Harlow nods. “Yes.” He flicks his thumb my way.
The cabbie shifts the little dots that are his irises to me, then disappears. The carriage lurches forward.
Off we go, and I take one last look at the train station, where I left my bag and all my possessions. The gray sky fades to utter darkness. No stars. No canopy. Just a blanket of bleak. Much like this whole situation.
♀♥♂♂♂♂
HARLOW
Everly is a beacon. Her soft skin, big violet doe eyes, pert little nose, smooth curves, and alluring hair would seduce me even if I hadn’t already shared part of her that was… yes, even better than sex. Not that I’m opposed to the prospect of having actual sex with her (I mean, I’m an incubus…), but the moments inside Everly, with her endless, shimmering energy, were nothing less than a religious experience.
I’ve never met a dryad before. As a rule, they don’t exist in Dread. They need nature and all that crap. But, now that I’m sitting across from her, I can’t help but be totally… taken with her. Dryads are all female and they represent the natural world. As such, they’re basically prime examples of the ultimate in femininity. And Everly is exactly that. She’s built—big ass, big tits and a small waist. Her face is round in all the right places and her lavender hair is so long, I can only imagine what it would look like in front of her naked tits as she rides me.
All night long.
A shiver grabs hold of my spine and shakes every vertebra, down to my long, spear-tipped tail. Good thing it curls around my leg under my jeans and mostly stays out of sight. If its end weren’t wrapped around my ankle, it’d be out swishing side-to-side with impatience or sneaking under her dress like a perverted snake. The thing has a mind of its own.
Yet, it’s important all the same. If I could have relied on my tail during our disaster flight, I’d have had more control. Flying without the aid of my tail wasn’t easy. Actually it sucked. Big time.
Almost as much as holding back my hunger for Everly. Everything within me is telling me to go to her. To kiss her and touch her and get her nice and wet for me. To taste her…
She’s sitting right there. Across from me. All that exposed skin ready for my touch. Calling out to me. Taunting me with bare arms. Bare legs. My fingers play with the ring on my pinky. Tempting minx. The carriage takes a bad bump in the road, and I try to look away from her cleavage. Sweet mercy, I could... a spike of pain bites on my finger, and the fog of lust clears.
“Here.” I rip out of my jacket and toss the leather over her knees. “Put that on.”
Anything to get her covered. Anything to hide her exposed skin. Anything to keep my fucking eyes from undressing her where she sits, right in front of me.
“Thanks.” She takes my jacket and puts it over her shoulders. She doesn’t understand why I gave it to her. I can tell just by her thanking me. I didn’t do it for her, even though it’s pretty obvious she’s cold.
Christ, she looks good in my leather. Another problem… the jacket does nothing to hide the low “V” cut top of her dress and accentuates the crease I want to dive between. Also, her legs are still bare from the knee down. I’d strip off my pants and make her wear those, too, if they were her size. But my jeans would just bag over those shapely calves… luscious hips… her mouthwatering ass…
The ring bites me again, and I straighten. If I’m not careful, the pain will melt into pleasure. And I can’t let that happen. I need the distraction and I push on my “emergency button” like a lifeline.
“Harlow?”
My eyes flick to hers. I lean forward, and my voice comes out in a purr. “Yeah?”
The guileless dryad holds my gaze as she sways from the carriage’s movements, her breasts bouncing in time. “I don’t understand. Why am I here? I was on my way to the Academy of Enchantment, in Arcadia. So… it makes no sense that I’m sitting here in this…” she looks around herself, at the old carriage with the velvet upholstery. It’s pulled by the spirits of long dead horses and it’s a little macabre, even if I do say so, myself.
“In this… thing,” she finishes and then looks at me expectantly. “With you.”
“Well…” I smile. “Someone wants you here… clearly.” And that’s the disturbing part.
The only instructions from Riven were to collect Everly Stillwater and deliver her to the count at Castle Raven Night. I figure I was chosen for this little job because the “package” would be difficult and would need subduing.
Then, I’d literally run into the pompous bastard of a vampire when he should have been sleeping, or getting ready for Everly’s arrival.
“But I’m not supposed to be here,” she complains. “And I can’t figure out why you think I am.”
“Well, I knew your name, that has to mean something, right? So Riven obviously knew you were coming.”
“Who is Riven?”
“The Headmaster of the Academy of Necromancy.”
She takes a deep breath and shakes her head. Then she closes her eyes when it looks like she’s about to cry. When she opens them, it’s clear she’s gotten herself under control.
“You’re taking me to this Riven now?” she asks.
“No, I’m taking you to your host family at Castle Raven Night.”
“I have a host family?” she asks, shaking her head in obvious confusion. “Could I have read the acceptance letter incorrectly?” she asks herself as she worries her lower lip and drives me to absolute distraction.
