Bonus Short – Rohan and Farah

I’m so happy you’re here!

Thank you so much for reading STORM WOOD. As a token of my appreciation for loving the Elven Kingdoms, here is an EXCLUSIVE bonus short!

Blissful. Idyllic. Sublime. Their new home was all those things and more. They had yet to name the place, despite everyone having their own ideas of what it should be. They had narrowed it down to Serenia, which was her favorite, and Arcadis.

The sun glittered off the water as waves built and rolled into shore. Brightly colored birds sang loudly as they flitted from one feather-like fronds that moved gently in the breeze. The heat was already rising, which was why she remained in the shade.

Farah dug her toes into the sand as she sat with her arms resting on her knees while she watched Rohan swimming back to shore. For the moment, there was only nine of them, which wasn’t a large number. But the fight against the corruption and depravity of their land had to begin somewhere.

Her hands were tender from weaving the shrava stalks. It was harder than it looked, but she was getting the hang of it. For the past week their group had been sleeping under the stars with the sand as their mattress as they worked to craft homes similar to those in Siguk. These wouldn’t be built into the cliffs, however. They would be hidden within the dense growth of trees and bushes.

Farah’s gaze locked on Rohan as he stood in the waves. Water rushed down his bronzed, chiseled front drawing her gaze as he made his way toward shore. She bit her lip as he smoothed the wet strands of hair back, making the muscles in his shoulders move and bunch. She watched as the water line lower along his stomach as he emerged from the waves. It receded below his naval, then to even lower to show the creases just below his abs that always made her mouth water. Her breath caught in her throat when the water dropped even lower, and she still hadn’t seen any clothes.

She glanced around to see if anyone was near as she surged to her feet. She dusted her hands off on her thighs as she started toward Rohan. Their gazes met, causing her feet to move faster. His lips curved in a lopsided smile as he halted in the waist-deep water.

She splashed into the waves and into his arms, their bodies colliding as the surf surged around them. He caught her with a growl, dragging her close, and their mouths crashed together in a kiss that seared straight to her soul. Time melted. The world faded. The ocean roared, but all she felt was him—his heat, his hunger, the unrelenting need that matched her own. Even after all the hours they had spent tangled together, it still wasn’t enough. She wanted more—of his touch, his fire, and the quiet promise behind every kiss.

Breathless and aching, she stared into his celadon eyes. Every time she didn’t think she could love him more, he would kiss her, give her that crooked smile, or bring her close, and she would melt all over again.

“Miss me that much?” he asked in a teasing tone. But the heat in his gaze as well as his arousal pressing into her stomach gave him away.

“Yes,” she answered truthfully.

He dipped his head and planted a kiss on her neck below her ear. “Want to go for a swim?”

Farah hadn’t ventured out deeper than where she now stood, but the temptation was great. She skimmed her hands down his body to his hips, waiting to feel the waist of his pants, but there was only skin against her palms.

His smile was wide when he lifted his head. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t notice.”

“Oh, I noticed,” she replied. “What do you think got me over here so quick.”

Rohan chuckled and took a step backward as he held her against him. “I found a private spot just around the rocks.”

She glanced toward the rocks and created the crescent bay. She knew how to swim, but diving into one of the numerous pools in the forest was different than the vast ocean before her.

“We can walk along the rocks, if you prefer.”

Her gaze slid back to him. “This is my home now. I need to be get as accustomed to the sea as I am learning to be climbing the cliffs.”

“And as I am still adapting to running among the tree limbs.”

They shared a smile. Despite living along the beach, they still snuck out to the rainwood so she could be in the forest, and he could continue to hone his skills. Besides, she was still hoping to come across Sea Elves, and she had a better chance in their domain.

She walked around him and pushed off into the water before she looked over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”

He caught her before the words were out of her mouth. She laughed right as a wave came over her and ended up with a mouthful of water. Rohan righted her until she stopped coughing, a smile on his face.

“Happens to the best of us,” he said and gave her a quick kiss. “Follow me.”

The push and pull of the currents caused her body to tense and fight against it.

“Relax,” Rohan urged her.

Farah looked over to see him gliding effortlessly through the waves. Eventually, she became more accustomed to the movement of the ocean and was able to relax enough to have fun. Their swim was leisurely and unhurried. Rohan dipped beneath the water, coming up on her other side. He flipped onto his back to stare up at the passing clouds before diving down again to pop up where he had originally been.

Before she knew, they had reached the edge of the cove. Rohan guided them around the jagged rocks. They moved together effortlessly, as if the sea itself made way for them. And then, they were inside a small, hidden inlet carved from stone and magic, tucked just beside their bay. It was like entering another world.

The water was calmer, gentler. Towering trees with wide fronts swayed high above them, rustling softly in the breeze. Their long shadows spilled over the ivory sand, painting the cove in filtered gold and green. The air was thick with the scent of sun-warmed salt and a sweet from the blossoms hidden in the dense canopy. It was quiet, intimate. Sacred.

Rohan turned to her as they treaded water, his eyes dark with desire and love. The fire in her veins roared to life again. He took her hand and walked her into the shallows and pressed her back into the warm curve of a sunbaked rock. He caged her in, water lapping gently at their hips, his eyes hungry. Her stomach quivered with expectation.

“No one will find us here,” he promised, his voice roughened by need.

She pulled him close. His mouth was on hers a breath later—hot and ravenous. The kiss was the kind that made her toes curl and her thigh clench, a kiss that didn’t ask, but demanded. Claimed.

And she gave in willingly.

She no longer felt the waves. Only him. His solid chest pressed to her breasts, the rigid length of his cock, thick and hard between them. She felt his hands pulling at her clothes, and, within moments, they were skin to skin.

He growled, lifting her, his hands gripped beneath her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The salt-slickened head of his arousal nudged her entrance. She arched against him with a moan. There was no teasing, no slow buildup. Just need. Pure and primal.

He trust inside her with a single stroke, burying himself deep. She cried out, her fingers digging into his shoulders as pleasure crashed through her. His hips rocked hard and fast, his thrusts deep and hungry, each one sending water splashing around them. The rock at her back steadied them, but he was the one anchoring her—his hands, his body, the guttural sound of her name on his lips.

Her climax built fast, sharp and fierce, tightening with every grind of his hips. He reached between them and found her clit with his thumb, circling it in time with each thrust. She shattered seconds later, a cry torn from her throat as her release ripped through her like lightning.

He cursed and buried his face in her neck, hips jerking as he followed her over the edge. The pulsing heat of him inside her, the sound of his low groan against her skin—it undid her all over again.

They stayed tangled together in the water, breathless, the cove holding them in its quiet sanctuary. Fronds rustled above, and somewhere nearby, a seabird cried out—but none of that mattered.

Only him. Only her.

Only this.

If you’ve enjoyed STORM WOOD, be sure to find out what’s happening in the Dark Universe with the Dragon King series and the Elven Kingdoms series!