A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 1)

His ass released and then tightened. The bed shook with the power of it. My body wound up, and I plunged in time with his thrusts as he watched, his golden gaze glued to my fingers, shining with my wetness.

I bent again and sucked in a bit of skin, massaging with my tongue.

“No… I can’t… It’s… Fuck me!” He spasmed against the bed, the whole thing shaking.

I worked a little faster, rising and closing my eyes as pleasure amplified. I took my hand away from him and ran it under my shirt, over my breast. I tweaked a nipple, and my orgasm stole over me. I moaned softly, shivering with pleasure.

When I was done, I was breathing heavily. Sweat coated my forehead.

I fluttered my eyes open, seeing that he’d risen onto his forearms, regardless of whatever pain it must have caused, so he could watch me finish.

I smiled and grabbed some clothes. I put those on before I flipped the top sheets over his bottom half.

“And now you will lie there in that wet spot until I have breakfast and come back to check on you. Take this as payback for the bouts of lady blue balls you’ve given me. Or, hell, for being a dick all those times.”

I bent to grab my pajama bottoms off the floor, and he reached out and grabbed my shirt. He yanked me to him and claimed my lips. I opened my mouth in surprise, and he filled it with his tongue in a rush, swiping it through before plunging. His taste drove me wild. The electricity of our touch sizzled along my skin. My pulse fluttered.

He released me, and I staggered back, my lips tingling and swollen. My body starting to tighten already even though I’d just climaxed.

He must’ve seen the startled look on my face, because he smiled smugly before lying back down. “If you want my come soaking into your bed, princess, who am I to say boo? I’ll need a wash later. I will look forward to you giving me a sponge bath. And no, I haven’t done many things, including visiting one of those salons, though I’ve seen them in my travels. Yes, I’ve always wanted to. Yes, when you give me a commoner’s rendition of it, I will want a happy ending.”

“Dream on, Sir Alpha.”

He chuckled darkly. “We’ll see.”

After breakfast, I checked on my father, only to find his situation deteriorating. Hannon met me by his bedside, his face grim.

“It’s just been a couple days,” I said. “Did you mix the elixir correctly?”

“Dash did it exactly the same way you always do. You know that he does it right.”

I nodded, because he did. I ran my hand down my face, feeling sadness well up in me. “I have to get more creative. I have to think of something.”

“You’re not a miracle worker, Finley,” he said sadly. “You can’t save everyone.”

I was damn sure going to try.

I placed a chair next to the everlass plants and let my mind wander, thinking about the demons’ magic. Thinking about the creatures I’d run into in the wood. Thinking about the poison in Nyfain.

Using a crowded everlass plant had killed the lady’s husband down the lane, but maybe her elixir had been too strong. Or maybe the recipe itself needed to be tweaked to accommodate for the stronger healing agent.

It wasn’t until I heard my name that I realized someone was in the yard with me. Also that tears were rolling down my face.

Unless something changed, quickly, I was about to lose another parent.

Nyfain had his arm around Hannon’s shoulders, and Hannon’s arm was looped around his waist, supporting him. Nyfain wore sweats that were too short and no shirt, showing off that muscled physique.

I wiped the wetness from my face and stood. “What’s up?”

“Have a look at his wounds. He needs to be stitched up, but first we need to make sure the poison is gone.”

I stepped around the chair and patted its back so Hannon would walk him over and sit him down. Nyfain’s eyes stayed rooted to me as the guys moved closer, only pulling away when he had to sit. He bent forward, the bandages having already been taken off. No threads of black wove through the exposed pink flesh. Hannon had done his usual good job of cleaning it, too. No dirt, no dried blood.

“Yeah, he’s good.” I put my hand on Nyfain’s shoulder. His muscles smoothed a little under my palm, as though he were relaxing. “We’re getting to this in plenty of time, so they shouldn’t scar.”

“Let me guess, you’ve somehow managed to speed up healing or smooth out scars with your plants,” Nyfain drawled.

“Both, yeah. You haven’t noticed any scars on me, have you?”

“One at the top of your right breast. Another on your left butt cheek—”