“There’s nothing in here that will try to pull me under, right? No water beasts?” I tip my toe into the cool ke and wince. Too bad there isn’t a hot spring around here, but that might be asking for too much. The water is a clear blue with rocks downstream. I can make out some fish, but nothing that screams predator. Though looks can be deceiving and it’s hard to tell how deep the water is. If there is some kind of giant fish, I might scream in frustration.

  Roharu spreads his arms and leans back against the bank. He is not at all affected by the cold. Must be nice. Nothing bothers him. Not the cold, not the heights. Heck, not even the dark bothers him since he commands the shadows, as he so nicely put it. Apollo dunks his head and then leaps into the ke. The impact causes the water to be flung everywhere.

  Andddd now I’m soaked.

  Lovely.

  Guess that answers my question. The water isn’t too deep.

  “If there were such a thing in these waters, your kelpie would have scared it off by now.” He cracks his neck and sighs with contentment. “Get in the water, unless you wish to stand there with wet clothing. Surely the cat will have better facilities for you to rex when we get there.”

  I slide out of my clothes and lie them ft on the grass to dry. “Don’t look at me like that.” My face warms despite the cold water. I wrap my arms around myself. Roharu stares at me with such hunger, my flight response pounds at my conscious to get the hell out of here.

  “Are you trying to hide from me?”

  “What? No, I’m just... shut up.”

  He ughs. “Come here.” Roharu isn’t asking, even now he reaches for me. “I will get you warmer clothing before the season turns.”

  Before the season turns? Will it take that long for me to find a way back? Do I even want to go back? There’s no one waiting for me back home and chances are I’ll be going back to no job and a possible eviction. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache. I rub my temple and lean back against Roharu’s chest.

  “How do you radiate so much heat?”

  “If not for me, you would freeze to death.”

  “Thank you for being oh so warm,” I tease. “You know humans build things like houses and heat their bath water so they don’t freeze.” Oh, how I miss the convenience of hot showers and several bnkets I can wrap around myself to stay warm. Unless the cities around here are more advanced than the vilges, I suspect no one knows what a shower is. Probably just baths heated by firewood.

  He hums. “I am reluctant to seek out inns lest the others be as foul as the st one.”

  “You don’t know if they set us up. It’s not like she didn’t say there was something wrong with the woods.” There he goes again, suspecting the worst. That inn worker looked more afraid of us than anything. Okay, she was for sure more afraid of Roharu than of me. He’s got this dangerous aura to him at times.

  He tightens his hold on me and kisses the back of my shoulder. “You are too trusting.”

  “I resent that.” I sniff. “That’s not true. I didn’t trust that mage.”

  “Because he was upfront about what he wanted. You trusted Apollo right away and Katsuro.”

  “I trusted Chloe’s judgment and Katsuro couldn’t tell a lie if he got smacked in the face. He’s so brash. You can see it on his face. And with Apollo, it was a feeling.” The st part sounds me even to me, but it’s true. I just knew I could trust Apollo, and he’s had plenty of chances to attack us if he wanted to.

  He blows out a breath and then inhales. His cws lightly stroke my stomach. “Far too trusting. Kelpies are tricksters.”

  “So are foxes,” I shoot back. “Should I be wary of you?”

  “Yes,” he replies so quickly I get whipsh. What the heck? He’s supposed to say no, not yes.

  “Why?” I turn and straddle his p. “You risk your life for me. Why wouldn’t I trust you?”

  His purple eyes gnce at my lips before looking at me. “Too trusting.” He slides his hands down and squeezes my ass. “Everyone wants something. I am no different.” His cocks stiffen. My pussy clenches, searching for what only he can give.

  “Saving me gets you off?” I reach between us and stroke him. “You’ve been pretty upfront about what you want from me,” I murmur. “No reason to suspect there’s anything more to this.” His cocks are hard and unrelenting in my hands. My heart pangs.

  This is stupid. I know what this is between us and still, I yearn for more. One day he’ll find his mate and I’ll be nothing more than a footnote, if that. Probably not even worth that if demons live for centuries.

  Ow!

  “What was that for?” My bottom lip throbs. Did he seriously just bite me?

  “Not thinking of me.”

  “I was thinking about you.”

  He quirks a brow and pulls me flush against him. “Not good thoughts, then.”

  Off to the side, Apollo snorts and shakes water on us when he gets out of the ke. He trots off somewhere, disappearing behind the trees.

  “He is fine,” Roharu says, snapping my attention back to him. “Do you wish to head back?”

  “Home?”

  His eyes harden. “No. To the others. Do you wish to head back to them?”

  Not really, but we can’t stay in this ke forever, though Roharu is warm enough to keep the chill away. “We probably should. If Apollo is heading back, then they might worry about where we are and come looking for us.”

  “They would not. The cat is not a complete idiot.”

  “Is that code for you starting to trust Katsuro?”

  He grimaces. “I trust he will keep his human safe, but I do not trust him with my or your life.”

  “If Chloe was in danger, would you save her?”

  He rolls his head back and shifts. “Depends on the situation.”

  I squint at him and poke his chest. “The situation doesn’t matter. It’s a yes or a no.”

  “The situation makes the difference if I move to save her or not. Falling out of a tree because of her own lunacy? Fine. I would save her. But if it were a situation where it is you or her, I would sacrifice her every time.” He rubs my back.

  My pulse jumps. He doesn’t mean that. “You came for both of—”

  “I came for you, and I would not have shielded her from the bst.” He stands, holding me tight against him. “Perhaps I have not been clear if you still have these delusions.”

  “Hey!” I gre at him. My back hits the grass and I’m looking up at him. Oh. His mouth curls up into a sinful smirk and I must have hit my head one too many times because my body hums with need. Water drips down his chest. I should be mad at him for how callous his words are and yet a small part of me is thrilled. “You’ve been plenty clear about what you want.” I turn my head to the side and pout. It’s frustrating how easily he gets me on my back.

  I should enforce some kind of boundary between us. He has all the power, and it’s not fair.

  “Look at me.”

  “No.”

  “All this because I will not put another’s life over yours?” He kisses my neck and palms my breast. “Forgive me.” He bends his head and wraps his lips around my nipple. The sharp gasp tears itself from my throat. My thighs fall open to accommodate him. “I will never apologize for putting you before another.”

  I blink, slightly dazed. “Roharu.”

  He pulls back enough to slide two fingers inside. “Greedy vixen,” he praises. “Let go. I will always catch you.” His thumb brushes against my clit as he works his fingers slowly before he sets an unruly pace. My hands dig into the grass, tugging at the shards. Everything with Roharu is intense.

  He never lets up.

  He gives and gives until the pleasure becomes so uncontrolble I cannot tell the sun from the moon.

  “Please,” I sob. “Need you.” My legs tremble. Need to feel all of him. Need more of him. I must be half mad. Would it be so wrong to stay here with him? Or would he eventually tire of me?

  Sp.

  I jolt. My pussy throbs. He did not just sp me there.

  “Stay with me,” he commands. His eyes darken as he lines his bottom cock at my entrance. “Good vixen, part those lush thighs for me.” Roharu sinks into in me and the fullness of it catches in my throat.

  “Both. I want both cocks in me.” I wrap my arms around his neck. His nostrils fre. His eyes are so blown, I can’t see his pupils. “Roharu, please.”

  “You know not what you ask of,” he grounds out.

  “You’ll pull out.” I arch my back and tug him closer. He kisses me with a sweetness that stuns me. “Roharu, please. I can take you.”

  He inhales and kisses me once more before pulling back. His brows pinch together as he eases his other cock inside. “Breathe,” he commands.

  Oh.

  “Keep going.” I wiggle my hips. “That feels good.”

  “Just good?” He closes his eyes and sucks in a breath. “Fuck,” he breathes.

  My stomach clenches. What will it take to see him lose control? I flex my muscles, working over his lengths. He growls. The vibrations send shockwaves up my spine. “Do that again,” I command. His chest rumbles and I swear I see a burst of amethysts explode behind my eyes.

  “Greedy vixen,” he says again. His strokes are nguid as my body molds around him, getting used to being stuffed by him. “Demanding.”

  I thread my fingers through his hair and then caress his ears. They are much softer than they look. Silky even. He angles his head and snts his lips over mine. His thrusts pick up in speed. That familiar pressure builds at my back until it overpowers me.

  Shit.

  I chant his name like a prayer as the orgasm rips through me, taking everything I have and leaving me boneless. He presses soft kisses along the column of my neck before he pulls away suddenly. The loss sucker punches me. I swallow back the cry of frustration.

  “Fuck,” he says, pushing his hair back. He gnces down. I follow his line of sight.

  Oh.

  I giggle. The look on his face could cut ten men down, but it only makes me giggle more. “I’m not ughing at you.”

  “My confidence is in shambles,” he says with a sigh. “That was far too risky.” He rolls his shoulders back and pulls me into his arms. “Another soak before we return.”

  “Are humans and demons even compatible?” I rest my head on his chest. His jaw ticks. “Not that I want to have kids anytime soon,” I rush out, because I don’t. My life is a mess. “I just meant that it might not even make a difference.”

  “We are compatible,” he says after a moment.

  “... Are there a lot of mixed children in the capital or the other cities?”

  “A few, I suppose.” Roharu doesn’t say anything else. He washes us quietly with a pensive expression. My clothes are damp, but not unbearable. The walk back takes longer than it did to find this area.

  I fucked up. No questions about it. Somewhere, I misstepped.

  “Hey, I wasn’t trying to imply I wanted to have your kids,” I ramble, talking with my hands even though he can’t see me since he’s walking in front. “Roharu?”

  “You are still far too trusting,” he says, urging me toward Chloe. She immediately loops our arms together. I hear her, but the words go in one ear and get stuck. Roharu walks behind us with Apollo, while Katsuro leads the way.

  What the hell did he mean by that? I rack my brain, but nothing comes up. What more could he possibly want? I peek over my shoulder, but Roharu is focused on everything but me.

  Damn it.

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading! Take care and have an amazing week.