I wasn’t used at all to feeling so calm and protected. We lingered like that for a long while, quiet and still. I closed my eyes behind the blindfold. His breathing was so slow and deep, he seemed to have fallen asleep, and I was tempted to catch a shuteye too. All of a sudden he shivered, sat up and kissed my forehead.
“A storm is coming,” he muttered. “I’ll close up the access for you. Gather as much firewood and water as you can.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He helped me to my feet and headed to the end of the cave.
“May I get dressed, my lord?”
“Of course.”
His replied came at a regular volume. A deep, very manly voice, so warm it made me breathe deep.
“What is it?” he asked, moving closer.
I shrugged and his finger appeared out of nowhere to lift my chin.
“Child?”
“Your— Your voice, my lord,” I mumbled.
“What about it?” He was whispering again. “Do you recognize it?”
I shook my head.
“Are you sure?”<
Just like the night before, I wore the purple dress, tied the black ribbon around my wrist and sat down on the pallet by the fire, my eyes caught by the flames, lost in gloomy thoughts.The storm blew stronger outside, like a raging blizzard.I had no way to know for how long I sat there after the night closed. A crackling branch startled me, and I realized I’d been dozing out. I added more firewood, wrapped myself in the cloak and opened the bearskin hanging only enough to sneak out. Snow fell so thick, not even my demon eyes, like he’d called them, could see the end of the rocky ledge.I stood there, my back turned to the wind, looking south, until the cold made my cheeks hurt and my feet go numb. Then I hurried back inside, careful to leave the hanging corner loose for him, even though now I was convinced he wasn’t coming. Such a blizzard was dangerous even for a wolf. And I wasn’t worth the trouble.I sat back down on the pallet, stubborn as a mule, a
I grabbed his wrist, frowning. Still stunned by pleasure, I refused to miss the chance of tasting him again. I wanted to. I needed to. And I was in no mental state to realize I was disobeying one of the lords of the Dale.He allowed me to loosen his grip, breathing in as I licked his fingers clean. My head was spinning, my body relaxed. When I finally let him go, he took me in his arms to hold me tight.“How are you feeling?” he asked, worried.I nodded with a little smile. I was losing track of my surroundings. Dizzy, stunned, yet light and satisfied.“Please, let me know if—”I didn’t hear what he said next. My eyelids were down behind the blindfold, and I curled up against him, floating in a cloud of bliss I never wanted to come down from.I woke up with my face against his shoulder, my arm across his back. The wolf was sleeping on his belly, his face turned to the end of the cave. I let go of him, embarrassed, and I felt him roll over to
His teeth pressed softly the back of my neck, sending a chill down my spine and sparkling a prick in my womb. I arched my back until my butt brushed his hips, letting out a muffled moan. He caressed my buttocks before holding me in his arms, wrapping me in his warmth.“Sleep, child,” he whispered in my ear.His voice seemed to push my eyelids down behind the blindfold, and I fell asleep a heartbeat later.I opened my eyes to the empty cave and I was surprised to find in the fire had just been fueled. Maybe the wolf had just left, and that was what had waken me up? Outside it was still snowing, but the wind was winding down.I felt rested, full of energy. I pulled the blanket away and hurried to wear the hunter outfit. I ate some nut while I did some tidy up. And I took a moment to smell the bed sheet before covering it with the blanket and the bearskin, enjoying the trace of the wolf’s essence left in the fabric. When I had nothing left to do, I filled the pot with the water I had left
I frowned, puzzled.“Me? What do you mean, my lord?”His chuckle sounded almost like a growl. He stood up and I heard him stirring the stew again. The smell from the pot felt like tugging at my stomach.“Come,” he said, taking my hand.He led me to sit down on the stool by my trunk. A moment later, he put a spoon in my hand and guided the other to a bowl overflowing with food. I’d never eaten blindfolded. I could only hope I wouldn’t make too much of a mess.“If you don’t mind, I’m eating what’s left.”“Of course, my lord. Had I known, I would’ve cooked more.”“Next time,” he replied, and I thought he sounded like smiling.I heard him fill another wooden bowl and sit down on the floor, between the fire and me.“You know? Something about you felt disgusting,” he said in a thoughtful way. “But seeing what they’d done to you overcame my rejection. And while I was watching over you, you cuddle up against me and call me w
“And you?” I asked in a thread of voice.“I’d be taken to trial and punished.” He shrugged, kissing my forehead. “But not before the immortals find you north of the Red Woods. I would never get to you in time to save you and run away with you across the mountains."“Why would you do that, my lord?”“Run away with you?”He chuckled once more and lifted me in his arms to kiss me. Then he lay me down on the pellet to lie on top of me.“Because you’re mine, child,” he breathed before kissing me again. “And soon I’ll be yours forever and ever.”At any other time, such a statement would have turned me into a sea of tears out of happiness and disbelief. But he didn’t give me a chance. He finished talking already taking off his jerkin, and kept kissing me as he undressed me.Within minutes, he made me moan and shiver against his mouth, lost to that blinding pleasure, that thrust through me like a fiery spear, from my groin to my chest.
I don’t know how long we lingered like that, until a chilling gust found its way into the cave, making me shiver. He pulled away and stretched toward my trousers. As soon as I wore them, I kneeled down between his legs. I smiled with tears in my eyes, holding his head in my hands, and kissed his forehead.“Thank you, my lord,” I whispered against his thick fur. “Because not only did you save my life, but you gave me the best reason to stay alive: yourself.”He jumped on me, pushing down on the pallet, and lay by my side, his head under my arm, licking my face until he made me laugh. I stuck to him, holding him tight, while he rubbed his nose against my hair.I would’ve ripped my stomach out, because it got tired of being ignored and started growling and making all kinds of noises. The wolf sneaked away from my arms right away, and I had no choice but get up and grab a bite.I ate the last nuts while I cleaned the cave a
He went into the cave ahead of me, and as soon as I walked in, he came with the black ribbon in his mouth. I dropped what I was carrying, covered my eyes without a word and turned to face the wall. He took me in his arms a heartbeat later, made me turn around and kissed me deep, holding me against his naked body.“I’m sorry,” he whispered by my ears. “I wanted you to move freely the whole day, but I couldn’t wait any longer to kiss you and talk to you.”“Get dressed, my lord, please,” I murmured, breathing in the exquisite fragrance of his body. “It’s so cold.”He lifted me in his arms, chuckling, and on his way to his chest, he sat me down on the pallet. I heard him get dressed and grab firewood from the pile.“We came back just in time,” he said, fueling the fire. “Your buns almost burned and the fire almost died out.”The comforting heat of the flames caused me a chill. He sat down by my side and held me in his arms.“I’m sorry I pushed y
We had dinner sitting there, together by the fire. The rabbit was delicious. We hardly said a word, too busy devouring it straight from the skewer.The wolf kept chuckling as he watched me eat the rabbit leg he gave me, tearing the meat with my teeth and gnawing at the bone. After that, we polished off the stew, and had the water as soup. When we finished, he handed me a bowl full of blueberries and took out what we’d used for dinner, including the skewer with the rabbit skeleton.“Are you leaving it all outside?” I asked, surprised.“The last thing we need is a mountain lion sneaking in for a snack while we sleep,” he replied. “You’re enough of a temptation for them. Rumor has it they like you.”I blushed up to my ears.“The Alpha told you?” I asked in a thread of voice.He crouched down before me and took the bowl from my hands.“What are you talking about, child?”His hardened voice sent a chill down my spine.“Answer
The one who had recognized me stood before me and slapped me with all her strength.“We’re not afraid of you, abomination,” she snarled.Another one took her place with a mocking smirk and slapped me too.“You should’ve stayed in the kitchens,” she said.It was then that one of them spotted the moonstone pendant around my neck.“What are you doing with such a fine jewel?” she cried, outraged.She tried to grab it, but I covered it with my hand.“Don’t you dare touching it,” I warned her.Lila and another girl held my arms back. The tall one grabbed the pendant chain and twisted it around my throat, choking me until I stopped wriggling.“Where did you get this moonstone?” she demanded.“The queen gave it to me,” I grunted, gasping for air.“The queen! Sure!”“To a bloodsucker like you!”
I froze in fear, and Tilda grabbed my hand to make me walk again.“No, Tilda! Please!” I begged at the brink of tears. “I’ll serve any other table! I’ll scrub privies with Aurora and Selene! But don’t make me serve the Alpha!”She stopped to face me, surprised.“What is it, Joy? Why are you so afraid of him? I didn’t know you’d even seen him.”I shrugged, trying to find an answer without lying. The bathhouse! I told her about my coming across him while bathing Brenan, and how he’d reacted to seeing me. To my despair, Tilda shook her head, smiling, and kept walking.“Well, yes, he has a temper. But don’t be afraid, you’ll be fine.” She opened the door to my room and motioned for me to walk in. “Change your clothes. The green dress will work. I’ll wait to take you with the parlormaids.”I did as she said, fighting back my tears. My
The next day, I woke up before him. I was surprised to notice a trace of daylight through the black ribbon.“My lord?” I whispered, caressing his back. “Isn’t it morning already?”“It’s Sunday,” he grunted, sleepy, his face surely sunk in his pillow. “We don’t need to get up yet.”“But you’re going to church.”“I can go after lunch.”“And what excuse will I give to miss it?”“That you’re exhausted after a week scratching furry bellies,” he grumbled, rolling over to lay on his back.I giggled, feeling for his face and finding his eyes closed, his brow furrowed.“My lord, you know I can’t get dressed blindfolded.”“You’re in a hurry to leave me.”“Look who’s talking, counting down the days to go fight the vampires and leave me here, all alone in
The news spread as if wolves spoke with their minds.The healers overwhelmed me with questions about my encounter with the Luna queen, and seeing how over the top they were, I figured the whole castle was surely aware, or would be soon. I shrugged with tears in my eyes.“She’s the sweetest being I’ve ever met,” I said, and for some reason, that was enough of an answer for them.Even the wolf mentioned it that night.“Royal spoiler?” he teased, amused. “I have to call you my lady now.”“My lord!” I complained.He held me in his arms, chuckling, and kissed my forehead.“Thank you, my love,” he whispered, suddenly serious. “One day you’ll understand the importance of what transpired today. We’re honored she gave us her blessing.”“I’m happy to do anything to make things easier for you, my lord.”“And you h
The princess and the white wolf stopped a step away from me. I remained very still, fighting back my anxiety, while the wolf sniffed my head.“Look up, little one,” the princess commanded.I did, finding the queen’s shrouded eyes. Mine got full of tears. She smelled my face first, then my moonstone pendant, and let out a quick pant. The princess crouched down and the wolf brought her head down a little.“My mother wants to welcome you to the castle, Joy,” the princess said in a warm tone.She studied me for a moment and frowned, because I couldn’t fight back my tears any longer.“Speak. Why are you so moved?”I mustered all my courage to face them, my eyes on the beautiful white wolf, who seemed to be wrapped in an aura of wisdom and kindness.“I just want to express to you my heartfelt gratitude, your Majesty,” I said, my voice shaky. “Your husband saved my life when h
Aine and the other girls her age got busy with the decoration for the party, so we suspended my lessons for a while. All the service women were overwhelmed with work, which caused a multitude of little accidents. Not to mention the work for the cleaning and laundry crews was twice the usual, because they had to ready the guest wing.Tilda said it was the first time in her decades as a healer that so many humans knocked at her door. We spent our days taking care of small cuts, light burns, scratches, bruises. Soon Ronda joined us, because we hardly had the time to replace everything we used and get ready for the next day.And I insisted that we should double our production of infusions and lotions for joints, digestive problems and allergies, because I didn’t want to overlook the women we were already caring for.So Marla had to send three more healers to help us.“It’s the lionet’s fault,” they said, laughing. “How are
“Please, love!”I smiled, the tip of my tongue sliding up his erection in no hurry.He shivered from head to toes and his fingers moved faster, in and out of my body, to let me feel his urgency.I looked up, parted lips, enjoying his double caress. His hips came up, reaching for my mouth, while he panted and grunted. I decided it was enough of playing with him. So I lowered my head, taking in my mouth as much of him as I could, my tongue pressing his tense skin.He let himself go with a hoarse moan, my fist steady against his pelvis, letting his exquisite flavor pour on my tongue.Before I could do anything, he grabbed my waist and lifted me effortlessly. He guided my knees to sink into the pillows straddling his head. I grabbed the headboard when he made me literally sit on his face, his mouth between my legs, his hands grabbing my buttocks.It was my turn to moan and shiver and beg, his seed quelling my mind to enhance my sensa
Aine came to sit at the edge of the pool while Brenan lay on the bottom and I filled the bucket.“I come as a translator,” she smiled, nodding to her brother, and lowered her voice. “He wants me to tell you to not pay attention to those hags, because Ronda is right.”I nodded, adding lotion the water. I poured it on his back and rested a hand on him to stretch and reach the brush.“Ouch!” I cried, pulling my hand away with something stuck to my fingers.“Surprise!” Aine giggled, nodding to her brother for me to know it was his words.I looked closer at my fingers and found a tiny prickle stuck into my fingertip. I ran my hand carefully along Brenan’s fur and frowned.“Where have you been, my lord?” I asked, and looked up at Ronda, who was joining us back. “He’s full of thorny prickles!”The healer giggled with Aine while Brenan flapped his tail and pan
Ronda stood up, shaking arms and hands.“Wash the pool while I get more clothes,” she said to me.Kellan soon jumped into the pool. The healer left a basket with all I needed by the edge, within my reach, but she didn’t get into the pool with us.“Since you’re not a wolf, and you don’t know what parts need more and less frictions, maybe your touch can help you,” she said, turning the crank to fill my bucket. “We have a thick skin, so don’t be afraid of scratching harder when you find a crust. This time of the year, sometimes we need help to get rid of the last traces of bubbler we secrete during the cold months. Whatever you do, trust your gut, and that Kellan will let you know if he doesn’t like what you’re doing.”“Well, my lord, here we go,” I murmured, pouring the first bucket of warm water along his back.Ronda’s suggestion made everything easier, because