Page 31

Chapter thirty

Sifa

Did I Please You, Rabbit?

I ’m traveling north with Fhord. We’ll find a place where Astarot can fully heal while Fhord goes back to the Nest to retrieve Tindera—if the Dróttning hasn’t figured out yet that he was involved in my escape. The thought terrifies me, and I’ll need to talk to Fhord about it soon. Not yet, though.

Toffer and I both cried when he and Joralf mounted Hilde to head south. I’m still amazed Fhord had her here waiting for us, but I shouldn’t be. He knew what he had to do to get me out and made it happen. Joralf will take Toffer back home before he goes in search of his mate. Much as I want Toffer with me, his kill-first-ask-questions-later approach to life is too risky while we’re moving through unknown lands. We’ll get settled then I’ll find a way to get him and Thor.

Now, I’m nestled into Fhord’s chest as we ride Sigurd into forests that grow deeper with every step. Astarot’s walking behind us while he can, before the forest blocks his path. We can’t risk him being seen from the air and Fhord has promised he knows a cave we’ll be able to hide in.

I have so many questions. So many thoughts. But I’m tired and hungry and having a hard time putting them into words. Those conversations will come. For now, I’m just savoring this time with Fhord.

“Are you ready to eat something, rabbit?” Fhord’s soft voice breaks into my thoughts.

“I really should. I’m starving. I’m just not sure my stomach will hold anything while we’re riding. Will we be at the cave soon?”

“Another hour, maybe a bit more. I’ll be able to make a stew quickly with what I have waiting there.”

“You planned everything.” I don’t try to keep the wonder and gratitude from my voice.

“I had help. When I went to get Toffer, I checked in with the ?tt. Leif came to get things set up while we went into the Nest. He’s gonna go hide with the others until I can get back to them.”

“I’ll have to thank him, the next time I see him.”

“It’ll be a while, rabbit. We’re not going south again anytime soon. We can’t.”

“I know.” I take a deep inhale, realizing as I do that I’m not as worried about the future—and the drastic changes ahead—as I would have expected. “It’s okay,” I assure Fhord as a peace settles over me. “Did I tell you about my friend, Sagga, and her words for me before we met?”

“No, you didn’t.” Fhord’s voice is so gentle.

“She’s a seer. Always before, she saw little things and I didn’t pay much attention to her predictions. But the last one. That was different. She predicted,” I say as my hand lifts to gesture around us, “all of this. She knew my life was about to change, starting with some big journey, and said it’s all necessary.” I pause, thinking about her message and what it could mean. “Something big’s about to happen, to change life here, and we’re part of it.”

Fhord’s quiet for a long time. “Maybe it is. This world is broken in so many ways. It can’t go on like this.”

We fall into silence again, both lost in our own thoughts. Fhord’s hands, though, are a constant comfort. He’s just holding me, Sigurd’s reins loose as he follows a path he must know well. He’s keeping me centered, even hopeful, in the wake of the chaos I just escaped.

Finally, hours after we separated from Toffer and Joralf, Fhord leads us toward a mountain that doesn’t look like it might have an opening big enough for us. As before, though, we find a cave that’s so well hidden, it could only be found by someone who knows it’s here. It’s exactly what we need.

Astarot shuffles in after us and I can feel his surprise when he sees a sheep tied at the rear of the cave. He spins his head toward Fhord, eyes rich with gratitude, and drops his chin once.

Food , he tells me. He’s as hungry as me and had no idea when he would eat next. He didn’t want to ask and is relieved he didn’t need to.

“Thank you,” I whisper as I lean back into Fhord.

“You can thank Tindera when you see her next. She wanted a goat for Astarot but this was the best Leif could do.”

“It’s perfect. Astarot is grateful.”

Fhord dismounts and helps me down. As I head to get the sheep for Astarot, he steps toward the fire pit to light the tinder that Leif must have prepared for us. When I get back, he’s unpacking Sigurd and gathering supplies to make our meal.

“There’s a hot spring farther into the cavern,” he tells me, gesturing to an area behind the sheep. “Go bathe while I make us something to eat. You’ll find what you need waiting for you there.”

“You really thought of everything,” I whisper, my heart expanding in my chest. “Thank you. Again.”

“Anything … everything … for you, my little rabbit.”

Nodding, I turn before he can see the tears that formed in my eyes. As I walk around a corner I hadn’t noticed before, I see the pond waiting for me, steam drifting up from the surface. Soap and a towel sit by the edge, and I can see a change of clothes farther in. I shrug out of the dirty rags I wore from the prison, tossing them aside as I step into the water.

It’s a glorious feeling to drop into its warmth and let it cover me, start to wash away the grime and filth of my cage. My mind tries to take me back there but I push those thoughts away. Today is about moving forward with Fhord. Tomorrow I can come to terms with the past week, all that happened.

A big part of me wants to soak here forever, never leave to face the demons waiting outside of this cave. But Fhord’s just around the corner making a meal for me. Taking care of me. An even bigger part wants to be with him.

I scrub myself as quickly as I can, washing out my hair as I rid myself of every hint of the Nest and its depravity. Toweling off, I don the clothes Fhord brought—soft night clothes from my own drawer in Revalle—and slide the slippers onto my feet. And then I go to him.

His back is to me as he feeds herbs of some kind into a pot simmering above the fire. I could watch him forever, I realize as I stare, stunned, at this male who’s risking everything for me. He’s all I could want in a man. Perfect. Perfect for me.

He must feel my eyes on him, turning to cast a devious smile. “I’d planned to give you time to recover,” he whispers, his voice deep. “But if you keep looking at me like that, I can’t be responsible for my actions. There’s a big part of me that’s been very impatient as I forced it to wait for you.”

Suddenly, food is the last thing on my mind. “How long, Fhord?” I breathe, my heart racing as I feel the weight of his look in my core. I’m burning hotter than the fire already. “How long have you waited for me? For this?”

“I think I’ve waited my entire life for you, my rabbit. When I felt you enter this world, I knew you would change everything. I didn’t realize then how much I needed that change. Now I do. I need you.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Because I need you too. I want you, Fhord.”

Fhord hesitates just a moment, his expression a conflict between protecting me after everything I’ve been through, and giving in to the invitation I can see he desperately wants to accept. “Are you sure, rabbit?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything.”

I take the first step but Fhord doesn’t wait any longer. He’s striding forward as if released from a spell, scooping me into his arms to carry me toward the bed he apparently set up right after lighting the fire.

Always prepared, this male .

My gaze finds his and I lift my hand to cup his cheek. “You wanted to be ready?” I ask with a laugh.

“For you to rest,” he assures me, his voice light. And then he responds with a smile that lights the cave around us. “Or for this,” he admits with a chuckle. “My savage insisted. He’s not a patient beast. He’d have been pissed if I made him wait even longer while I dug out and threw down some blankets.”

And then his lips take mine, and the world stops. Nothing exists but us and this moment.

He is gentle, letting me set the pace for us to discover each other. But I don’t want gentle. I need him as badly as he needs me. My hands weave through his hair, and I pull him toward me, my lips parting as they explore this male who means more to me than I want to admit.

Too soon, he breaks the kiss as he lays me down on the blankets, his lips caressing an earlobe before they feather along my jaw, drawing shivers up and down my spine as his light touch starts fires in every part of me. I reach for his shirt, desperate to see and touch this body that’s been kept from me too long, but he takes my hand, holding it as he lifts it to his lips.

“Not yet, rabbit. Let me savor you a bit more. I want this, our first time, to last. I need you to know, I need you to feel in every part of you, how much you mean to me.”

“I know, Fhord.” My hands caress his cheeks as I lift my head to kiss him lightly. “I know.”

“Let me show you anyway,” he asks, his green eyes as bright as a field of grass on a spring day.

Nodding, I lay my head back down, holding his stare.

“Close your eyes, Astarot,” Fhord directs with a laugh as he glances at my dragon. “This is between Sifa and me.”

Elves , Astarot responds with a harrumph, offended at the thought he might want to watch this. His head swings away from us to face the wall as sleep tugs at him.

“It’s just you and me,” I assure Fhord.

“Forever,” he promises.

His hands rest on my hips as he leans forward to kiss one eye and then the other, moving slowly over my cheekbones to my jaw. When he reaches my neck he pauses there, licking and nipping at me, drawing trembles with every touch. Finally, one of his hands moves up, fluttering over my stomach as he reaches for my breast.

My body responds of its own volition, arching into him as his thumb circles my nipple, his fingers massaging the skin that tingles with his every move.

“I’ve been waiting for them,” Fhord breathes as the elf in me emerges, the points in my ears revealing the secret I finally gave to Fhord, after hiding it for so long. His hand lifts and fingers caress this evidence of his effect on me, triggering emotions I’ve kept buried since I landed in this world. “My little elf,” he whispers, his teeth nipping gently at each tip.

And then he’s kissing me again. This time, Fhord’s hungry. His lips are more demanding, his tongue parting mine to taste me. His hands, though. They tell me Fhord is starting to lose control.

Thank the gods .

First one and then the other palm reaches under my shirt to stroke my bare skin, moving up to my breasts. He cups them both, drawing them together as his thumbs work my nipples, his lips leaving mine to drop to my stomach. “You’re right,” he admits after a moment. “We have too many clothes on.”

Standing, holding my gaze the entire time, he kicks off his boots and then draws his shirt over his head, smiling as my eyes grow wide at the bare chest, tattoos rising and falling with his deep breaths. His hands find the ties of his pants, loosening them so they can drop to the ground and release the large, hard dick that’s waiting for me. My tongue reaches out to lick my lips as I imagine wrapping them around Fhord and drawing out his orgasm.

“I need you inside me,” I breathe.

“Not yet, rabbit.” He continues to stare, lids hooded, as he drops to his knees and unbuttons my top, pulling it off slowly. His gaze leaves mine only when I’m wearing nothing but pants and his lips drop again to my stomach. Slowly, oh so slowly, he tugs them down, his caress following as he grazes the skin he’s exposed.

When I’m as naked as him, he starts to work his way back up, kissing along my ankles, then my calves and the insides of my thighs. Which are dripping wet.

I am trying, the gods know I am trying , to give this male the time he wants. And those same gods know I’m enjoying every bit of this too. But fuck . I need Fhord to touch me. I have never wanted anything more than his hands or his tongue on me—or better yet, in me—right now.

“Please, Fhord.” My voice is so quiet, I’m not sure my words reach him.

“Fuck it turns me on to hear you beg, rabbit. Say it again.” His tongue licks my thigh, his breath sparking little fires that I need to grow.

“Please.” I reach down for his cheeks, drawing his eyes up to meet mine.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispers. “And you’re mine,” he adds as he finally— finally— touches me where I need.

His tongue reaches out to lash against my core, licking and nipping at me, and I can’t hold back the groan. My hips buck against him, drawing a wicked laugh, as he reaches up to push them against the blankets and resume his luxurious plundering of my soul.

When he sucks at my clit—my back arching as I fight to break free of his grip and drag more from him—one of his fingers joins in the fun. He laughs again—the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard—and then adds another. His fingers are going in and out of me, hitting that spot that makes me see stars every time he gets close, and all I can do is hold on as the pressure builds inside me, a fire burning itself free to consume every part of me.

And then I’m coming, the orgasm washing through me in wave after wave, Fhord’s tongue and fingers pulling every bit of pleasure my body has to give.

But Fhord’s not close to done.

He pauses a moment, watching the shivers ripple through me, and then starts again. His tongue reaches into me before he drags it up to lick my clit. I gasp in a breath as his lips start to suck, sending me spiraling again into a desperate need for Fhord. Finally, he starts to pull himself back up my body, biting and licking as he goes, to rest between my legs, his cock hard against my thigh.

“Fuck me, Fhord,” I murmur as I dig my hands into his hair. “I need you to fuck me.”

He shakes his head, a sultry smile lifting his lips. “I’m going to make love to you, rabbit,” he rumbles, leaning forward to brush his lips against mine. “Later, I’ll fuck you. The first time you come on my cock, though, you’re going to feel my love with every breath you take, each beat of your heart, every flutter in your body.”

A tremble rolls down my spine. “Please,” I whisper—the only word I seem able to mutter tonight—as I wrap my arms and legs around him to drag him closer to me. “Please make love to me, Fhord.”

Slowly, gently, Fhord pushes at my entrance, sliding into me as he lets my body adjust to his size. His gaze doesn’t leave mine as he pulls out and enters me again. And again. I can feel him everywhere, the sensations building into another wave of pleasure that forms at my core and spills out to the rest of me. Our hips find a rhythm that is ours alone. We move together, slowly at first, but then with more urgency.

When Fhord kisses me, it’s with a hunger I realize he’s felt since our eyes met in the forest. I can feel his need for me as he lunges in and out, in and out, filling me with each plunge deeper into my core.

When my orgasm comes, it’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. It consumes me, the world narrowing down to this cave, Fhord and me the only beings who will ever exist. I am whole, complete, in a way I never thought possible. Gasping into the waves that cascade through me, I smile as I realize Fhord fell over the cliff with me.

We lay there motionless, caressing and breathing in each other, for a long time. Fhord pulls away before I’m ready, lifting himself up to kiss me again and draw me into his broad chest. His thumb rubs circles on my arm as another hand rests on my hip.

“Well, that was … everything I’d hoped it would be,” I sigh. That doesn’t come close to describing what Fhord just did to me, but fuck . I don’t know how words could do it justice.

“Did I please you, rabbit?” Fhord’s eyes twinkle at me, a wicked grin curving up the lips that just finished doing wicked things to me. “We’ve only just begun,” he promises, his hand floating down to rub his thumb against my clit. His smile grows more broad as he lifts it to his lips and sucks gently.

“We may never leave this cave,” I whisper, my core already heating again as I glance down. One little taste of me has Fhord ready to go again.

“We’ll never want to,” he agrees, leaning forward to place his lips on mine. “First, though, I should feed you. I have plans for you tonight and you’ll need all the energy you can get.”

“Promises, promises,” I respond with a laugh, reaching down to caress the cock that’s beckoning to me.

“None of that,” Fhord insists, taking my wrist to lift it above my head. His lips drop to a nipple, sucking in for the most tantalizing moment, before he lifts himself away from me. “Food. Then you can have your way with me.”

My stomach agrees, grumbling at the worst possible time. Fhord laughs and then pulls on his pants, throwing a wink at me before he saunters toward the pool.

Leaving me and my thoughts alone as I watch him prepare our meal. Wondering where we go from here, and how we can possibly survive the Dróttning’s wrath we just unleashed.