AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pretty words didn’t come to me. I wanted to fuck her right here under the stars like a rutting animal, but I couldn’t. Maybe it was for the best. Autumn deserved a tender—No. Autumn would want love in all its form—the tender moments paired with the intense, ferocious ones. She had so many layers that a simple kind of love wouldn’t suit her. There was time for gentle lovemaking and time for animalistic fucking. Under the stars after breaking a century-old curse was undoubtedly the time for primal, under-the-moon sex.
If only.
“You’re lucky you’re under a celibacy clause; otherwise, I’d ruin you. You wouldn’t be able to keep up.”
My laugh was boisterous, deep, and full. I didn’t think I’d ever laughed like that. It echoed down the mountain on the breeze. It pulled so much light into my body that it must have shined from me for all I felt. Autumn met me with a giggle, and we stared at each other, grinning. Autumn always knew how to diffuse a situation, as did I, but not in romantic situations. I was far more suited to battling monsters and men than dealing with women.
At this moment, I could think of nothing but my cock buried inside her. I reeled my raging thoughts back. She gave me something to look forward to if fate permitted us to live.
“If all goes well, Sahlyn, I expect us to finish this,” her words were a heated declaration.
My widened eyes met hers. Was Autumn insinuating she wanted something in the future with me? Because that’s damn how it sounded.
My mouth opened and closed, and she patted my cheek.
“Let’s get some sleep—or not. I don’t know aboutyou, but I plan to have raunchy dreams tonight,” Autumn stated with a mischievous wink.
I resisted the overwhelming urge to pounce and worship her with my mouth where my cock couldn’t. I was consumed with desire, and if my dick weren’t already hard, her words alone would have done it, especially with the twinkle in her golden eyes.
I was in deep trouble with this fierce and passionate woman, and fuck if I wasn’t over the edge with the thrill of it.
War
In the morning light, things were bittersweet. Between the kisses and heated promises beneath the stars with Sahlyn, and our goodbye with the legendary dwarven warrior, I was in an emotional upheaval.
Even though I had only known Cabro Lightfoot for a day, he was my blood, my kin—I would not exist if not for him. I felt such an instant connection to him that my eyes filled with tears watching him leave and knowing I’d never see him again. He didn’t spell it out, but I knew what the declaration of wanting to be with his beloved meant. Cabro Lightfoot didn’t belong in this time, and now he only wanted peace, which meant reuniting with his wife. It was so beautifully poetic that my heart repeatedly shattered as we entered the tunnels that would bring us back to Drommgar—leaving the no longer cursed dwarven warrior on his journey.
There was a subdued quiet to our small group. When Cabro said goodbye to me, he’d not had insightful words but said he would see me someday in the Beyond and wanted to know every single gory detail of how his forged blade, Heartrender, ripped through the heart of the evil queen. Pretty words of inspiration were unnecessary; his blade's name was encouragement enough.
If I made it to the Beyond, I would enjoy our time together and tell him everything. Emotion clawed at my throat long after our departure, but I pushed it away. Let it go. I would not see Cabro again in this life, and I felt joy for being able to meet him at all.
The three of us trudged our way back to the dwarven city, lost in thoughts of what was to come and the uncertain future we faced.
The tunnels were far better to travel than the horrifying Whispering Wood. These tunnels were rougher cut than Mondu, made quickly with less skill and care, but the journey was straightforward. As soon as we exited the tunnels and into the coming dusk, a screeching call caught us, sending us all into tenseness until we recognized the blue blur.
Iro and I had reunited when I’d come out of Mondu. He'd been thrilled I’d lifted the curse and proud I’d taken his suggestions. I'll never know how he'd known what I’d encounter in there. Iro was not just a blue jay; he was something else, and I’d been running several possibilities in my head for days, but all of them seemed impossible. Either way, the bird had helped break the curse just as much as I did. Without his words, I probably wouldn'thave been successful. Although when I’d told him that, he'd flown off in a huff, telling me to spend time with Cabro.
Now, Iro fluttered to my shoulder, and I lifted a finger to rub his breast.
“Iro, my friend, you're a gift to me from the Beyond, aren't you?”
His whistling call was definitely an avian chortle.“Something like that.”
“My very own feathered fairytale godmother.”
“Nowyou're pushing it.”
I chuckled and rubbed my cheek against him. “What would I do without you, Iro?”
“Someday, things may change, Autumn, but don't doubt how much I care for you.”
My attention snapped up, and my finger stilled against him. “Damn it, Iro, why does that sound like a goodbye?”
“It’s not, necessarily… I cannot speak of this now.”
I huffed, and he fluffed his feathers. I heaved a breath and continued petting him. His cryptic messages might annoy the shit out of me, but I loved him regardless. He flew offquickly as if something caught his attention.
We spent the night in the mouth of the cave, and we'd enter Drommgar the next day. I slept soundly with Sahlyn nestled at my back and Argen just beyond us on the other side of the fire, his snores a disturbing lullaby.
