Looking up, she saw the crest of the Duke of Huntington hanging on the gate. Blood roared in her ears, and a wave of nausea passed over her. Beyond the ornate wrought iron, she saw gravestones buried in the grass. How the hell did she wind up here? Her hand trembled as she reached for the gate, then pushed it open.
Sunrise in a graveyard would have brought chills to anyone, but the reverent silence that hung in the air amongst the gravestones was almost soothing. Most of the older ones were barely readable, but as she continued to walk, the newer ones were still clear. A group of marble stones near the corner made her stop, and her knees buckled.
And so, they were all here together, their individual headstones engraved with dates and their names.
Miranda Georgiana Townsend, Duchess of Huntington
Eleanor Abigail Charlotte Griffiths, Countess of Winford
Jeremy Augustus Frederick Griffiths, Earl of Winford
William Lowell Richard Griffiths, Duke of Huntington
Julianna didn’t even realize she had been crying until the taste of salt touched her lips. Her heart wrenched thinking about them, and a sob ripped from her throat. Her entire life, she’d really only lost one person—her Nonna Gianna, who had died of old age. Standing here, it hit her like a sack of bricks that she lost all these people in the blink of an eye.
And it seemed so trivial, because she’d only known them two weeks. But how could she forget little William’s charming antics? Or the way Eleanor welcomed them when they arrived in that strange world and she was scared out of her mind? And Jeremy and his warmth, and the way he acted like a protective older brother to her and Elise?
And the dowager duchess. Oh, how she hated the old hag in the beginning. But Miranda Townsend challenged her and made her want to be better at everything. Made her boring life more exciting, and in the end, told her she had been so proud of Julianna most of all. It couldn’t have been easy for the dowager losing her son and grandson a year apart. Her heart ached for the old woman, who, based on the date of death on her gravestone, hung on for another forty years, probably to irritate her great-grandchildren.
Her choked cries turned to laughter. Laughter at all the amazing experiences she had in the past. It was still mind-boggling, and if it wasn’t for that gorgeous silk gown hanging in her closet back home in New York, the one she had arrived in when they traveled back to the present, she would have thought she had dreamt it all.
With a deep breath, she straightened her spine and wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her shirt. There was a sadness lingering in her mind and in her heart, but there was also a sense of … relief? Like she had been carrying this great weight around with her for months and months, and while it wasn’t totally gone, she could feel the load had lightened. She cleared her mind and said a small prayer for everyone from the past, including those who weren’t buried here.
By the time she walked out of the cemetery, the sun had risen, bathing the land around her in early morning light. She could see the house in the distance and then realized just how far she had walked.
“Julianna?”
She turned her head toward the sound of the low, smooth-as-honey voice. Warmth curled in her chest as she saw Duncan walking up the path toward her. Dressed in a loose white shirt, dark pants, and boots, he looked like he himself had stepped out of the 1800s.
“Duncan?”
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” He rushed at her, hands gripping her arms. “Where were you?” he growled, his dark blond brows slashing downwards in anger. “You left without—” His face changed in an instant. “Have you been crying darlin’?”
“No—”
“Don’t lie.” His tone had softened, but there was a raspy quality that made her shiver. “I can see you’ve been crying. What’s the matter?”
She swallowed hard. “I … I can’t … not right now, please, Duncan?” What was she supposed to tell him? She couldn’t lie to him, not anymore.
A sense of dread passed over her. He vowed that he would never lie to her, but how about her? How could she tell him about the past and—dammit—that painting. That it was her in the painting.
“Do you regret last night?” he asked, his jaw tensing.
“No!”
“Then what’s wrong?” He shook her gently. “Tell me, please.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and her chest wanted to burst, wanted to tell her secret. But it wasn’t just her secret to tell. She had to think of Reed and Elise. And the safety of her kind, because if the mages figured out what that dagger could do …
He loosened his grip. “I see you’re not ready to share this part of you yet,” he began. “But soon I’ll know everything about you.” He leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. “Why did you leave the bed this morning?”
“Jet lag.” She leaned into him, allowing his scent to tickle her nostrils. “Couldn’t go back to sleep.”
“And you didn’t think to wake me? I could have found better ways to spend the morning than going to an old graveyard,” he said, his tone lightening.
“A nuclear explosion couldn’t have woken you up.”
A chuckle burst from his mouth. “Och, you’d done and worn me out, you minx. But then I know you wanted me so bad and could not get enough.”
She snorted.
“I have scratches on my back and arms to prove it.”
“And I have matching bruises on my thighs and ass.” When Duncan marked her, her wolf loved it so much that it urged her to do the same, preferably somewhere visible. Possessive little bitch.
“Really? Can I see?” An impish smile formed on his mouth as he tugged at her jeans.
She pushed his hands away and smirked at him. “I’m not getting naked in a graveyard.”
“We’re outside the graveyard, darlin’.” He rubbed his chin with his thumb. “I do have an idea. Why don’t we go for a run with our wolves? Mine’s been dying to spend time with your she-wolf.”
“Wait, out here? Is it safe?”
“There’s acres and acres of land around here. No one will bother us. I used to run around by myself whenever I visited. Never saw a single soul.” He was already unbuttoning his shirt. “C’mon.”
Her wolf really loved that idea and went giddy with anticipation. “All right.”
They walked off the path, into the line of trees so they could remove their clothes and hang them up in a branch to keep them safe. Duncan licked his lips as his gaze boldly raked over her naked body. The rush of wetness to her pussy tinged the air with arousal and she couldn’t help but notice his cock was half hard.
“Last one to shift’s a rotten egg!” She darted off into the trees, and began to let her wolf take over. The rush of a shift was always something she looked forward to. As part of her training, she had to learn to shift back and forth as fast as possible, something that came in handy the other day. It did now too, as she heard Duncan’s indignant shout as he tried to chase her.
Her wolf’s body allowed her to run faster than most creatures in the world. However, when she heard the thunderous sound of paws hitting the ground, she knew she was about to be matched. She pushed her animal faster, but Duncan’s brindle brown wolf caught up to her. Side-by-side, they roamed to their hearts content, occasionally nipping and teasing each other.
She wasn’t sure how long they were running, but at one point, Duncan’s wolf was leading her. Her wolf was getting tired, so she was falling behind, and though he slowed down, he remained ahead, his wolf cocking its head as if telling her to follow. Not really sure where they were going, she followed him, until they came to a clearing where there was a large, manicured hedge. He continued forward, and her wolf slowed to a trot as they stopped in front of a small metal gate hidden within the shrubs. What was this place?
The brindle wolf began to shrink, and its fur sank into skin. Getting up from his crouched position, Duncan opened the gate and then waved her in.
Her wolf was wary of this
unfamiliar territory, not sure … there was something familiar in the air. It walked forward, into the middle of this strange place and stopped beside Duncan.
“Hey, pretty wolf.” Duncan knelt down and scratched the she-wolf’s head. The wolf responded by jumping at him and licking his face. “Och, you’re just as feisty as Julianna.” He gave it a good rub down its neck and flank. “I love playin’ with you, but d’you think I can have her back now?”
Julianna felt the she-wolf withdraw back into her body, and soon, she was sitting on the grass next to him. “Where are we?” As Duncan helped her up, she blinked, looking around at the large, white blobs of stone around them.
“It a secret place.” He reached out and plucked a leaf stuck in her hair. “Only the family knows about this secret statuary, but Oliver told me about it and how to find it. I’ve never actually been here though.”
“It’s like a garden, but with statues.” The sculptures were scattered around the enclosed garden, and were different sizes. Some were life-size while the smaller ones were placed on pedestals so it was easier to look at. She peered at the closest one of two figures kneeling. Weird. The figures looked like— “What the hell?” Upon closer inspection, it was a sculpture of a man and woman, partially naked as her top was pulled down to bare her breasts, while the man sucked on a nipple and had a hand under her skirt.
“It’s an erotic statuary,” Duncan said with a chuckle.
“I can see that,” she said wryly. There were many other couples around them, frozen in marble, stone, and bronze in varying positions and poses. She stepped back and nearly collided into a life-sized statue of a man lifting a woman up in his arms while impaling her on his cock.
Duncan nodded at the one beside him. It was of a woman tied up against a column, head thrown back in ecstasy, while her lover was on his knees in front of her, face buried between her legs. “I think this one’s my favorite.” His eyes dropped down to the same place between Julianna’s legs, and she felt heat rush to her stomach.
“Is there a reason you brought me here?” Not that she needed to ask. She already knew. Damn horny fucker. Of course, she wasn’t much better.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to see this place.” He looked around as he walked toward her, his eyes lingering on a statue of a woman on her knees, mouth on a man’s enormous penis. “It’s not as explicit as the stuff we have on the Internet now, but I imagine over a hundred years ago, this was shocking.”
He was moving closer, and she found herself backing away, the heat and tension growing between them. She wondered if she ran, would he chase after her? The blazing twin green fires of his eyes said yes. But she didn’t find out because she bumped into something solid—hard, smooth stone pressed on her naked back, and when she looked up, she saw a life-sized statue of a naked, busty woman splayed down, her legs spread as she touched herself.
“Julianna,” he rasped. Reaching toward her, he touched her on the arm sending a tingle down her spine. His fingers traced up to her shoulder.
“Duncan, we don’t … you can’t—” She gasped when his large hand collared her throat; not choking her, but enough to keep her in place.
“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” he growled. “Your sweet little body is mine.”
“Ha!” She tried to twist her head away, but his grip tightened.
“You don’t believe me? Let me show you.”
Holy shit, that display of dominance should have had her knocking him flat on his ass, but instead it made her pussy wetter than the Atlantic. He must have smelled it, because he pushed her up against the marble slab, trapping her with his body. His cock, now fully hard and engorged, pressed against her stomach. She opened her mouth to protest, but he covered it with his in a rough, hard kiss.
She moved her hands down wanting to touch his cock, but he caught her before she got too far.
He pulled away, a wicked smile on his face. “I didn’t say you could do that, did I?” He raised her arms above her head, and made her grasp the stone statue. “Now, I don’t have any rope to tie you with, so you’ll have to keep your hands here. Don’t move, or I’ll spank your bottom red.”
Fuck, she wondered how that would feel, to have his hand smack down on her ass. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
“Oh, you think you’ll like that, huh?” He nipped at her earlobe. “Maybe another time. Your pussy smells incredible, and I need to taste it again.” A trail of fire was left in the wake of his mouth as he made his way lower. He was on his knees in front of her, eyes like glittering emeralds as he looked up at her.
“Fuck!”
He wasn’t gentle or subtle as he licked and sucked at her pussy, nor did he look away from her. Those emerald eyes stared up at her as he ate her out, his tongue and lips doing wicked, dirty things to her. She wanted to reach down and tug at his hair, but kept her hands in place as he’d ordered. Pleasure spread through her, building in intensity as he continued to tease her.
“Duncan!” She gripped the marble stone but quickly released it in case it crumbled in her hands. Her orgasm ripped through her, her body shaking. And Duncan, damn him, didn’t stop, not until his wicked, talented tongue coaxed another orgasm from her.
“Please,” she moaned, letting her hands fall to his shoulders. “I can’t …”
She was spun around to face the statue, her naked, overheated body pressed up against cold marble. “What did I say?” he tsked. “I said to keep your hands above you. And you disobeyed me. You know what that means.”
A hand smacked her on the ass, making her jump. The stinging pain was quickly soothed away by his warm palm rubbing the flesh. “You’re asking for it, aren’t you, Julianna.”
“No.” Yes.
“Don’t lie, darlin’. Or there’ll be more where that came from.”
Fuck, that thick honeyed voice of his made her knees weak, and she had to hold on tight to the marble statue to stop herself from sliding to the ground.
“Now, keep those hands in place.” He leaned forward, so that his chest was pressed up to her, and his thick, hard cock brushed against her ass. A hand snaked down between her legs, and, motherfucker, her thighs automatically spread to give him easier access.
“So wet and ready for me, my Julianna. You came so hard, like a good girl.” A finger stroked up and down her wet lips, while his thumb found her clit. “You want me so bad. Want me to make you come over and over again with my cock inside you.”
“D-D-Duncan.” She sounded pathetic and desperate. She didn’t care.
His head bent down, opening his mouth so he could graze the skin of her neck with his teeth. “I bet you want it so much, you’d let me fuck you right now, even without a condom.”
Her entire body froze, fear gripping her. Or maybe it wasn’t fear. Maybe it was excitement. “I—” Her eyes rolled back as his finger entered her roughly, moving in and out as his hips nudged her, his cock smearing pre-cum on her ass.
“This is mine now, Julianna. Your pussy, your sweet body. All of it. I’ll have you without any barriers. Fuck you raw and fill you with my cum.”
And in that moment, she wanted it too. She pushed up against his hand, her body shuddering as his digits worked her harder.
“But not now.” Irritatingly, disappointment flooded her. “Because, darlin’”—he nipped at her shoulder—“I won’t just settle for your body. I want it all.” He plunged another finger into her. And then another. And, goddamn him, she did want his cock inside her right this moment. Even if it meant …
She cried out when he pulled his hand away before she could come again. Something butted up against her thighs—his cock, based on the thickness. He slid his cock between her thighs, already slick with her wetness. Oh God … it was fucking hot. Looking down, she saw the tip of his engorged penis peeking from between the front of her thighs, sliding in and out.
“Oh!” Fucking hell, he drove his shaft against the seam of her pussy, riding along her clit. Was he really going to do
this?
“Keep those thighs pressed tight, darlin’,” he whispered, his breath hot in her ear.
His shaft continued to slide against her, rubbing her in all the right places. It was dirty and depraved, and the fact that all she had to do was angle her hips a certain way and he’d be inside her thrilled the hell out of her.
“So. Fucking. Good.” Duncan groaned. He reached around to cup her breast and give himself more leverage to thrust harder.
“Fuck!” She pushed her hips back at him, enjoying the feel of his cock as it slid in and out of her thighs, the tip hitting her clit at just the right angle. His thrusts became faster, and though her knees were starting to feel stiff, she ignored it as her body began to tighten, waiting for the orgasm she knew was coming. When he pinched her nipples and then leaned down to sink his teeth into her neck, deep enough to leave a mark and suck at her skin, her body exploded.
His cock pulsed between her thighs, and his cum burst from the tip, coating her stomach with his seed, while some splashed on the white marble. A grunt escaped his mouth as he pushed forward one last time before pulling back.
They stood like that for a few more seconds before Duncan flipped her around to kiss her hard on the mouth. “Good girl,” he said against her lips, and damn if the way the r tapped off his tongue didn’t make her pussy thrum with desire. Despite the three orgasms she’d had, she still felt unsatisfied and empty without him inside her. “We should go back.”
“Yes,” she panted against him. Back in her room, where she had at least one more condom in her suitcase from her travel stash. “I—”
They both froze at the sound of metal screeching against metal. Someone was opening the gate.
Duncan moved so fast she went dizzy. He grabbed her arms and moved her to the other side of the statue where the intruders wouldn’t be able to spot them. When he put his fingers to his lips, she nodded.
Highland Wolf Page 13
