"I'll protect you," I vow.
She arches a pink brow.
"I wasn't talking about me. A more grievous injury could prove fatal."
My fingers find a silken curl and gently pull it. It springs back as Arden's lips part. Her tongue is more alluring than any siren's song.
"I'm harder to kill than I look, Queenie."
"I hope so."
Her delicate hand lifts, and I hold my breath. Soft fingers graze my cheek before finding a strand of hair curling over my ears.
She tugs it gently.
Plush lips lift, revealing the tips of her sharp teeth. Need pounds in my blood and my cock presses against the front of my pants.
Arden's smile is more precious than any treasure I've hunted.
8
FINN
I’m restless as I look across our meager camp at Arden.
My dangerous feelings from earlier resurface with a vengeance. How could they not? She’s a beauty in sunlight, but firelight? It casts her in harsh shadows, adding a wickedness to her lovely face.
Our accommodations for the night are no more than an assortment of silky pillows atop the plush grass. A dwindling fire keeps predators at bay. The remnants of dried fruit and oats lay forgotten beside the flames.
Try as I might to avert my gaze, it returns to Arden.
Rolling onto her side, her thin gown sags, revealing the inner swells of her breast. The hem rides higher on her lush thighs.
I had asked if she was cold, praying I could give her one of the silk blankets as additional covering. To my eternal torment, she had said no, the fire was all she needed.
The flames snap and crackle in the quiet night. Her woodland creature friends have scurried into their dens for the night, leaving us alone.
Leaves thread through Arden’s curls. Grass stains color her small feet. She is wild and untamed and utterly perfect. A fact the beast inside me roars in agreement with.
I don't know which incessant need is becoming harder to ignore: him or my cock.
The heat from the fire is nothing compared to the inferno in my veins. I feel her eyes on me like a touch. The scratchy fabric of my shirt pulls tight over my chest. I readjust on the small pallet to no avail.
Despite my body's urgings, I've sworn to behave.
It was not an easy decision, but one I had to make after she healed me. Her touch had awoken something dangerous. Feelings and desires I'd rather stayed buried.
A tryst, even a brief one, would be unwise.
Arden was the Fairy Queen of a world only accessible through a portal. I am a treasure hunter, determined to return home once I have procured my wish. We’re on borrowed time.
Once the mission is complete and my side of the bargain is satisfied, I will leave. Never to return. My time with Arden will fade into a distant memory.
There is no reason to make our parting more difficult.
I haven't even kissed her, and the thought of never seeing her again makes my stomach cramp. It is her goodness, her pure perfection, that tempts the wretched parts of my soul.
If things were different, I'd lose myself in her. Allow her goodness to absolve me of every bad deed I've committed. I'd be reborn, with my only desire in life being to serve her.
