by Amber Burns
Though simple, the dress was nevertheless elegant and beautiful. The long-sleeved, pale yellow underdress was made of a soft fabric, and the overdress was of a heavy, forest-green brocade that laced up the front of the bodice. A simple pattern of leaves was embroidered along the neckline in a marigold-hued thread, and it matched the pattern embroidered upon the green slippers.
Clearly, Dresdyn had intended for Klaryssa to wear the lovely gown to dinner after she had finished bathing. Unfortunately, Klaryssa would not be making it down to dine with Dresdyn, and as Klaryssa hastily donned the beautiful clothing, it was with a strange ache radiating out from her heart as tears welled up in her eyes. It was with a shaky hand that Klaryssa wiped her tears away before tying her long, wet hair into a messy knot at the nape of her neck while stepping quickly over to the window.
Pushing the window open, Klaryssa peered out into the growing night before casting her gaze downward to the ground below. There was a break in the storm, and the smell of rain and wet grass hung heavily in the air. The distance between the ground and Klaryssa’s window was too far to be jumped safely, but perhaps she could manage it if she fashioned the quilt and bed sheets into a rope. While she knew the rope would not reach all the way down, Dynol willing, the worst Klaryssa would suffer was a sprained ankle or a sore bottom after letting go and dropping down the rest of the way. Either was a small price to pay for the sake of helping her family.
Knowing that time was of the essence, Klaryssa quickly turned and crossed over to the bed before stripping it of all the bedding. Once she had tied the sheets and quilts together, she tightly secured one end to the bedpost closest to the window before carrying the rest over to the window and dropping them. Klaryssa held her breath as she watched the makeshift rope unfurl as it fell, and she silently prayed to Dynol that it would, in fact, be long enough.
It was!
Klaryssa’s glee was quickly eclipsed by her sorrow as her departure became a reality, and it was with a heavy heart and watery eyes that she firmly grabbed hold of the rope while carefully climbing out the window. As she slowly began climbing down the side of the castle, she mentally berated herself for grieving the loss of a life that she had no right in having to begin with. She was a commoner...as common as they came. She did not even know how to read. Klaryssa knew that she had no business living in a castle beside a man as devastatingly handsome and passionate as Dresdyn. No business at all.
No matter how her heart and body screamed in protest.
Klaryssa stubbornly blinked away the tears that had escaped her eyes and continued to climb down her rope of bedding. No matter what her heart desired, she would stay true to her sense of duty. Her heart mattered not in the face of her family’s needs, and so, Klaryssa continued her descent.
Until she heard the howl of a single wolf.
Klaryssa paused and tightly gripped the sheets as she fearfully cast her gaze around into the growing night. While she could see no trace of the beast, she could not help but hesitate in her endeavor. Where there was one wolf, there was more...there always was.
A second howl rang through the air, and was joined by another, and another, until they sounded through the night in a chilling chorus. Just as Klaryssa began debating whether or not she should take her chances in her continued escape, she saw them approaching in a quick trot.
A pack of wolves formed a semi-circle on the ground below Klaryssa and gazed up at her. Their amber eyes glinted in the night, and they snarled while bearing their deadly fangs. Klaryssa shrank into the wall while clinging to her makeshift rope with a death grip. She thought about calling for help, but hesitated. Calling for help would only expose her attempted escape, and Klaryssa had no way of knowing just how Dresdyn would react to her seemingly thankless and ungrateful behavior.
Perhaps, she could climb back up to her room?
If Klaryssa could make it back up to her room, then no one would be the wiser, and she could attempt to escape at the next possible opportunity. Then, there only remained the issue of fending off Dresdyn’s passionate advances. It would hardly do to have herself sullied before her wedding day...no matter how her body longed for Dresdyn to take possession of it. The mere thought of Dresdyn caused wetness to pool between Klaryssa’s legs even as she struggled to climb back up the blanket rope, and her heart raced with excited glee at the prospect of being reunited with the man who had so authoritatively declared her to be his.
But then, Klaryssa’s foot slipped.
The stone wall was still slick and slippery from the storm, and Klaryssa’s eyes widened in horror as she fell while she had been in the midst of changing her grip upon the makeshift rope. She screamed before she could stop herself, and she was barely able to regain purchase upon the rope. The wolves howled and barked, and Klaryssa could not help the tears that welled up in her eyes as she watched them close rank below her. Her arms ached with the effort of keeping herself from falling, and a wordless sob escaped her when her foot slipped yet again as she tried once more to climb back up to her window.
“So, this is how I die,” Klaryssa whispered while tightly squeezing her eyes. “Saved by brigands only to fall and be torn apart by wolves.” Another sob escaped her. “May Dynol look favorably upon my father and sister even after I have passed.”
“They will not harm you.”
Klaryssa’s eyes snapped open, and she looked down with a mixture of relief, fear, and confusion upon seeing Dresdyn standing calmly among the wolves. His hands were clasped loosely behind his back, and Klaryssa could see an expression of disappointed betrayal upon Dresdyn’s handsome, bearded face in the light of the rising moon.
“Come down,” Dresdyn said.
Klaryssa looked to the wolves and then wordlessly shook her head.
“I give you my word that the wolves will not harm you,” Dresdyn reiterated. As if to prove his point, he reached out to the wolf on his left and stroked its snowy-white fur before giving it a scratch behind the ears.
“Then why do they snarl and bear their teeth at me?” Klaryssa asked.
“To deter you from leaving,” Dresdyn replied matter-of-factly while stepping forward. “Now, come down this instant,” he said in a firmer tone while setting his jaw.
“I...I don’t know if I can without falling,” Klaryssa admitted while hanging her head. She could not remember how long it had been since her last decent meal, and her arms trembled with the effort it took to keep herself in her current position.
“Then, let go, and I will catch you,” Dresdyn replied calmly while taking another step forward while holding his arms out.”
“But I—”
“Blood of all the gods, woman,” Dresdyn snarled, his voice becoming rough and guttural. “Let go of the fucking rope, now!”
Just before she let go with a startled squeak, Klaryssa swore she saw Dresdyn’s eyes flash amber, but she did not have time to focus on it as she plummeted to the ground with a scream while squeezing her eyes shut. Her scream died in her throat when she felt two strong arms catch her, and when she slowly opened her eyes, it was to find Dresdyn’s blue eyes gazing down at her while his mouth pressed into a hard line of disappointment.
“I...thank you, My Lord,” Klaryssa whispered while trying to ignore the way her womb clenched and ached with longing upon being in such close proximity to the man who had now saved her twice.
“Why were you trying to escape?” Dresdyn asked with an underlying growl.
“Because, I must,” Klaryssa replied while attempting to free herself, only to find Dresdyn’s grip to be like iron.
“Why?” Dresdyn asked tersely.
“Because, my family needs me,” Klaryssa answered desperately.
“I need you,” Dresdyn growled.
“No, you don’t,” Klaryssa replied tearfully as she continued her struggle to free herself from Dresdyn’s embrace. “A man of your power and position can have any women he so desires. To you, I am easily replaced, but such is not the case with my family. Their li
velihood depends upon me, and me alone.”
Dresdyn’s hold upon Klaryssa remained firm. “While your sense of loyalty is worthy of praise, I fear you are fretting for nothing. I told you that your family would be well compensated for your sudden departure. Do you not believe me to be a man of my word? Not even after all I have done for you in so short a time?”
“I don’t know you, My Lord,” Klaryssa retorted while ceasing in her struggles and meeting Dresdyn’s gaze head-on. “I know that you will not hesitate to kill a man at ten paces, and I know that you take what you want, but other than that...I have no idea as to your true character. You say that you will compensate my family, but how much? A few coins? That won’t do them any good. I tell you that my father and sister cannot survive without me, and I mean it.” Klaryssa hung her head to hide the fact that her eyes had welled up with tears again. “I am deeply flattered and honored that you would choose me, but I’m afraid I simply can’t accept.”
“Is it the man to whom you’re betrothed?” Dresdyn asked with a dangerously calm voice that by no means hid his jealousy.
Klaryssa simply nodded.
“Do you love him?”
“I…” Klaryssa tried to lie but found that she could not. “No, I don’t love him,” she answered with a shake of her head.
Dresdyn growled low in his throat, and his grip tightened upon Klaryssa. “And yet, you still choose him over me, even though I can feel just how much you yearn for me even now? Why? Why subject yourself to such a life?”
Klaryssa raised her gaze to Dresdyn then, not caring that her tears had spilled down her cheeks. “Because, if I don’t marry Bailey, then my father and sister will be left destitute!”
Dresdyn had not expected this answer, and the sight of Klaryssa’s obvious distress quelled his anger. “Explain,” he said in a gentler tone.
“My father’s farm hasn’t yielded any crops in almost four years...nothing that can fetch a price at market, in any case. The crops we do manage to grow are barely enough to keep us fed.”
“Is that all that’s worrying you?” Dresdyn asked while lowering Klaryssa carefully to her feet at last so he could wipe away her tears with surprising tenderness. “I can compensate them with more than enough to buy a more fruitful and fertile farm.”
“And who would tend it?” Klaryssa asked pointedly. “Will you also give them enough money to pay farmhands? My father fell ill this past winter, and he still hasn’t recovered. If anything, his condition has worsened. That leaves only my sister to tend to the farm. Bailey owns the farm next to ours, and his crops are always bountiful. If I marry him as planned, then my family will be taken care of. We can combine our farms, or even forsake ours all together.” Klaryssa sniffled. “My father could live out however many days he has left in relative comfort, and my sister won’t be left alone in the world.”
Dresdyn regarded Klaryssa silently for several moments. Despite her naturally submissive and timid, there was nevertheless a quiet strength and resolve coursing through her. The tenacious lengths for which she was willing to go for those she loved warmed Dresdyn’s heart like never before, and he was more certain than ever that she was the woman meant for him. “Come,” he said at last while gently, but firmly, taking hold of Klaryssa’s arm. “Let’s get you back inside.”
“Please, My Lord,” Klaryssa entreated tearfully while trying to free herself, but to no avail. “Please, I beg of you, let me return to my father and sister. My sister is only thirteen years of age. She is a child, My Lord. She is far too young to care for our father and the farm, and she is far too young to marry. She needs me! You must let me go to her!”
“I am afraid I cannot let you go, my sweet doe,” Dresdyn replied simply with a shake of his head. “You are simply too important to me, regardless of how insignificant you believe yourself to be in my life. You are mine, and I will share you with no other.”
Klaryssa sobbed. “But--”
Dresdyn stopped in his tracks and held up a hand in indication that he had not yet finished speaking. “But…” He slowly breathed out through his nose and closed his eyes to hide his disbelief at what he was about to suggest. “I can invite your father and sister to live here in the Keep.”
Klaryssa’s eyes widened and filled with hope. “Really? Do you mean it, My Lord?”
Dresdyn slowly exhaled once more and gave a small nod. “If it will make you happy, then yes,” he replied, speaking the truth. By the fur of Blaiddwych, the woman before him truly was his mate. Already, her happiness and welfare were effortlessly pushing themselves to the forefront of Dresdyn’s mind. He would not have broken this age-old law for anyone else; but, for Klaryssa, the risk was worth it.
Simply to see Klaryssa smile so beautifully, like she was at that moment.
“Oh, My Lord!” Klaryssa threw her arms around Dresdyn’s neck. “Thank you!” With Dresdyn no longer wearing his armor, Klaryssa was able to feel the strength and warmth of his body through the fabric of his tunic, and she eagerly pressed her own body against him.
“There are conditions,” Dresdyn said pointedly while resisting, with great difficulty, the urge to wrap his arms around Klaryssa’s lithe frame. It was no easy feat, considering how deliciously her soft, round breasts squished against his broad chest.
“What are they?” Klaryssa asked tentatively while slowly pulling away.
“Firstly, you will be mine, and mine alone,” Dresdyn said firmly. “And you will not mention Bailey ever again. You are no longer dependent on him. He no longer matters. It is I who will protect you and shelter your family for as long as I live. Is that understood?”
The corners of Klaryssa’s mouth turned up into a soft smile, and she regarded Dresdyn with warm eyes as her heart fluttered like a butterfly. “As you wish, My Lord.”
A smile ghosted over Dresdyn’s lips before he sobered. “Secondly, you and your family are not to leave the Keep without my expressed permission,” Dresdyn continued. “Ever. Also, you are never to contact anyone you knew from your lives as farmers. Understood?”
Klaryssa blinked in confusion. “But why?”
“The matter is not up for debate,” Dresdyn replied tersely with a guttural growl. “I am already breaking centuries of tradition by extending my hospitality to your seemingly snake-bitten family. All I ask for in return is for the three of you to obey the simple rules I have set forth. Now, do you understand?”
Klaryssa nervously bit her bottom lip while nodding. “Yes, My Lord,” she whispered.
“Good,” Dresdyn said before removing his cloak from around his own shoulders and draping it over Klaryssa’s to stave off the damp chill. “Come, it is cold, and the rain will be starting up again soon,” he said before sniffing the air. “Yes, quite soon. Come along, dinner awaits.”
They then fell into silence as they set off. Her heart oddly comforted by Dresdyn’s presence despite his recent harshness, Klaryssa cautiously glanced over her shoulder and saw that the wolves had finally broken formation, though they still watched her keenly. As unnerved as Klaryssa felt by their focused gazes, she could not help but feel entranced by the dangerous and beautiful creatures.
“I still can’t believe, that wolf let you pet him,” Klaryssa murmured in awe. Now that she was no longer in a perilous situation, she was able to reflect upon what she had seen.
“Why wouldn’t he?” Dresdyn asked. “I have known him since he was a pup. I was there when he was born. I call him Blizzard.”
“So, he’s a pet?”
“No. He is a friend,” Dresdyn corrected. “More than that though, he and his pack are like family to me. They always have been.” He glanced at Klaryssa out of the corner of his eye and thought over his words carefully. “My family has always enjoyed a very close friendship with wolves. The entire clan has, for that matter.”
Not entirely sure how to respond to that, Klaryssa cleared her throat. “How did the wolves know not to attack me?” she asked curiously.
“Before I had it burn
ed, I brought your old dress to them,” Dresdyn answered. “I had my lupine friends smell your old rags until they knew your scent. I spoke the truth when I said they would not attack you. They will not. They know you are to be mated to me, and as such, they will protect you. Never will they harm you.”
“What if I had managed to escape before they caught me?”
“They would have either chased and herded you back to the Keep, or they would have simply kept you contained until I was able to come and collect you.”
“I see.” Klaryssa fell silent for a few moments. “You certainly put a lot of faith in the wolves and their ability to obey you.”
“Because I know they will,” Dresdyn replied simply.
“But, how can you be so certain of such a thing?” Klaryssa asked. “They are wild creatures that are capable of so much blood and death.”
“There is much more to wolves than that,” Dresdyn answered fervently. “Much more. Yes, they are skilled and lethal hunters, but they are also incredibly loyal and protective of their packs.” He gazed down at Klaryssa just as she chanced a look up at him, and he slipped an arm around her waist beneath the cloak. “And, they mate for life...remaining ever faithful to the one they choose as their lifemate.” He held Klaryssa’s gaze. “And they are fiercely protective of their offspring.”
