TwistedRevenge (4 page)

He gave himself a quick look over. This form would take some
getting used to. Tonight he’d spend some time in the city, fortifying this new
body and enjoying the company of whomever he could find at the Hideout.

The room was small, smaller than Rowan could have imagined.
When Luc had called the place an inn, she had at least hoped for a TV or some
wi-fi. He had warned her that her phone would be no use in the forest and he
was right. Her phone and anything modern in her purse was gone. She slipped the
cloak off and draped it over the foot of the bed. “So who gets the bed and who
gets the floor?”

Luc laughed as he watched her peel herself out of the
old-world clothing piece by piece until she was standing in nothing but her
petticoat and what she could only assume was an outdated chemise. In the
antique undergarments, she was more dressed than she would have been in her
modern clothes had she stripped down, but somehow she felt even more exposed. “I
think we can be adults and share the bed, Red. Don’t you?”

Crossing her arms over her chest to cover herself up a bit
more, she could feel her cheeks burn. “I guess so.”

“The blush on your cheeks says otherwise.” He arched his
brow. “Are you having naughty thoughts about me?” Her face heated even more and
she cursed under her breath. He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Picking up the one pillow on the bed, she threw it straight
at his face. He caught it, which only enraged her more. “Your arrogance is so
unattractive.”

“I beg to differ. I think you are very attracted to me right
now. In fact, I’d wager a guess you’d love nothing more than to cross this room
and take advantage of me.” He waved his hand. “But you won’t because you are
too stubborn. Correct?”

Damn it. He had her pegged. She glared at him and crossed
her arms over her chest. “You can’t take advantage of the willing, jackass. I’m
going to go take a bath to calm down. I hope by the time I’m finished, you’ll
be done with being an insufferable child.”

“Wrong again.” He gave her a wink. “There are no baths here.
For God’s sake think about it—the pillow is stuffed with straw. There are no
bathtubs, no running water.” He pointed his thumb out the window. “There’s an
outhouse if you need it but I wouldn’t linger too long in there if I were you.”

She blinked. “Where the hell did you bring me to?” Her feet
moved faster than her mind could think as she ran to the window and looked down
at the lone outhouse. “This can’t be right. There’s no running water? No long,
hot baths?”

“Nope.” She started to protest but he held up his hand. “Don’t
get me wrong. Some places have that stuff, but this is an inn on the edge of
the Black Forest. Surely you don’t think some magical ‘Neverland Sanitation
District’ dug its way all the way out here to plumb and pipe a rickety old inn
that can’t even afford to stuff its pillows with feathers.”

“Yes, actually that is exactly what I thought.” She pinched
her nose and shook her head in frustration. “No, no. That isn’t what I thought
because I live in a world where indoor plumbing and running water aren’t even a
question. Everybody has it. Now you’ve dragged me to this crazy forest where my
cell phone doesn’t work, I can’t watch TV and if I want a bath I’ll have to
walk my happy ass to another kingdom.”

He nodded and laughed. “Now you see why I prefer to stay on
the other side of the Arch.”

Rowan sighed, her shoulders slumping forward as she bit back
the tears that wanted to spill down her cheeks. Before she knew what was
happening, Luc had his arms around her, his chin resting on her head as he
rubbed small circles over her back, “I’m sorry, Red. I know this is a shock but
I didn’t have time to ease you into this. Your life depends on you adjusting
quickly to your surroundings.” He cupped her chin and raised her face to look
at him. “And it’s not just your life at stake. If you fail, all the forest will
suffer. Ulric already controls most of this area and only you can stop him.” He
brushed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. “If you fail then his madness
will only increase.”

“Why are you helping me?” She could barely whisper the
words, almost too afraid she might get an actual answer from her elusive guide.
“Why?”

His head lowered, his lips only a fraction of an inch away
from hers. “Maybe it’s my destiny.”

“Don’t joke, Luc.”

He whispered against her lips, “I’m not joking.” His mouth
captured hers. Rough at first, he quickly softened the kiss.

Rowan’s head swam. What was he doing? He’d kissed her. She
wanted to push him away but as soon as his tongue swept her lips, teasing her
mouth to open for him, she obeyed. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he
seized her around the waist, pulling her closer. His lips were warm, soft, and
the light dusting of whiskers on his cheeks made her moan as his mouth left
hers and kissed a trail down her neck.

“Luc?”

He shook his head and her eyes rolled back in her head when
her body shivered from his five o’clock shadow scraping against her collarbone.
She drew her leg up as his hand traveled down to grip her ass. She was never
one for taking the initiative but she needed to kiss him again. Pulling his
head up, she kissed him hard, her tongue warring with his. He seemed to
appreciate her eagerness. His free hand gripped the hair at the nape of her
neck and his mouth claimed hers again. She whimpered. Two of his teeth scraped
her bottom lip, as if he had fangs. She pushed the thought out of her head for
a second time. He didn’t have fangs. She’d seen him smile. No fangs. It was her
imagination running wild.

All of her thoughts went out the window when he picked her
up, carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. Her breath hitched as he
slipped his hand under her bodice. His rough fingers traced over her flat
stomach and moved down to play with the waistband of her petticoat. Her hand
locked on his. “Luc, we can’t.”

He kissed her again and whispered against her lip. “Why not?
Give me one good reason, Red.”

She really couldn’t think of one good reason to deny him. “I
don’t have one.” Sure, he was a jerk and arrogant, but truth be told, she liked
that about him.

His mouth went to her earlobe, laying a trail of hot kisses
from there all the way down her neck, stopping at the swell of her breasts. “How
about I just do this?” His hand slipped between the thin linen of her petticoat
and cupped her sex. Rowan bit her lip. “And you just tell me if you like how it
feels?”

She could barely speak and her head was already nodding in
agreement. “How what feels?”

“This.” He cleaved her soft folds with his thick finger.

Her back arched as heat pooled between her legs. The warmth
of his body hovering over her had her ready to surrender. He nudged her legs
apart and settled himself between them, slowly stroking his finger through her
pink lips. Every stroke had her growing wetter by the minute. The slick heat
stoked her desire more. She was just about to beg him for more when he moved
his thumb through her wetness and then rubbed it over her swollen clit. Rowan’s
body stiffened, her breath caught. “Oh God, Luc.”

He grinned at her. He bit at her chemise and used his hand
to tear the fabric to shreds. Rowan closed her eyes, feeling the cool breeze
brush against her breasts. His mouth was on her before she knew what was
happening. He swirled his tongue over her nipples, tugging at her rosy buds
with his teeth and sucking on them until her back arched. His fingers delved
deep inside her velvet heat. Thrusting hard and deep, she rocked her hips to
silently beg for more.

She’d never understood how other women could be turned-on by
a man using nothing but his fingers. In fact she’d been turned-off by it any
other time someone had tried to touch her. It wasn’t that she was a prude, but
she never trusted that anyone would know how to touch her in a way she’d enjoy
so she settled for very little touching at all. But Luc knew. He had an
instinct she couldn’t deny. He knew exactly how to use his mouth on her
breasts, just how hard to squeeze as he played with them and his fingers
pistoning in and out of her tight pussy was pushing her closer to the edge.

He wiggled his fingers, curling them inside her until he
found her sweet spot. That one spot that sent a jolt of pure energy through her
petite body with just the slightest touch. Her eyes widened as she slapped at
the sheets. Her hips jerked and her legs clamped together. Luc smiled down at
her as his fingers continued to stroke her. She threw her head back and a
silent cry escaped her lips as a breathless moan. Her hands fisted in the
sheets. Her tight walls clenched his fingers and pulsed around them. The slick
rush of wetness coated his fingers and only added to the sensation of fire coursing
through her veins.

When her legs finally stopped shaking, he slowly withdrew
his fingers and brought them to his mouth. Her cheeks flamed red as she watched
him lick all of her juices from his fingers. “Wow, that was…” She couldn’t even
think of the right word to describe how good she felt at this moment.

Luc smiled. “Amazing?”

She looked upward and then pursed her lips together. “No, I
don’t think amazing fully covers it.”

He laughed and leaned in to kiss her neck. She moaned, which
only encouraged him to nuzzle her neck more. Her eyes fluttered closed as she
tangled her hands in his hair and giggled at the feel of his five o’clock
shadow tickling her neck. She yawned and then felt him pull away. Her eyes
barely cracked open to see him smiling down at her. He winked and rubbed the
pad of his thumb over her cheek. “Sleep now, Red. You look exhausted.”

“I am.”

She groaned as she tried to get comfortable on the straw
bed. Luc tucked her into his side and she laid her head on his chest while
still wiggling to find an ideal position to sleep in. He stroked her hair and
mused, “The floor might be more comfortable for us but I didn’t think you’d be
too keen to sleep on a dusty floor.”

She smiled and nuzzled up against him. “I wouldn’t care.”

He laughed. “Did I wear you out?” She simply nodded her head
as he rubbed her back. “Tomorrow we will leave early. You need all the rest you
can get.”

A thought popped into her head and she sat up, staring at
him. “Condoms.”

He arched a brow. “Excuse me?”

“We don’t have any. I mean I’m on the Pill but—”

He looked at her, confused, and scrunched up his nose. “Red,
I’m not sure how you think things work but I don’t think we ran any risks
tonight since we didn’t do the deed.”

She busted up laughing. “No. I meant, you asked me earlier
why we couldn’t have sex and I said I didn’t have a good reason.” She blushed
thinking about how ADD her outburst must sound to him but her mind was all over
the place. “I mean, if we ever do want to have sex we don’t have any condoms.”

Luc chuckled. “Relax, they don’t exist here. Besides, my
kind are different from humans. We carry no diseases and can’t contract them
even if we are exposed to them. So it’s not an issue.”

Her head popped up. “What do you mean, your kind? What are
you?”

His brows drew together in a hard line. “I’m just different.
Different like you. I’m from this side of the Arch.”

“No, you said ‘your kind’ as if you’re different from a
human. I’m from this side of the Arch but I’m still human. So tell me the
truth, what are you?”

“I’m dangerous and we are leaving it at that. You need to
focus on learning about your homeland, not about which species of weirdness I
come from.”

She frowned. It was obvious that her prying was going to get
her nowhere with him on this subject. She would file it away in her brain until
later but she was determined to figure him out before the end of this journey.
Changing the topic, she went back to what they were talking about. “So no
illness? Nothing transmitted? Everyone here just has a clean bill of health?”

“You forget, we come from the world of fairytales. Did you
ever hear of any real-world problems in fairytales?” She laid her head back
down on his chest. He lightly stroked her hair. “We have problems like wicked
stepmothers, poisoned apples, curses and dragons. Maybe Fate decided throwing
in STDs would be a bit over the top.”

Rowan buried her head in her hands and laughed. “I don’t
know how you can be so nonchalant about all this. Is everything a joke to you?”

“Well, you laughed. So if everything is a joke to me, at
least others find it funny as well.” She playfully pinched his side. “Ouch.
Okay, no. Not everything is a joke but if I let myself get hung up on all that
is bad or wrong in this world without laughing, then I’d have a pretty
miserable existence, don’t you think?”

She nodded. “That makes sense.” Another yawn escaped her
lips as she tried to stifle it. “Why are you helping me, Luc? The real reason.”

He placed a light kiss against her forehead. “You need
sleep, Red. And I’ve already answered that question. It is my destiny to help
you, to save you. Maybe I am your Prince Charming.”

Her eyes grew heavy. She yawned and fought to stay awake. “In
the fairytale, Red Riding Hood doesn’t have a Prince Charming. In fact,
depending on the tale, she usually dies or is saved by the woodsman. Are you my
woodsman?” His hand stopped moving for a moment. Rowan lifted her head. “Luc?”

He cleared his throat. “Do I look like a woodsman, Red? Not
everything in those tales is true to what will happen to us. I don’t think you
need a woodsman. After all, you have me.”

“And what are you?”

“An arrogant club promoter who has a soft spot for pretty
blondes with a family history embedded in fairytale lore.” He lifted her chin,
kissing her lips softly. “Sleep now. Please.”

She melted against him. Her strange day had ended in one of
the best orgasms of her life. Even though he’d only used his hands on her, it
still ranked among the top three. No other man seemed to know how to make her
feel alive except for Luc. Her eyelids grew heavy as she tried to stifle a
yawn. Tomorrow would start a whole new chapter for her. As much as her mind
wanted to stay awake and analyze what lay ahead of her, her body was exhausted
and exhaustion won out. Within minutes she was sleeping peacefully curled up
against the man who swore he was going to save her.