Page 24 of Beneath Swan Lake (Deadly Endings #2)

It doesn’t take long for our party to drop from three to two once more. Ban told Ray he didn't want to travel the perimeter of the lake when he could just as easily hop across it. So after a short farewell, he went one way and we went another. I expected a more drawn out good-bye if they haven't seen each other in any while, but from what I can tell Ban is a pretty guarded person. His emotions are as icy as his magic, and even though he was nice enough, there's something dangerous lurking beneath the surface that I can't quite put my finger on. I watched him leave with a swagger in his step, his long silver hair catching the sunlight as he moved. If we cross paths again I hope that man will let me brush his gorgeous hair, which sounds really inappropriate to think about. When I mentioned it to Ray he burst out laughing at the idea.

According to Ray, Legs is a legless butterfly in the Red Woods who has a soft spot for the Reapers. There's a spot called Leg's Garden up there, but I've never seen it on any map. It seems to be one of those “if you know” type of things, and Ray didn't go into the details once Ban set off.

I'm still trying to visualize it, but from the description Ray gave me after he left it sounds simpler to go with us past the tavern and continue on that way. It almost feels like Ban wanted to get away from us.

“So you're still the swan?” Mother asks, dropping her voice. We're walking through the woods, and soon we'll cross into Sherwood from Ravens Wood. Ray urged me to contact my parents after everything we learned, and when I could no longer avoid it I took the seeing stone he handed over and tried to reach them. It’s no surprise that they were waiting by the stone, eager for any news from me.

“The swan is me,” I tell mother, lifting my chin as I try to focus. Through the seeing stone I can see both of my parents' faces crammed into the space. They refused to take turns talking with me and wanted updates immediately. “I'm learning to accept it.”

I gave my parents a somewhat trimmed summary of what happened beneath the lake. Talking about my eye was confusing enough, and I'm still marveling at the feeling. My vision is certainly sharper and I don't feel any strain. The Shadow Man never explained how he did it or what he was rambling about regarding a protégé, but I don’t care. At least, not right now. With my manipulator gone and my eye returned it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.

“And you're certain you don't want to come home yet, darling?” Father asks, his brows furrowing. “If there's no curse to break you could resume your duties as Princess.”

I almost snort, ignoring the bemused look Ray gives me through the corner of his eye. “ Father, do you know what happens beyond the borders of Swan Lake, not to mention what happened within our own Kingdom?”

He squirms uncomfortably, Mother shooting him a look. It’s no secret that things are uneasy in Swan Lake, just like the rest of Mystica. It’s been that way since the night my suitor died and Dima made his move for control of the Kingdom.

Speaking of which, I look around, tilting the stone so it’s looking skyward and not at me. “Ray.”

“Hmm?”

I glance around again, ignoring my parents' calls for me. “Where is Dima?”

“I haven’t felt his soul since the caves.”

An uneasy feeling dances up my spine at his words, and I stop walking. “The Shadow Man called him his protégé.”

Raymundo pauses too, holding my gaze. For a moment, I think he’ll reach out to touch me, but he doesn’t. He hasn’t since we left the caves. Instead, he avoids it entirely, leaving me to wonder why. I’m whole now—shouldn’t that make me more desirable? I’m no longer disfigured by the loss of an eye, no longer marked by a constant, gaping wound on my face. And yet, he keeps his distance.

“Considering the path Dima decided to follow, I imagine the Shadow Man may regret that choice,” Ray says slowly. “I’ve never spoken with the Shadow Man, he only spoke to me once. I’m not certain, but it stands to reason he can reap just like the four of us. I haven’t sensed any spirits around the lake, and if Ban doubled back to shadow hop across, he’ll be able to check again. Now that we’re further away, I can sense the dead again, but I doubt that includes him.”

“So you think Dima is really gone?” I ask, but the tension in my chest doesn’t lesson. I need absolute confirmation, not guesses and hopes. Dima haunted my nightmares for years, and I don’t know if I can handle the idea that his spirit can mess with me.

Frowning, Ray steps forward and tugs me into his chest. I let him, sinking into the familiar comfort of his chest as my eyes fall closed. “If he isn’t, I’ll reap him myself, Birdie. I should’ve spent more time killing him in the first place. He died far too easily.”

“You didn’t need to spend more time killing him. The point is he’s gone.”

Ray grabs my chin, dragging my attention upward. I purposefully zone out on my parents' voices for a moment, focusing solely on him. “For touching you, there isn’t enough pain I could deliver to him to justify his mistake. Give yourself more credit, Birdie. He never had the right to torture and manipulate you to try and seize the throne. He’s in the wrong here, and always will be.”

Swallowing, I nod. He has a way of taking my worries and twisting them around until I can’t see the bad parts anymore, just the sides of myself that shine brightest to him. “Okay.”

“Odette!”

My mother’s panicked cries ruin the moment, and his lip twitches up into a smirk. “You better finish that call, Birdie.”

I step away with a roll of my eyes, bringing the stone back to my face again. “I’m here, Mother. Just being safe out in the woods.”

~~~

The talk with my parents doesn’t last that long. They have a kingdom to govern, and after reporting that Dima’s spirit is gone (allegedly, according to Ray, who refuses to believe otherwise) I return the stone to my Reaper.

He attempts to reach Zarev first, then Lucius, both of whom don’t answer. He hasn’t spoken with Zarev since before the caves, and I haven’t seen him connect with Lucius the entire time we’ve traveled. I can’t help wondering if it’s typical that they don’t chat very often. Ban was trapped in the caves for at least a month, yet it had been longer than that since they had communicated. Their friendship stretches across the continent and I imagine that when chaos isn’t weighing them down they still have a lot to do reaping people.

The sun is high when we reach the edges of Sherwood, and I tilt my head back to enjoy the rays. I keep my eyes open as I stare up, enjoying how clear my vision is for the first time in almost a decade.

Ray’s fingers brush over my shoulder, and I glance his way. We haven’t even kissed since the caverns, and I refuse to admit that I’m feeling needy. Maybe even touch-neglected. Having two eyes again should make me feel more secure, not less.

His touch becomes firmer and I stop walking, looking up at him. His hair catches the light, and I’m momentarily distracted by the different shades of brown-red. Why does his hair get to look that good after almost drowning?

“You don’t have a very good poker face,” he tells me, brushing back my hair. I’ve gotten used to hiding behind the bangs, and he shoves it back so there’s nothing to shield me from his gaze. “And you shouldn’t have anything to worry about right now. You have no psycho wizard hunting you, you’ve got two eyes, and now you have almost a blessing from your parents to seek adventure.”

The corner of my mouth lifts. “No, I have my mother’s support and my father’s fear. He’d rather I sit in the Kingdom and wait for a husband to ensure I’m safe.”

“Should I be concerned that Leonardo is going to marry you off while I’m showing you how to live?” he asks with a smirk, and I can’t contain my smile. “I think I’m on good terms with the King right now. I could sweet talk him.”

My fingers hook into the neck of his shirt, pulling him close. “Sarcasm isn’t sweet talk, Reaper.”

His lips meet mine halfway, his hands sliding down my sides to grip my waist on either side. I barely have time to take a sharp breath before he’s devouring my mouth with his, rocking my body against him as I moan. I don’t know when this flipped from casual to hot, but there’s no way I’ll be stopping him .

My worries bleed away. Ray isn’t shy about his want for me, and my previous uncertainty and self doubt now feels silly when he begins to devour me.

Dragging his lips away from mine, he peppers kisses along my jawline and down my throat as my fingers tear at his shirt and cloak. I get the clasp open for the cloak and it billows away with the wind, catching beside us against a tree. He growls, digging his teeth into my neck until I moan.

He sucks the skin, and I tremble in his grasp. It’s getting too intense too fast and my body squirms with anticipation. Sex with Raymundo is still new. It's a craving that I can’t get enough of.

He goes for the bodice of my dress, and I slide my hands down and pull at his leathers. I need him inside me, now.

Ray groans, dragging his lips from my tender skin with a pop. “Want to play a game, Birdie?”

“G-game?”

He nods, his hands tearing at the laces of my dress as I try to steady my breathing. “Yes, a game. One we can’t play when we’re back amongst friends and family.”

I moan when he runs his fingers across my breasts, playfully pinching my nipples as he goes. I need more than that, and my responding whimper couldn’t be more obvious. “What kind of game?”

He stops, and I look up to find him grinning. “You hide, and I seek.”

“Hide and seek?” I echo.

“Yes, and if you can escape the shadows, you can have me any way you want me.” He steps back and does a little turn as though I’m unaware of all his best assets. “But if I find and catch you, I’m fucking you in the shadows.”

In the shadows? I lick my lips, wondering if this is a diversion of some sort. Shouldn’t we talk and get through all the gritty details of the last two days? Playing games before he fucks me just puts off the inevitable.

“You’re overthinking, Birdie,” he mocks, but when I meet his gaze it’s playful and hungry, his eyes greener than usual. “Do you want to play? Or we can-”

“I want to play,” I interrupt, my heart beating fast in my chest. I don’t need to hear the other options when this is the one that I want. “I’ll hide.”

A predatory grin curves his lips, one that makes me weak in the knees and my body flushes with need. “I’ll give you to the count of five for a head start.”

I scoff. Five isn’t nearly enough time and we both know it.

“One.”

I pivot on my heel, taking off into the trees. Ray has all the skills of a hunter, and I have no doubt he’ll eventually find me. Likely sooner rather than later if I’m being honest. The rush of adrenaline makes my heart beat harder, and I sprint away, unable to hear him count off the next number.

How does one escape the shadows?

I barrel around and through the trees, no specific path in mind as I hurry. The last time something hunted me in the woods was back when Dima ripped out my eye.

My steps falter. That experience was nothing like this as Dima preferred torment over pleasure. He never had a chance to truly touch me, and I know that fact irked him every time we crossed paths.

Shaking my head, I run faster until my chest begins to burn. That experience with Dima doesn’t exist anymore. He doesn’t exist anymore. All I need to do is outrun my Reaper, and see what will happen once he finds me.

I start to think he’s messing with me. Ray can blend in with any of the shadows he wants, and the woods are full of them. My steps slow as I try to catch my breath, and I realize I turned around and ran back into Ravens Wood instead of going deeper into Sherwood.

The fear I expect as I glance at the trees doesn’t come. I don’t feel triggered by memories, I just feel intense desire as Ray drags out the game. I've never let someone pursue me before and actually enjoyed it.

Spinning in a circle, I look for movement in the shadows, the tip of a bow, anything to give me an idea of where he is. But he gives nothing away.

Biting my lip, I almost call out to him as I complete one more circle. But as I turn, he pops into existence from the shadows and makes me scream. His grin is in place as he launches himself at me. “Gotcha.”

He takes me down, and we fall into the dewy grass. It’s soft enough that it feels like we’re sinking and that’s the last thought I register before his lips are on mine again.

Pinned beneath him, I enjoy the weight of Ray pressing me down as he tugs at the laces again. Everytime we’re together I feel secure and safe, and he’s about to remind me again how he can make me feel even better.

He kisses my lips before pulling back. “You were supposed to hide, Birdie.”

“I was trying to run,” I hiss, moaning when his kisses travel to the tops of my breasts. His tongue dances along my skin, and with his hips lifted up there’s nothing for mine to buck against. “You caught me.”

“I did,” he agrees, working the laces free. He’s skilled, pulling the corset and blouse open and up before he all but tears it off of me.

I try to reach for his leathers, but he’s sliding lower on my body and I don’t protest. He licks down the space between my breasts, his hands kneading the skin as he plays. He’s settled against me again, and I can’t move to seek the friction I desperately need.

This is different than last time. It’s dirty but there’s a side of tenderness to it.

Running my fingers through his hair, I let my head fall to one side and enjoy the feeling of him. This is probably the most privacy we're going to get, and going back to his familial home will certainly come with a lot of people being around us. I want to savor the moment.

I’m starting to think Ray tricked me, and he’s going for loving over true fucking, but as I stare at the trees around us and try to get him to slide lower, a weightless feeling swallows me whole.

Shadows.

My head snaps up as he slides down, dragging my skirts with him. I just have barely enough time to lift my hips before he’s on me again. Being in the shadows makes everything feel different, like a phantom, teasing touch instead of being pressed against this man.

He’s stripped me bare, and when his head settles between my legs I see stars before I even feel him. His tongue teasing my pussy is intense right from the start, and my back arches as I let out a scream.

But there’s no sound. In the shadows we can’t speak, so my screams are muted by the darkness. Emboldened, I realize with a trick like this I don’t have to be quiet, and let the moans spill freely from my lips.

He’s teasing me with a finger, the opposite hand reaching up my body to tease a nipple and I’m moaning like mad when the shadows drop. The tranquil silence is fractured by my pleasured moans, and I lift my head in horror as I realize we’re no longer hidden.

Just as quickly as they disappear, they are back. He’s playing with me; the wink he shoots me when I glare down at him, his tongue buried inside me as he slides the finger in… he makes it really damn hard to be mad.

I drop my head, enjoying the moment, and cry into the quiet. I stop caring about who or what might hear us if he drops the shadows again and just enjoy myself. I didn’t care so much last time .

The shadows fall a short time later, and my whimpers fill the silence once more. I have just enough time to mutter ‘ bastard ’ before we’re in the shadows again.

And he winks, sitting up with a grin to suck on the two fingers he’s used to tease me. Gasping, I sit up and tug at his leathers, forcing them open and down his thick thighs to free his cock. I don’t give him time to toy with me anymore, licking my lips before I suck on his head, watching as his eyes roll back at the feel.

I’m sliding down his dick when the shadows disappear, and he cups my cheek while pushing me further down with his other hand. “That’s it, eyes on me, Birdie. Both of them. Only on me.”

There’s something possessive in his voice as he strokes my cheek, and I groan around him. His hand on the back of my head offers no resistance, and I pick a rhythm that works for me. But he doesn’t slide us back into the shadows.

After a few moments he fists my hair and tugs me back. “As pretty as you are begging with those eyes, I want to see your ass bounce while I fuck you this time.”

I moan, and Ray slides us into the shadows just long enough to throw off my balance, and when we settle a moment later I’m facing away from him. My hands fall to the ground in front of me for balance, and my gasp is audible this time.

His head feels too big as he presses to my pussy, my clit aching for more of his touch. One hand grips my waist as I turn back to look at him, and it’s a good thing he pulled off all of my clothes or they’d be ruined now.

Meeting my gaze, he shoves his cock forward with one hard push that has me screaming. I fall to my elbows as he fills me, bending with me as I collapse, and then I feel his hand on my clit.

His shadows are at my pussy, stretching me somehow wider as he fills me with every part of him. I cry out, throwing back my head, and he finally begins to move. I manage to bounce back against him, my eyes bulging and tearing up as he stretches me further than I’ve ever been, keeping me bent in front of him as he plays with me.

The shadows band around my wrists, keeping me in place, and then I feel them ghosting along my skin, teasing the already sensitive spots on my nipples and down to my ass.

“Good girl,” he growls. It’s a surprise to realize how good it sounds to be praised by someone like my Reaper. It’s not condescending or controlling, he’s truly happy and satisfied with me. And he proves it in the next moment when his hand lands on my ass, making me bounce in surprise. “Just like that. Let me fill you with my come.”

Eyes wide, he sucks us back into the shadows and bands a wisp of his magic around my throat. It’s like being choked by a different person while being railed from behind, and I jerk back to meet his thrusts. This is the needy primal game I expected to play, and Ray takes what he wants with each stroke.

The shadows around my neck tighten, and I moan into the silence. I want him to fill me in here, where the silence means I’ll feel his cock pulsing inside of me. I don’t think Death can sire children, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to turn and stop him now.

My nails dig into the ground searching for purchase as he picks up speed, my mouth falling open when he slaps my ass again and tightens the coil around my throat. I can’t take much more of this, and when he smacks my ass a third time I clench around him and come undone with a scream.

He lets the shadows fall except for the one around my neck, and my half-choked, all-pleasure scream fills the forest as he pumps into me a few more times before stilling himself, and coming with a groan.

We aren’t in the shadows, but I can still feel the way his cock pulses and empties inside me. He keeps the shadow corded around my neck until he’s spent, and when he lets his magic go, his arms wrap around me and guide me to lay down. I don’t fight him when the shadows cradle me. It’s comforting, like being hugged by a part of him.

“Such a good girl,” he says, the praise still in full effect. I don’t tell him to stop, because I’m liking it too much. “Take a breather, Odette. Nap if you like. We can head out in a little while and still be early in the evening to arrive at the tavern.”

I nod, dazed, and don’t argue. If Ray cradles me with his shadows while I sleep, there’s a chance I’ll never want to wake.

~~ ~

“Drink.”

I roll my eyes and take the water sleeve from him, drinking more than I expected once I taste the cool liquid. We ate some berries once I had some rest, and Ray only somewhat picked on me for all the things I didn’t bring for this adventure.

Hindsight is 20/20.

I go to hand the water back but he just waves a hand. “Keep it while we travel. You’re more likely to need it anyway.”

Rolling my eyes, I tie the sleeve to my pack, waiting on Ray to finish collecting his things and examining the area. We’re going to shadow hop, so this trip won’t take long. While he’s distracted I run my fingers over my face, tracing my returned eye.

“You looked beautiful before, too,” Ray says, drawing my attention. “Even with only one eye you were lovely. Having both doesn’t make you prettier or better. You’re just going to draw less attention this way.”

Frowning, I drop my hand. “So having my eye back isn’t a big deal to you?”

“That’s not what I said. But I thought you were divine before you had both eyes, and I still feel that way now. You’re my Birdie, and I love seeing every bit of you.”

Some of the insecurities bouncing around in my chest settle, and I wrap my arms around him. “ You know, for a hunter, you really have a way with words.”

“Well, before the last one got ruined, I was a pretty good reader too when it comes to books.”

I’m laughing, the sound swallowed as he drags us into the shadows. I half expected him to be tired, but sex must rejuvenate him. I settle for leaning against him as we move.

It’s hard to tell how far we’re traveling like this, the scenery speeding by. But I think we’re starting to get close to the tavern when Ray abruptly stops moving, his hands tightening on me as he looks ahead and we slide from the shadows.

I follow his gaze, lost for a moment about what’s wrong. I expect it to be a spirit, but then I catch sight of the black haze ahead and the scent of burning in the air. My throat is dry when I manage to speak. “Fire.”