Page 38 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood (Tales So Wicked #2)

Lenore is sweating, panting, and more pissed off than I’ve ever seen her. Her frustration comes out in waves of loud half-screams each time her plan of attack is thwarted.

She surprises me when she feints going for my clavicle and swipes for my throat instead. There’s a split-second when she has the upper hand but falters. I block her. “You hesitated.”

“No I didn’t?—”

“Dead girls can’t talk. Again.”

Lenore is livid. I can see it in her eyes and the set of her jaw.

She studies me; some plot is rolling through the cogs of her brain. Her shoulders droop. She sighs, clutching the dagger to her chest. “I can’t do this.” She steps toward me, lip quivering. Tears pool in her eyes and guilt tunnels through me.

“You can do this.”

She lays her head against my chest. “I’m trying my best.”

The sound of her voice breaking makes me ache. She leans back, peering up at me with tears in her eyes.

“I know you are. I’m sorry to be so hard on you. You’ll get the hang of this, you just need more practice.”

The blade jams upward and into my carotid without warning. The sensation is jarring. Pain rips through my neck as she slices me open. The blade is thin, but feels the size of a sword. My immediate disbelief gives way to pride. My little raven did it.

Lenore stumbles back. Victory flashes across her face for a heartbeat. Then the panic sets it. “Oh god.”

Her hands fly to her mouth. Snapping my arm out, I grip her dagger-wielding palm and bring it back to the blade’s hilt. My voice is cold, insistent. “I told you to always pull it out.”

“Oh my god, no.”

She fights to take her hand back. Tightening my grip, I keep her there until she complies. Her fingers close around the hilt and open again. She does this several times, working up the courage to remove the dagger. “Do it. Now .” I may not be dead but it still hurts like hell.

She releases a guttural sound of horror as the dagger slides out of my neck. The second it’s free, she drops it like she’s been burned.

Shadows pour from the wound, dripping down and encircling me.

Several tendrils loop around my neck. Lenore’s eyes are massive as she watches.

Her lovely face is even paler than usual.

I take in a deep, grateful breath as the shadows knit my skin back together.

The pain subsides. I don’t enjoy being stabbed.

But I’d do it again for my little raven.

Her safety is everything. The time commitment of my duties down below means I cannot always be here to protect her.

“Clever. Very clever.” I drag her into my arms. Running my fingers through her hair, I work to remove the shell-shocked expression from her face. Planting kiss after kiss along her cheeks and neck, I praise her. “You did so good.”

Her body is stiff in my hold. “You aren’t angry?”

“Not at all.” I smile. “Well done, Roseheart. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

She raises a dark brow, uncertainty lingering across her features. “Don’t be an ass. You’re not mad? I stabbed you.”

“You did. Now our lesson is complete.” My grin turns wolfish. “Did you really think I’d let you off the hook without spilling a little blood?”

“You traumatized me!” she protests.

“We both know you were traumatized well before this experience.”

She laughs, smacking me on the chest. “You’re a dick.”

“What’s that? You want my dick?”

Lenore rolls her eyes. “Did getting stabbed make you horny?”

My hand tightens in her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck. My lips trail up the column of her throat. Once I reach her ear, I murmur, “Do you have any idea how sexy you look when you’re trying to kill a man?”

Her response is breathy. “That’s twisted.”

Pressing my hips against her stomach, I allow her to feel how much she affects me. “Is it?”

She initiates the kiss, dragging me down and pushing her mouth against mine. “No more talking. Give me my reward.”

“You’re quite right. I promised you a reward, didn’t I?”

“Your tongue.” She nods.

“I fear I’ve turned you into a sexual fiend.” I nip at her lower lip, loving the way she groans. In two quick steps I have her back against a large oak. “Do you want it standing or lying down?”

Movement to the right has both our heads turning that way. Two guards approach. They halt when their eyes find Lenore. The two armored men do not approach. Instead, they separate, taking up stiff sentry postures.

“They found me.” Lenore’s disappointment is palpable.

“They won’t approach?”

She shakes her head. “My father will have given them specific instructions to stay away. They’ll only interfere if I don’t return to the castle before nightfall.”

“They’ll stand here, watching you until nightfall?” I don’t like the idea of eyes on my raven for so many hours.

“Yep. We’d better move this little rendezvous indoors or it’s not happening.”

Cocking my head, I question, “Why? They can’t see me. They’ll have no idea my face is between your thighs.”

“You mean…” Lenore swallows. “They’re sure to notice my skirts pushed up above my waist though, aren’t they?”

“Hmmm. That is a good point. Stay right here.” Shadowing into the castle, I snatch a book off the library shelf and quickly return to Lenore. “Here.”

“Reading? But I thought?—”

“Take a seat.”

Lenore pouts again, but sits. She examines the title. “Ancient dead languages? Not exactly light reading.”

“I was in a hurry. Sit with your back against the tree.”

She does. “This book is in another language. I can’t even read it.”

“You only have to pretend to read. You can do that, can’t you? Now bend your knees, plant your feet on the ground.”

Her gaze shoots from the book to me. “Why?”

“Do you want your prize or not?”

Lenore’s gaze travels to the guards and back. “I do. What about them? Even if you’re invisible, they’ll still see you push my skirts up.”

“I’m not going to be pushing your skirts up. This is a modified version of your reward. Stop arguing, Roseheart, and do what I say. Bend your knees and read your book.”

Her eyes narrow on me, but then return to the book. “Hmm. Yes. Fascinating.” She feigns reading.

Careful not to disturb her skirts, I slide a shadow beneath her dress. “What does it say?”

“Well, since I don’t read dead languages, I can only guess…” Her words trail off as my shadow dips beneath her panties. She looks to me, eyes wide, and whispers, “The guards.”

“They won’t know unless you give it away. You better brush up on your acting skills and read the damn book .” She shoots an anxious glance at the guards. “Don’t look at them.” Her gaze settles back on the weathered pages. “Good little raven.”

Her entire body jumps when I slide the first shadow inside her.

Her knees begin to close. Looping two shadows around her ankles, I open her legs to me.

The first tendril works its way inside her, sliding against her inner wall with short, slow swipes.

Lenore is already squirming. Her eyes flick from the book to me.

I let her watch as I form a second tendril.

Her mouth parts as she watches me suck the shadow between my lips, wetting it.

When I’m satisfied, I slide it beneath her skirts, sending it straight to her clit.

“Oh my god.”

“Quiet,” I snap. “Read your book.”

Toying with Lenore while being watched is exhilarating. Her cheeks are red, breath heavy, as I work my shadows in tandem, massaging her insides and stroking her clit. I would rather it be my tongue. That will have to be later.

The pages crinkle as Lenore’s grip on the book tightens. “That’s a very old book. Don’t want to damage the pages.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

Her hips shift on the ground, back pressing into the tree. I sneak a third tendril inside her dress. This time I allow it to travel through the neckline, stopping when it lands on her nipple. A few strokes over her peaked bud is all it takes. Lenore presses her lips together, biting back a moan.

“That’s it, stay quiet. Such a good girl.”

I up my shadow’s pace and Lenore throws her head back. Several book pages tear. Her knuckles blanch as I flick the swell of her clit. That poor book is never going to make it. I tighten the shadow around her nipple. The spine cracks.

“Careful, that’s a classic you’re destroying,” I tease. Lenore squirms, fighting to keep her movements small. “Don’t make a sound when you come.”

Her gaze catches mine. Those pleading eyes are fucking seductive. I’d like to see those same eyes looking up at me from the ground as my cock slides between her soft, rosy lips.

“Do you want to come?”

She nods quickly.

“Then read your book.”

The glazed look in her eyes tells me she can’t see a word on the page. Crescent moons dent the soft leather cover from the force of her nails. Even hidden beneath the many layers of fabric, the shaking of her legs is noticeable.

Faster, faster. I loop the shadow around her clit, sliding it forward and back, massaging and sucking. Lenore’s entire body tenses. A shallow whimper sneaks out from between her tightly pressed lips. Her eyes close. Her pussy flutters around my shadows, sending euphoria slamming through me.

The entire encounter begins and ends far too quickly for my taste. I prefer to build Lenore up, teasing and pleasuring her until she bursts. There’s always time for that tonight.

After two more subtle strokes of her clit, a second climax rushes through her. She isn’t expecting it. I chuckle at the moan she releases. One of the guards clears his throat.

Lenore sags against the tree. She gulps down several deep breaths. The back of her head presses against the trunk, eyes still closed. I take in the disheveled state of the priceless book. “How’s the story?”

“Riveting,” she pants.

“I had no idea you enjoyed reading so much. Perhaps I should ravage you in the library next time.”

Lenore giggles, her breath becoming steady once more. “You’ve discovered my secret. Books just do something to me.”

“Imagine all the tomes we could ruin if you squirted for me.”

Lenore’s face is so red she looks as if she could burn alive. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Why? Because it offends you?”

“Because I like it and it makes me uncomfortable.” She rises, adjusting her dress and snapping her spine into a proper posture.

“Good. I like to watch you squirm.” She gives me a halfhearted glare. “Come. Let’s leave these prying eyes behind. I have more in store for you and it’s nothing you will be able to keep secret.”