by Various
This seemed to give Wolf a brief pause. His thick brows drew together. “And why do you refuse the day’s celebrations?”
A personal question? Keli’s heartbeat seemed to double again, nearly blocking her voice. By sheer force of will, she spoke, resisting the urge to grab her chalk and fidget with it.
“As you know, my family died in the Uprising. Stonefall is my home, and I feel loath to leave it.”
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“Loath to leave Stonefall,” he echoed, as if approving her choice of words. The force of his gaze intensified, as did the sarcasm—real or feigned—in his voice. “And are you loath to leave anything else, Miss Dunkirk?”
At this, Keli’s cheeks burned hot enough to blister. Somehow, she didn’t flinch from the withering scorch of his stare, or from the sting of his needling insinuation. After some contemplation, she said, simply, “Yes.”
Wolf didn’t speak. Once more, Keli felt measured by his gaze. She was briefly gratified by a minute softening of his harsh expression, and then he said, “One day, you will be a Crone, if you begin now, choosing your own path. That includes men you would take to bed, and men you would leave behind because they are unworthy—or too powerful—for you.”
That calm observation stunned Keli into a motionless silence not unlike stasis. Her breath shortened in her throat, choking down, down, until an air-starved lightness gripped her thoughts, especially as Wolf stood and approached her, walking with such silence and grace Keli wondered if he might be floating. What gripped her body was anything but light, and starved for only one thing—Dram Wolfel. From the hollows of her neck to the depths of her damp folds, she wanted his breath, his lips, his fingers, his tongue…Goddess. She could almost imagine the rigid heat of his cock as he claimed her.
She stood up from her desk, leaving behind the test, the last outward symbol of her time as a student. A few steps brought her close to Wolf, almost as close as they had been during Solstice, on the ramparts.
Had the words been spoken at last? Had the strange dance come so shortly to resolution? Keli closed her eyes, opened them, then drew in a thick, hot breath. When she released it, her head spun, but she refused to sway. No retreats or surrenders now.
“If the choice is mine, then I choose not to leave you behind,” she said with more power than she imagined she possessed.
Oh, Goddess. Did I say that? Did I really?
She noted as if from a distance that Wolf had taken his own deep breath at her words. His face shifted again, for a moment open, then so closed and dark she wanted to slap him. Was he considering interpretations? Could there be any interpretations beyond her intended meaning?
Was he letting her stew?
Wolf ran his hand over his eyes, an utterly vulnerable gesture that took Keli off guard. Then, he simply nodded, once and not again.
Keli stared at him, trying to confirm her leap of hope. Silence unraveled between them like a hag’s endless threads.
“Well done,” Wolf murmured at last. The silk of his tone coated Keli as completely as the sultry air. “I wondered if you would have the courage to speak your desires.”
“What about you?” Keli fired back, surprised at her temerity.
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At this, Wolf allowed a small smile. “Miss Dunkirk, I have well learned to let the lady make the first move, especially if the lady wields as much power as you. This Goddess’s world of wytches and Crones can be a treacherous place for a male without the grace to wait for an invitation.”
Keli felt her face redden again. Her heart rumbled against her ribs, and her breath grew more shallow. “Well, you waited, and I’ve invited. I’d say the next move is up to you.”
Wolf’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he recast that dangerous aura. Keli gasped at his sudden move as he reached forward, grasped her arms, and pulled her against his chest. Her head tucked neatly beneath his chin, and his powerful arms encircled her as surely as any well-spoken charm.
He does smell like storms. Like everything basic and raw and natural. Keli’s mind tried to reject the reality of her situation, standing in Wolf’s arms in the center of his classroom, but the hard muscle of his chest, the rasp of his breath—such things could not be denied.
And then he was bending forward, tilting her head back, finding her mouth.
Demanding with even the beginnings of his kiss that she hold nothing back, that she give him everything within her, and then some. The world ceased to exist save for the salty, heady taste of his lips, the rough insistence of his tongue. Her lips moved against his, and her hands stroked the ridges of muscle defining his waist.
Keli wanted nothing more than to feel his naked, heat-drenched flesh against hers, to rock against the hard proof of his desire, already swelling into her belly as they touched.
“If you have any sense, you’ll flee now, before I mark you forever.” Wolf’s words came in a growl as he pulled back from their kiss, slipped his hands into her robes and pressed his palms against the small of Keli’s back. “Happily ever after isn’t in our stars, wytch.”
Keli leaned into him again, wrapping her hands behind his head. “What if I mark you, you arrogant bastard? What if I demand happily ever after?”
Wolf’s surprised laugh fueled their next kiss. She felt his approval ripple through her, reassuring and maddening—and yet he pulled back, once again dark-faced and grim.
“There are things you need to know—”
“I know them,” Keli interrupted before she could check herself. The tremble in her voice annoyed her.
Narrowing his eyes, Wolf seemed to regard her in a new light. His demeanor shifted in subtle ways, and once more Keli felt surges of pain—the wounds to his body, mind, and heart. She wanted to give herself to this Warrior like a balm, spread herself over every inch of his skin until she eased that deep, black ache in his soul.
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When Wolf spoke, his voice was controlled but husky. “If you are still willing in the dark, in the night when there can be only truth between two people, meet me in the clearing where we celebrate Beltaine.”
Keli opened her mouth to protest the wait, but Wolf gave her a sharp, commanding look that stilled her words and heart in the same moment. In a smooth, decisive movement, Wolf reached out and gripped the end of her breast, pinching her aching nipple—hard.
Gasping from the exquisite blend of pain and pleasure, Keli fought to keep her knees locked. The pressure increased and released, increased and released, slowly but sharply. Her quim flooded at the first sample of just how quickly and completely Wolf could control her—if she consented.
The power was hers…but if she surrendered it…her body, all sensation, everything would be his. Hers to give, his to take.
Her eyes watered, and she felt dizzy from his intense kneading. Her breast burned for his mouth. Her ignored nipple throbbed for his rough touch. Her clit ached in time with his rhythm, and she found herself rocking forward, daring him to pinch her harder.
I am insane, teasing him…
“Submission is no child’s game,” Wolf warned, letting her nipple go as quickly as he captured it. Just as fast, he moved his hand to grip her by the back of her neck, immobilizing her head.
The helpless sensation made her twice as wet.
“Consider your actions carefully, Keli.” Wolf’s deep male rumble made her want to lie down and spread her legs. “Be certain you’re ready for me before you come to the clearing. If you can’t take me as I am, however I would take you…stay away.”
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Chapter Two
Dram Wolfel paced the ceremonial clearing like a wild animal, half-snarling, keeping alert for flickers of movement or the snapping of twigs. The large patch of grass, round and carefully trimmed, seemed to shine in the moonlight. Dark, thick-trunked trees ringed him like silent observers, watching. Always watching.
What will yo
u do with her? they seemed to ask. She belongs to the trees and the water, the air and the Earth…
“I know,” Wolfel muttered aloud, unable to shake the sensation. “If you let me share in her bounty, I’ll honor the gift.”
Whether or not this appeased the forces gathering on Keli’s behalf, Wolfel had no idea. But it wasn’t his imagination. The forces were gathering, and for her. If she could understand her true strength, reach the different levels of consciousness required, Wolfel had no doubt that Keli could command power he could barely imagine.
“And how will she use it?”
Wolfel folded his arms and glared into the black spaces separating the trees. He wasn’t on guard for treachery because he’d used his mastery of the natural arts to seal the area. That took a considerable amount of energy, but he’d recovered quickly, true to his Warrior’s training.
Focus the inner resources and manage them efficiently. Use what’s available.
The barrier would last a few hours, at least. Only he and Keli Dunkirk could cross it during that time.
If she comes. And she likely won’t. He steadied himself with a breath. Surely sanity will prevail.
But sanity had been scarce since Keli Dunkirk came to Stonefall. Kik and the Council kept extraordinarily close tabs on the novitiate, well aware of the strength of her gifts. Why had her talents emerged so late? And would they continue to grow? The Council thought not. They had proclaimed the young woman an anomaly, but Kik and Wolfel weren’t so sure. They suspected Keli Dunkirk was something else.
Something…other. Perhaps a new variant of human, or a throwback to an older one, unpolluted by Technocrat beliefs or the residual poisons so rampant in the spared lands.
Her gifts came late, yes—but if they kept growing through her lifespan—by the Goddess. She would be a fearsome wytch, indeed. Kik was right, damn her eternally to the great abyss. She was right about many things, including how much he wanted Keli.
That thought brought new force to his already potent erection. Wolfel had fought side by side with many powerful women, but this woman…
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His lips curled as his cock strained painfully against his breeches.
What would it feel like to join with her, physically and mentally? Could she possibly trust him enough to let him guide her through the explosion of energy they would face?
A mental image came to him of Keli in the traditional garb of the female Warriors of Áis—leather tunic, form-fitting leather breeches, thick-soled knee boots, leather gloves with the palms bare. Some carried bows. Others carried slings and bolos, while still others bore a complement of natural oils.
Keli Dunkirk might bring nothing to a battle save her mind, but bonded with his, at their full strength, they might be unbeatable.
The slightest of sounds eased through the silence surrounding the clearing. It could have been a breeze stirring over the Bayou. A sound so faint it might have been nothing at all.
But Wolfel tensed and paused in his pacing. Everything in his being told him that Keli watched him from the darkness.
She had come.
For one moment, Keli forgot to take her next breath. Even though she had evoked strong Earthwork to cloak her approach, Wolf’s gaze had rested on her the instant she arrived in the clearing. She would be shadow or tree whispers to anyone…anyone but this man.
His lips pulled into a predator’s grin as he flexed his muscles in the moonlight. He was menacing in appearance, but to Keli’s astonishment, his fearsome stance only made her desire him more.
Goddess, how she wanted this man. How she wanted to bend to his will, to do whatever he might command of her.
Anything at all.
She dropped her veil of mist and slowly emerged from the shadows into the clearing bathed in the moon’s silver frost. Grass tickled her bare feet and a warm breeze molded her light cotton robes to the contours of her body. She felt the press of fabric against the V at the juncture of her thighs and the rub of cloth against her rigid nipples.
Wolf’s jaw tensed as she drew near. He clenched his hands at his sides and Keli knew he was powerful enough to punish her with a blow of his fist. He could crush her slender body beneath him if he chose to take her hard.
Keli’s heart and her footsteps faltered, and she swallowed the sudden dryness in her throat. Wolf’s snarl turned into a look of satisfaction, as if pleased to see her frightened.
Bastard. I’ll be damned if he’ll send me running now.
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With a determined tilt of her head, she approached him. Trees murmured to one another in a more determined breeze. Cloth swirled about her ankles and her long hair lifted from her shoulders.
When she reached him, Keli stopped a hairsbreadth away, green eyes focused on silvery gray. She was determined to show no fear, to give him no reason to turn her away.
She wanted this. She wanted Wolf, and she wanted him any way he chose to have her, in complete submission. There was no other way to the heart of a Warrior of Áis.
Wolf said nothing for a long moment, his moonlit eyes studying her as he might have studied an examination slate. He raised his hand, slowly bringing it toward her face and it was all she could do not to flinch, not to show any sign of fear.
He wrapped her red hair around his fist and tugged, hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. Pain, yes, but also a thrill. The shock crossed her neck to her chest, down her belly and straight to her quim, flooding her already drenched folds.
“You made your choice.” Wolf’s deep, magnetic voice rolled over her like thunder.
“Now you’re mine, Keli Dunkirk.”
When Keli didn’t respond, Wolf tugged harder on her hair and she almost cried aloud. “When I speak to you, always answer. From now until I say otherwise, refer to me as Sir.” He paused and his silvery eyes turned black as the depths of the Bayou. “By coming here after I warned you, you chose to give up control over your body and submit to my will. Do you agree?”
His commanding tone caused her body to hum and grow hungrier for what he had to offer. Keli tried to nod, but his grip was so tight she couldn’t move her head. “Yes, Sir,” she whispered.
A brief look of satisfaction flickered across his chiseled features, but as always, his face hardened again. With his free hand he tugged at the tie around her waist. Even as he pulled it away, her robes fell open, revealing her full breasts and the soft curls of her mons. The hunger in Wolf’s appraising gaze stole her breath away.
He clenched the tie in one hand and released his hold on her hair with his other.
“Bow to me.”
Rebellious words flew through her mind, but desire battled them back. “Yes, Sir,”
she managed.
Wolf placed his hand on her head, pressing hard enough to bring her to her knees.
For one moment she found herself facing his enormous erection outlined by the supple leather of his breeches. But then he was lightly forcing her head down until her gaze rested on his scuffed leather boots.
His voice held heat, harsh sweetness, and a hint of a promise. “I expect complete obedience, Keli. I won’t accept less.”
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“Yes, Sir,” she said to his boots and glared at them instead of at the man. She had chosen this role, had practically begged for it. And Goddess, yes, I want it. But I might kill him after I’m satisfied.
Wolfel could barely think as he stared at the lovely woman who had been his student, and was now becoming his student again. Her rich, tempting breasts rose high and firm, her nipples large and diamond hard. Her skin glowed silvery white in the moonlight, a stark contrast to the robes still covering her shoulders and backside.
“From this point forward, don’t speak without my permission,” he commanded when he found his voice.
The only sign that she had heard him was a barely perceptible shiver that went through her slight body.
Slowly he circled the woman kneeling at the center of the clearing. Seeing her head finally bowed in submission, after all this time, nearly drove him mad with desire.
“Don’t make so much as a movement, Keli.”
His cock ached, he wanted to take her now, to force her onto her hands and knees, to throw her robes up over her ass and to slide into her wet heat. He clenched his fingers around her robe tie, his nails digging into the flesh of his palm. He had no doubt she wanted him in whatever manner he chose to take her. When she’d arrived in the clearing he’d been able to smell her desire blending with her woman’s perfume of starflowers and midnight.
Even with her head bowed she had the bearing of a Warrior, a wytch of incredible power.
Yes, together we would be unstoppable.
So long as she turned all control over to him.
For a long while he stood behind her, watching her long red hair stir with the breeze, her black robes fluttering around her body. Her desire would increase with every second he waited. Soon the ache between her thighs would be so great that she might moan aloud, might beg him to fuck her, no matter his instructions that she remain silent.
He stroked his cock through his breeches as he studied her, his hand rubbing its length as he imagined the ways he would tease her, the trials he would offer to help her learn what she truly desired.
Wolfel began to circle her again, breathing harder and harder. He’d waited long enough, perhaps. As long as he wished.
“What would you have me do?” Keli asked as if reading his thoughts.
“You’ve earned one punishment,” he said as he stopped in front of her. “Speak again without permission and you’ll earn a second.”
She glanced up, mouth open as if to argue, and then clamped her lips shut and lowered her gaze again.
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Wolfel gave a grim smile. His student learned fast indeed. “Two punishments now, Keli. Tell me why you’ll be disciplined.”
Keli swallowed, fear and fascination at war with one another. What kind of discipline was he talking about? She knew only rumors and innuendo, no facts that would tell her what she might expect.
His voice was harsher now. “Speak or earn a third.”
