I imagined that the fingers belonged to a gorgeous, infuriating, stubborn stranger… With endless gold eyes, and a stare that could nearly burn the clothes right off my body…
I was already so close to unraveling; it took mere swipes of my fingers.
I cried out as I came, garbled sounds that forced their way out of my throat against my wishes. I smashed my face into the pillow to muffle the sound.
Long seconds passed as I waited for the breath to return to my lungs, for the blood to cease rushing in my ears.
For the crushing arousal to lessen.
It did, but only just.
I sighed in frustration. “I’m losing it,” I mumbled to myself. “Absolutely losing my mind.”
A sound caught my attention.
A creak, barely audible. Perhaps a rustle. Perhaps the cottage simply settling in the wind.
I jerked myself upright.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and I swore I caught a glimpse of something breaking through the blackness in the corner…
Something… gold.
Two gold spots.
My heart nearly stopped.
My hand shot to my bedside table, fumbling for the lantern. I lit it hastily. “Come on, come on,” I hissed, begging the flame to grow faster.
My eyes darted around the room.
Dread weighed on my chest as I prepared for what I might see—a figure in the corner with glowing gold eyes.
But there was nothing there.
Nothing at all.
Only the darkness of night, cut into strange shapes by the gleam of the lantern.
I inhaled deeply, sucking air to the base of my lungs.
Darkness, and the faint scent of oak and jasmine.
I fell back onto the bed, so careless that my antlers knocked against the headboard.
I wasdefinitelylosing it.
CHAPTER 18
Ginger
Ugh. Art—the trial I was most worried about.
Situations like this made me wish I had a grasp on magic, that I could bend it to my will. Maybe then I’d be able to pull off a masterpiece.
My throat grew sticky as I stared at the paper laid out on the hard ground in front of me.
This trial called for the contestants to complete a painting. No inch of paper could be left bare. If the image was complete, identifiable, and deemed acceptable by the judges, the trial would be considered passed. If all contestants were able to complete the requirements, then the judges would pick their least favorite five to be eliminated.
