“I’m not stronger than you are, not by a long shot,” I insisted. “Emma, you have so much going for you. You’re a powerful sorceress, you’re learning Unseelie magic, you have all our friends, and me, and—”
“All that stuff connects me toother people,” Emma insisted. “I have obligations to everyone in my life, but I don’t have something that’s trulymineanymore. Something I don’t have to share! And you know how hard that is, because you’restillworking with the Malovian Revolution. You’re still going back to vigilantism, because it’s too hard for you to give up. But I can’t even get a taste of my old life.”
I took a steadying breath, reminding myself I had to be the stable one in this conversation, because she couldn’t be. “Giving up the Phantom was hard. But I became a better person because of it.”
“Don’t give me a lecture on how I’m going togrowbecause of this. I don’t want to hear it,” she said bitterly.
“What did you think was going to happen? You couldn’t have kept up skating forever. At some point, you would’ve had to let it go.”
“But it wasn’tmy choice,” Emma said. She was near tears. “I wanted to go out on my own terms, and someone tore it away from me, the moment I was ready to achieve all of my dreams!”
“Then tell me how I need to help you, Emma!”
“You can’t!”
Tygrys gave a peep at our raised voices, and flew off to hide in the flowers on Emma’s desk. Emma’s eyes welled with tears, and I got an idea. I grabbed Emma, and yanked her across my lap. She sprawled forward on her stomach, and I flipped her skirt up. The sight of her blue lace thong spanning over her ass instantly gave a jolt to my dick.
“What are you doing?” Emma asked. Her red mane fell to the side as she looked behind her.
“Giving you what you need.” I smacked her ass, and she let out a yelp. I rubbed the area I’d slapped and asked, “If you’re willing.”
Her eyes flashed, and she said in a low voice, “Spank me, you bastard.”
I brought my hand down on her ass again. Her back arched, and she gave a gasp of pleasure. I increased the speed of my strikes, and Emma bit her lip, giving small moans of ecstasy as I peppered her backside with my passion. She ground against me, attempting to gratify herself as the sting drove her to desire.
The sight of her ass growing red underneath my hand made my dick so hard, it was uncomfortable. I spanked her until my hand started to grow numb, then I lifted her upward, bringing her mouth to mine. She sat on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck, pushing her tongue inside my mouth. I could hear her heart beating wildly and smell her sex. The wolf in me went delirious, and my thoughts ceased to be as her pleasure became my only concern.
Emma yanked off her shirt and bra, kicking off her skirt until she was left in nothing but her panties. I buried myself in her breasts and sucked at her nipples in delight, sight growing hazy. Her chest rose and fell with short pants, and her hands threaded in my hair, begging me to come even closer. I threw her back on the bed and dragged my lips down, across her stomach as my hands tore her panties into pieces. I placed my tongue on her core and lapped at her sweet taste like it was honey. Emma clawed at the sheets, watching me through half-closed eyes as I sucked at her bud. I grabbed her ass in my hands and lifted her closer to my face, and her body twitched as I inserted my tongue inside. She convulsed as she came, and I welcomed the fresh taste that spilled from within her. I forced another orgasm from her as I continued feasting on her body, and only once she was done did I lay her down and begin pulling off my jersey.
I’d barely gotten my pants undone before Emma leaned down and took my cock into her mouth. I gave a groan, went spineless for a minute, then continued working on pulling off my pants. It was a difficult endeavor, as all my attention was on Emma’s lips rising up and down my cock, her red ass weaving in the air, and the feeling of her warm, wet tongue sliding against my manhood.
I fumbled with my prosthetic and pulled it off as quickly as I was able. Once I was bare, Emma straddled me and sank down. She cried aloud, and I gave a wolfish growl. She put her hands on my shoulders and rode me up and down as I dug my fingers into her back. As she rode me, I thrust upward, completely caught under her spell. She nipped at my ear, and as her fingertips caressed the back of my neck, it was all it took to make me come undone. I came into her, and I felt her femininity tighten around me as she grasped my neck, giving the tiny whimper that drove me so wild.
Our bodies, slick with sweat, stuck together for a second as we separated. We fell backward onto the comforter. I reached across to her nightstand and grabbed some cocoa butter lotion, rubbing it into her sore ass. She hissed with the remnants of delight, and I asked, “Feel better?”
“Yes.” She snuggled into my chest. “Thank you. I just needed to feel something else besides sadness for a while. Lust was a pretty good replacement.”
“I’m glad.” I couldn’t fix everything, but I could try to heal her grief by worshiping her body. If I could give her an escape from her emotions for even a short period, I’d do whatever it took.
Emma curled up against me, and I let my arm fall around her. Some time passed. We were about to drift off to sleep, before we heard conversation in the hallway. Quite a few people were walking by, chatting in worried voices. We waited for it to go away, but instead of dulling, the noise got more intense— like others were joining the crowd outside.
“Why is everyone being so loud?” Emma got out of bed, and got dressed to see what the commotion was. I fastened on my prosthetic and threw on my own clothes, wondering what kind of news had arisen to create a ruckus this late.
Everyone was gathered around the largest television in the Rec Room. There were dozens of people in here. I wondered what all the fuss was about.
“Ethan,” Emma said breathlessly. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the crowd. We fell into a collection of our friends, who appeared just as harrowed as she was.
“What’s going on?” I asked, but my question fell away as my tongue thickened in my mouth. On the screen was a portrayal of Dolinska’s main square— in which they had built an actual gallows.
Three people stood on the gallows, nooses around their necks and their hands tied behind their back. Two of them were in their forties or so, but the youngest was our age. Tears ran down her face as she shook under the weight of the noose around her neck.
What had these poor people done? Surely nothing that warranted this. Elijah and Gabby stood in a royal box nearby, which had been built for this very purpose. Dozens of guards surrounded the box, as if they were frightened someone would come up and try to assassinate them.
“What the hell is hedoing?” I gasped, aghast. This was the definition of madness!
Emma tugged on me, like she needed the comfort. I put my arm around her and watched as literal insanity played out before me on screen.
A shifter came onto the gallows, and unfurled a scroll. “Alden, Rumina, and Kenna Farlane, you have been judged. By order of the king, you have been sentenced to death, for the crime of having witch blood,” the announcer boomed. “Your sentence will be carried out immediately.”
