Red burst before my vision when the firstone rubbed her breasts against his arm before running her hand overhis chest. My teeth clenched so forcefully I thought they wouldshatter when he pulled her hand away.
“But, Your Highness!” she pouted prettily.“We’ve missed you! It’s been so long since you’ve graced us withyour presence!”
There may be a few dead tree nymphs by thetime we left here, I decided.
Kobal stepped away from them. Without aword, he wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me off my feet.I glowered at the beautiful women with their elven features andpetite, luscious bodies over his shoulder as he held me against hischest while he walked.
“Easy, Mah Kush-la,” he murmured in my earwhen fire crackled at the tips of my fingers. “These nymphs are onour side.”
“Don’t care,” I muttered. “They have tolearn to keep their hands to themselves.”
He chuckled and ran a hand through my hair.“That is one thing nymphs arenevergood at, but they don’tmean any harm.”
“Well, good then, set me down and I’ll gointroduce myself to some of the men!” I retorted, hating thejealousy seething through me.
His arms tightened around me. His eyes wereslits when they slid toward me. I resolutely held his stare as hecontinued to walk, not at all pleased with the knowledge he’d foundall of this amusing until now. “I think not.”
The sighs of the nymphs drew my attentionback to them as they looked longingly after us. That was it, I wasgoing to set these horny little creatures on fire, but then theysighed again and started to speak. “She’s marked,” they whisperedto each other. “She’shisChosen. Oh, how sweet!”
Some of them actually folded their handsbefore them and fluttered their lashes as they said this. When theywere done whispering to each other, they rushed to catch up withus. I found my wrath melting away as a few of them waved at meshyly. I couldn’t stop myself from waving back, and they giggledonce more.
“Strangest fucking demons yet,” Hawkmuttered.
“I have to agree,” I replied. “You can putme down now. I promise not to barbecue any of them.”
“I prefer this,” Kobal said.
I wasn’t going to argue with him as I didtoo. Resting my head on his shoulder, I watched as the male nymphsslid out from behind the trees. Like the women, they were smallerin stature with handsome features and a thin strip of gauzymaterial around their waists. I couldn’t stop myself from blushingwhen I realized what the male nymphs lacked in height and weight,they more than made up for with what was hanging low behind thegauzy material.
They all followed us, with more slippingfrom the trees, as Corson and Bale led the way down the roadwinding deeper and deeper into the forest. Through the trees, Ispotted what looked like fires burning to illuminate the forestaround us, but I didn’t smell smoke, and I didn’t hear the crackleof wood. Kobal’s muscles flexed around me as he kept me securedagainst him. I found my eyes drifting closed.
CHAPTER 30
Kobal
River’s lips rested against my neck, and herbreath warmed my skin. With every step I took, her body rubbedenticingly against mine. I didn’t require the lure of the forestand trees, or the sweet scent of the Prury fruit hanging above usto cause my desire for her to grow. That happened well enough onits own, without the forest amplifying it.
I’d believed I’d be strong enough to resistthe lure of the trees and River while here, but her fresh rainscent tantalized me. There had been no avoiding the forest. It wasone of the safest places for us to travel through as the nymphswere often thought of as non-entities by many of the other demons.They were rarely bothered by other demons until those demonsdecided to slake their lust with one or more of the nymphs.
The nymphs could be far more vicious thanmost demons realized. I’d once witnessed them skinning a demonalive for hitting one of their own before stringing him up by hisballs and slicing off his head. They may be small and mostlylooking for a good time, but the nymphs possessed the samemalicious streak all demons did.
Glancing at Hawk out of the corner of myeye, I noted the increasing sweat trickling down the side of hisface, the firm set of his jaw, and the glassiness of his eyes.“Just keep walking,” I said quietly to him, unwilling to wake Riverfrom her sleep.
He looked toward me before his gaze lockedon River, and he licked his lips. A snarl erupted from me. I movedher out of his eyesight as my claws extended with the need to slicethrough his jugular. Never before had I gotten the impression oflust from him for River. I never would have let him around her if Ihad, but the need in his eyes was unmistakable. The young canaghdemon was starting to unravel within the forest. I had known itwould affect him, it affected everyone, but I hadn’t realized howstarved he was until now.
“Look away from her!” I spat.
Corson fell back to walk between us. Henudged Hawk away from me, pushing him toward the other side of theroad. Hawk rubbed at his cheeks and eyes before looking toward meonce more.
“I don’t know…” His voice trailed off as hisgaze ran over the woods. “What is wrong with me?”
“This forest is the land of decadence. Itwas the original home of all the canaghs and the nymph creatures.Our carnal urges are amplified here. You are a new demon and haveless control over yourself. You also have not fed in a while, notfrom sex, and you’ve never fed from a wraith,” Corson said. Hisgaze shifted to me. “Perhaps we should stop and allow him to doso?”
“No,” Hawk said firmly. “No. I will not takethe risk of what happened with Sarah happening to someone else. I’ma grown man. I can fucking control myself.”
“No, you’re a newly turned canagh demon whois still growing into what you will become. You will either fightit until you starve, or you will snap and take someone againsttheir will,” Bale said. “I don’t think either of those options areappealing to you, are they?”
Lifting his arm, Hawk wiped away the sweatlining his brow. “No.”
