Page 46 of By the Horns (Royal Artifactual Guild #2)

Thirty-Five

Raptor

Rooster to Raptor: Any updates on our situation?

Raptor to Rooster: How many times must we go over this? When there’s an update, you’ll know.

My chat with Hawk was unfulfilling. I can’t blame him.

It’s hard to have a secretive conversation about the state of the guild’s thief hunt when he’s busy training his students.

Nothing else has been stolen from the guild coffers in the last week, though.

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, because it doesn’t rule Gwenna out.

And I’m becoming increasingly desperate to rule Gwenna out, because I’m growing obsessed with her.

It’s a problem. A Five is supposed to be friendly and loyal…but fooling around? Not supposed to happen. Yet when Gwenna emerges from Hawk’s dorm with cat hair all over her dress and a sunny smile on her face, I want to grab her and squeeze her tight. I’d much rather see her happy than crying.

“Feel better?” I ask, my voice gruff. She moves to stand beside me, and I put a hand on the small of her back—and this time, she doesn’t push me away. It feels like a victory.

“Some? I just didn’t realize how much I’d missed my friends until now. It was good to be on a team with them. I miss that.”

I feel a stab of jealousy. “You’re on a team with me. And Kipp.”

“And Hemmen and Arrod, neither of whom I trust all that much. Do you?”

I grunt.

“I know I just need to get over it.” Her voice is light, but there’s a hint of wistfulness in her tone. “Sparrow loves being an archivist. Lark and Mereden are talking about children. And I just…I want the best for them, but I guess I’m also selfish because I want them at my side, too.”

“I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Every Taurian does. We’d much rather be heading into the tunnels in a Five made of Taurians, but they always split us up. It’s just part of the job. I’ve learned to think of it as doing my duty to the less fortunate.”

She chuckles, and the sound goes straight to my cock. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

“You make family where you can, and you make the best of a bad hand every time. That’s all you can do.”

Gwenna glances up at me, her dark eyes full of emotion. “Like you are with being demoted?”

“Aye, I suppose so. I hate it. I hate how the others crack jokes about an embarrassing situation. But it’s not forever. You must remind yourself of that. And it’s not so terrible. You get to meet people you might not regularly sleep next to.”

Her cheeks color, and I could swear I pick up a hint of arousal in the breeze. “Oh?”

“Never would have met Hemmen otherwise,” I agree, and her wicked snort of surprised laughter makes me smile.

“So Hemmen is my competition? Good to know.”

Is she flirting with me? I lean closer as we turn onto a more crowded street. “Sweet little bantam, you should know you have no competition. In this world or the next.”

“Keep saying things like that and you’re going to get your knot bitten again.”

Mucking hell. Here’s hoping.

The walk back to the nest is a long one, and by the time we make it back my cock is throbbing.

Do I head to the alley behind the tavern to get the potion Naiah promised to leave for me?

Or do I hope that the promise in Gwenna’s voice is more than just flirting?

I’m torn. The last thing I want is for her to reach for me and my cock to be as limp as wet laundry.

I might regret it, but I opt to skip the potion.

When we return to the nest, we’re the first ones back. The dorm is echoing and empty, and Gwenna hesitates in the hallway, her hands fisting in her skirts.

I wait next to her, like a lovesick calf. After a moment, I clear my throat. “You look nice today, in a dress. Not that you don’t normally look nice. You always look good.”

Her lips quirk at my uncharacteristic mumbling. “Thank you. If you don’t mind me saying, I feel more like myself in a dress than in a fledgling uniform.” She puts a hand to the front of her dress and lets out a ragged breath. “I’m terribly nervous about this week.”

“Because we’ll be in the Everbelow?” I ask. She was nervous the last time we went in, stabbing at her hand to keep from showing her terror. “You aren’t going to hurt yourself again, are you?”

Her gaze seems distracted. “No, I won’t. But if I get…nervous, will you let me climb you and beg for a kiss? As a distraction?”

“No begging required. You just indicate you want me and I’ll distract you so good your toes will curl.”

Her breathing shudders. “That sounds very nice to me. I’m going to take you up on that, you know.”

“I hope you do.” By Old Garesh, I hope she takes me up on it as quickly as possible.

She chews on her lip, then glances up at me. “Maybe I just need practice.”

“Or the right weapon in your grip.” Now, let me tell you all about the weapon I want to put in your sweet grip.

“I’m rotten with all weapons,” Gwenna admits. “Master Jay wanted me to practice with you specifically on that, remember?”

I do recall a few sour comments that Jay has made about her prowess, aye. “No worse than Hemmen.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” she jokes.

“Actually, I’ve got something for you,” I say, indicating she should follow me into the weapons room.

Jay will probably lay an egg when he sees what I’ve acquired, but I plan on having a talk with him anyhow.

Just because Gwenna’s a woman doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be given the tools to succeed.

Her wrists are more delicate, her build different.

If Kipp can use shorter weapons because of his height, she should be allowed to use a special sort of weapon to accommodate her more delicate bone structure.

Luckily, I’m two steps ahead of Jay in that department.

Her expression grows wary. “It had better not be an artifact.”

I laugh at that, shaking my head. “It is, but it’s not magical.

I pulled it from the guild’s weapons locker, so no one is going to get mad at you for having it.

Old Prell had women warriors, and they fought with much lighter weapons than those the men used.

Clubbing someone with something takes less skill than using a sword, so I thought a morning star might be perfect for you. ”

“A morning star?” Gwenna echoes, following me as I head into the training room.

“It’s a club that has a spiky, bulbous end.

You swing that and no one will get in your way.

No need to be precise.” I pull it out of the trunk that I’ve been hiding it in so Hemmen or Arrod wouldn’t claim it first. “I found one on a dig once, one with magical charges still. It was the prettiest, shiniest thing I’d ever seen, and it looked like a star on the end of a stick.

” The image of it still haunts me, and the gut-clench feeling of having to turn it over to the guild to be promptly sold to some fat, rich holder.

“It sounds lovely.”

I grunt. “This one isn’t. It’s ugly as sin, but it’s lightweight and beat to hell. There’s no magic left in it, and it was left in the training common room, so that means it’s free game.”

She hesitates. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m thieving….”

“They’d have to get through me first,” I growl. When she manages a tiny smile, I continue. “I already logged that I was taking it anyhow. Here, let me show it to you.”

I move to the trunk and pull the weapon out.

It’s as light as a baton, the bulbous head of it battered and even dented in one part.

The grip has been refreshed with leather bindings, and there are a few fat spikes sticking up from the rounded end.

I hold it out to her, expecting her to wrinkle her nose at just how ugly the thing is.

It doesn’t have the shine of a sword. It’s tarnished all over, but it’ll kill a ratling just the same.

Gwenna takes it from me, and her eyes widen as she hefts it. “It’s so light!”

“Aye, I thought it’d be perfect for you and those delicate wrists.”

She gives it a test swing and then smiles widely. “This is incredible.” Her gaze slides to me. “My wrists might be delicate, but they still do the job.”

“Never said they didn’t.” By the old bull, I’m still thinking about her hand on my cock.

Gwenna runs her hand over the fat end of the morning star, trailing a finger down its surface. “This is a wonderful present, Raptor. Thank you.”

My name. It sounds bloody amazing coming from those sweet lips of hers. How is it I haven’t heard her say it very often? That needs to change. “It’s not a gift. It’s me thinking of my Five.”

She teases her finger over the blunt spike on the head of the thing. “Are you always only concerned about your Five, then? When you think of me?”

“Hardly mucking ever. You know I’m thinking of you.” I’m practically growling the words at her, leaning one hand on the wall and looming over her smaller form.

“Mmm. I don’t know if I believe you.” There’s a flirty tone in her voice, a playful look in her eyes as she gazes up at me.

“You don’t think I’m obsessed with you?” Is she mad? Has she not noticed how obsessed I am? I’m all but slavering for just a hint of her attention. When she moves to toy with the spike again, I grab her hand and press it against my rigid cock. “What does that tell you?”

“It tells me that you’ve got a big fat cock,” she whispers, and licks her lips. “And that you need it played with.”

I all but wheeze when she strokes her hand along the outline of my shaft. “I wouldn’t let anyone play with it but you, Gwenna. I’d rather hump my fist.”

“No need to be dramatic.” She slides her hand lower, cupping my sac through my clothes. “I feel like saying thank you to you.”

For some reason, those words irk me. “I’m not interested in a thank-you.”

“What are you interested in, then?”

“Pleasure.” I use my weight to push her back against the wall and press the morning star between our chests.

The longer stem of it pushes against her hips and she squeaks in surprise, her eyes widening as she gazes up at me.

I take it from her grip and press the handle against the vee between her thighs and then rub it against the fat mound of her cunt, through her clothing.

Her eyes flutter with arousal, and a moment later, her scent permeates the air. “Oh…you…”

“Me. Aye. I want to see you come first. Then you can work my cock all you like.” It’s the rutting bull inside me that’s taking control, getting possessive and demanding. I want to make her come. I want to make her remember this moment. I want to sear it into her mind.

With the hilt of the morning star in my grasp, I push it against her cunt, parting her folds and rubbing the end of it against her. Her mouth falls open and I brush her lower lip with my thumb.

“Tell me if it’s too much. If you don’t want this.”

Her breath shudders, and then she arches her hips against the weapon.

Ah. Perfect, delicious woman. “That’s right, darling. Let me make you feel good.”

“Raptor,” Gwenna moans, rocking against the hilt. I hold it steady for her, my thumb dipping farther into her mouth, into the wet heat of her. She whimpers and sucks on it, and the breath hisses from my throat.

“That’s right. Use me, sweet girl. Use me to feel good. Isn’t that what one teammate does for another?”

She grabs my hand, clinging to the one I have on her face, and looks me in the eye as she shatters. Her entire body quivers, the tops of her full breasts jiggling in response to her orgasm. She catches her breath, and then pushes against me.

When I retreat a step, I see the evidence of her arousal—and her release—as a wet stain on the front of her skirt.

“You’re very pretty when you come,” I comment, feeling smug. No, not smug. Just in my element. Like this is where I’m meant to be, right here with her, watching her come under my hand. This is how it should be.

“Liked that, did you?” Gwenna sounds delightfully breathless, her cheeks pink.

“Aye, you know I did.”

“Mmm.” She doesn’t fuss over her skirts, just smooths a hand over her hair, glances at the door, and then drops to her knees.

Setting her weapon down, she reaches for the front of my pants.

“Don’t knot my mouth, all right? The last thing I want to do is get caught by the others while choking on bull cock. ”

I’m speechless that she’s going to take me into her mouth. It’s rare—no sex worker wants to get her face that close to my knot, and most of my lovers in the past have been just that. “You…sure? You don’t have to—”

She frees my cock and her mouth closes over the head.

A grunt of pleasure escapes me. I want to put both hands on her smaller head and work her over my cock, but I worry I’ll lose control.

I clench my fists on the wall instead, bracing myself there as it takes every bit of control I have to remain still while she tongues my cock and strokes my balls with her fingers.

Her mouth is wet and sloppy and sucking, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever felt…

…until she pinches the hard knot at the base of my shaft.

My eyes nearly roll back in my skull with the sharp bite of pleasure.

I snort like the bull I am and my hips jerk, my tail flicking wildly behind me.

I rock against her mouth, and when she makes a noise of encouragement, I shuttle between her glorious lips.

Her fingers work the base of my cock, soothing and stroking my knot before giving it another sharp pinch.

This time, I come, exploding my release into her mouth.

I expect her to jerk away, to recoil as she should, because a Taurian comes with fierce, copious release.

But not this incredible woman. She swallows what she can of my seed, and then rubs the leaking tip of my cock all over her chin until she’s coated, my release dripping onto her gorgeous tits.

“I feel better,” she comments, her mouth rosy and pink and still messy with my seed. “How about you?”

I just groan. Again.

Gwenna uses her skirt to mop the rest of the mess off her face, and then gets to her feet.

She grimaces at the sight of her clothing, and then shrugs.

As I stand there, my cock throbbing, my knot swollen with the force of my release, she picks up her new weapon and then crooks a finger at me, indicating I should lean down.

When I do, she kisses the end of my nose, right between my nostrils. “I’m going to change. Might want to tuck yourself in before the others return.”

Bossy thing.

I mucking love it.