Capítulo 99: Chapter 99: A Moment Alone
Ravyn POV
The darkened room might as well have been a closet, for all the notice Ravyn took of her surroundings. She wound her arms around Jude's neck and stared into his eyes. "Alone at last, my mate, my Alpha."
His mouth covered hers once again, and she leaned into the kiss. It tasted so sweet and heavenly that she cried. Clinging to him, she kissed him back with equal fervor.
His solid, strong body felt warm and vital under her hands. She wished they were back in shifter lands so she could feel his naked skin. Failing that, she settled for caressing his lips with her own and encouraging his lips to part.
Growling, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, savoring her while he massaged her shoulders and pressed her against him.
Some part of her thought that they shouldn't be doing this in the royal palace, in a room where anyone could walk in on them at any moment. But wasn't that part of the thrill?
His mouth ate hers greedily, with renewed passion. He backed her up against the ancient stone wall and continued to plunder her mouth and her body, his hands everywhere, worshiping every inch of her. His hand found its way between her legs and stroked her through the fabric. He grinned wolfishly at her gasp of pleasure.
"I love your intelligence, your curiosity," he whispered. "The way you always want to go deeper and get to the heart of any situation. You're not satisfied with shallow or convenient explanations. It's incredibly sexy."
He nipped her shoulder, making her gasp anew.
"I love your loyalty to your family and your pack, and your dedication to making the shifters' lives better." She nibbled on his neck.
"You're going to drive me crazy," he moaned.
Smiling, she kissed her way up to his ear and dipped her tongue into it. The answering moan sent a thrill through her. He captured her lips again, and kissed her for all he was worth.
"God, I wish I could have you right now," he whispered in her ear. "To feel you around me. I never get tired of it. You feel so d*mn good when I'm inside you. I want to lock together with you soon, and spend days making love to you."
Ravyn twined her arms more tightly around his neck. "I love you so much, my love."
"Then kiss me again. Now."
Smiling, she closed the gap between them and kissed him. Heat rushed through her, and her blood turned to liquid fire. He kept up his exquisite torment, stroking between her legs and making her shudder. "I love the way you respond to me," he whispered.
Her head fell back against the cool stone. "Jude … we should get back."
"I don't think I've distracted you sufficiently."
His fingers became more insistent, touching spots that hadn't been discovered yet. The sparks of pleasure made her bite down. No one was around, and surely these rooms had seen more than their share of trysts. Yet some part of her felt quite naughty.
It was delicious and thrilling.
"Jude …"
"I'll let you go on one condition."
Her eyes were hazy. "And what would that be?"
"Come for me. Give me something to sustain me until I can have you all to myself."
His rubbing created the most luxurious friction, stoking the flames inside her. In no time at all, she burned with the fire of a thousand stars. Clinging to him, she rode the waves of sensation until they grew too overwhelming, and she came apart, her cries of fulfillment echoing in the room. Triumphantly, Jude held her close and whispered her name reverently.
When she could think again, she realized she lay with Jude on the carpet, staring at a desk. This looked like someone's office. Thank the Goddesses, Brigid and Selene, that it wasn't the king's study.
He stared into her eyes, stroking her hair with a gentle touch. "Thank you for that."
"You earned it after chasing your tail around worrying about Hades." Her eyes searched his. "Are you still angry about my trying to connect with and relate to him?"
* * * * *
Jude POV
Lying on the floor of one of the many, many rooms in the palace with Ravyn in his arms, he felt only pure contentment. The cares of the world evaporated.
"No," he said in a gruff voice. "I still don't want him anywhere near anyone I love–"
"Nor do I. We'd be fools, and we both know we're not. We have more than enough evidence that Hades is a master manipulator." Ravyn gazed into his eyes, and he saw nothing but sincerity. "I will NEVER be his dupe."
Jude smiled and kissed her pert, adorable nose. "Good."
"But we need to get inside his mind to work with him. It's no different than putting together a puzzle. You don't know what the picture is going to be."
He caressed her silky hair. "Disagree … we've seen the picture."
"Not all of it."
He grumbled. "No one warned me that witches and wise women have the same talent for being cryptic."
"That's because if we told everyone everything they know, they'd hide under the bed and stay there. Even Alphas, and the toughest warriors."
Jude grinned. "I suppose that's where faith comes into play. But I challenge you–"
"Please do."
"We know all that Hades is capable of. He nearly crushed the Crimsontails–his own pack."
Ravyn nodded, listening to him, giving him her full attention.
"Cyran certainly knows what he's capable of," Jude went on. "When he lectures about dark magic, he talks about it. He talks about how Hades controlled him and, in his own bizarre way, acted as if he loved Cyran."
Ravyn nodded again.
"Maybe he did," Jude continued. "Cyran is his blood, after all. That's powerful. It grabs you and doesn't let go. Did I ever tell you about Ernestina Faolan, one of my ancestors?"
"I don't believe so."
Jude paused, trying to recall the family history. "Our clan legends say that Ernestina once did a deal with frost giants."
"What?" Ravyn's mouth dropped open. "They're nearly untouchable. What kind of deal?"
"Mining deal. She wanted to buy their ores from their mines. Frost giants are exceptional miners, you know. Well, they negotiated for fourteen days straight in the Frostbeard stronghold in Lugdunum."
"Not far from here."
"Correct. Ernestina thought that it would be simpler to buy ores from the Frostbeard Clan. After all, shifters have to avoid silver exposure. But do you know what happened?"
Ravyn's eyes were wide, and she was hanging on every word. "No, what?"
"She didn't order any silver ores, of course. When the shipment arrived in Greywolf City, Ernestina and her employees opened the crates and handled the shiny ore." Jude lowered his voice. "At least one of them died from silver poisoning before the healer could get to them."
"NO!"
"Oh, yes." Jude fanned her hair out, admiring the way it looked in the dim light. More precious than gold. "To this day, the Frostbeards swear that they had no idea silver ores got mixed in with the original order. But family legend says that the frost giants knew what they were doing. It was a deliberate attempt to poison the shifters, many of whom they've distrusted for centuries. Now, we do trade with the Frostbeards today, but we never take their word for anything. I'm sure you can see the moral of this story."
Ravyn absorbed the new information. "I do. People sometimes betray you–especially when they know your weaknesses."
"Yes. Ernestina failed to appreciate how cunning and distrustful the Frostbeards were. Or, at the very least, she needed an inspector who wasn't a shifter. The point is that I'll work with Hades. He's our best play against the Dark Goddess. But I can never trust him."
Daxius cleared his throat, making them both leap up. "If you two are ready, Lord Hightower's carriage is waiting to take us to his estate, where we'll make the leap to Wildefell."
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
AmandaMadden
AmandaMadden Another Ravyn/Jude sexy moment! Hang on, more is coming...
The Frostbeards are another creation from my AI LitRPG sessions. They have a tense history with the shifters...and Lord Blackthorn may have some intrigue to complicate the Crestas' lives...
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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