This time, the story’s end was up to me.
How do you win the love of a monster? And was Hawk right? If I won the Sea Wolf’s favor, was I strong enough to love a monster in return?
Love did not matter. I would open my legs for him tonight. Again. I thought of how well he lay between my legs last night and blushed. He certainly had skill. Maybe tonight would be no hardship.
A growl outside the window, and a scraping sound. I straightened. The Sea Wolf was coming.
The blond head and shaggy white pelt appeared first. He pulled himself through the window and when he rose, the room shrank. He was already naked. Under a pelt I’d wrapped up in for warmth, I was the same. It would save time, and I wouldn’t end up with another ripped dress.
I cleared my throat and found my voice. “Mead?” I asked.
The hulk remained in shadows, and still. Only two glowing eyes marked his presence.
“There’s meat also. I can go down and get Hawk to bring more—”
A thunderous growl crashed over me.
Don’t speak of Hawk, then. Or talk of leaving the tower.
But it was too late. The mountain came to me, hunched and sure-footed as a hunter. He moved like an animal. I forced myself not to flee. I walked slowly from the hearth to the bed, allowing him to herd me away from the door or the window. No escape. I could’ve told him I wasn’t going to run, but if I said the word run, he would pounce. The Wolf with me tonight was not a man but a wild thing.
I backed up to bed, setting my hand on his chest when he crowded me.
“Easy. I’m here. I’m yours.”
Another growl. I gasped, not in fear, but at the pleasure knifing through my loins.
The Wolf grabbed my hips and set me against him. I got a good feel of his cock. Monster indeed.
I tilted my head back, baring my throat. Allowing him to kiss me or rip my life out. The ultimate submission.
He lowered his great head, scenting up the line of my neck to my ear. He could kill me now. At least it would be quick.
“Take me then,” I whispered, not knowing whether I asked for death or pleasure. “Freely offered.”
He bit me, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to make me gasp. A splash of shock like cold water. The mark throbbed above my pulse.
He lifted me against him, his fingers digging into my buttocks and upper thighs, and rubbed me against him, up and down. Little sparks tingled between us. I clutched his shoulders, gazing into his golden eyes. His long, thick cock, trapped between us, rubbed between my slick folds. I wrapped my legs around his waist, rocking my hips against him as he held me aloft. His muscles were iron under my hands.
He smiled when I shuddered against him. I rode the white-hot edge of orgasm, my calves tugging him closer. Before my climax was spent, he lay me down, drew apart my legs and surged between them. His cock breached my entrance, stretching me, almost too big to fit. He growled and forced himself inside, shattering my first climax and sending me higher. I writhed, half trying to impale myself, half trying to get away.
He held my hips and waited. When I calmed, he rocked back and forth slowly, each stroke going deeper. I stared down at the cock thicker than my forearm disappearing inside me.
Large hands lifted my bottom, tilting my hips, ensuring his cock dragged over a secret spot above my entrance. I clawed at his forearms, desperate for him to stop, to never stop, to break me apart. He did not slow or waver. Nor did he speed his thrusts, even when I screamed curses at him. He laughed in my face. Climax after climax took me. Only when I relaxed backwards, limp and sated, did he bend over me, brace on one arm, and pound me into the bed. His final thrusts made me bounce. I expected him to root deep and shout his triumph, but he pulled out at the last, and spilled all over. Thick white seed covered my breasts and belly.
At least I won’t bear a child.
Looking down at the mess he made, he seemed pleased. I rolled my eyes.
With a grunt, he took my wrist and directed me to rub the pearly essence into my skin. I sighed and complied.
He strutted to the hearth to get the mead. His cock still stood out from his body, straight and proud. But he let me drink a goodly amount of mead, and wash my hands clean, though he wouldn’t let me wash my body.
I sat in his lap and played with his long, tawny locks of hair.
“You smell like the sea,” I whispered.
He grunted and palmed my breast.
I wrinkled my nose at my sticky state. “And I smell like you.”
Another grunt. This one sounded almost like “good.”
Then, with a gentle but firm grip, he guided my face between his legs.
He took me three more times, once standing by the hearth, my leg propped up in his hold. Once bent over the bed. Then with me on all fours, his length spearing me from behind. My back was covered with his seed just like my front by the time he let us simply lie together and rest.
I was glad I hadn’t been a virgin. Besides the pesky issue of blood, I wouldn’t have known how to handle such a warrior. I still was swimming beyond my depth. Lost in the Sea Wolf’s territory.
The Sea Wolf settled behind me. It was his turn to play with my hair, use it to tickle my ear. I was too tired to do more than half-smile.
The fire had almost died when he leaned close to whisper something. “Ægir.”
It took me a moment to understand. “Ægir?” I repeated the unfamiliar word.
He grunted assent.
“Your name?”
“Mmm.”
“Ægir,” I murmured. “Very well.” I rolled to my side, smiling fully when he curled around me. I’d taken his mark and his scent, and he gave me his name.
It was a start.
The morning sun spilled across Ægir’s sprawled form, turned his hair into a glowing crown. I extricated myself from his hold and tiptoed to the water bucket. I needed to wash, badly. Ægir might not appreciate me clean as much as he did when I was covered in his seed, but I preferred to be less sticky. And if he wanted to spend the morning pleasuring me and spilling his seed over me again... well, I would not protest. Much. I was stiff but not as sore as I’d imagined I would be.
A smile hovered over my lips as I bent to wash my face, but it fell away when I saw the thick mist hovering over the still liquid.
Trembling, I stretched my hand over the water. The mist parted and the island where I’d lived my whole life appeared. Fire danced in the image. The village was burning. The largest building—my father’s hall—was destroyed. The roof black and fallen in, the windows smoking. Bodies strewn about the yard, left to rot. Outside the still room, a body lay in the wreckage. Nanny’s eyes stared sightless at the sky. The only thing that moved was a raven, circling high above in silent vigil for the dead.
“No,” I gasped and dashed my hand into the water. The ripples spread but the image remained. “No!”
Ægir was at my side in an instant. I flung myself away from him, fighting when he grabbed me. “Let me go,” I shrieked. “I must go save them! It cannot happen, please—”
My cries mingled with his growls. He wrestled me to the bed where I curled, sobbing. His large hands roamed over me, searching for a wound.
“I’m not hurt. I’m not hurt!” I forced his hands down, swallowing against the knots in my throat. “It was a vision. They’re dead, all dead. Or will be.”
Dòmhnall would blame my father for losing him a bride. A fantastical story about mists and an ancient warrior would not deter him. He would have his revenge, and lay waste to the island in his mad rush to conquer.
“He’ll have the island by marriage or blood. He’ll kill them all for losing me,” I whispered.
Ægir’s eyes widened.
“You understand,” I rose and gripped his arms. “I have to go back. You have to let me go.”
He snarled.
I hung on and didn’t shy away. “If you love me, you will let me go.” I cupped his face in my hands. “Please, Ægir.
”
With a roar, he pushed me down to the bed. I covered my face, willing my tears to stop. My chest was heavy with grief. I had to convince him to let me go. It was the only way.
Ægir grabbed my right leg and tugged me to the edge of the bed. He used the rope to tie my wrists and ankles. I lay spread eagled and secured, an unwilling sacrifice. He stretched over me.
“Mine,” Ægir huffed.
I glared at him.
“Mine,” he growled. His knee nudged my legs further apart. I was wet and ready, but I shouted and fought as he pushed his cock into my tender opening. His stiff rod hit secret spots inside me that had my eyes rolling back in my head. I cursed and fought my pleasure. When his head dipped to kiss me, I gritted my teeth and turned my face away.
His hand closed around my throat. A collar of flesh and bone. He squeezed with fingers and thumb, pressing two points on either side of my neck. I growled at him. My chest rose and fell like bellows, dragging air into my lungs. He squeezed tighter and the room fell away. I felt as if I were floating above the bed. Ægir’s great body worked over me, his hips snapping, cock stretching and filling me until I did not know where he ended, and I began.
He loosened his grip a tad and I slammed back into my body. Caught in the crucible of pleasure, I writhed under him. Lights flashed behind my eyes. I gasped, tossing my head back and forth as white heat filled me.
Ægir released my neck but did not let me go. I was still tied up, but he further shackled my wrists in his iron hard hands and trapped my legs under his, using his body as a living cage. All the while his cock battered me in the best, most delicious way. My insides tightened, fluttering around the giant intruder.
“Ægir,” I moaned. I wasn’t fighting my pleasure anymore. My hips rose and fell under his.
He ripped the ropes away, snapping them where they secured me to the bed. I surged up, gripping handfuls of his hair to bring his face close to mine. But I didn’t kiss him. At the last, I turned my head to the side, caught the edge of his neck with my teeth and tore. Ægir bellowed and rooted deep in my body, spending his seed deep inside me with jerking thrusts.
“Mine,” I whispered. The taste of blood tingled on my tongue. I’d marked him as he’d marked me.
The air between us tingled, magic so thick I couldn’t draw breath. A heart beat later, it was gone. I licked the Sea Wolf’s blood from my lips and hungered for more. In some ways I was as wild as he.
He pulled away, running a hand over his face. I whimpered at the loss, but when I reached for him, he drew away further still. He tugged the ropes from around my wrists and ankles, freeing me. His head was bowed.
Rising up, I caught his face in my hands and brought his mouth to mine. I kissed him with everything I had.
When our lips broke apart, his chest heaved against mine.
I looked into his bright eyes. “I am yours. I do not want to leave. But I must stop Dòmhnall. He will listen to me.”
“No,” the beast roared until my ears rang. He kissed me again, his lips frantic and feral. The wild part of him knew he was losing his prey.
A tear rolled down my cheek unchecked. His eyes were so sad. “I must. I’m the only one who can save them.”
He wrenched away from me, leaving me cold and naked on the bed. I clutched a pelt to my chest, wincing when he kicked the water bucket down the stairs. He leaned against the hearth, every muscle in him tight as if ready to do battle.
“You can’t keep me here forever,” I told his back.
Ægir punched the stone again and again. I cowered as the tower shook. A crack formed in the wall. A few rushes rained down. Shouts from downstairs told me the other warriors had felt the foundations shift.
“What is it?” Hawk called from the stairs. “What’s wrong?”
I slipped off the bed, setting my feet to the floor gingerly. This tower might not stand much longer.
“Go,” Ægir muttered, facing the dead fire.
I sucked in a breath. I did not expect his permission to feel like a dagger driven into my heart.
I’m sorry. I swallowed the bitter words. I had to go.
I rushed to the window and climbed onto the ledge. I must use my magic now. If I did not hurry, I’d be too late.
A crash made me grab the side of the window lest my feet slip. Hawk stood in the doorway, the pitcher he’d dropped in pieces at his feet.
“Lass, what are you doing? Come down from there.” He raised his hands slowly, as if a sudden movement might make me fall.
“Go!” Ægir roared.
For a heartbeat, I balanced on the windowsill clinging to the jagged, rain-slicked rocks. The wind whipped my hair and raised goosebumps over my bare flesh. A single step—
“No,” Hawk cried.
I spread my arms and dove into the air.
The air hit my face, driving my hair back. In the next heartbeat, the Change came over my body. The magic tingled over my body, gripping and stretching me like I was the dough Nanny kneaded for bread. Half of me tore away but there was no pain, only a glorious rush, my body becoming light and small as a bird’s. My hands outstretched, fingers growing long and turning to black feathers. The water surface rose to smack me, but my wings caught the wind.
With a harsh cry, I flipped in the air, and settled into an air current. I spared a glance behind me.
Hawk stood at the window disbelief written on his face. I cawed once and winged away.
Ahead rose the two rock columns. Beyond them, the mist. I’d have to trust my senses to guide me from this magical haven. You can do it, daughter, my mother whispered.
Behind me rose a wild, keening cry. The sound spurred me on, through the portal and beyond. Ignoring the Sea Wolf’s song of sorrow, I flew in my raven-shape towards home.
The mist was thick on the water, but no storm raged. My mother’s voice called to me when the way was unclear. I did not know how long I flew, but by the time the mist broke I was half fainting from hunger. My bird wings struggled to catch the air. A gentle gust, a warm current from the south, guided me the rest of the way. I cawed with relief when the island appeared.
There were men on the beach—my father and some villagers, the ones I’d seen dead in my vision. Warriors in boats were rowing towards them but were still some ways out. Dòmhnall had come to destroy my father. The punishment for the disgrace of losing his bride.
But I hadn’t come too late to stop the destruction.
The wind brought me to the cliff. A small figure waved me in.
When my clawed feet touched the ground, I transformed and rolled, my clumsy human body ungainly and unbalanced.
“Muireann!” Nanny hustled forward, drawing her cloak off and wrapping it around.
“Nanny,” I croaked. My throat still thought it was a beak.
“I prayed you would stay away.”
“No. I must stop them.” I started down the path.
She grabbed my arm. “Wait! Your father goes to meet them.”
“And he and his men will die. I saw it.” I tugged her along. “I must go and explain to Dòmhnall.” Perhaps he would listen. Perhaps he would understand.
Perhaps he would let me go.
“Wait, Muireann, what happened? Where have you been?”
I halted. “Did Danny return?”
“He did, raving mad, telling tales about some monster in the mist and a Northman’s ship—”
“It’s true, Nanny. It’s all true. A Northman captured me. But I am fine.” I gripped Nanny’s shoulders, smiling to calm her fears. “He was kind to me. He is the Sea Wolf from the story. The one who was cursed.” The memory of his golden eyes, gentle and sad, filled me with longing and I choked.
Nanny saw what I could not say. “Oh Muireann.”
“I did not want to leave him. It was only two nights but,” I gulped down tears. “I would’ve stayed forever.”
“So, your mother’s tale turned true.” Nanny patted my hair. “Do you think—”
Shouts rose
from the beach. Dòmhnall’s boat must have landed. My time was up.
“I have to go.” Clutching the cloak, I bounded barefoot down the path.
I dashed down the path, but the boats beat me to the beach.
“Lord Dòmhnall,” my father greeted the son of the Uí Néill chieftain. My father wore no weapon or helm, though his men were armed. Danny stood nearby, twisting the edge of his tunic, staring at the many boats. Too many boats to broker peace. This was a show of force.
Dòmhnall swaggered up the sand, hand on his sword. “What is this? You stand proudly to greet me? You, who sent a message that my men were lost, and my bride had flown?” He stretched his arms out, smirking, though his men were hard-eyed and hatchet-faced. “What story have you come up with now? Were my men swallowed by a sea monster? Is my bride a selkie?”
“None of those things, my lord.” My father leaned on his staff. “We have the man who saw it all. He can tell the truth—”
“Don’t give me false tales, old man.” Anger swallowed Dòmhnall’s smile. His men shifted around him; their weapons ready. “You were told to send my bride. Whether by plan or by folly, you lost her.” He drew his blade and pointed it at my father’s head. “I’ll take your life as forfeit. This island is mine.”
“Wait!” I screeched. My father’s men turned to gawk. I raced the final few feet, stopping between the outstretched sword and my father.
“Muireann? What on earth?” My father grabbed me.
“It wasn’t his fault,” I told my red-faced would-be bridegroom. “It was all true. A warrior came and took me—” Dòmhnall’s eyes swept up and down my form and I tightened my hold on the cloak covering me. “But I escaped.” I turned my back to Dòmhnall. “I’m here now, father. All will be well.”
The men murmured around us. My father’s face was tight, but he pulled off his own cloak and bundled me in a second layer.
“So, your daughter is here,” Dòmhnall’s voice rose over the muttering. “Naked, half-crazed. Do you let her run about as she pleases?”
“Muireann has always done as she pleases.” Father knew a little of my magic. He would say no more in front of strangers. But he tugged me behind him.
Pirates, Passion and Plunder Page 54
