But he doesn’t do that. Instead, the intense light in his hands dims back to normal, and his hands cupping my face nearly singes me with its heat.
“Clara. I know what I have to do now. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for criticizing your inquisitiveness. That’s not what you are to me.”
“And do you apologize for saying I’m fragile? And for neglecting to tell me before the sex happened that in your culture, we’d already be married?”
He nods. “I apologize, and I apologize again. But you are not obliged to forgive. In nature, when we damage something, we have to create balance. When someone dies, someone else is born. When we hurt, we heal. So if you’ll let me.”
I would never have expected this man, or creature, to kneel in front of me. “Clara. You are none of those things. You are not exhausting. You give me life. You are not a headache; you are a balm. Fragile? No, you are far stronger than any creature on this earth. But one thing I cannot make amends for is claiming you as my queen. That, you still are and always will be. I am sorry for not telling you that the mating ritual means we are wed before you consented to it. I’ve been very clumsy from the beginning. Cast me aside if you must, but just know that we will be linked for eternity regardless. You may move on, but I will live in misery.”
I fight hard to control my smile. “Is this speech something you learned in one of those books?”
“Yes. Is it working?”
“Possibly. What else have you learned?”
“That I should be giving you an entirely different type of tongue lashing.”
Oh god. That long tongue. Not gonna lie. I kind of want to see what that does to me.
“Let’s proceed, then,” I say.
Eldrin, still kneeling, opens my coat, buries his face between my thighs, and inhales deeply.
“The scent of my elven queen.”
Did he say, elven queen? He’s deluded. I can’t just turn into a creature like him.
And at the moment, I don’t care because his oversized noggin is nudging my thighs apart. His face nuzzles my sex, making me slick with need.
With a deep growl that vibrates up my spine, Eldrin bares his teeth and takes my long johns between his teeth. As if made of tissue paper, the fabric shreds under the strength of one quick tug.
A blast of icy air chills the newly exposed skin of my lower half, but I immediately forget the cold because my elf king is in control of my body. His hands grip my thighs and swiftly hooks my legs over his shoulders, burying his face in my sex.
I gasp. “Oh. Here? Outside? Oh…okay.”
I’m not entirely sure what to do with my hands, as nobody has ever done anything like this to me before. So, I reach up and hold on to a tree branch while Eldrin kisses and teases my split with his lips and tongue.
I feel him everywhere, and not just my groin.
My coat barely covers us from the full view of the woods, and anyone walking by will see what’s happening. I figure this is just a bit of play before the real thing, but then his tongue splits me open, and he nestles his face…right…there.
Holy shit.
I bite down so hard I might split my lip. The noise that comes out of my mouth is drowned out by El’s primal growls and snarls. I wouldn’t have thought such a high-born creature was capable of sounding so beastly.
“Oh my god,” I gasp as his tongue dives into my entrance.
He hums his enjoyment, the vibrations doing scandalous things to my body.
I arch my back, and the coat falls open. I look down and see that dark braid. I reach my hand down, take hold of it, and grind my body against his face. I might die if I don’t get my release.
But when I open my eyes again, we’re no longer in the woods but back in Eldrin’s hovel, the crackling flame and the soft glow warming my skin.
I don’t think anything about this situation could surprise me anymore.
Until he rises to his feet. Gasping, I grip the braid tighter. My thighs clamp over his ears. Anything I can do to hold steady, I do it.
If I fall off of him, I might break my neck.