Ranger (Elemental Paladins Book 4)

by Montana Ash

  “Ivy,” he croaked, “Max!” But the connection was gone – all but burnt out. And even as a potentate, he couldn’t re-establish the link.

  Snapping twigs had him reaching for his scythe as he tried to crawl to Ivy. A heavy but gentle hand stayed the weapon and he looked up into the grey eyes of Knox. “Ivy …” he rasped.

  Knox nodded, briskly sitting down next to her and placing two fingers against her neck. Lark felt the world crawl to a standstill as he waited for Knox to look back up. When he did, he finally allowed himself to breathe again. The other man was nodding. Feeling weaker than a day-old kitten, he managed to drag himself next to her and was horrified to see three huge gashes on her right forearm. The blackening around the edges indicated she had been clawed by one of the chades. That wasn’t good. Their sharpened nails contained a poison that was often deadly.

  Knox quickly and proficiently fastened a tourniquet around Ivy’s bicep, blocking the blood flow to the rest of her body and hopefully slowing the spread of the toxin. “Peroxide?” he questioned.

  “In the car,” Lark answered, running shaking fingers over the cool, smoothness of Ivy’s cheek.

  Knox was back in seconds and pouring the liquid directly over Ivy’s wound. Even in her passed-out state, a cry of pain left her lips and her back arched sharply off the ground. Lark gritted his teeth and held her still as Knox upended the entire bottle of peroxide into the open gashes. The wound hissed and bubbled obnoxiously, emitting a sour smell but Lark knew that was a good thing. The peroxide neutralised the poison and as long as it hadn’t spread in her system, she should be fine.

  Would be fine, he corrected. He wouldn’t settle for anything less.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Ivy woke feeling better than she deserved to under the circumstances. She was a bit light-headed, a little achy, and a lot thirsty. Looking down, she saw the expertly applied bandage around her forearm and gave it an experimental poke. The flesh underneath protested a little but it didn’t scream at her. Lark must have somehow managed to treat the claw marks quickly. She couldn’t believe she had allowed one of those chades to get that close to her. But then, it hadn’t been a normal fight, had it?

  She had watched as Lark had started glowing with a faint, pale light and she had been optimistic that his harebrained plan may actually succeed. That optimism had lasted about ten seconds because Lark had then clearly taken a little mental detour. Thinking to give him a swift kick to snap him out of it, she had found herself swiftly surrounded by the pack of chades. Three had come at her immediately and she’d had to fight harder than in recent memory. One side-step an inch too short had resulted in a burning pain across her arm and her sickle had dropped from her nerve-less fingers. At that point, Lark had slashed at the chade with his own blade and it had poofed into nothingness. After that, she didn’t really remember much because the burning had turned into a scorching and she had passed out.

  A quick glance around the room revealed a hunched over Lark in an uncomfortable-looking, mustard-yellow upholstered chair next to the bed. Clearly, the man had spent the night curled up in it with his too-long limbs hanging over the sides and his neck awkwardly tucked against the back. But the dark circles under his eyes, the messy hair, and the rumpled clothes couldn’t detract from his masculine beauty. The man was breathtakingly gorgeous, even after days without sleeping or showering.

  The past few days were somewhat of a blur and when she forced herself to focus, she came up with only a handful of disjointed images, sounds, and smells. Her fever must have been fierce for her to have such poor memory but perhaps it was a blessing of sorts. She didn’t really need any more images of herself hallucinating, vomiting, and sweating against the sheets.

  But what she did know, was that she had been so weak she’d had to rely on Lark for everything. For someone who prided herself on strength and independence, it was her worst nightmare. But somehow, because it was Lark, it was okay. And he had been wonderful throughout it all; wiping her brow, fetching her water, carrying her into the bathroom, holding her at night. Chade poisoning really was a pain in the arse.

  She pushed herself up and Lark snapped awake, bolting upright and reaching for his weapon automatically. For some reason, the action turned her on immensely. He truly was a knight, even in his sleep. Seeing no threat, he relaxed and scrubbed rough hands over his face. He then looked at her and smiled, his green eyes lighting with warmth and happiness to find her awake.

  “Hey there, beautiful. How’re you feeling? You look wonderful,” he said.

  It should have been ridiculous. She knew she must look like a harpy rolled in warmed-up shit but she knew he was sincere. She knew he truly thought she looked beautiful. Because to him – she would always be beautiful. He had spent the last few days of her illness telling her so, as well as countless other romantic and flirty things. And somewhere along the way, the strangest thing had happened.

  Ivy had started to believe him.

  With that thought in mind and a fresh lease on life, she rose from the bed clad only in one of Lark’s shirts. Walking slowly toward him, she put an extra sway in her steps, stopping only when she was a hairbreadth from making contact with him.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, looking confused.

  She arched her eyebrows, “Do you really have to ask? I would have thought it was obvious.”

  “Um, are you hallucinating again? Do you have a fever?” he placed a palm against her forehead and even that turned her on. Maybe chade toxin had an aphrodisiac effect? She’d never noticed before but it could be a decent side benefit.

  “I’m not hallucinating. I just want you,” she informed him.

  His mouth opened and closed for a moment before he sputtered, “Well, you can’t have me.”

  She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, wondering idly if she looked like an idiot or if she was achieving sexy. She knew which one she felt – and it wasn’t sexy. She aimed for a seductive purr, “Why not?”

  He stood up, walking backwards, “Because you spent the last three days on death’s door.”

  “Exactly. It was horrible and scary – blah, blah, blah. Let’s have some life-reaffirming sex.” But the man only continued to look at her with wide eyes as he shook his head, “Come on, you’ve been throwing yourself at me for weeks. Now you’re suddenly frigid?”

  He stiffened in insult, “I have not been throwing myself at you. And I am most certainly not frigid! I have been trying to start a relationship with you; one based on intellect and emotion and affection,” he informed her, a little primly.

  “And what about sex? Because I could have sworn that day against the car that you were interested in sex too,” she pointed out.

  “Of course I’m interested in sex!” he barked at her.

  “With me?”

  He growled, “Of course with you!”

  Ivy fought to keep her face blank when she really wanted to grin like the Cheshire Cat. It was so rare to see him looking grumpy and insulted and bad-tempered. Was it evil of her to want to find out how much he could take until his control snapped? Seeing the way he was grinding his teeth, she figured it wouldn’t take that long, “What’s the problem, then?”

  He stiffened his shoulders and planted his feet and she knew he was going to be stubborn, “You’ve been sick, Ivy. I’m not about to take advantage of a sick woman.”

  She took a step towards him, “Oh, please. Take advantage of me.” Another step, “Come on … I promise to still respect you in the morning,” she cajoled.

  He shook his head, “That’s not funny.”

  “No?” she pouted, stepping forward again.

  “No,” he confirmed.

  “Then why are you smiling?” One final step and she was now close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body.

  “This is just my default expression,” he told her.

  He probably meant that as a joke. But this time, the joke was on him because what he said was true. Reaching up with her
pointer finger, she traced the smile right off his lips, “You know, it really is your default look. It should be weird or annoying or something like that. But it’s not. It’s just … nice. I like – no, I love when you smile at me.”

  His mulish expression softened and his smile widened, “And I love hearing that. But,” he pushed her away from him, “it doesn’t change the fact you were poisoned a few days ago. Because of me, I might add. I can’t believe I allowed my concentration to lapse like that. Ivy, I am so sorry. So, so sorry.”

  She sighed in annoyance now. He had been apologising for days. It was one of the things she remembered with clarity. But as far as she was concerned, he had nothing to apologise for. He had been channelling the power of a goddess! What did the man expect? She opened her mouth to tell him so – for the umpteenth time – only to find him beating a hasty exit to the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes; as if that will stop me.

  She made her way into the bathroom, feeling lucky to be alive and lucky to have such a wonderful man believing she was beautiful. She knew Lark was big on the whole talking shtick but she was more of a believer that actions spoke louder than words. So, she stripped the worn shirt smelling of Lark from her body, letting it fall carelessly to the ground. Reaching for the flimsy shower curtain, she pulled it back and had the pleasure of ogling Lark from the rear without anything in her way.

  Despite the horrifying array of scars crisscrossing his back and the top of his thighs he was an absolute thing of beauty. He was lean and rangy but his muscles were clearly evidenced in the way his creamy skin stretched so tautly. His shoulders were broad, his waist trim, and his butt – oh man, his butt! Two globes of round, muscled perfection. She reached out with both hands and grabbed both cheeks, giving them a healthy squeeze before Lark jumped and spun, taking his arse with him.

  “What the? Ivy! I – you – you’re naked,” he goggled.

  “Am I? I hadn’t noticed,” she barely repressed a giggle when Lark swallowed noisily and his eyes began frantically searching for something to come to his rescue. This is so much fun! she thought. No wonder the women back at the house tormented their men on a daily basis. This kind of power was heady and could get addictive mighty fast.

  Scanning his front just as thoroughly as she did his back, her eyes were drawn to his impressive pecs, subtly chiselled abs, and … oh, boy, his very fine package. Feeling bold and brave and in need of immediate gratification, she knelt down. Keeping her gaze steady on his, she leaned forward and licked the tip of his impressive erection. His whole body jerked like it had been electrocuted but the knight must have nerves of steel for he kept his hands tightly fisted at his sides.

  Feeling a moment of insecurity, thinking perhaps she had read him completely wrong and he didn’t want her at all, she eyed the lines of strain on his handsome face. His jaw was clenched, his eyebrows pulled down low in a fierce frown, and his eyes were heavy-lidded. But there was a distinct sparkle in them. Defiance? she wondered, but as she allowed her tongue to peek out once more, tasting his heady flavour, she finally recognised the flare of darkness in them – challenge. Just like that, she felt her insecurities melt away. He definitely wanted her. But it appeared as if the hunter now wanted to become the hunted. The look in his eyes said it all; bring it!

  Ivy felt her smile grow as she looked up at him from her position on her knees. She licked her lips and began dragging her hands up over her own body – her stomach, her breasts, her neck – before finally reaching the tie which constrained her hair. Tugging the elastic loose, she shook out her hair until she felt it brush the curve of her arse and began to plaster itself to her skin from the warm water pounding down on them.

  “Challenge accepted,” she informed her knight.

  THIRTY

  Uh oh, Lark couldn’t even manage a gulp upon hearing Ivy’s words. He was thrilled beyond measure that Ivy was taking the initiative and finally showing him how much she wanted him. He had been waiting for even the tiniest hint that she cared for him as much as he cared for her. But having the Asian beauty kneel at his feet and suck down his length like a pro hadn’t exactly been what he was anticipating. For example, he figured she might smile at him or something.

  He gasped abruptly when Ivy did something magical with her tongue and the tip of his dick. The shock of pleasure had his toes curling and he began reciting Dijkstra’s algorithm so he wouldn’t embarrass himself. Immediately feeling the loss when Ivy pulled away from him, he opened his eyes to see her peering up at him. Her black hair was plastered to her skin, her lips swollen, and her eyes were dewy. He wanted to throw her against the egg-shell white tiles and screw her brains out.

  “What are you saying?” she asked him and he blushed, knowing he must have been babbling out loud.

  “I was reciting the algorithm that solves problems for a directed graph with non-negative edge weights using single-source direct paths.”

  She didn’t even blink, just cocked her head, “Why?”

  “So I don’t blow like a teenager all over those pretty breasts of yours,” he admitted.

  She sucked in a harsh breath, gaining her feet in one fluid, sexy motion and promptly placed her lips against his. The kiss wasn’t the forceful, sex-kitten kiss he had been expecting. It was gentle and coaxing, a lazy thrust and retreat of her tongue and lips against his own. He found himself seduced by the gentle rhythm just as much as he would have been by the heat and the fire. All the while, her small hands mapped his body, leaving tingles of heat in their wake. Pushing him back against the cool tiles, warm water continued to rain down on them as she stood on her tip toes and ran her tongue around the shell of his ear. He shivered, gripping her slim hips when her teeth decided to tug on the sensitive appendage. She had successfully and correctly identified one of his main erogenous zones.

  Being a gentleman, he let her play and explore a little more, feeling his desire increase with each passing touch of her hands and brush of her lips. When she gripped his dick in her hands again, it just happened to coincide with the cooling of the water and he used it as his excuse to pick her up. She gave a startled squeak before wrapping her legs around his waist and he carried her, dripping wet, to the bedroom.

  He reached behind him and unwound her legs, lowering her gently to the mattress. He then allowed his eyes to devour her as she languished patiently and uninhibited against the cool, white sheets. That in itself was a massive turn-on – he loved confident women. He took his time looking his fill, his eyes learning and cataloguing every curve, every dip, and every expanse of flushed mocha skin. And the best part about the entire experience? His photographic memory ensured he would never, ever forget even one single detail.

  Feeling his dick jerk with impatience, he moved, placing his right knee on the bed, followed by his left as he slowly made his way to his willing woman. Balancing his weight on top of her, he first kissed her senseless, loving her unique taste and the flavour they created together. Moving on, he laved the tips of her breasts until her nipples were wet and tight, before drawing back and blowing on them. Ivy gasped, her back arching instinctively into the cooling effect of his breath. He grinned; seems he had discovered an erogenous zone of his own.

  He then spent the next ten minutes learning her body as thoroughly as she had his. He succeeded in wringing two orgasms from her before his control snapped and he needed to be in her body yesterday. Pushing her legs wide, he gave himself a couple of hard strokes, delighting in the way her chocolate eyes lit with lust despite her recent climax.

  “Hurry up,” she demanded.

  “Yes ma’am,” he breathed, placing the tip of his erection at her wet entrance. Plunging into her sweet body in one smooth stroke, he shuddered, holding his breath and trying to stave off his imminent release. When he had a modicum of control, he pulled back until he almost left the haven of her body before pushing back into her once more. When her hands gripped his back, he felt a moment of unease at the thought of her touching his scars. But then she licked her way u
p his neck and sucked on his Adam’s apple and he forgot all about his back.

  “More, dammit. Harder!” the amazing woman beneath him gasped after only a few strokes.

  Not one to disappoint, Lark raised himself up onto his knees, grabbing her ankles and pushing them onto his shoulders. He practically bent her in half when he lowered his weight back down onto her and proceeded to piston his hips fast and furious. Each thrust of his hips pushed her further up the bed until he was forced to let go of one of her legs and brace his hand against the bedhead behind her. Otherwise, as gone as he was, he could very well have fucked her clear through the wall.

  The combination of Ivy’s sinfully hot body and the delicious whimpers coming from her mouth proved to be too much stimulation and he felt his hips falter. Determined to see her through her pleasure first and recalling the sensitivity of her nipples, he leant down and sucked one tip into his mouth – hard. He also lowered his hips a little, ensuring his pelvis rubbed along her clit with every thrust of his hips.

  The added stimulation was enough to have her exploding around him, her inner muscles working his length so hard he could barely move. Her moans and half-screams added fuel to his rampant desire and his own pleasure peaked a mere two strokes later. Groaning into her neck, he pumped his hips until he was completely spent, sure he’d never walk again.

  Beneath him, Ivy wiggled her hips in a way that him groaning and pumping into her a few more times, despite his satiated state. She hummed her approval. This time, when he felt Ivy’s hands stroking over the lines that marred his back, he didn’t feel anything but bliss.