by Lux Miller
Despite being injured, he hasn’t complained once about the weight of the instrument he’s using to tear through the base of the tree. With every brandish of the axe, his curls fly about his face wildly, obscuring the focused look on his face. It makes me want to snatch the axe away from him to declare him the winner, despite the fact that he hasn’t completed the task yet. In fact, he’s just about halfway there with a little over five minutes remaining in his declared seventeen minutes.
He sets the blade of the axe on the ground for a moment, rolling his head side to side on his shoulders as he groans and swings his arms back and forth like he’s trying to stretch out his body. He swipes the back of his hand across his forehead, smearing sweat and dirt across his face as he grunts. “This is harder than it looks…”
I shrug my shoulder with a smirk as I reach for the axe. He starts to pull it away from me, but thinks better of it, letting me take it. My eyes bug out of my head slightly when I realize how heavy the thing is, but I’m not about to let myself look like a total weakling. I dig down deep and hoist it up onto my shoulder, sagging slightly under its weight. I nod as I walk over to the tree, tightening my grip around the wooden handle. I lower it and swing it at the tree at the same time, hoping that some of the momentum transfers into it. To my complete surprise, I manage to actually hit the tree inside the deep gash that Drake’s already created. I sigh with relief, then giggle nervously as I try to dislodge the axe from the hard wood inside the trunk.
“I never said it looked easy. Even with all your muscles and macho man strength, it looks like you’re struggling, and uh… I think it’s stuck…”
Drake raises one eyebrow and walks up behind me as I yank and pull at the axe handle, but the damn thing doesn’t budge an inch as it remains lodged deeply in the softened wood of the inner trunk of the tree. A shiver slides down my spine quickly as Drake presses against my back. He wraps his arms around me and grabs the axe handle with his massive hands, placing them over mine as he grips it too. I can feel Drake’s breath on the back of my neck as the muscles in his arms tighten against my sides. His whole body is rigid against mine as he tugs roughly on the axe handle along with me, but it’s barely rocking in the notched wood.
He reaches further down the handle, his chest flush against my back as he rests his chin on my shoulder. My ass presses into his crotch, and he groans softly, right into my ear. We both hold tightly to the slender, wooden rod that’s attached to the axe blade. Digging down deep to find my concentration, I push my own hand down the sleek wood until they’re just above his and tug hard. The combined effort of our pulling dislodges the axe, and the momentum of our efforts has me stumbling back into Drake, catching him off guard and sending us both tumbling to the ground.
The axe lands on the forest floor somewhere nearby as Drake crashes on his ass and back with a thud, and I land on top of him. He grunts as we collide, and I immediately try to scoot off of him, muttering an apology as I wince, hoping I didn’t hurt him when my bony butt landed on his sensitive parts. To my surprise, though, he reaches up with his hands and grips my my hips, making it nearly impossible for me to move.
“Sorry…”
His voice is husky as he whispers, “Don’t apologize…”
I squirm in his grasp and he sighs, letting go of me. I scramble off to the side, plopping on the forest floor with an exasperated sigh. Color creeps up into my cheeks and the embarrassment of what just happened washes over me. “Did I… hurt it?”
Drake chuckles, adjusting himself as he shakes his head. “It’s surprisingly sturdy, Nova. Trust me, I’ve put it through some abuse over the years, and I haven’t managed to break it yet. It’d take something a hell of a lot rougher to hurt me…”
My eyes widen slightly as I try to gather my thoughts, silently willing the blood to drain from my cheeks so that I don’t look like a damn tomato.
“I guess I’m going to lose the bet, though. That tree ain’t but half gone, and I’m sure my time’s up by now, so I guess you win.”
I blink at him like I’ve been rendered stupid. I what? Shaking my head slowly like I don’t understand, I stare at him as we both sit in the dirt. Finally, I’m able to gather my wits, and I grab a handful of old leaves and twigs in my hand and lob them at him. “All I’ve won is a longer day. We’ve still got to get that bad boy down to go with the other half a dozen we already cut down so Finn can come and collect them in the morning. And we’re both sitting on our asses on the forest floor because a tree outsmarted us…”
Drake rolls his eyes, then does something that catches me completely by surprise. He sticks his tongue out at me like he’s five and crosses his arms defiantly across his chest. “That tree will fall, you can mark my words. I just have to pick myself and what’s left of my pride up off the ground. I won’t get to see those beautiful lips of yours halfway down my cock again, but at least I can make sure we get the wood we need to get off this haunted spit of land where the past is way too close for comfort.”
I stare at him with my mouth hanging open as he pushes himself up off the ground and brushes his pants off, then stomps over to the tree. He inhales deeply, then bellows loudly at it. He raises one foot up, planting it against the tree trunk, just above where it’s been gashed out just over halfway. He does this three times. Just when I’m about to open my mouth and call him out on his temper tantrum, there’s a thunderous crack as his foot lands squarely against the leaning tree, and the rest of the wood holding it upright splinters.
The tree sways in slow motion then topples over, crashing through the canopy and landing with a decisive thud on the forest floor. Birds flutter out of it as they fly for cover, and squirrels make desperate dives out of the branches overhead into neighboring trees. Once everything is still again, I turn to look at him and plop both hands on my hips. “You mean, you could’ve just kicked the fucking tree over all along?”
Drake shrugs. “To be honest, I didn’t know I could do it that time. That was just a lucky kick. The cut was deeper than we thought, and the wood must have been softer than we anticipated. Not sure how good of a mast it’s going to be, but we’ll find something to make from it. I think we need to find harder wood to repair the mast.”
I snort softly and nod, glancing around at the nearby trees. “These all appear to be the same species of tree, but they look like they should be hardwood…”
Drake kneels down beside the tree stump and runs his fingertips over the jagged edges of cut wood. He frowns as he traces along the gash made by the axe. “It’s still green, so it’s impossible to tell why it seemed to crumble like it did, but the wood here isn’t soft by any means. Feel it…”
I kneel down beside him and lean closer, sliding the edge of my thumb along one of the cut edges and realize that he’s right. I’d half-expected the wood to feel weakened with the way it toppled over when he kicked it. Instead, the wood’s actually, if anything, stronger than I’d anticipated. Despite having been obliterated by the axe, the shards of wood poking up from where the mighty tree once stood are still pointing skyward, stiff like they’re standing at attention. Where I should be able to snap off the remnants, they’re holding strong like they’ve been reinforced by some otherworldly power.
I look up at Drake and frown. “This wood isn’t soft at all, Drake. It is hardwood… extremely hard in fact. I’m surprised you didn’t break the axe on it, and it’s no wonder it took you so damn long to get through it.”
Drake shakes his head as he motions to the massive trunk of tree lying on its side that goes on for more than a hundred feet. “Maybe the axe was dull?”
He reaches around me and picks up the axe, brushing his thumb along the beveled edge. He flinches as it bites into the pad of his finger and crimson liquid spills forth around the blade. He drops the axe onto the forest floor as he swears under his breath and pops the thumb into his mouth, muttering around his thumb. “Fucking hell, it’s definitely sharp…”
I tilt my head to the side slightly as
I stare at the paradoxical tree. It’s a hardwood that crumbled when Drake kicked it. The obviously sharp axe did little to it when he tried to cut it down, and he was exerting a lot of energy in the process. It wasn’t like he was half-assing the effort. What the heck is up with this? Something doesn’t add up here.
Reaching up to his mouth, I wrap my hand around his wrist and tug his thumb out of his lips, wrapping my palm around it to stem the blood flow. He closes his eyes and blows out a deep breath. “That hurt…”
I nod with a nervous laugh. “Well, yeah, I suspect it did. You sliced your finger open. At least the blade was sharp. A clean cut will heal better than a jagged one like the one on your back. But if I didn’t know better, with all the holes in your skin, one might think you enjoy being splayed open. Speaking of your back, turn around. I want to check to see how it’s looking now that you’ve really been exerting yourself. Whatever Kira did to it last night was pretty incredible, but it hasn’t healed yet, and it’s still very much an open wound.”
He grumbles something under his breath, but does as I ask. I let go of his thumb as he does and he continues to hold it in his own hand. I slide both of mine up underneath the tunic he’s wearing. His skin is warm to the touch, but he shivers when I flatten my palms against him. His muscles bunch and shift under my hands as I slide them up along the curve of his sculpted body, pushing the leather higher to expose his tanned skin and his protection rune.
Even though I know I shouldn’t, I can’t help but to trace along the outline that encircles the twenty-four Norse runes that form an ancient prayer of protection. It’s a tradition among Skink’s clan to have this design inked onto one’s back once the ritual of alliance has been completed. I’d recognize Skink’s hand anywhere. If Drake’s been tattooed this way, it means that at some point, he’s been in the service of Skink, though I know that he isn’t any longer.
I’ve been with Skink’s clan for six years now, and I’ve never seen Drake there. Considering Skink requires tithes to the clan, Drake would’ve been excommunicated for failure to provide long ago, even if he hadn’t already admitted to me that he left on his own accord. At least that’s what he wants me to believe. I’m not so sure I do. Skink may not be the holiest of men, but he’s not a bad leader. There’s more to the story than Drake fearing his destiny. Something tells me that he had good reason to be fearful besides some cockamamie stories and being abandoned by his mother.
“Nova… you probably shouldn’t do that…”
Drake’s strained voice snaps me out of my thoughts as I realize that I’m still carefully tracing the design, my fingertip looping around the intricate linework of each rune. Swallowing hard, I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Yeah, probably not… but I’m going to anyway.”
I lean forward and push his tunic up over his head, and it falls to the forest floor with a swishing sound. I rest my hands against his shoulder blades, gently pressing against the bandages that obscure my view of the gash in his injured shoulder. He tenses slightly, but despite the voice in my head screaming at me to stop, I lean forward and press my lips gently against the bandages. Drake inhales sharply as I do, his body tensing.
“Nova…”
Smiling, I slide my hands down to his waist, gently digging my fingertips into the exposed skin there. “Mmm hmm?”
Drake’s voice is strained as he murmurs, “You really shouldn’t do that…”
I sigh softly as I trail my lips away from the bandages and up to the base of the back of his neck. I pepper his exposed skin with gentle kisses as a rush of inexplicable feelings surge through me. Murmuring softly against his skin, I acknowledge, “I know, but I want to, Drake…”
He groans as he hunches his shoulders, reaching his good arm around behind himself and grabbing ahold of me around my waist. With effortless strength, he pulls me around his body until I’m awkwardly straddling his lap, my legs wrapped around his waist. I look up at him sharply, trying to gauge his intentions from his expression, but it’s nearly blank. My eyes are wide as our gazes meet and I can feel my heart speed up in my chest, thundering against my ribcage. The green in his eyes darkens as his lids droop slightly, then he lets his eyes drift closed and he murmurs as he rests his forehead against mine. “If you’re going to kiss me, Nova, then kiss me…”
Chapter Eighteen
Drake
To be honest, I didn’t expect her to actually do it when I basically told Nova to quit messing around and kiss me. But she does. Gently at first, her soft lips just barely brush over mine, and the feeling that snakes down my spine is tantalizing as every fiber in my body hums to life. It doesn’t take her but a split second to angle her face and seal her mouth to mine. When she does, all rational thought ceases to exist inside my head as everything becomes a blur of warring emotions.
Groaning, I loop both of my arms around her tiny frame, yanking her roughly against my body. She responds by tracing her tongue along my bottom lip. It’s like my body kicks into autopilot, need overtaking sense as she delves her tongue past my lips and explores. The growl that rumbles in my throat starts deep in my belly and vibrates its way up through my body as Nova flicks her tongue into every nook and cranny of my mouth. I clench my fists against her lower back, squeezing my eyes shut so tightly that the blackness begins to morph into a rainbow of colors. I become lightheaded and breathless from the lack of oxygen.
I crane my neck, twisting my lips free of hers and inhale like I’ve been held underwater for ages, the onslaught of air burning my lungs as they expand rapidly. Before I can properly exhale again, she’s trapped my bottom lip between her teeth, tugging on it as fire rages low in my belly. I can’t stop the full fledged moan that tumbles out of my throat as the the erection that had begun to wane while chopping at the tree returns full force. My dick is painfully hard underneath her as she shifts on my crotch, bringing her hands up to my cheeks.
Her touch is gentle as she brushes her thumbs across my cheekbones. When she nips my bottom lip, I can see in her eyes that she has no plans at all of keeping this a casual kiss. And I have no plans of saying anything to stop her when everywhere she touches me zings with a feeling that makes me want to roll my eyes into the back of my head. “Nova… what’re you doing to me?”
She smiles as she drops a trail of feather light kisses along my jaw then follows the path of the thick vein in my neck that crosses over my Adam’s apple. It bobs nervously as her lips brush over it, then drop down to my chest. I lean my head back, whimpering softly as she continues to pepper my skin with kisses. As she encloses my nipple between her moist lips, I groan, “Nova… for fuck’s sake… I lost the bet… what’re you doing?”
She shrugs her shoulders as she glances up at me, her pouty lips encircling my nipple as she sucks on it hard enough to make my eyes roll back into my head. She pulls back from my chest with an audible pop, then murmurs, “I’m enjoying the spoils of my win, but if you want me to stop…”
“No!”
I wince when I hear the desperation in my voice. Fuck, I must sound pathetically needy, but all Nova does is sit back on my thighs, smiling up at me with a devious look on her face. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, then brings her hands up to the leather straps that are fastened around her body. There’s a gleam in her eye, and the corners of her lips rise as she declares, “How about I give you a choice? I can either break all the rules of the game and suck your dick anyway… or…”
I know my eyes must be wide as saucers as her fingers begin to untie the knots that are strategically placed above and below her breasts, securing the scraps of fabric over her. I swallow hard as one by one, the leather fabric slips loose and falls into her lap. Finally, the only things holding the gauzy turquoise material against her body is an invisible force that seems doomed to fail at any moment.
She leans forward just slightly and grabs the hand of my uninjured arm and places it against her belly, just below the flimsy fabric that’s barely clinging to her. I swallow the lump in
my throat as she guides my hand up underneath the fabric, and it begins to fall away. Her skin’s warm and soft under my palm, and my eyes are glued to her as the material puddles into her lap. It exposes the enticingly ivory mounds of flesh beneath.
