Page 39 of Realms of Shadow and Sun
Without hesitating, Grayden pulled his shirt off, tossing it on the floor. He knelt before Renya, slowly stroking her bare legs with his calloused hands. Renya whimpered as his wandering fingers pushed up her linen nightgown and reached her inner thighs.
“Did you miss me?” He moaned against her thigh before placing a tender kiss alongside her knee.
Renya nodded, so wrapped up in the way his hands felt against her skin that she couldn't talk. Grayden continued to tease her, and then lifted himself up slightly to tug her bottom lip into his mouth. She moaned, feeling the wetness grow between her legs.
Grayden helped her to lift her hips, and he pulled her undergarments down her legs before throwing them over his shoulder. Completely bare to him, he blew against the apex of her thighs, and her breathing hitched.
“Do you want me, Renya?” Without waiting for an answer, he pushed his trousers down his muscular legs, and then positioned himself between her hips. With a quick thrust, he was inside her, and she wanted to cry as soon as she felt him. He felt impossibly large, like their time apart made her forget just how much of a man he was. She stroked his hair as he whispered words of praise and declarations of love. His mouth moved to the hollow of her throat, and she gasped as his rough hand palmed her breast.
“Grayden...” she moaned, throwing her head back. Pleasure radiated throughout her body. It happened so fast, and she knew it was because it had been weeks since she'd had him. She felt her body coming back to life, felt the connection between them as she pulsed around him.
Renya panted as she came back down from her high, clutching at Grayden.
But there was nothing there.
She opened her eyes quickly, looking around the room, her heart racing and her sex throbbing. But there was no Grayden. She blushed, realizing what just transpired. It felt so real. It was real, she was almost certain.
As her breathing returned to normal, she walked to the window, ignoring the moisture between her legs, and looked out over the darkened valley. Her heart hurt, knowing that somewhere out there, Grayden was missing her as much as she missed him. Feeling defeated and slightly ashamed, she crawled back into her sheets, which were slick from her sweat, and tried to fall back asleep. However, the memory of Grayden's kiss swirled around in her head, and she tossed and turned the rest of the night.
Beauty darted in between the trees, jumping over logs and dodging branches. Every time she leapt over a log, she would flap her tiny wings, achieving a small amount of airtime before she slammed back down to the ground. Renya was certain that if it wasn't for the fact that she was carrying her on her back, Beauty would be able to fly.
The forest was dark, and Renya could hardly see anything in front of her. But Beauty didn't hesitate, prancing happily and weaving in between the trees. Her scales were starting to harden, and Travers said that her wings would be full grown within the next month, and she would be able to take to the sky.
Renya didn't care about flying, she just enjoyed the time they spent together in the forest. With Cressida circling on Brutus, far above the canopy of trees, Renya felt free. The affection she got from Beauty helped to fill the aching hole in her heart, and the dragon seemed to understand Renya in ways that Cressida never could. She was certain Cressida now trusted her, believing Renya was fully under her control, but she still maintained her attitude of aloofness. Sometimes, her icy exterior would melt, and she'd treat Renya like a friend, but never a beloved daughter.
Still, it was a vast improvement to how she was initially treated. She was well fed, better dressed, and was more powerful in her magic than ever before. But at night, she'd lay in bed, her body still and the room quiet, and she'd picture Grayden's emerald eyes staring at her. Renya would imagine them together, him on top of her, kissing and caressing every inch of her. Those were the moments she lived for.
During the day, she had Beauty. At night, the memory of Grayden.
Beauty slowed as they approached a large pond. Renya hadn't been this far into the forest before, but every day Cressida seemed to trust her more and more and allowed her more freedom.
Renya got off of Beauty, and watched her dance away to get a drink from the pond.
“Where are you?” Cressida bellowed from above, her view of Renya blocked by the thick foliage around the pond.
“Beauty is just drinking from the pond.”
“Head back as soon as she's done. Can you find your way if I go on ahead?”
This was the most freedom Renya was ever allowed. Cressida must truly trust her, to leave her alone in the forest with Beauty. “Yes, I know the way back. I'll see you soon.”
“You will join me for dinner this evening.”
“Okay,” Renya agreed, her eyes on Beauty. She hated the meals shared with Cressida, and they were happening more and more frequently. Several times a week her presence was required in the grand dining hall, and she was forced to make small talk with her mother. It wasn't all a waste, though. Occasionally Cressida would drop a useful tidbit here or there, and Renya added them to her mental arsenal to use against the Shadow Queen. She'd learned that Brutus's mate, Belinia, hated Cressida with a passion and refused to obey her. Cressida could no longer enter the glass enclosure, for fear that Belinia would attack her. Renya also noticed a large cut on Cressida's thigh. The ugly gash seemed to come and go, and Renya wasn't sure why it was there and other times, it disappeared. However, halfway through one meal, Renya dropped her fork and crawled under the table, and noticed it was there, even though it hadn't been there at the beginning of the meal. She deduced that Cressida was using her magic to conceal it. That fact alone kept Renya up at night, wondering why she would go through the effort to conceal a wound like that. Her mother was vain, yes. But it seemed like an awful amount of work to keep it hidden.
The sound of Brutus's wings flapping pulled her out of her thoughts, and she felt the gust of wind as he turned and headed back towards the castle, Cressida on his back.
Renya moved closer to Beauty, who had meandered over to the far side of the pond.
As she approached the dragon, she noticed her neck starting to feel warm. The closer she got to Beauty, the hotter it began to feel. Puzzled, she reached to touch her neck, only to find that the heat was radiating from the aragonite necklace Esmeralda gave her in the Tidal Kingdom.
She carefully unclasped the necklace and looked at it. There, in the dark of the forest, the necklace glowed a deep amber. Renya dropped the necklace in surprise, watching as it hit the mossy earth beneath her feet. She picked it back up, unsure of what was happening.
Suddenly, she remembered Esmeralda's story about the necklace, and how their legends said that it helped a mother find her lost son. Excitedly, she moved towards Beauty, and watched the necklace grow brighter and brighter. She continued walking, and after about ten feet the color faded and the necklace lost its luster.
Was it broken? Or was it a trick of the light? It couldn't be, because Renya felt the heat radiate from it before she saw the glowing beads.
Sighing, she balled it up in her hands and started back towards Beauty, worried if she dallied too long, Cressida would send Brandle to fetch her. The time she spent with Cressida's cousin, her second cousin, repulsed her.
