Taming Her Heart

by Marisa Chenery

  “See,” Maggie said as she ran her hand down his back. “I’m not running away in fear.”

  She then almost took back those words when the wolf’s body blurred and Dolf took on his werewolf form. The bed bounced as he stretched out next to her on his side. A large, clawed hand took hold of her waist and rolled her toward him. Instinctively, she placed her own on his furred chest to keep some space between them. She felt her heart rate speed up.

  “Relax, Maggie,” Dolf said in a voice that was gruff and deep. “It’s still me in here. I just look a bit different.”

  “That’s it? Just a bit?” she asked incredulously. “I’d say more than that. Your body is covered in fur and you have a wolf’s head. You even have a tail. Not to mention the fact you’re now huge.”

  “I’ll take that last part as a compliment to my manhood.”

  Maggie smacked Dolf on the chest. “That’s not what I meant.” She would’ve pulled her hand away, but he put his over it to hold it there.

  “Touch me, Maggie. You know I’ll never hurt you, even when I’m in this form. I’m not Stephen.”

  “I know you aren’t, and that you won’t.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dolf waited to see what Maggie would do next. A part of him deep inside breathed a sigh of relief to hear her say she knew he wouldn’t harm her. It was a step in the right direction.

  So had been making love. Having Maggie in his arms, sinking his cock into her pussy over and over again, was a pleasure unlike any he’d felt before. It’d been intense, and something he wanted for all eternity. He knew she wasn’t ready to hear that from him yet, so he kept it to himself. But that wouldn’t stop him, come morning, from looking to see if Tiw’s mark had begun to appear on her skin, high up on the right side of her back, near her shoulder. It would look like the one he had on the cap of his left shoulder, only hers wouldn’t be quite so large. Anglo-Saxon in design, the black mark depicted a figure of a stylized man, Tiw, flanked on either side by two stylized wolves standing on their hind legs.

  Dolf’s breath caught in his lungs when Maggie finally made a move to touch him as he’d asked. Her hand slid across his pecs to his shoulder and down his arm. Her gaze followed her movements, and he watched her.

  After a few more minutes of stroking his upper body, she said, “Your fur feels a lot softer than I thought it would.”

  “Touch more of me,” he urged, his voice gruffer than usual. He liked Maggie running her hands over him, even in his werewolf form.

  She raised her head and met his gaze as she lifted her hand and stroked along his muzzle. She then continued up until she reached one of his pointed ears on top of his head. Maggie outlined it with the tip of her finger. It tickled when she did that, but Dolf forced himself to remain still.

  “What does it feel like to be in this form?” she asked in a soft voice.

  “Really not much different than my human one, except I’m stronger, faster and my senses and eyesight are a lot sharper.”

  “Does it hurt when you shift?”

  Dolf shook his head. “No. It happens so fast I barely notice it anymore. Since it’s an ability Tiw has gifted me with, I guess the best way to describe it is that it’s more magical than anything.”

  Maggie ran a hand down the side of his neck and snuggled closer with her head against his chest. “I do have to say you exude a lot of body heat when you’re like this. It’s making me sleepy.”

  Dolf shifted back to his human form and rolled to his back, arranging Maggie so she lay up against his side, her cheek pillowed on his pec. With his feet, he snagged the covers and tugged them up. He kissed the top of her head.

  “Go to sleep. It’s really late. And you’ve had quite a day.”

  She covered a large yawn with her hand. “Good night, Dolf.”

  “Good night, Maggie.”

  * * *

  Dolf found himself brought out of a deep sleep, but unsure of what had awakened him. After Maggie had drifted off, he’d been quick to follow her into slumberland. For the first time since he’d met her, he’d actually had no problem falling asleep. Usually, he would be so worried about Maggie, hoping the next day would be different, he couldn’t settle his brain enough to shut it down for a good night’s rest.

  A whimpered sound drew his gaze to Maggie. Sometime while they’d slept, she’d rolled to her other side away from him. She was practically curled up in a ball, close to the edge of the mattress.

  He shifted behind her and propped himself up on his bent arm. With his other hand, Dolf squeezed her shoulder. “Maggie, wake up.”

  She whimpered again and her body went stiff. Her chest rapidly rose and fell, as if she were fighting to catch her breath. Dolf pulled her against him, hoping his presence would sooth her. That didn’t exactly work. If anything, it had the opposite effect. She screamed, fighting his hold as if he were doing something other than trying to comfort her.

  Clamping his arm tighter around her, he bellowed, “Maggie. Stop it. It’s me. Dolf. You’re having a nightmare.”

  She continued to shriek until he gave her a hard shake. With sharp intake of breath, Maggie came awake at the same time Dolf heard Wulfric yell his name through the closed door.

  “Dolf,” Wulfric called again. “What the hell’s going on in there? Cydney’s worried you’re scaring Maggie.”

  After he turned his mate toward him and pressed her shaking body against his, he said loud enough for his friend to hear, “Sod off, Wulfric. Maggie’s fine. She just had a nightmare.” Dolf was thankful he had the foresight to lock his bedroom door, or Wulfric would’ve barreled inside with no hesitation. He knew him all too well.

  “Okay,” Wulfric said. “But if she screams again, I won’t be responsible for what Cydney will do. She’s liable to kick the door in.”

  “Don’t you mean you’ll be the one to do that, since you do whatever Cydney asks you to, you pussy?” Dolf shot back. Much to his surprise, that caused Maggie to quietly giggle.

  “Fuck you, Dolf. I’m going back to bed.”

  Once he heard Wulfric’s footsteps recede down the hall, he looked at Maggie. “You okay? It sounded like a pretty bad nightmare.”

  She took a deep, shuddering breath. “It was. I’ve been getting them on and off since that night. They’re always about…Stephen. I sort of relive what happened, with the added bonus of him shifting into his werewolf form before he bites me, turning me into one of Fenris’ get.”

  Dolf ran his hand up and down her back in soothing strokes. “That’s never going to happen, because I’m going to kill the bastard for you.”

  Maggie snuggled closer and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “It would be nice not to worry about him ever sneaking up on me again. But you have to find him first.”

  “How do you know I’ve been hunting Stephen?” Dolf felt her smile against his skin.

  “Cydney told me. She tells me everything.”

  “Good to know.” Then in a serious tone, he said, “I promise I’ll find him, Maggie. He won’t be around much longer to haunt you. You should try to go back to sleep. It’ll be dawn soon.”

  “I don’t think I can. I usually can’t, after having that bad dream. I’m afraid I’ll close my eyes and have it start all over again. I’d rather do without the sleep.”

  “Oh, I think I can come up with something that’ll help with that.” He rocked his hips toward her, so his hardening cock brushed her thigh.

  She sucked in a breath. “Mmm, I think I’ll enjoy it.”

  “I think it’s a given that you will. I know it’s something I certainly do.”

  “Then maybe you should get to showing me. I still feel a bit jittery from the nightmare.”

  “My pleasure. Actually, it’ll be both of ours.”

  Dolf rolled Maggie to her back and covered her body with his. He took her lips, licking and sucking, before he pushed his way inside. The taste of her on his tongue aroused him even more. His cock soon throbbed in time with his racing puls
e. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of Maggie. And he would do everything in his power to convince her to stay with him, that they were meant to be together. His feelings for her had been strong before, but now, they’d solidified. He loved her, and would, for the rest of his immortal life.

  Maggie broke contact with his mouth. “This is a good start, but I think it would be better if you were the one on your back. I think a little exploring on my part is what I need to help distract me.”

  Liking the idea immensely, his libido went through the roof, which caused his claws to break through the skin on the tips of his fingers. His eyesight also became sharper, which meant his eyes had gone wolf.

  Careful not to scratch Maggie, he put his arms around her and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. He looked up at her, and said, “I’m game.”

  “I had a feeling you would be.”

  Maggie stretched out along him with his legs between hers. She nipped his chin before she nibbled her way across his jaw line and down the side of his neck. She then inched down his body until her lips and tongue made a wet trail on one side of his chest. He growled deep in his throat when she laved his nipple before taking it between her teeth for a small tug.

  She did the same to the other, then continued lower. Maggie tasted the skin of his abs, shifting farther down as she went. The closer she came to his cock, the more excited he became. Wanting to let her keep control of this joining, Dolf fisted the sheet under him and heard the sound of the material ripping as his claws shredded it.

  He bit back a howl of pleasure at the feel of Maggie dragging the flat of her tongue up the length of his shaft from balls to tip. She then took him in a firm grasp and sucked the head of his cock into the hot, moist confines of her mouth. A long moan pushed out of him as Maggie took more of him until he almost touched the back of her throat. What she couldn’t manage, she stroked with her hand while she sucked on the rest of his length.

  Dolf thrust his hips up, enjoying the tight suction as he moved in and out. His cock grew harder. He didn’t know how much of this he could take without blowing his load, which he didn’t want to do yet. He wanted to be inside Maggie’s pussy so deep that when he did, they wouldn’t be able to tell where one began and the other ended.

  “Enough, Maggie,” he said in a strained voice. “I can’t wait any longer.”

  She released his cock and shifted so her pussy hovered over his erection. “I’m more than ready for you.” As if to prove her words, she rubbed herself along his length, coating him with her juices.

  Maggie canted her hips just the right way, and the head of his shaft slipped between the lips of her sex. She pushed down on him and slowly impaled herself on his hardness. They both moaned once he was balls deep inside her core. It felt like heaven, having her wet walls close around his cock, clutching tight. Then she lifted up on her knees until he was almost free of her body and thrust back down, and he wished he could stay like this inside her forever.

  Up and down she rode him. Even though he wanted Maggie to have all the control, Dolf placed his hands on her hips, holding her carefully, thrusting up to meet each of her strokes. The sound of her moans pushed his release ever closer.

  “Harder,” he growled. “Faster. Come for me.”

  Her breath came in pants. Maggie leaned forward and placed her hands on his chest as she increased their pace. “Yes, yes. Just a little more…” Her words trailed off into a whimpered cry, and her pussy rhythmically milked his shaft.

  Dolf stroked into her harder as his cock swelled, his balls rising close to his body. Just before he came, his shaft locked deep inside Maggie’s pussy. Unable to move, he groaned, his dick pulsing as he filled her with his cum.

  Maggie collapsed on top of him. The sound of their harsh breathing filled the room. Dolf wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, as his cock pulsed again. A full minute went by before he realized she’d fallen asleep. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. With his mate held in his arms, feeling as if his world had finally righted itself, he drifted off.

  * * *

  Maggie had no idea how long she’d slept. All she did know when she opened her eyes was that Dolf’s room was no longer dark. Lying on her stomach, she reached over, thinking she’d encounter Dolf’s large, warm body stretched out next to her. Her fingers came up empty, which had her turning her head to look. Sure enough, his side of the bed was unoccupied. Figuring he’d come back eventually, she closed her eyes again, deciding she didn’t want to get out of bed just yet.

  She really hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep during the night. A smile stretched her lips when she thought of the reason why. Amazingly, having sex with Dolf had done away with any fear of him that had remained. Being held by him made her feel protected—cared for. He was by no means a selfish lover. If not for Cydney duping her, Maggie would’ve missed out on something special.

  As if she’d known Maggie thought of her, there was a knock on the door before her best friend called, “Maggie, are you awake?”

  “No, I’m not, Cydney. Go away.”

  And of course, Cydney being Cydney, she let herself into the room, then closed them inside. “You answered, so that’s a lie.” She crossed over to the bed before she climbed on the mattress to sit on top of the sheets.

  Maggie didn’t bother to sit up, and only turned her head to look at her friend. “Speaking of lying, you weren’t exactly truthful with me last night, when you’d assured me this was the guestroom and that you’d take care of Dolf for me.”

  Giving her an unrepentant look, Cydney shrugged. “I’d totally do it again. As for me handling Dolf, well, I’d figured the best thing was to just let him have you. That way, you’re both happy, and don’t tell me you aren’t, because you look like a woman who’s been well loved. Plus, you now have Tiw’s mark on your back. You and Dolf are mated.”

  Not caring she was butt naked under the covers, Maggie threw them back and made a beeline for the en suite. She flipped on the light, turned with her back to the mirror above the sink and looked over her shoulder at her reflection. High up on the right side was the Anglo-Saxon god’s mark, clear as day. Unlike Cydney’s, which had first appeared as a bruise before fully developing, it seemed Maggie’s had shown up overnight.

  “Are you okay?” Cydney asked once she stepped into the bathroom.

  Maggie couldn’t tear her gaze off the mark. She slowly nodded. “Yes. I’m just a little shocked I guess. Dolf and I had a great night together. I just forgot about…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “The whole mating business.” Cydney said for her.

  “Yeah. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was just happy that Dolf no longer scared me, since I found myself attracted to him.”

  “You’re meant to be with him, Maggie. Deep down inside, you know that, or the mark wouldn’t have appeared. Sometime during the night, you had to have accepted Dolf for what he is. All that’s left is to have Tiw grant you immortality, so you and your mate can have the same forever together that I have with Wulfric.”

  Maggie turned to face Cydney. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. It’s all happening so fast. I don’t even know if I can handle any more shocks like this one.”

  Cydney grimaced. “Well, I guess I better not tell you what I was going to say next then.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “No, you don’t. I’m not letting you get away with that. Spill it.”

  “If you insist. I’ll be quick and to the point. Chris lives here now and he’s a werewolf. Dolf found him the other night, but since he’s not anything like the rest of Fenris’ get, Tiw has allowed him to stay and wants Dolf to train him to be a warrior. Dolf first thought he’d be able to use Chris, and that was part of the reason why he’d brought him to the mansion.”

  “To use him how?”

  “After he found out how close you and Chris are, Dolf wanted him to spend time with you, then reveal what he was to you, hoping you’d be able to accept Chris, and the
n in turn, him.”

  “Really now?” Maggie was taken aback for a few seconds by the news of Chris being a werewolf, but she quickly found herself a little ticked off that Dolf had neglected to mention that fact. Or about Chris living in the mansion.

  Maggie walked out of the en suite and into the bedroom. She took out the change of clothes she’d brought from home and quickly jerked them on. She intended to have a little chat with Dolf. But first, she wanted to see her friend, to get to the truth of how he was handling being turned.

  “Where can I find Chris?” she asked Cydney as she pulled open the door.

  “He’s in the real guestroom. Two doors down and on the right. You’re going to give Dolf crap, aren’t you? And more importantly, are you mad at me for not saying anything?”

  She turned back to Cydney. “I’m not angry at you. I know you thought keeping it from me was for the better. To protect me. At least, you told me, and didn’t let me find out for myself.” Maggie sighed. “And I’m not really mad at Dolf, either. I’m just a little ticked off he’d try to use Chris in that way.”

  “Before you go off on him, you should know Dolf could’ve taken Chris’ life the night he came across him, without ever finding out that Chris is nothing like the other werewolves. He held back. Now he and Chris have hit it off, and apparently, sort of become a team, when it comes to hunting Fenris’ get. So don’t be too hard on Dolf.”

  Maggie nodded. “I promise.”

  She’d first give Dolf a piece of her mind, then she’d thank him for sparing Chris’ life. And if he were really sorry, she’d let him make it up to her in a way they both approved.

  Chapter Eight