Back on flat land, Dax abruptly screeched to a halt. I was almost flung ass-over-handlebars from his back. He let me off and I rolled, dizzy and disoriented, onto my hands and knees.

  The two wolves that had followed us over the land-bridge charged. But they didn’t have pack numbers.

  Dax met them head-on.

  I staggered to my feet and put my hands out to help, summoning inky power around my fingertips. A shadow-spear shot from my hands like a javelin, sinking into the hide of one of the wolves.

  With a great swipe of his paws, Dax dragged vicious claws down the other wolf’s side and left a streak of blood. The hound whimpered and scurried off into the darkness.

  The one I had attacked wasn’t so lucky to escape—my shadow-spear had stuck right into it.

  The wolf started to shift, fighting to retain his wolf form, but failing. Through a flickering, painful transformation, he ended up as a naked man on the soil, breathing and grabbing his bleeding side as my shadow retracted and vanished into thin air.

  The man grimaced, blood seeping through his teeth. I got one look at his wound and knew it was superficial and that he’d live. “Who do you work for?” I demanded from the cowering, pained soldier.

  The man growled at me, feral, and curled in on himself.

  I stood over him confidently, then smacked his legs apart until he was exposed to me. One of my bare feet landed inches from his cock, which shriveled in the cold. “Tell me, asshole, or I’ll step on it.”

  His eyes flashed.

  I rolled mine. “You’d probably like that.”

  Dax prowled up beside me like a phantom.

  My lips tugged into a sneer. “Bet you wouldn’t like it if he stepped on it.”

  The man paled. He grimaced as if the thought of Dax’s vicious nails raking through his most vulnerable flesh played in his mind. “Y-You already know who I work for, bitch. You were watching from the shadows.”

  “More than just us, it seems,” I said, alluding to the fact another shadowblade had been there beside us, without us knowing it.

  We’d been so preoccupied with keeping our enemies in front of us that we hadn’t checked if anyone was behind us. Someone followed us to the meeting. It was a common lapse of foresight, but not one a trained shadowblade should make.

  We needed to be better.

  “We didn’t attack your little meeting,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Though I had a mind to.”

  “How righteous of you, princess.”

  My eyes flared. “You don’t get to call me that. Only one man does.”

  He flinched at the rage on my face, then checked his side where his hand was pressed. It came away coated in red. “Look what you’ve done to me. What are you?”

  “A killer.” For the first time, I believed my own words, and it was . . . empowering. A little scary, but incredibly validating.

  Dax had shifted to his human form, and I felt his presence beside me. I could feel the heat coming off him in waves, wrapping me up and swaddling me with a torrid sensation I couldn’t deny much longer.

  I gulped, trying to keep my tunnel vision on the man at my feet, and not on the powerful specimen next to me. Dax’s long, hefty cock was mere inches from my left hand, and in contrast to the sad, cold dick shrinking before me, the comparison added a new thrill to my senses.

  Jesus, get your mind out of the gutter, Cor. You’ve got important shit to figure out. “Answer my question, shifter,” I ordered.

  “I know who he was working for,” Dax rumbled from deep in his belly.

  The wolf soldier shielded his eyes and stared up at the panther shifter, who was standing with the backdrop of the gray morning behind him. “Yeah, you would, wouldn’t you?”

  I furrowed my brow. “What does he mean by that, Dax?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Dax said.

  “Haven’t seen you in a long time, pup.” The man’s lips tugged into a bloody smile. “Where ya been?”

  I was missing something. Dax knew this man—or recognized him. Or at least he recognized the man’s boss, Luciano. “Dax, who the hell is Luciano? You recognized him beyond being your target at the ‘hit gone wrong’?”

  “Yes.” The admission seemed to make him sad, and his shoulders deflated. He’d finally gotten it off his chest. “No one else knows, Coralia.”

  “That you recognize him?”

  “Yes.”

  I sucked in my cheeks. “I won’t tell them.”

  “Hey, that’s all great and dandy,” the wolf shifter interrupted, “but I need medical attention. Imprison me, tie me up—whatever—but take me to your village before I bleed out, yeah?”

  “Fine,” Dax grumbled. He moved to squat over the man, giving me a great look at his—

  A whoosh stole my attention overhead, like a huge bird swinging through the sky just above my skull.

  I tipped my neck as a thick branch curled over my face and body from up high.

  I gasped and followed its trajectory—

  Just as the curved tip of the branch stabbed into the wolf shifter’s chest. It cracked through bone and thudded into the earth, pinning the man.

  The shifter’s eyes widened in surprise, then pain, then the glassy moments just before death. As his mouth fell open on a silent scream, blood spurted.

  I couldn’t stop the shriek from escaping my lips, watching the wolf shifter die in front of my eyes—the color leaving his skin until he looked gray and pale—all within the snap of a finger.

  I staggered back, in utter shock.

  “Desmona!” Dax wailed, just as surprised as me that a rogue tree had apparently assassinated the one man who could give us information, right in the middle of our interrogation.

  “W-What the fuck just happened?!” I stammered, still backpedaling.

  Something smacked me in the ass and I stumbled forward, nearly tripping over the dead body. For a second I had the vague hope it was Dax spanking my butt for some reason, but that didn’t make any sense.

  I glanced over and saw a separate branch had done the dirty deed. I furrowed my brow.

  When I spun forward, tree limbs came at me like spider legs, wrapping around my body until I was constricted and trapped and screaming my bloody head off.

  Dax didn’t fare much better. The limbs attacked him too. He didn’t dare fight back the commands of his dryad friend as they wrapped around his body and held him akimbo, legs and arms quartered.

  “Why is Desmona doing this?!” The creaking, twisting branches clenched into my ribs and insides, squeezing the air out of me.

  My feet didn’t even touch the ground. I dangled, suspended by branches, and felt close to passing out as my vision dimmed.

  “She’s not . . . herself,” Dax forced out, grimacing.

  I opened my mouth to speak again, to ask what the hell that meant—

  A wayward branch swung into my face and knocked the consciousness out of me before I had the chance.

  Chapter 26

  Coralia

  MY GUMMY EYES MADE me wince when they opened, all slick and gooey. Pink and orange brushstrokes of the sky bloomed in through slats in the wooden ceiling, mixing with fluttering leaves.

  Though it was daytime, I had no idea how much time had passed or what had happened . . . or where I was.

  I swiped my forearm over my eyes then blinked and sat up. My head swam, dizzying me for a moment, before settling.

  “Coralia, you’re awake,” a worried voice said to my left. The deep rumble of Dax’s voice set my insides alight, while also comforting me to know he was still alive.

  I tilted my head to look at him, and he struck a magnificent sight for sore eyes. He was dressed in the tribal loincloth and sleeveless tunic of his people, his thick thigh muscles and wiry biceps on full display. His dark brow was etched with concern.

  “Dax,” I croaked, my voice throaty. “What happened to us?”

  “Desmona constrained us. I’m not sure why, but I intend to find out. I wanted to make sure you were all right first.”

  I gave him a shy smile. Fire blossomed on my cheeks so I looked away to take in my surroundings. I was in a sparse room built entirely of wood. Outside an unglazed window, I could see treetops swaying in the breeze, the shimmering sky behind them.

  I was off the ground, for sure.

  Noticing my confused expression, Dax said, “We’re in the oak house above your huts, where I’ve kept lookout.” Shame muddied his fine features and he faced the floor. “Lot of good it did last night though . . .” he mumbled, trailing off.

  I scratched the back of my head. My hair felt grimy. “How did we get back here? The last thing I remember—”

  “Waicheean patrolmen found us on the town’s fringes. Desmona must have commanded the forest to move us back to the village. The patrolmen carried us up here at my mother’s instruction.”

  The forest moving us sounded like an astounding feat—one I wanted more information about—but I had more pressing concerns. “So she didn’t mean to kill us then?”

  “Either that, or she was able to control the evil billowing inside her just long enough.”

  “Just what sort of evil consumes her, Dax?” I swung my legs over the cot and wrapped my hands around the edge, pressing down hard.

  He caressed his chin, deep in thought, and paced in front of me. “I can’t say exactly. I believe something happened to her in the Asberald prison. Something she doesn’t remember.”

  I nodded thoughtfully, slowly, taking it all in. “That’s been my suspicion as well. The way she went wild when seeing Quentin—what do you think that’s about?”

  “Perhaps her subconscious trying to warn her of danger.”

  “Of danger she . . . recognizes,” I murmured. Then I looked up at him, my eyes suddenly dewy. “Dax, what do you think Quentin did to her?”

  The panther shifter surprised me by crowding close and going to his knees to be at eye-level with me. He reached out and took my hands in his, rubbing his palms over my knuckles. A tingle washed through my arms, down to the rest of my body. My brain went fuzzy.

  “I don’t know, Coralia. Please, don’t worry yourself with this. All of this happened before you became part of the Glove. It isn’t your concer—”

  “But I care about all of you. Even Quen, who I’ve known the shortest length of time.” I chuckled humorlessly. “He was actually the first Glovemate I spoke to, in the Spectral Realm, before arriving in Shadowblade Academy.”

  A small smile came to Dax’s beautiful face. “That’s what we love about you, Coralia. You have the tenderness of your sister, yet fire and grit even she didn’t have. You were amazing out in the woods.”

  I knew he was trying to change the subject, and I had to take it graciously. My cheeks wouldn’t stop blushing. “Thanks. You saved my ass again.”

  “You would have done the same thing, my sweet.”

  I gulped hard, finally looking up from my hands to his deep, dark orbs. They shimmered with so much life, and so many unanswered questions. I was starting to understand him. To see him in a new light.

  If he cared about you, he cared for you deeply and was utterly loyal. He was a good man to have on your side if he trusted you and, judging by how those wolves had been treated in the forest, a terribly bad enemy to have if he didn’t.

  Kissing him had come automatically. I had been surprised at my own forwardness, but now I knew why I had done it—because I was finally starting to learn more about what made Dax Kilmeade tick.

  Turned out I was one of the things.

  I had seen the kindness in his heart. He had just needed an excuse to show it. He could be stoic and unreadable, but right now, his eyes told an entire story that I wanted to dive into and discover.

  “Dax,” I said. My voice lilted and wavered. “Do you remember what you said to me when we were in the infirmary together?”

  His brow twitched. “That I’m smitten with you?”

  I nodded. “Is it still true?”

  He breathed slowly, warmth hitting me as I leaned closer to his face. “Coralia, I am more than smitten with you at this point. You are . . . M’shyok Wahdus.”

  I tilted my head.

  “It means ‘warrior love’ in my people’s tongue.”

  My throat hitched. Unable to control myself any longer, I cupped his bristly cheeks in my palms and leaned forward to plant a kiss on his lips. Immediately when I did, something took over inside me, igniting my soul on fire.

  My mouth parted as he scorched his lips against mine. Our tongues danced a slow rhythm. They swirled together and I tasted Dax’s rich pine and earth. Blessed warmth blossomed inside me, and a halting pressure knotted my belly as time stood still.

  My eyes closed. I savored my newest mate. I knew how badly I wanted him, but for the moment I just wanted to relish this quiet peace with the silent protector of Hudson’s Glove.

  He respected my kindness and grit, as he’d said. I admired the love he had for his people—for the children who showered him with affection; for his incessant search to find answers about Kalul’s death and the mysteries that festered in his old homeland. For his ability to keep it all together when things went wrong. I felt safe and protected with him nearby.

  Dax Kilmeade truly had found a family with Hudson’s Glove, and I felt like I was finding mine, too.

  The shifter’s strong hand cupped the back of my neck. Goosebumps sprouted everywhere he touched. While Venn had been almost desperate in his attempts to please me, Dax was savory and slow. Sensual. Tender.

  For the longest time, I had wondered if the aloof, awkward member of the Glove had been a virgin. Then I met Desmona, and the other woman Riann—whom he had helped during the nighttime debacle—and I knew better.

  His kiss solidified what I was coming to realize: This man was no novice in the arts of lovemaking. He was just different.

  When I scooted back on the cot to give him space to join me, there was hardly enough room for both of us on the little bed. He crawled over me on hands and knees, his corded arms framing my face. I noticed the protrusion jutting his loincloth.

  My cheeks blushed for the millionth time, all the tiredness washing away, replaced by raging lust.

  When he bent his head to kiss me, I surprised him by sliding down, away from him. He smooched air and my legs dangled off the bed as the hem of his loincloth brushed over my face. I smiled wickedly at his hard, stiff length underneath, the engorged tip gliding a sticky trail over my cheek.

  “M’shyok, what are you do—”

  His words ended on a grunt when I reached up and palmed his cock. It throbbed against my touch, the veins pulsating. I ran my hand to the base and watched it grow even bigger, his balls swelling near my chin.

  I licked the tip of Dax’s cock and inhaled the man’s musk from beneath his breechcloth, my head hidden from view. When I took him in my mouth, his entire body flexed—his hands on the bed curled into fists to keep himself from exploding.

  He groaned in a low, raspy tone. I lifted my head to throat as much of his long slab as I could, stopping somewhere around the midway point of his shaft, when I was on the verge of gagging.

  I wanted him to fuck my face. I needed him to do filthy things to me to satiate my lust, but I wasn’t sure I could tell him without dying from embarrassment and shame.

  Luckily, he didn’t need to be told. My slurping and enthusiastic ministrations must have been enough for Dax to realize what had to come next.

  His hips started moving, which caused his strong dick to punch into my throat. This time, I did gag, and my eyes watered. I was so wet I dampened my panties.

  I fisted his cock at the base. He groaned and rocked his hips into my mouth. My other hand slithered down to my thighs and peeled my panties aside so I could play with myself. My fingers plunged inside my needy pussy.

  I could hardly see anything beneath the loincloth. The outline of his hard cock was making me go cross-eyed. The air was getting stuffy and heady. While I wanted to pleasure Dax and show him something special, I also didn’t want to pass out while sucking him off.

  My hand came up from my pussy slick and sticky. I tapped on his dented thigh, where his lovely hips met the meat of his leg.

  Without pause he lifted himself like he was doing a push-up. I shimmied back up to pop my head between his arms, already licking my lips. “Did you like that?” I asked in my most seductive, throaty voice.

  “The spirits can’t save me now, M’shyok. That was amazing.”

  “Then you’ll love what’s coming next.”

  With a wink, I kicked off my pants and spread my legs. I moved my panties to the side and reached down until I found his rigid cock with my hand.

  I guided Dax in, first pressing his bulbous cockhead against my wet entrance. He slid in slowly, making sure I could accommodate his size.

  When my legs parted and squeezed against his sides, he knew to go forward. His thrust rocked me to my core, sending a wave of ecstasy shuddering through me.

  My back bowed. He reached under to hold me, pushing his head between my breasts. I slid my legs over his back and curled them around his ass, keeping him sheathed deep inside me.

  He started moving at a slow pace, until I was meeting his hips with my fleshy ass cheeks and begging him to claim me. “Please,” I moaned, “take me harder, Dax. Fuck the thoughts out of my little head.”

  The bestial growl in my ear made me shiver with anticipation. I hugged him close and raked my nails down the dips and planes of his taut back.

  Then he did as I wished. He fucked me, belting his hips into mine and sending his cock rocketing inside.

  My voice ended on a moan. Then a whimper, as he continued to pummel my insides with everything he had. Our little cot creaked and shook from his vigorousness.

  Dax wasn’t aggressive, but he was a robust lover. He made sure to dot my collar with kisses and tease my hard nipples with his mouth, even as his hips worked overtime to send me to the moon.

  It didn’t take long for my wish to come true—for all the stresses and frustrations of the last few days to flood out of me, until I felt like a mindless, happy mess.

  I slurped a little drool up from the corner of my mouth, and he chuckled darkly because I must have looked silly. But I couldn’t help it—he just felt too good pounding away at my slick cunt.

 

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