Page 29 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)
F luffy white snowflakes fell hard, glowing like embers in the crimson sunlight. They reminded me of the burning ash in last night’s sky as we left Bennett Forge Park.
“I’d like to keep an eye on you, if that’s alright?” Griffin turned to me, his expression soft. His tenderness was something I would need to get used to. We drove back toward the heart of downtown. Still reeling from the blaze at Town Hall, he suggested taking me back to the Fire Station where he could quickly access medical supplies if I suddenly showed signs of distress. “I know you said you feel fine, but…” Trailing off and turning his eyes back to the winding road, he reached over and placed a hand on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. I sat in silence for the rest of the drive, which meant I was stuck with my own thoughts.
Unease settled in the pit of my stomach. I had unintentionally used Blood Magic—but if I wasn’t the one who spilled the blood, but only used its power, was that just as bad? I really didn’t feel like deep-diving into the ethics of Aecor and how to obtain it. Regardless, I knew why I felt fine, even after what the EMT said—I had been dead or or near death. My gaze dropped to where Griffin’s hand rested. His fingers made idle circles against my skin; his touch was calming, yet sent an electric rush through my body. At that moment, I knew I should have said something, but I still struggled to process what he had shown me at the Forge.
He used Aecor to stop snow from falling, lingering in mid-air and frozen in time. But that wasn’t what alarmed me. Griffin’s words held me in a chokehold. “ I know what you are.” But did he actually? The possibility of him discovering I am a witch was both relieving and terrifying. The potential for starting a relationship—or whatever this was—without any secrets between us gave me a glimmer of hope; caution set aside. Although, I didn’t know him well enough to trust that he wasn’t referring to the shadow figure that came after Sarah, Bridget, and I, when he said, “we”.
Not a single thread of energy between us justified the need for skepticism. Not once in his presence did I feel any suspicion, and I chose not to entertain that thought again. If Griffin wanted me dead, he could have just left me inside of the Town Hall…to burn. Instead, it was he who found me, lifted the fallen beam off of me, and pulled me out of the burning wreckage. My breath caught in my throat as I reminded myself that he saved me. I slid my hand over his hand, and threaded my fingers through his.
Firefighters flitted in and out of the firehouse as Griffin parked in his designated spot. Their faces all held the same look of exhaustion. Each of them gave small, defeated waves toward Griffin as the two of us passed by and headed into the building. I followed Griffin through the empty garage and up a set of stairs. We stepped into a common area which was nearly empty except for one of the younger volunteers who sat back on a couch with his head back, resting on the cushion.
“It was his first Fatal response,” Griffin whispered, leaning close to my ear. He led me down a short hallway, past a set of restrooms, and through a heavy door that opened into an office. Inside, there was a large black bookshelf, a plush reading chair, and a solid desk that only held a closed laptop and a small lamp with the matching chair behind it. The space almost reminded me of Nathan and the extracurriculars we engaged in at his office, but now was not the time for me to get lost in that thought.
Very few personal items adorned the shelves of the bookcase where Griffin was now bent in front of. From the bottom cabinet, he collected a small bundle and stood to face me. Placing what looked to be folded clothes on his desk, he took a moment before saying, “We have a shower in the locker room downstairs,” he flashed a nervous smile. “If you want,” he quickly added. I almost laughed at his concern to avoid offending me. Of course I wanted to take a shower. I still had dried blood, flaking streaks of rust, on me; I needed to wash it all away.
“Yes, of course. I’d love to get cleaned up—thank you, Griffin. And I’m sorry if I’m not talking very much…” I began to explain.
“Don’t,” he pleaded. This time, a small dimple appeared when he smiled. “You’ve been through a lot, and I wouldn’t expect you to feel up for conversation.” He started to play with my hoodies’ pull string, twisting it between his fingers. “Anyways, there are towels stacked next to the showers. Soap, shampoo, everything you’ll need.”
He was right. The women’s locker room had a basket filled with travel sized toiletries. Jumping into the shower, I let the lukewarm water cradle me, too nervous to surround myself in heat. I closed my eyes as the soot and blood cascaded from my skin. I felt the water carry the chaos from the past twenty four hours all down the drain. As I recounted the events, bile rose up in my throat only to instantly push it back down. I couldn’t add puking at Griffin’s place of employment to the growing list of unfortunate events.
Plush terry cloth hugged me close as I pulled a toothbrush out of its packaging. Brushing my teeth and hair felt like a release ritual. I braided the damp locks into a single plait down my back, weaving each strand with the intention of protection. Once dry, I pulled on the clothes Griffin lent me—one of his black tee shirts, which stopped mid-thigh, and his charcoal flannel pajama pants. Instantly, I was surrounded by his scent, and a tight ball of desire formed in my core.
Studying my reflection in the bathroom mirror, something about the sight made my heart skip a beat. I looked like I belonged to someone. Not in a possessive way, but as if someone claimed me, chose me to be theirs. As childish as the thought was, I looked like a girlfriend for the first time in my life. Stupidly, I smiled at myself before heading back up to Griffin.
As I re-entered the common area, many eyes met mine causing my cheeks to flush. In the now crowded space with firefighters and volunteers, I couldn’t find Griffin. A few of the stares were wide-eyed, and I overheard someone whisper, “Wasn’t she dead?” I pretended not to hear them.
“He’s in his office,” the young man from the couch said loud enough for me to hear. I gave him a thankful smile before padding down the hallway and knocking on Griffin’s door.
“Come in,” his deep voice called out. I opened the door, and he was leaning over his desk with his back facing me. Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t help but admire the sight before me. The defined muscles in his back, visible through the thin black cotton fabric, only emphasized his strength. My gaze wandered down past his waist to where the fabric of his pants strained against his form.
Griffin straightened up and turned to look at me when I gently shut the door. A smile crossed his face when he saw it was me. He leaned back against the edge of the desk and took me in with his gaze. There was a shift in the brightness of his green eyes, turning into hunger. A rush of heat surged through my chest as his thoughts mirrored my own. Glancing down at my outfit, I noticed how thin the material of my shirt was. My breasts peaked against the cool air of the room, the cotton outlining my nipples. Gently tugging at the shirt’s hem, I lifted my eyes to meet Griffin’s heated gaze. His throat dipped slowly and deliberately as he swallowed hard and pushed off the desk.
“Is there anything else you need at the moment?” His voice was husky, raw yet polite.
“Not that I can think of.” I kept my eyes on him as I slowly crossed the small office, knowing mine showed the same desire his held. “Thank you for taking care of me through all of this,” I said quietly, looking down at the clothes once again. We were so close now.
“My pleasure,” he purred, sweeping away a stray hair from my braid and tucking it behind my ear. His fingers tenderly traced the curve of my jaw. My breath hitched as I thought of each time he kissed me over the last twenty-four hours. Aecor stirred within me, responding to the shift in my emotions, as if egging me on. I held his gaze, losing myself in his emerald eyes. His messy cropped hair and the rough stubble along his chin was usually a contrast against his soft features, but in that moment, there was nothing gentle about the way he looked at me.
As polite as Griffin was trying to be, I could feel exactly what he wanted, and with our differences in height, I felt his thick, hard, length press against my lower stomach. The mental image it painted was intimidating.
“I’m not sure I would still be here without you.” My voice was breathless and shaking for a few reasons. His eyes settled on my lips as I spoke, and so did mine on his. A small, slightly sad smile graced his lips as he leaned his forehead against mine, his hand sliding to the nape of my neck, applying gentle pressure to ease away any tension.
“I am so happy you’re here.” A subtle groan came from his chest before his lips met mine.
Fervor thrummed in my chest as the kiss quickly deepened. The fabric of the shirt was soft but now felt rough against the swelling of my tender breasts. I was lit from within, my body craved him. Griffin’s hands slowly trailed down my arms then the sides of my hips. Unexpectedly, he backed up again. Reaching out with both hands, he gripped my waist and lifted me. Instinctively wrapping my legs around him, I was surprised by how quickly he turned us around, placing me on the edge of his desk.
My mouth parted as his tongue demanded entry. Folding into his desire, he devoured me completely, exploring every inch of my body. His touches were firm, almost greedy. I was breathless and my chest heaved, warmth pooling between my thighs. Griffin’s hands slid from my stomach down to the curve of my ass, wedging between the elastic band of the flannel pants. The feel of his touch with his rough hands against my skin made me shudder.
“ Fuck ,” he growled. “Sorry,” he moaned, smiling against my lips.
“Don’t.” It was my turn for his favorite word. I couldn’t even recognize my own voice, how raspy it sounded. Before I knew it, my hands were exploring the soft hair on his hard chest, then his stomach which was railed with defined abs, and down even further to his belt which I impulsively tugged at. I let my legs spread open as he settled his hips between them, pressing us even closer together.
One hand gripped my braid as he gently tugged, tilting my chin upward, deepening our kiss and eliciting a small moan from my lips. His chest rumbled in approval as his mouth moved to my jaw, then the space beneath my ear and down my neck. He tried to kiss along my clavicle but the crew-neck shirt prevented him, and with a growl, he found my mouth once more.
The intensity between us had me nearly begging for more. I caught his bottom lip between my teeth as I rocked my hips in frustration, yearning for any hint of friction. In the heat of our kiss, I bit down harder than I meant, and the taste of iron spread across my tongue.
Blood.
I pulled back for the briefest moment as did Griffin. I don’t know what came over me, but I licked my lips, boring my gaze into his. He lifted a hand to his mouth, revealing a drop of blood on his fingertip. A sultry energy possessed me, so I pulled that finger to my mouth and licked it away with a flick of my tongue. I watched as his tongue swiped his bottom lip, and he shut his eyes for a long moment. Taking in the same finger into my mouth, my lips slid past his first knuckle, then all the way down to his second, only to lick its length as I slowly pulled away. It was my turn to tease…to make him beg.
“ Fuck,” Griffin groaned again. The sound he omitted mixed with the power from his blood on my tongue made a switch flip inside of me. From the way Griffin had forgotten all politeness and had begun to tear into my pants, I could tell he fell victim to the same rush I felt.
In a heartbeat, my skin was free of the soft flannel pants. With a light push, I was pressed against the cool wood of the desk, and Griffin was no longer standing in front of me. Instead, he kneeled down, almost bowing, between my thighs. His hands kept wandering, now under my tee shirt. And his mouth never left my body, trailing kisses and licks down the inside of my thighs. An electric fever crawled up my body—I needed more. Between tiny bites that made me gasp, he lifted his head and met my eyes.
“ Please .” The word escaped like a plea.
Without hesitating, Griffin’s mouth was back on me; this time on my most sensitive spot. A broad lick of his tongue trailed along the wet valley between my thighs, and he playfully flicked my clit, making me jolt. My one hand shot out, gripping the edge of the desk, and the other reached out to grab his hair, holding on tight. His tongue continued circling in a slow, delicate rhythm. Between each soft, deliberate suck, he swiped my pulsing bud in teasing strokes, making me tremble. My breathing built up to a pant, and I let my head fall back. I lifted myself by the elbows, wanting to see him taste me, and his rough palm slid up my stomach, between my breasts, and up to my throat. His thumb swiped up to my jaw and back down as his tongue did the same movement below. Suddenly irritated by the oversized material of the tee shirt, I tore it off over my head. Griffin made a deep sound of approval in his chest at the sight of my breasts bouncing free, and the sound vibrated through my core.
Biting my lip, I stifled a whimper as Griffin slipped a finger inside of me, stroking in and out as his mouth focused just above, sucking and gently biting. His free hand cupped my breast and his thumb and forefinger rolled my nipple, applying gradual pressure, sending electric sparks through me. Tension built quickly as he kept his steady, decadent pace causing searing tension to flood all of my senses and overtake each and every one of my bones.
Like a cord pulled far beyond its limit, the pressure inside of me snapped, and a rushing wave of pure, white-hot bliss shot through me, over and over again. Forgetting that we were merely behind a door a few paces away from the crowded common room, I gasped loudly as I came. But the rising desire didn’t subside. All Griffin had so skillfully unraveled was the last sliver of self control I had left in me. As he rose, his thumb swiped his bottom lip, which glistened with my wetness. I reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down towards me, where I then tasted myself on his lips and flooded his mouth.
Sliding my other hand down, palm flat against his still tethered belt, I felt the tip of his hardness. I swore it throbbed against my touch. A sound, deep and feral, erupted from him, and I slinked to the floor—the back of my head pressed between the edge of the desk and the tightened zipper of his pants. I needed what was trapped behind his clothing and I nearly clawed at his belt, roughly undoing the buckle.
“No.” He grasped my chin between his thumb and his finger, tilting my face upward to meet his. “I’m not done with you yet,” and I wanted to cry, for a multitude of reasons. His voice, the way he looked at me, reminded me of when Nathan would worship me over and over again, though there was something different behind Griffin’s words. Lacing his desire was awe . He truly wasn’t taking what was happening here for granted. Unexpected emotions threatened to make an appearance at his words, but then he moved again, making me forget about anything decent.
His hands grabbed my upper arms, pulling me up from my knees and spinning me to face the desk. With one swift movement, he pressed his thigh against me, spreading my legs apart, and pushed my hips against the desk, bending me over. A sudden chill in the air made me look over my shoulder as my stomach and breasts were flattened on the cool wood surface. Griffin was gone. However, a heartbeat later, a slick lick of his tongue between my legs made me jump. He was crouched behind me, eating every single part of me as his fingers dug into the flesh of my ass. I moaned. Deeply. And stretched out my arms to grip the far edge of the desk, my eyes rolling from the wild pleasure.
Coiling in my stomach, and lower, the tension built once more, this time spilling over more quickly and intensely than before. All I could do was moan. “ Griffin,” I breathed. “ They’re going to hear us.”
With a low chuckle, he responded with a sharp slap across my ass, and I shook with the delicious, subtle sting that accentuated the residual waves of my climax. His hand reached around to draw small circles over my clit, and he leaned into me. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but his shirt, and pants, had been discarded—the warmth of his skin met mine, flush against my back. “These walls are thick,” he whispered in my ear as his hard shaft pressed against the center of my ass and created an entirely new pool of wetness between my thighs.
Instinctively, I stood on the tips of my toes, raising my hips and sprawling even further across his desk. The familiar sound of foil tearing and then a nip at my ear were the only warnings I had before the tip of his thick length parted the tender skin of my slit; he slowly pushed in, just enough to tease.
“You have enraptured me,” he whispered against my cheek as a hand slid up my arm and his fingers entwined with mine. “You,” he uttered as he slid in deeper, stretching me farther than ever before, “have bewitched me.” His other hand slid down my hip, gripping the crease meeting my thigh and lifted me just slightly, angling my ass a bit higher. He let out a sound I never heard a man make as he pressed the rest of himself into me, the sudden fullness making me cry out. My muffled moans sent him into a frenzy and his words intoxicated me. His pace quickened as he thrusted inside me, going deeper each time, while touching parts of me that laid dormant until now. Griffin filled me to the point where I was blinded by bliss. Still holding my hip in one hand, his other dragged down my spine and then reached around to my clit again, working maddening circles in rhythm of his thrusts.
As the tension built again, this time was even more consuming. I pressed my palms against the desk holding myself more upright as Griffin fucked me. In the mindless pleasure of it all, I twisted to look back and watch him have his way with me. Sensation translated over every one of his beautiful features, and I could have drooled watching the muscles in his tattooed arms, chest, and stomach work against the movements. Still, his eyes were emerald flames locked onto mine, and his hungry stare sent me over the edge. Soon, my body tightened and released as I turned back. Desperate for every inch, I arched my body so my head fell against his chest. He continued to thrust into me as my climax made my muscles tighten around him. The waves of pleasure didn’t end when he released into me with the deepest growl of satisfaction.
With him still inside of me, I stood with my back pressed against him, thankful that his arms were wrapped around me, holding me up. My body was boneless from how he worshiped me.
“I am undeniably spellbound by you,” he professed.