Page 47 of Fae Trials

“These vines only fruit every five years,” he replied. “This is what they look like when they’re dormant.”

“Oh.” That sort of made sense.

At the end of the skeletal forest, the kelpie landed in front of a gorgeous cottage with a roof that curved down to the ground. An assortment of white and silver berries hung down from irregularly shaped rafters, obscuring our view of the cottage’s white-washed walls.

“This is what you call a hut?” I asked.

Elijah chuckled and jumped down to the ground. He placed his hands on my hips, helping me dismount. “Get inside. I’ve made it nice and cozy.”

We stepped into the little cottage to the scent of sweet pine smoke and a fire crackling on the hearth. Its flames illuminated a cozy room with a kitchenette area stocked with jars of dried food, a wooden table with three chairs, and a low bed covered in velvet cushions.

I inhaled sharply. This reminded me so much of home.

Elijah rubbed his hand up and down the small of my back. “I sometimes stay here to avoid returning to the academy after an evening at the tavern. Mistress Ellyllon hates for the students to see the staff intoxicated.”

“Right,” I replied, trying not to wonder why he had never mentioned having visited taverns.

“Are you hungry?” He opened a bag, revealing a loaf of sweetbread and a bottle of wine. “You weren’t eating at dinner.”

The door clicked shut behind us, making me jolt. “One of the pixies put something in my soup.”

He closed the bag and placed it on the floor, a sheepish look on his features. “A rumor like that reached me, but by the time I returned to the dining room, they said you had already left without eating. I wasn’t going to mention the poisoning, but it’s why I stole you away in the middle of the night.”

My heart softened, and I reached down and squeezed his hands. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

Elijah wrapped his arms around my waist. “My reasons weren’t completely altruistic.”

“Really?” I gazed up into his sparkling eyes and smiled.

He pulled my cloak off my shoulders, making it fall into a puddle of fabric at my feet. “Unity, just the sight of you makes me stiff as iron.”

“Prove it,” I whispered.

He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and guided my hand to his crotch. A hot, hard erection strained under the wool fabric of his pants, making heat rush between my legs.

“Is that proof enough?” he growled.

“Maybe I want more.” I raised myself onto my tiptoes and gave him a peck on the lips.

Elijah moaned and unbuttoned my shirt.

We were falling into our old patterns. A nagging voice in the back of my mind echoed this thought. Elijah would get something for me, whether it was the provision of food, DVDs, or some other luxury item, and I would reward him with sex.

He reached behind my back and unfastened the buttons of my skirt. When the garment fell to the floor, he cupped my ass with both hands. “Fuck, Unity, you’re so perfect for me.”

Letting my eyes flutter shut, I parted my lips for a kiss. Elijah pulled my shirt off my shoulders, drew me into his body, and plundered my mouth. If I was escaping the trial and getting my sister back, what did it matter that Elijah’s motivations were based on wanting to fuck me? He and I were great together in bed, and I needed his touch.

I rubbed my bare belly against the hardness straining through his pants, eliciting a groan loud and deep enough to send a tingle through my hungry core. Wetness gathered in my folds as I succumbed to his kiss.

“I need you so much.” He pulled down my panties.

After kicking them to the side, I unfastened my bra. “How do you want me?”

“On the bed.” His eyes glazed over my exposed nipples. “Get on your hands and knees.”

I sashayed to the mattress and got into position.

“Good,” he growled. “Now spread your legs wide, so I can taste you.”