“We’re going to figure all of this out. There’s a reason we’re here,” I insist. “Not only the two of us, but the entire coven.”
She opens her mouth, ready to argue but there’s no logic to it. At least none that she’s willing to share.
Before she can say anything, I slip my hand into the back of her hair and tug until she’s looking up at me. “There’s a reason I’m here with you, Renata. So,please, let me be here.”
My other hand slips up her front and settles in the space between her breasts, feeling her heart beat rapidly.
It looks like she’s about to crumble. Before she has the chance, she grabs the front of my sweater and tugs me down to her.
Our lips crash together, and she wastes no time deepening the kiss. It’s not frantic like the night at the library, but it’s not timid either. It’s a guilty pleasure—something you tell yourself is the last time but it never truly is.
Only one of us feels guilty.
Wrapping one arm around her waist and tangling the other in her hair, I pull her closer. Renata is stubborn, but she often radiates deep sentiments of being unworthy. I’m going to be the one who makes herrealize how wrong she is—how cared for she is when she’s with me and the coven.
“Archer,” she whimpers when my lips descend the thin column of her throat.
Gently, I tug her hair, giving me access to nibble along her collarbone.
“You’re fucking perfect, Renata,” I say in between kisses.
Her fingers tangle in my hair and she holds me close as I taste her skin. Her emotions taste even better though—fuck, it’s intoxicating. Her lust is like a shot of whiskey burning through me. It’s followed by a sweet warmth that’s bitter like dark chocolate; her longing for more than she’ll accept for herself, but the desire for it is there. It’s a start.
Wanting to reassure her that I’m here and not going anywhere, I deepen the kiss further. Biting down on her bottom lip, demanding more access to her, our tongues and limbs tangle together.
One of her legs wraps around my thigh and she grinds into me when she touches my growing length. I’d do anything to see her orgasm again, even if it leaves me with an unsatisfied mess of my own. The memory of it, rather than the fantasy of it, makes it worth it.
We step into each other at the same time, already so tangled that we don’t have anywhere to go but down.
Letting out a startled yelp, Renata drops her leg and tries to brace herself for the fall. Quickly, I grab her waist and step forward, catching her before either of us hits the ground.
She lets out a sigh of relief but when her eyes meet mine, the moment is gone.
Distracted, I dropped the illusion and we are back in our reality: the graveyard of the meadow we consider to be ours. The irony isn’t lost on either one of us.
“I—That…” She shakes her head.
That can’t happen again.
Looking over her shoulder, hoping it hides even an ounce of my heartache to spare her, I take a deep breath and wave my arm in the direction of the inn.
She opens her mouth before quickly closing it and biting her lip. She tries again. “Archer,I—”
Looking at her, I tilt my head to the side and give her a disappointed shrug. “What else is there to say, Renata?” I watch her open and close her mouth a few times before she gives up and looks down at her hands. “After you.”
Her gaze follows the movement when I point toward the path again. She hesitates and turns, wrapping her arms around herself and dropping her shoulders.
It feels like I’m being stabbed in the heart the entire walk back—watching the way she curls further into herself with each step—but I don’t know how to be there for her. At some point, I have to respect her boundaries despite being haunted by the ghost of her emotions.
Chapter 36
Archer
It’s an unexpected sense of relief when I get home from my morning shift at the library and find the house empty. Sybil mentioned something about going to the town market with Rowyn. I didn’t know it would be a group affair.
I can’t say for certain that Renata is avoiding me again, but I haven’t gone looking for her over the past two days either. Gale could tell something was wrong—I wasn’t a very strong opponent at chess today. It’s not the most challenging game for someone with our abilities, but cheating is a lot harder when the playing field is even.
Our game was going on our fourth week. Today, he beat me in three moves.
