by Kirra Pierce
Adeena watched Darius move back to his original position, then abruptly turned to look at Cyn. For a moment, panic showed in her face before a mask of concentration took its place. “What do you need of me, Cyn?”
Cyn continued to look speculatively at Adeena a moment before relaxing his body posture a bit. “We need to speak with Cassandra after she returns from her walk with Melisande. I would like her alerted quietly. Could you please take care of this?”
“Of course.” Her voice even, only her flushed cheeks and the way she avoided looking at Darius gave away Adeena’s flustered state.
As soon as the door shut, Cyn turned to Darius. “Adeena came to me to escape the pressures from her family to marry. She is under my protection. I will not allow anyone to force a tie upon her she does not want.”
Darius’s muscles clenched, and for a moment, Ty thought he would have to actually act as a bodyguard and defend Cyn from the leader of the brethren. “There will be no force necessary. You saw. She felt it as much as I. She will choose to be mine.”
Cyn’s mien did not falter through the tense moment. Instead, he continued calmly. “Ah, one thing more you might want to know. Adeena is her family name. Her formal name is Princess Alexandra, and by our laws, until his majesty fathers a child, she is third in line for the throne. It is not only me you will have to deal with if you seek a permanent bond with Adeena.” He finished with a wicked smile.
Ty mentally rolled his eyes. Although Cyn loved to provoke, to tease, he usually held himself back because most recipients would be too afraid of His Grace to react freely. With Darius, there was no such problem. Ty and Marcus shared a look of understanding before Ty decided to get back to business.
“So, Darius, how many brethren are you sending, and when will they be ready? Quwe is no more than a day’s hard ride from here, and you know Cyn will want troops of his own to protect it once the brethren are ready. It might be a good idea for your men to be stationed near the town to better coordinate our efforts.” With this, the men began a detailed planning session.
Involved in their work, they didn’t notice the passing of time until another knock sounded on the door.
“Ah, that should be Cassandra.” As Ty stepped over to the door, his beast suddenly reminded him it had been hours since he had held her. Swinging the door open, however, revealed not Cassandra, but the concerned face of Adeena.
“Cassandra and Melisande are still gone, Ty. I had young Rodney watching to alert me when she returned. He has seen nothing. I looked in your rooms, her study, the library, and the dining hall. Finally, Cicely noticed my wandering about and asked if I was looking for Cassandra or Melisande. She said she had seen them take the west path into the woods from the tower walk. She followed, but didn’t see them. She called down the path, but they didn’t answer. Finally, she left, thinking them either beyond her hearing, or maybe, just wishing to be alone.
“It’s well past midday now. Perhaps you should check.” While she spoke, the others crowded around the door. Darius managed to get closest to the doorframe. Ty watched as he stared resolutely at Adeena, who stepped away, although she never appeared to take her eyes from Ty.
A frisson of alarm ran through Ty’s body. She is only with Melisande. They are likely neck deep in some discussion of court relationships, or perhaps Cassandra has spotted an interesting plant and is harvesting a sample. While he told himself these things, he still felt uneasy. They have been gone too long.
He refocused on Adeena. “Let’s go look. You three could continue our discussion?” The other men’s expressions mocked this suggestion.
Even Darius tore his eyes from Adeena to address Ty. “Cassandra was dear to us,” he said, gesturing to include Marcus, “long before you met her.”
Cyn, of course, would not be left behind either, so everyone plus two of the duke’s guards headed out to search.
* * * * *
Cyn and the brethren jerked to attention as they neared the woods. A low growl came from Ty’s throat. The guards tried to put Cyn behind them and looked searchingly for the danger. Cyn would have none of it, pushed them aside, and moved toward the wood along with Ty and Marcus.
Darius grabbed Adeena’s arm. “Stay here.” Then he was off as well.
Ty’s heart raced. The faint scent of strange beasts with the taint of raver lingered in the air. The smell grew stronger once they entered the shelter of the trees.
They quickly followed the women’s trail to where Cassandra and Melisande had sat on the rocks. The strong scent of three ravers showed where they had waited.
Ty released a relieved sigh. “There’s no scent of death or sex in the air. This wasn’t a typical raver action.”
“Here’s where they left.” Cyn studied the ground. “The ravers carried the women.”
Marcus looked around the rocks. “There are no signs of a struggle. I don’t know this Melisande, but it’s a surprise they would get Cassandra so peacefully.”
“What’s this? A dart.” Marcus held it up to his nose. “I smell the traces of some mixture coating it. I’ll wager that one or both of the women were drugged before the ravers took them.”
“And if both weren’t drugged, why not? Was Melisande involved in this? It sounds insane, a noble woman working with ravers, but it’s an amazing coincidence that the ravers were waiting right where the women walked. Walking together was certainly no habit they could have studied or anticipated.” Cyn frowned as his mind raced through the possibilities.
“Actually, Melisande often went for short contemplatives, as she liked to call her walks.” Adeena offered as she rejoined the group.
She gave a short, guilty shrug when Darius scowled at her. “I grew tired of waiting.”
“So Melisande was the target, or possibly she was involved in kidnapping Cassandra.” Ty stared off into the trees. When he turned back to the group, there was death in his eyes. “They have hours head start on us. Whatever their plan and whoever was their target, every moment she’s with them is danger to Cassandra. I’m getting a horse, Cassandra’s medical pack, and leaving.”
“We will leave,” Cyn interposed. “Darius? Marcus?”
“I, too,” Darius spoke. “Marcus, you will need to stay and send out our instructions from this afternoon’s planning.”
Cyn’s look pinned Adeena. “And you will act for me until I return. Marcus can brief you as to what additionally is happening and the men I need sent to deal with it.” Then he turned his gaze to the silent guard accompanying them. “Ty and Darius will suffice as guards for this trip. Marcus will be organizing an important mission for me where you can be of great help. Follow Adeena’s orders in my stead.”
Ty noticed Cyn studying him while they strode back to the keep. “I’m fine. Angry, worried, ready for blood, but sane. She did not go willingly. My beast feels the difference, and my control isn’t in danger. We’re in perfect accord; we want Cassandra back and the ravers dead.”
Chapter Twelve
You can’t see tomorrow, but tomorrow will look back on you.
Choose carefully what will be seen.
-- From Proverbs for School Children
(not that they ever paid attention)
Darkness closed all around them. The shadows pressed in like unwelcome visitors. Raphael’s beast pulsed within him, restless and edgy. The hunger so recently sated was upon him again. The likelihood of a fight with the ravers brought the need for blood, violence, and sex all to the front of his mind. He knew it showed in his face.
The villagers who hung on every word earlier now hung back. Their nervous glances excited the beast within. With effort, he reviewed their plans. They had sheltered the women ‑‑ the ravers’ desired prize ‑‑ and younglings at the banker’s home and the town jail. The dwellings were adjacent to each other, and both had reinforced walls to discourage any thoughts of robbery. Townspeople and the guard, armed with fire, tarred arrows, and swords, lay in wait. Watches and signals were determined. They were as
ready as they could be.
Raphael found himself heading back to Paulus’s cottage and to Miranda.
She sat on the porch in the chair the old man usually reserved for himself. The sag of her shoulders and the way her head rested limply against the wall told of her weariness. Even so, to him, she looked like beauty and the promise of comfort. Every part of him surged forward to be near her again.
His steps were quiet. She couldn’t have heard him come, but she didn’t start when the porch boards squeaked under his feet. He sank down between her knees and leaned into her, resting the side of his face against her belly. The perfume of her skin soothed him.
“Raphael.” A smile was in her voice. Her fingers wrapped in his hair to stroke his scalp, and for a moment, he and the beast were at peace. “Eli turned a corner. He woke briefly this afternoon. I think he may make it through.”
Moisture struck the back of his neck. He looked up to see her crying. “I didn’t know if I could do it, if my skill would be adequate. I was so afraid I would fail them, but I didn’t.” Relief was in her face.
Raphael was reminded that even though Miranda had poise and strength, she was still young in her profession. Incredible pride filled him. Mine. His beast gloated. This strong one is mine.
His gut clenched in a knot of need. Luna and Lana help me. The hunger was back with a vengeance.
Miranda gasped. “Your eyes ‑‑ they’ve changed to the beast!” She took a deep breath. “Oh, your scent… Raphael, you have been a shadow in my mind all day. Even with all this, you were an ache that never quite went away and now…”
“For me, also. I will be going out to patrol around the village. I want to go with the taste of you in my mouth, your scent clinging to my skin and mine to yours.”
“Paulus gave me his room to rest in while the others sit with Eli…”
He stood, pulling her up with him, one arm under her hips holding her snug against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. The beast howled within his soul when her head dropped to his shoulder. Mine! He strode through the cottage, ignoring the looks of those few inside.
The bedroom door bolt tapped into place, closing them in a small room with a dark wood chair in the corner, a standing closet, and a bed with a blue, padded quilt. He ignored everything but the bed as being unimportant. They were alone. Raphael released his control enough to allow his beast scent to fill the air.
Miranda moaned. “Raphael, you make me want. You make me hunger like your beast.”
Yes, she wanted him, too. “I will supply your every need.” His voice was gruff yet tender.
Her face was so beautiful in her naked hunger, her lips parted, her eyes upon him with expectation. He burned to see her fall apart for him. His cock throbbed to fill her, to feel her holding him, milking him in her wet, velvet grip.
Supporting her hips in one hand, he gripped her head with the other and watched her eyes fall shut as her head tilted back. He covered her mouth with his and slid his tongue inside to stroke every surface. The heat of her mouth reminded him of the heat in her body that would hold him later.
Pulling back, a loud growl rumbled up from his chest. Her hands fisted in his hair as he let her legs slide down until she stood. She doesn’t want to let go at all!
Her eyes opened. They were dazed and wanting.
Now. Take her now!
He stripped the clothing off her body with hands that trembled from the hunger and backed her to the simple bed. Her legs caught at its edge, and she tumbled onto its surface, with him following. He caged her body with his arms, trying to hold onto his control.
He nibbled her neck, licked over the racing pulse, and then went further down. Each gasp from her drove him wilder, closer to the edge. Her face contorted with need.
His hands went to her thighs, sliding over the satin-smooth skin and pressing them further apart for him. The scent of her sex called to him. He needed her taste in his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her thighs to pull her closer. Her muscles shook beneath the soft skin in his hands. His tongue ran all around her outer lips, over each dip and fold. He lapped the delicious liquid of her arousal and felt her quiver. When he suckled her clit, she spasmed and cried out beneath him and released more of her silky-hot cream. He pressed in closer to drink what he had earned.
Now. He had to give her more. He needed her to take him. Not just want. Need. The realization hit him like a sledgehammer. She must take me! He could not let her go. She is my chosen! He rose above her and paused for just a moment to meet her eyes.
“Now!” she demanded.
Yes! He thrust into her, pushing both their bodies across the bed with the force of it. He couldn’t speak the words yet, but this was a claiming. She was his. Her legs, her arms held him tight, urging him on.
Harder. He needed to fuck her harder, to mark her soul and make her his. More. His hips pistoned. The pleasure cut through his soul until she arched beneath him and clamped onto his cock in tight pulls. The ache within him broke free, replaced with ecstasy when she surrendered herself, shaking and clinging to him. With that, he surrendered himself also, his release shooting into the care of her body in rhythmic squirts.
“Chosen. Mine.” The words he could no longer hold back escaped his lips. Quickly he covered her mouth with a desperate kiss, afraid she would know his heart and reject him.
“Rest. I must go…” He tried to rise, but was held back by two feminine arms.
“Raphael, I…care for you, too.” The words drifted up to him from the edge of her sleep.
He breathed a small sigh of relief. She didn’t realize what he meant when he called her chosen. He held her hand to his cheek, then pressed a kiss into her palm.
He could still try to win her and not make her feel forced. He’d felt the stirrings of this possessive feeling with her before, but thought he had more control over his beast than this. Instead, he found himself bonded to her. As a long-time brethren, he had learned to accept what his beast instincts told him as true, so he didn’t try to deny the feelings of love and possession he felt for this woman. But, Miranda…how would she respond? Patience. She had no attachments to another. She would be his.
* * * * *
At first, Cassandra tried to sit stiffly in the arms of the raver, Johan, who carried her through the forest at a steady jog, but eventually, she let her muscles relax against him. He didn’t seem to notice one way or the other, and this way made the journey slightly less jarring to her. Now she understood Melisande’s earlier comment about the trip having been easier on her so far. When she was out from the drug, she felt none of the jolts she was treated to now. Do they never tire? It feels like hours since Eric announced it was time to leave their camp spot. Two of the ravers had scooped her and Melisande up, and they had been running with them ever since.
Gods, my head still aches from that drug, and now this!
Finally, they stopped. Suddenly dropped to her feet, and with her hands tied in front of her, Cassandra stumbled. She was surprised when her escort actually helped steady her.
A light shone through the trees, a cottage! Briefly, she thought about screaming, but if it were more ravers inside, it would only excite them, which could get her killed. If innocents lived there, they wouldn’t stand a chance against these killers.
Eric watched her with cold eyes that she could see quite well in the moonlight.
“Very good. You are smart enough to be quiet. Continue your silence. It will go better for you.” He turned to Melisande. “Stay here with her while we fetch our horses.”
“Eric, I’m still hungry. What say we leave no witnesses?” Farnes licked his lips and sniffed the air.
“No. Ammon said not to kill humans on this trip unless forced. We leave no evidence of ravers.”
Farnes pouted, but sighed his acceptance.
The ravers started to the cottage, then Eric turned once more. “Remember, stay quiet. If no one sees you, they will live longer.”
Without the women to burden them, they faded quietly, melting into shadows before her eyes. She turned to look at Melisande, who just turned away and rubbed her arms and legs. Cassandra opened her mouth to speak, but forgot her words when a shout of surprise followed by a shrill scream split the night.
Melisande dashed through the trees. Cassandra thought of running away, but knew there was no way she could outpace them or hide from their sense of smell. Best to stay by Melisande. She has at least some control over the creatures.
Melisande parted the last tree branches before a small clearing in front of the cottage and stopped so quickly that Cassandra struck her before she could halt.
Eric was holding a fallen body by one arm. Cassandra watched in shock as he shimmered and changed to his midform and began tearing bites from the flesh. Johan stood next to him dropping the body of a woman who, mercifully, appeared dead.
A voice rumbled from the midform horror. “They began to question us and ask for more money. They had to die. Leave us to our feast. We will clean the area and get you when we are ready. Now go!”
Melisande caught Cassandra’s tied hands and began to edge back toward the cottage when Farnes spoke out. “No. There are children inside. I can smell them.” He wiped drool from his chin, his eyes fixed on the door. “You two step back to the trees. I will take care of this one.”
“No!” The word seemed to echo in her head, but Cassandra realized it was actually Melisande speaking. “The adults you have already. I will not have you kill children.”
Farnes narrowed his eyes and growled. “You do not give these kinds of orders!”
