad habit of falling for unattainable men. Always a bride’s maid and never a bride…”
You weaved your way into my heart, and you are fast becoming the beacon for my soul. Those words were on the tip of his tongue but died in the back of his throat. He’d do anything for her, but then again, he’d placed his job over her and wasn’t that exactly what she referred to when she said she’d fallen for unattainable men?
Was he the latest in a string that would only disappoint her?
Perhaps.
He didn’t want to dwell on it, so he returned to her issue. “Rhiannon punished you, didn’t she?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, breathed deep, and opened them. Determination lined her features. “The goddess cursed me so I would experience what the gargoyles go through while they are in their stone forms. As I mentioned before, this occurs at dawn and dusk every day, but also during the three nights of the full moon each month.”
Adrenaline surged through his veins. If she remained in stone form when Gwawl needed her to control the crystal, he’d kill her. No wonder she’d kept that information from him. She’d trusted him by sharing her secret, and his desire to help her amplified tenfold.
“Can the curse be removed?” he blurted through gritted teeth.
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Rhiannon had said, and I quote, ‘Since your transgression arose from selfishness, the curse shall remain until you perform a selfless act.’”
“No specifics?” Zain searched for possibilities.
Wynne shook her head. “It’s up to Rhiannon’s discretion.”
Restless energy propelled him to pace. He tracked to his bed. Memories of their lovemaking competed with the desire to pound his fist into the wall. Could the goddess be any less vague?
“We’re running out of time,” he muttered under his breath.
“What did you say?” Wynne placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him mid-stride.
Zain dipped his chin. “Nothing. It’s not important.”
Wynne crossed her arms. The sleeves of his T-shirt tracked half-way to her elbow. “You said ‘we’re running out of time.’ What did you mean by that? The crystal?”
He rubbed his fist in his palm and nodded. “The solar eclipse occurs tomorrow in the human realm.”
Wynne took a step back, and her hand shot to her neck. “Tomorrow? I thought… I must’ve lost track of time.”
“That’s understandable.” He clasped her elbow, tugged her into his embrace, and relished in the sensation of holding her close. “You’ve been through a lot these past few days and nights.”
“Zain.” She pulled back and glanced at him. “You said ‘we.’”
Zain flinched, the automatic reaction happening before he could stop it.
Wynne’s gaze narrowed, concern etched in the lines around her eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He moved to draw away, but she gripped his shirt. “No way. After everything that’s happened, all that we’ve shared, tell me.”
The determination in her tight lips weaved inside and filled his heart with joy. She cared for him, more than she should. Damn his selfish hide, but he relished in the knowledge.
Wynne deserved the truth.
He inhaled and licked his lips. “We’ve been tied together in this for quite some time. The first time I saw you wasn’t that night by the tree.”
Wynne’s eyebrows arched high over her beautiful blue eyes.
Unwilling to stop for fear he’d never tell her, he plowed on. “While searching for prey one night a couple of months ago, I saw you walking home from the grocery store. You had bags in your arms, but also that same look of determination in your eyes that I’ve grown to…admire.”
Her grip on his shirt tightened, and her eyes tracked back and forth as she studied him.
“I watched you from afar, every chance I could. Unusual, I know, maybe even a little creepy. Okay, a lot creepy, but I couldn’t help it. You mesmerized me. Then, last week, Gwawl ordered me to capture you. If I didn’t…” Zain rubbed at his temple.
“You had to capture me or die.” Wynne’s soft voice echoed in the space between them.
The compassionate tone settled into Zain’s chest, threatening to fill a void created long ago. A lump formed in his throat. No, he couldn’t afford to let his emotions get in the way.
“There’s more, though, isn’t there?” She balled his shirt in her hands. “That’s why you wanted me to read from the book. If I don’t learn the crystal spells, he’ll still kill you. You’re as caught up in this web as I am. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Zain refused to respond and instead, pressed his fingers tight against the b
ridge of his nose.
Wynne trailed her fingertips along his jaw until she reached his hand and gently tugged, encouraging him to look at her. The tenderness in her eyes broke him, and resolve filled his soul. He’d find a way to protect her, no matter the consequences. The conviction wound deep inside, binding him to her in ways he couldn’t express. Raw emotions ruled him.
Wynne slipped her hand into his and led him toward the table. Lips pursed with perseverance, she pointed at the dark book and met his gaze. “I guess we better get started then.”
He swallowed and nodded. In this as with anything else, he couldn’t deny her.
CHAPTER 25
Wynne stroked the brush through her hair, tied the wet strands into a ponytail, and hurried from Zain’s bathroom. The shower, which she had shared with Zain, had taken much longer than she’d anticipated, but she didn’t regret the extra time spent with him. Still, her rubbery legs reminded her of all they’d done. She never realized how many contortionist positions she could accomplish in a shower.
“You ready?” Zain tucked his gray shirt into a fresh pair of dark blue jeans. The material stretched tight against his chest, accentuating his firm muscles.
Wynne wanted to stroke her hands all over his skin and feel the hard planes once again, but the urge to see her mother won out.
“Just need to slip on my shoes.” Over the past several hours, she and Zain had read every word on how to control the crystal. Day had turned to night before they’d finished. Wynne knew what was expected, but the spell’s complicated incantation tested her ability.
She hurried across the stone floor, the cold seeping through the bottom of her feet. One flat peeked from beneath the bed. The other lay against the dresser.
Zain strode behind her and rubbed her arms before wrapping her in his embrace. “I hate to return you to that cell.”
“It’s my choice. I want to see my mother. Besides, I won’t put you in Gwawl’s crosshairs.” Zain was caught up in this whole business with Gwawl right along with her, and she refused to let him suffer.
