Chapter 78 Not Her
Ryven
I stayed outside longer than I should have.
The stars were sharp that night, scattered across the sky like they had something to prove. The rain had passed, leaving the air cold and clean, and the ground still damp beneath my boots. I sat on a fallen log at the edge of the settlement, a half-empty bottle of ale hanging loose in my hand.
I didn’t feel drunk. Not even close. My thoughts were too loud for that.
Tomorrow. The ridge.
The other side. A dragon.
I let out a slow breath and tipped the bottle back, finishing what was left. The bitter taste didn’t help. Nothing did. I kept seeing that creature in my head—the way it moved, the way the world bent around it like it had no right existing in the same space.
And that voice, the cold. Still there.
Quiet now. But watching. Waiting.
I dragged a hand down my face and stood.
Sitting here wouldn’t change what was coming. I didn’t know what waited on the other side of that ridge. I didn’t know if I’d make it back.
But I was going anyway.
I made my way up to the hut Helga and the others had built. It was sturdy. Elevated. Smart placement. They’d done well.
Inside, it was quiet.
Rowenna was already asleep.
For a moment, I just stood there, watching her. The rise and fall of her chest. The way her hair spilled across the pillow. Peaceful. Untouched by all of this.
I stepped closer and sat on the edge of the bed.
I brushed a strand of hair away from her face and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
“Good night,” I murmured, even though she couldn’t hear me.
I lay down beside her, pulling the blanket over us.
And then something strange happened. The cold in my chest—the one that had been sitting there since the voice arrived—faded.
Just… gone.
I frowned slightly, staring up at the ceiling. “…Finally,” I muttered.
Maybe it had left. Maybe whatever had crawled into my head had decided I wasn’t worth the trouble.
The thought should have unsettled me. Instead, it felt like relief.
My body relaxed. My breathing slowed. And eventually, I drifted off.
But my mind refused to quiet.
Dreams came instead—soft, flickering things. A woman with eyes the exact shade of blue as mine smiled down at me, her face haloed in golden light. Her fingers brushed my cheek with a tenderness I hadn’t felt since childhood. Love, pure and uncomplicated, radiated from her like sunlight. I tried to speak, to ask who she was, but the dream shifted and dissolved before the words could form.
The crow of a rooster shattered the vision.
My eyes snapped open. Dawn.
The sky was painted in shades of purple and gold, the first light cutting through the darkness. For a second, I just lay there, breathing, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream.
Time to move, I told myself. Time to find that girl, dragon or no dragon.
A warm hand slid under the waistband of my trousers and wrapped around my cock.
I sucked in a sharp breath. It had been too long—weeks, maybe—since we’d last been together. Not since Magnus had laid his hands on her. The memory soured in my mind even as pleasure sparked low in my belly from the slow, sure strokes.
I moaned softly, hips twitching despite myself. “Rowenna…”
I rolled toward her, reaching to pull her close for a kiss.
And froze.
The woman in my bed wasn’t Rowenna.
Dark hair spilled across the pillow like spilled ink. Full red lips curved in a knowing smile. Skin pale as fresh cream. Eyes black as midnight pools, deep and bottomless. She was young, beautiful in a sharp, dangerous way that made my pulse hammer for entirely different reasons than before.
I shouted and scrambled backward, nearly falling off the narrow bed. “Who the hell are you? Where’s Rowenna? What have you done to her?!”
My hand shot for the bow propped against the wall. In one frantic motion I nocked an arrow and aimed it straight at her heart.
The woman rose slowly, completely naked. The furs slid away, revealing full, perky breasts with dusky nipples already tight in the cool morning air. A neat triangle of dark hair sat between her thighs. Despite the terror spiking through my veins, my traitorous body reacted. Heat flooded my groin. My cock, still half-hard from her touch, stiffened fully.
She smiled wider, utterly unconcerned by the arrow pointed at her.
“Easy there, Ryven,” she purred, voice low and smoky. “You shoot that arrow at me and you’ll find yourself with a very dead girlfriend. I told you I’d leave when I found a suitable vessel. Your Rowenna… she’s good for now.”
My hands shook on the bow. “Who are you, witch?”
She rose from the bed with liquid grace, hips swaying as she approached. The morning light caressed every curve—narrow waist, rounded hips, the soft bounce of her breasts with each step. She stopped barely a handspan away, so close I could smell her—warm skin and something darker, like incense and wild honey.
She took my free hand and pressed it firmly to her left breast. The flesh was soft, warm, the nipple hard against my palm. “My name is Elyndra,” she murmured, lips brushing mine, “from the Kingdom of Acaris.” Her other hand slid down and cupped the rigid length of my erection through my trousers. “You like what you see. Maybe you’ll like how I feel even more?”
My breath hitched. The bow slipped from my fingers and clattered to the wooden floor.
I should have pushed her away. Should have demanded Rowenna back. Instead my fingers flexed, kneading the soft weight of her breast. My thumb brushed the nipple and she arched into the touch with a soft sigh.
I forced myself to pull my hand back. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” Her black eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. “I’m still Rowenna. Just… more fun. Let me show you.”
Before I could protest she sank gracefully to her knees, fingers pulling my trousers down. My cock sprang free, heavy and aching. She wrapped her hand around the base and leaned in, red lips parting. The wet heat of her mouth engulfed me in one smooth motion.
I groaned, long and low, as her tongue swirled around the head. She sucked hard, hollowing her cheeks, taking me deeper with each bob of her head. It felt impossibly good—hot, slick, eager in a way Rowenna had never quite been.
It wasn’t cheating, I told myself desperately. This was still Rowenna’s body. Just… possessed. Playful. Willing.
My hand tangled in her dark hair. I gripped tight and thrust forward, forcing myself down her throat. “Suck it,” I growled. “Make me come.”
Elyndra made a pleased sound around my cock and redoubled her efforts, bobbing faster, throat relaxing to take every inch. The wet, obscene sounds filled the small hut. Pressure built at the base of my spine, tight and urgent. I couldn’t hold back. With a strangled groan I came hard, pulsing thick ropes of seed straight down her throat.
She swallowed every drop without hesitation, then pulled back slowly, licking her lips. Her hand kept stroking my still-hard cock, slick with her saliva.
“Fuck me,” she whispered.
I didn’t think. I simply acted.
Grabbing her by the waist, I threw her onto the bed. She landed on her back with a delighted laugh. “Spread your legs,” I ordered, voice rough. “Wide open.”
Elyndra obeyed instantly, propping herself on her elbows. She drew her knees up and let her thighs fall apart, feet planted on the mattress. The movement exposed her completely—pink, glistening folds already slick with arousal. I could see the sheen of wetness coating her inner thighs.
My cock twitched eagerly.
I climbed between her legs and slid two fingers into her without warning. She was soaked, hot, and tight. Elyndra threw her head back with a throaty moan, hips rolling to meet my thrusts. I pumped my fingers faster, curling them, stroking that sensitive spot inside her until her breath came in sharp gasps. The wet, squelching sounds were filthy and perfect.
She came suddenly, violently, thighs trembling as she squirted clear liquid all over my hand and wrist. The sight nearly undid me.
“You are Rowenna,” I rasped, half belief, half desperate prayer. I pulled my fingers free and replaced them with my cock in one hard thrust.
We both groaned.
I set a brutal pace, slamming into her again and again. Her walls clenched around me, hot and fluttering. “Oh yes,” she gasped, nails raking down my back. “Fuck me harder, Ryven.”
I gave her what she wanted, pounding deep and rough, the bed creaking beneath us. Sweat slicked our skin. Her breasts bounced with every thrust. The pressure built again, faster this time. I buried my face in her neck and came with a guttural shout, flooding her with my release.
I collapsed beside her, breathing hard, but I wasn’t done. I swung her on top of me, keeping my cock buried inside her slick heat. Elyndra grinned down at me, dark hair wild around her face, and began to move—slow rolls of her hips that quickly turned into eager bounces. I reached up and filled my hands with her breasts, pinching and rolling her nipples until she cried out.
She came again, squirting messily over my stomach and chest, her inner muscles milking me until I was rock hard once more.
We didn’t stop until I came.
She collapsed beside me, panting. I rolled her onto her back and slid a hand between her thighs again, rubbing tight circles over her swollen clit.
“Don’t you have to go to the ridge?” she moaned, spreading her legs wider for me.
“That can wait,” I growled. “I haven’t fucked properly in weeks. I need to come again.”
“Then let’s fuck,” she murmured, wrapping her fingers around my cock and giving it a firm stroke.
“Lie down on your stomach,” I told her. “And spread your legs.”
Elyndra obeyed with a sultry smile, rolling over and arching her back. She drew her knees up slightly and spread her thighs, presenting herself to me—ass raised, pink folds glistening with our combined fluids, the tight pucker above them on full display.
I knelt behind her, gripped her hips, and thrust back inside her pussy in one smooth stroke. She moaned loudly, pushing back to meet me. I fucked her hard, the angle letting me go even deeper. The sound of skin slapping skin filled the hut. I reached around and rubbed her clit in time with my thrusts until she shattered again, soaking us both.
The sight and feel of her coming undone pushed me over the edge one final time. I buried myself to the hilt and came with a long, shuddering groan, pulsing deep inside her.
We stayed locked together for several long moments, breathing ragged. Finally I pulled out and collapsed onto the bed beside her, sweat cooling on my skin.
Elyndra turned her head, black eyes sparkling with satisfaction. “Feel better, hunter?”
I stared at the ceiling, chest still heaving. The purple dawn light had brightened into full morning gold. The ridge waited. The dragon waited. The girl with fire in her veins waited.
But for the first time in weeks, the cold in my chest was gone, replaced by the warm, sated glow of spent pleasure.
I didn’t know if that was a good thing or the beginning of something far more dangerous.
Rowenna’s body—Elyndra inside it—curled against my side, one leg thrown possessively over mine. Her fingers traced lazy patterns on my chest.
"More?" she whispered.
I smiled. "I want your pretty lips on my cock."
She smiled wickedly. "With pleasure."