Page 30

DULCE

Adrenaline surged through Dulce’s veins as fire cloaked her and Reed, heat raging around her in brilliant orange. She held her breath, praying they would survive.

Covered in flames, the horses galloped for their lives toward the edge of the Rust Fields, just barely slipping past the canyon walls into a rushing river.

Their flames died out to sparks while the screams of frustrated monsters lingered in the distance, their prey escaped to safety, and Dulce could finally breathe again.

She sank beneath the water, ensuring every flame was extinguished before breaking through the surface. Reed grasped her arm, their chests heaving as the flowing water washed away the smoke, dirt, and grime from their exhausted bodies.

“That is something I don’t fancy ever doing again, Majesty.” Reed smirked, raking a hand through his soaked hair.

“Certainly more challenging than ghosts.” She smiled, though her heart still palpitated.

“Not a lie in the least.”

Dulce and Reed pulled themselves from the river, and she used magic to dry their clothing. They then trekked a little farther to a nearby cave where they were too tired to eat a full meal.

Exhaustion swept over Dulce and she rested her head in Reed’s lap as he leaned against the granite wall, his eyes already shut. When sleep overtook her, she dreamed that her mother’s tree would no longer turn to stone.

As soon as morning light spilled into the cave, rousing Dulce and Reed, they left the comfort of rest behind, continuing their travels.

Although the journey throughout the day didn’t involve being chased by monsters, still, the world around them grew more grim with each passing second, each thump of her heart.

Lavender magic that belonged safely within the earth’s embrace was now siphoned from the land, cut astray, its power floating around them like aimless buzzing bees. The hairs on Dulce’s arms stood on end, not from fear but rather as a result of the strange enchantment.

The deeper into Nightmore Forest they traveled, the grayer the world surrounding them turned.

The trees, at first appearing to suffer pox-like blemishes of stone along their branches, became more consumed by their disease as the leagues passed, until life in all its vibrant green dwindled completely away to gray.

They stood as nothing more than silent stone statues, their life frozen.

Dulce hoped the wildlife had fled, but that hope was dashed as they rode past stone creatures.

A stag, its neck stretched toward the stone leaves of a mulberry tree, stood motionless in rock.

A flock of birds, the detail of their feathers awe-inspiring but for the fact that they were not created by the hands of a sculptor. Rabbits, immobile in mid-run.

“Don’t stop!” she called to Reed. Her lungs tight, she urged her horse on, faster, fearing if they lingered too long that they too would turn to stone, two horses and their riders preserved in rock forever, their mission never seeing its end.

Reaching the northern edge of Nightmore Forest, the sea of stone trees dissipated to wide expanses of rolling valleys, the hills beyond it their destination at last. They had passed through the stone mausoleum unscathed, but Dulce knew that eventually, the sickness of dying magic would creep across all the land.

She thought about the kind strangers of the opera, the gamblers in the Duke’s town Reed had played cards with, and her friends at the manor.

She had to make certain they didn’t succumb to such a terrible fate.

“Over there!” Reed shouted over the buzzing of magic, pointing.

Dulce followed his gaze to a small wooden hunting cottage near a lake of unnatural blue .

The cottage’s roof and sides covered in overgrown vines, it appeared as if it hadn’t been inhabited in decades. Her bones ached with exhaustion—the thought of relaxation inviting. This would be the perfect place to rest for the night before they reached La Bisou Morte the following day.

Though she knew they could reach her faster if they continued, it would be foolish not to regain their strength before they would face the witch.

Besides, she didn’t want to put Reed in more danger than she had already.

There was also the question of how the witch would receive them.

Would she be willing to discuss the possibility of removing the curse, or would a fight with magic ensue?

Would Dulce have to kill to save the land?

The breeze blew, and the crackle of magic sang its untamed melody while Dulce and Reed dismounted their horses.

“It seems today is your lucky day,” she sang. “You’re about to have a little witch blood pulse inside your veins.”

“That sounds rather forward.” He winked.

Dulce laughed softly and watched as the horses fled, happy to be rid of their tack and riders, eager to explore the wide valley with its strange blooms.

“I’ll make sure no one’s hiding in the cottage,” Reed said as they approached the crooked door. It was locked, so he kicked the door in with his boot.

After a moment he craned his neck out and waggled his finger at her. “It’s all clear.”

Dulce stepped over the threshold, her gaze sweeping across the simple room. The air held a musty smell of stillness that wasn’t too unpleasant. A bed took up one corner, a chest of drawers opposite it, and a wood- burning stove beside a fireplace.

“It’s cozy.” She opened the three small windows and picked up a jar of cinnamon sticks, using it to freshen up the room before gathering bark, dirt, and dry leaves from the long-neglected garden outside.

Reed carried two large pails to collect water from the lake, the muscles of his arms drawing her eye as he hauled them back to the cottage.

Dulce sat across from him on an old wool rug in front of the unlit fireplace—she didn’t want chimney smoke to alert anyone of their presence.

“Sit still,” she instructed. Leaning forward, Dulce grasped one of the longest strands of Reed’s ivory hair and plucked it.

“You could’ve warned me, Highness,” he teased.

“I’ll remember that next time.” She smiled, then opened her mother’s book, flipping to the page she sought.

As Dulce pored over the two spells to create her own, she yanked out one of her hairs and measured the two strands until they were the same length.

She tied them together at the top, winding them around one another, then binding them at the opposite end.

Grabbing a poisonous yew berry from her pouch, she placed it into her mouth, letting its bitter juice coat her tongue when she chewed.

“You might not be able to perform magic tomorrow, but after this, you’ll at least be protected.

If you’re struck with magic, this will save you from death.

It won’t last more than a couple of days though. ”

“Sounds enticing indeed.”

Dulce shifted closer to him, her pulse accelerating, and placed her palm atop his. “Kiss me?”

“You know I’m always more than happy to oblige.” Reed arched a brow and studied her as though she were mad. “But you did just eat a poisonous berry.”

She rolled her eyes. “It won’t kill you. Not with this spell in place.” She raised the two strands of hair laced together. “Do you trust me?”

“With my life, Highness.” He kept his gaze on hers, and Dulce wanted to drown in Reed’s brown irises as he drew her into his lap so her legs straddled him. “If I die, at least it will be a gratifying death.”

“I promise you won’t die.” Dulce entwined her fingers in his hair and tilted his head back as she pressed her lips to his.

He smiled against her mouth, then parted his lips for her, and she flicked her tongue against his, allowing the poison to seep into him just enough before she pulled back. “See? You’re still alive.”

“Some poisons’ effects take longer, I’m sure,” he said gruffly.

“True.” She grinned. “It’s a good thing you trust me.”

Reed’s gaze grew hooded as he gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re beautiful.”

“If you only trust me because of my face, then we might need to teach you a few things.” She laughed.

“Mmm, teach me anything you wish.” He brought her face closer, his mouth so very near to brushing hers once more.

“When was the last time you courted someone?” she murmured, curious as to how many women had fancied him in Dogwood Glen.

“Courted?” He chuckled, his breath warm against her lips. “Never.”

“Never?” Her eyes widened. Reed was the most courageous, kindest man she’d ever met—it seemed impossible no woman had fallen in love with him. It didn’t matter to her his station in life, what he’d had to suffer to survive, or how much coin he carried in his pockets.

“I was always too busy surviving.” He shrugged. “Why? Would you be happier if I’d married my own lumpish pignut?”

“I have forgotten such creatures exist. Banished from my memory.”

“Outstanding,” he drawled. “I shall banish them from mine as well.”

Before she could speak, he cut her off with the pleasantest of kisses.

He pulled her closer, the kiss deepening, and as a savage heat spread through every fiber of her being, she couldn’t stop from thinking of the last time he’d touched her, the raw, blissful emotion he’d brought her.

It didn’t take long before the heat turned into a blazing inferno, and she wanted more—she wanted to feel every inch of him against every inch of her.

Dulce’s fingers reached the buttons of his shirt, and she freed them one by one, running her palms up his firm chest before removing the garment.

Reed loosened the buttons of her dress, peeling the fabric down her upper arms to trail a spark of scorching kisses along her jaw and to her bare shoulder.

“I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone, Dulce Bancroft,” he said, his voice gruff. “Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I thought you were the most alluring girl I’d ever seen.”

“When you thought I was dead ?” she mused.

“Yes, even dead,” he admitted with a grin.

Dulce placed her palm on his warm chest. “It was your splendid, unselfish heart that I admired. From the very beginning.”

“Oh, I’m very much selfish.” Reed lifted Dulce in his arms and brought her down against the rug to settle between her thighs. “But not with you.”

She swallowed deeply as her gaze locked on his glinting eyes. “I want you to know that Cornelius and I … we never… That is, I never have … with anyone.”

Reed’s face softened. “I haven’t either. Perhaps we can learn together—if you’ll have me, that is. I’ll kiss you until the stars dim if that’s what you wish.”

“Until the moon sleeps.” Her fingers skimmed down to the button of his trousers, and she unfastened it.

With eager hands, they removed the remainder of their clothing, their bodies bare, his delicious skin like silk pressed to hers.

“You’re as perfect as any faerie queen.” Reed’s heated stare drifted down her form, and she couldn’t hide the blush that warmed her cheeks. He softly kissed her collarbone, the valley of her breasts, before taking a peaked nipple into his mouth. Dulce bit her lip at the sweetest of sensations.

As he released her and strayed from her breasts toward her stomach, lowering between her legs, she blinked in wonder, anticipation.

He placed a kiss on her inner thigh, driving her positively mad, curious as to what would come next, when, finally, his mouth caressed her core.

She arched in pleasure, never experiencing anything so exquisite, so wonderful, when he licked and kissed her.

He circled her pearl, making her feel as though she were walking on air.

And then wave after glorious wave of pleasure she didn’t know was possible arose. The same growing bliss she’d experienced from his touch bloomed within her, only bolder, more feral, and Dulce couldn’t fight back the moans that left her lips, her body quaking beneath his delectable tongue.

As she fought to catch her breath, Reed found his way back up to her lips, capturing them sublimely.

Exposing the dauntless part of herself, she reached between them to grip Reed’s flawless length.

A deep groan escaped his throat when she stroked him, his skin like velvet.

It was the first time she’d touched a man like this, and while her movements were unpracticed, he still appeared to relish her touch.

“Reed,” she murmured. “Make me yours.”

He tenderly took her hand from his manhood and brought her arm around his neck. “It would be my honor.” His mouth claimed hers, drinking her in as she savored him. She felt his hardness just before he slowly buried himself inside her. A sharp pain pierced her, and she gasped.

Reed stilled. “Are you all right?”

“More than all right.” She glided her hands down his back. “Don’t you dare stop.”

“I’m at your will.”

“And I at yours.”

Reed moved against her, and with each gentle thrust of his hips, the dull ache subsided until only pleasure took root.

She could tell by the trembling of his shoulders that he was restraining himself, lost in the same pleasure as she.

Dulce wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing the blissful feeling to deepen.

She grasped his hair, pulling his mouth to hers as something like wild magic alighted within her.

It was as though the stars were illuminated brighter, the sun ignited in the night sky, and the world shook while pure euphoria unraveled through her blood, seeping into her bones, and she could’ve sworn her nerves crackled with untamed lightning.

Reed emitted a guttural groan against her lips, his body shuddering as he found his own pleasurable release, and he relaxed into her, his forehead kissing hers.

“Ms. Bancroft,” he whispered. “Though our paths crossed under the most unfortunate of circumstances, I’m delighted they did.”

Dulce had only one thought as her heart continued to thunder:

Vesta’s tea leaves were right .