by Mia Bishop
“Understandable.” He led her to the continuing trail, nodding toward the fork in the road. “We go left, but we’re going to have to stop soon and clean your wounds.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. We can’t stop.”
“Why?”
She looked up at him, wanting to lose herself in his green eyes, but she knew she couldn’t. “Because every time we stop, you work your magic on me and I give in to you a little bit more.”
He pulled her sharply to a stop. “Is that such a bad thing?”
“Yes. I don’t know if you are the good guy or not.”
“I never claimed to be the good guy. I just happen to be the best guy for you.” He dipped his head down, letting his lips brush against hers. “You know it’s true. There is no one in this world or the other who makes you feel the way I do.” His tongue flicked over her bottom lip. “Your body ignites when I am near. It can admit to me what you can’t. You want me.”
“I do.” The truth came slipping from her mouth before she could stop it.
“Then you are going to have to trust me.” He pulled back and took her hand again, leading her farther down the path. “We need to get you patched up, but we can’t take any chances with the wolves tracking us. Hold still.” Before she could protest, Luc had coated his hand in the blood dripping down her chest. He pointed to a large tree. “Stay hidden. I’m going to lead them off in the other direction. Trust me, they won’t be able to resist the scent of your blood.”
As soon as he took off, she crouched behind the tree and waited, trying desperately not to panic as the seconds turned into minutes. Her legs were shaking, partly from the overwhelming fear that something had happened to him and partly from the gaping wound on her chest.
Rowan heard the pounding of feet against the worn path. She squeezed her eyes shut, saying a silent prayer that it would be Luc and not a pack of wolves coming to tear her apart. “Red, come on. Let’s go.”
When she heard his voice, she finally had the courage to open her eyes again. “Did it work? Are we safe?”
Luc snorted. “We won’t be safe until Ulric is dead, but they will follow the trail I left. I left them a trail of your blood leading to the river and then cleaned off my hands on a pile of dead leaves and sent them down the stream. They will follow it for miles before they realize it. Their instincts won’t let them leave a trail of fresh blood.”
“So we’ve got some time?”
He nodded and held out his hand. This time she took it without hesitation and followed him down the path. As soon as they rounded a large bend in the path, Luc pulled her off the trail and led her a little farther into forest. “All right, let me see it.”
“See it?” Rowan knew he meant her wound but suddenly she wasn’t all too keen to know just how he was going to fix it. “I… I think it’s fine now.”
“Red, it isn’t fine and you can get an infection.”
“I thought you said real-world problems didn’t exist here?” She was grasping at straws now but the thought of him stitching her up without any anesthesia was enough to make her stomach churn.
“You’re not getting out of this, so let me see it.” He reached out before she could stop him and brushed her hair behind her shoulders and knelt down to get a better view of the wound. “There’s a lot of blood but the cut is actually very clean. I know it doesn’t feel good but it’s not as deep as I thought.”
“Oh good, let’s keep going then.” She’d say anything to get out of being stitched up in the wilderness like Frankenstein’s monster.
“Not so fast.” He reached over and grabbed some sap from a nearby pine tree.
Rowan stepped back. “Um, you aren’t putting that stuff on me.”
“Yes, I am. Sap stops bleeding and helps heal wounds. It’s antifungal and antibacterial. Not to mention the fact that we aren’t in your world anymore. Unlike your pine trees on the other side of the Arch, this sap will harden in a matter of minutes and when you peel it off, your wound will be sealed and I won’t have to worry about you getting some nasty infection.”
There was no arguing with the determination in his eyes. She nodded and groaned when he applied the sap. It burned slightly but quickly turned to a tingling sensation. She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Is it helping at all?”
She nodded. “The pain is gone. I don’t feel like fire is ripping through my chest anymore. I think I’m good to go.”
“Not so fast, we’re going to lay low here for a little bit.”
“Why?”
“For one thing, although this land is flowing with magic and you are feeling better, you were still injured. So you are going to take some downtime to relax. You’ve had a busy day today. And two,” he licked his lips as stood up, “I do believe we were starting something back there that needs to be finished.”
Luc’s mouth claimed hers. His tongue thrust in and out of her mouth and all she could do was whimper with need. He gripped the hair at the nape of her neck, drawing her closer. His mouth was forceful in a way that made her squeeze her thighs together. She could imagine his tongue lapping at her dripping pussy again and the image had her core tightening. His other hand trailed down her side. Rocking her hips against his, Rowan moaned. She could feel his erection through his clothes. Every inch of her said yes while her mind said no.
As if he could feel her tense, he pulled back. “What is it?”
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth from the beginning?”
“You think I should have told you that I was a wolf and the son of the maniac trying to kill you?”
She chewed her bottom lip. Hearing it said aloud, she realized that at the beginning, she wouldn’t have believed him and even if she had, she would have never trusted him. Their short time together since leaving St. Louis had built a trust between them that she needed to cling to. Somehow Theron had been able to convince her otherwise but deep down, at this moment, she knew the truth. Luc would protect her. He had saved her from his father. This was the man she could trust, not Theron, not Phillip, only Luc.
She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Her lips pressed against his as she gripped the back of his head. He was the only man to make her feel this way. She was free with him. He’d done things to her no man had ever done.
There was no more holding back. Rowan’s hands moved down to his hips, gripping his leather pants and unlacing them. Her breath hitched and her stomach fluttered with anticipation. She wanted him, there was no denying it and from the way his cock strained against his pants, he wanted her as well. “If I’m going to be killed by angry wolves today, then make this moment worth it, please.”
It was a simple request but Luc’s body stiffened. He pulled back and narrowed his eyes. “I will not let you die today or any other day.”
She smiled and licked her lips. His words made her head spin. She’d never had someone say anything half as passionate to her in her whole life. Without hesitation, she finished unlacing the strings and slid her hand into his pants. Her petite hand curled around his long, hard shaft as he slowly rocked his hips. His hands gripped the waistband of her pants. His fingers expertly untied the leather laces and tugged them down. She wiggled her hips for him, letting the last of her clothes fall to the ground. His large, rough hand cupped her sex. She looked at him through hooded eyes and rocked against his hand. With a growl that sent a shiver down her spine, his thick fingers cleaved her slick folds. Rowan moaned and bucked her hips. His touch sent shivers through her entire body. Her eyes widened as he slid his finger deep inside her and curled it in just the right spot to make her cry out.
She rubbed the pad of one finger over the tip of his cock. Moisture beaded at the slit. Rowan’s mouth watered. There was no denying how badly she wanted to drop to her knees and take his throbbing shaft into her mouth but the way his fingers claimed her made her unable to move. Every thrust inside her core was met with the buck of his hips, gliding his dick through her hands
. He dipped his head down. Sharp fangs grazed over the swell of her breast. “Oh God, what was that?”
Luc looked up and smiled, showing off two perfectly elongated canine teeth. Her eyes widened but he only shrugged. “What can I say, you excite me.”
She blushed. Never before had she found fangs to be an attractive trait but the way Luc looked at her with a devilish grin on his face, she was sure she’d never seen anything sexier. His mouth was on hers again. This time she could feel his fangs. It was unnerving and exciting at the same time. She flicked her tongue over one of them and Luc shivered. Her eyes got even wider. “Did that feel good?”
“Oh yes.”
She ran her tongue over the tip of his fang and watched his eyes roll back in his head. This time when she went to kiss him, he snagged her bottom lip, his fingers wiggled inside her, coaxing her legs to open more. Rowan gasped. “More, Luc.” She slid her hand lower and cupped his heavy balls, letting her nails rake over his sensitive skin. He shuddered as his cock pulsed.
He pulled back and grinned. “Enough foreplay, Red.”
His hands gripped her hips, lifting her up. Out of instinct, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her a few feet until she felt the bark of a tree bite into her back as his mouth crushed hers. She could do nothing more than moan. His hand moved between them. Her eyes flew open when she felt the tip of his swollen cock glide through her wet folds. Heat pooled at her core as her pussy throbbed for him. He caught her lower lip with one of his sharp teeth as she whimpered in a mix of pleasure and pain. With one hard thrust, he filled her completely. His hands left her hips and traveled up her side and then pulled her arms over her head. He encircled her tiny wrists with his thick fingers and kept the movement of his hips slow and steady. Her body quivered as her tight walls stretched to accommodate his size. She couldn’t help but smile every time he would grunt as her walls clenched his throbbing cock.
Her hands itched to touch him, to run her fingers through his hair but he refused to let go. His slow pace was pure agony but she also had a feeling he was holding back, trying to be gentle. “More. Don’t hold back, please.” She moved her mouth to his ear and flicked her tongue over his lobe.
Without warning, his movements got faster, harder, deeper. The sound of their naked flesh slapping together filled the air as every hard thrust had her crying out. She didn’t care that they were exposed, that anyone could see them. All she wanted was him. Luc finally released her hands and gripped her hips, pistoning in and out, driving his thick cock deeper and harder. Every whimper and moan from Rowan seemed to encourage him more. She was certain she would have bruises when he was done but the way his shaft stretched her clenched pussy made it all worth it, even if the wolves did manage to kill her later. Right now, she was his and he was making it worth it, every thrust, the scent of sex in the air, the pain, the pleasure—it was all worth it.
The tip of his cock hit a spot that made her back arch. He grinned and worked that one perfect sweet spot over and over again. Her breath caught. She could feel the pleasure building. She sank her nails into his shoulders as his cock pulsed. Tears stung her eyes. Rowan was certain he had somehow managed to grow bigger just by fucking her. She could feel every ridge of his cock inside her as her slick walls clenched and throbbed around him. If the orgasm wasn’t mind blowing enough, the feel of him losing his self-control drove her even farther over the edge. Her quivering pussy clenched and milked his cock. She could feel his entire body go rigid, his muscles straining. Finally, he crashed over the edge with her. His cock pulsed and thick ribbons of his hot seed filled her as his hips still pistoned hard and deep.
Panting and breathless, she slumped forward against him. “That was…” She couldn’t find the words she wanted to say. Everything in her vocabulary seemed inadequate.
He grinned, apparently knowing full well she couldn’t think straight. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, he leaned in and kissed her softly. “Shush, save your energy. You look like you might pass out.”
Rowan smiled and nodded her head.
Chapter Seven
The forest was quiet. Even so, Rowan could see the beauty. The green valleys and blazing mountains made any national forest she’d visited pale in comparison. The creatures and monsters were fantastic and frightening at the same time. She would have never known any of this existed if it hadn’t been for Luc. His grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her through the narrow path that cut through a dense part of the forest. She could feel her cheeks warm every time he looked over at her. She was exhausted from what had happened at the crossroads but unlike normal people, they had no time to bask in the afterglow. Everything was accelerated with them and rightfully so, except that a part of her wanted to be able to have the time. Time to explore him, explore what they might be able to be to each other. Now their time seemed to be slipping away. The odds of her winning in a fight against Ulric weren’t in her favor. She worried her bottom lip. “Luc, if I lose what will happen?”
“You won’t lose.”
“But what if I do? We can’t keep pretending I’m this great hero. I’m just a girl who doesn’t have a damn clue what I’m supposed to do.”
Luc stopped and turned slowly toward her. “You will not fail. I won’t let you fail.”
“But—”
“No buts, this is what you were born to do.”
“I don’t think I believe that. I mean how can someone be born to do something?”
He chuckled. “You can’t think rationally here. The rules of your world don’t apply and for the record, St. Louis isn’t your world. You are one of us. You were born on this side of the Arch. You are what some would call ‘a fairytale creature’ yourself. There is more to you than meets the eye. When I say you were born for this, it is because on the day you were born, the fates and your fairy godmother looked down and said ‘this girl is destined for great things’ and in that moment they blessed you with gifts. Those gifts will help you fulfill your destiny.”
“You make me sound like Luke Skywalker. Are you saying I’m a Jedi?”
She gave him a playful wink but he shook his head. “I’m saying you will not fail.”
She wrung her hands, nervous and fighting to keep from biting her nails. “I don’t understand how you can have so much faith in me when I don’t have any in myself.”
He stepped closer, took her hands in his and looked down at her. He smiled. “Trust me. I haven’t failed you this far. Just do as I say and all will be fine.”
“Will I get hurt?”
He looked down and then looked away. “I can’t promise it won’t hurt. Chances are it will, but you have to push through the pain.”
“I don’t like pain.”
“I know but it will be worth it in the end.”
“Will it? How do you know that? If Ulric dies, what happens to his pack, your pack?”
“When,” he stressed the word. “When Ulric dies, his heir will become head of the pack.” He held up his hand to silence her. “Yes, I am Ulric’s heir. I will take over in my father’s position. No, I will not go crazy. I don’t have the same hang-ups as my father. I am not bloodthirsty. I hold no grudge against your family.”
Her brows drew together in a tight line. “Why don’t you? Your father hates us so much, why don’t you?”
He shrugged. “I guess I see the world differently than he does. He was mad long before your great-great-grandma cursed him. He was always cruel and vicious. When he turned into a wolf, the transformation fit his personality and I think it drove him more insane. He didn’t like to see the monster he was on the outside because he knew he looked the same on the inside. His wolf is very different from the rest of the pack. We take on a typical, albeit very large, regular wolf.” He paused as if trying to figure out how to describe it. “My father takes on the form of a wolf but it’s more monster-like. He can walk on his hind legs and his features are over-exaggerated. It truly is frightening. But there is one more thing…”
&n
bsp; Rowan’s eyes widened. “What?”
“He can change forms.” He held up his hand for her to let him finish. “Not only between man and beast but he can mimic other people’s appearances too, though they are slightly exaggerated, like his wolf. But from a distance or to someone who was unfamiliar with his abilities, they wouldn’t know anything was off until it was too late.”
She gasped. “Are you fucking serious?” Luc nodded and watched as it all sank in. “So you are telling me I have to watch out for him being a crazy man, a monstrous wolf, or he could come at me looking like just about anyone? That’s not fair, how am I supposed to deal with all of this?”
“You’ve got me. That is how you deal with it. I can see my father no matter what disguise he wears.”
She let out a long sigh and slumped against a tree. Her tone was laced with sarcasm, “This is fantastic.”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds, really. You’ll get through this.”
“Can’t we stay here in the woods a little bit longer and pretend none of this has to happen?”
Luc’s eyes flashed with mischief. “And what would we do to pass the time?”
Rowan laughed and worried her bottom lip. “I’m sure we can think of something. I just—”
“What? You want another roll in the hay?”
She looked down at her feet. “I guess I’m just afraid I won’t win and in that case I would like to know that my last day was a great one.”
Luc cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Today was fantastic and you will win but nothing says we have to rush into it. If you want, we can stay here for a bit. I can do my best to give you some better memories to fill this day with so when you look back at it, the day is not only about bloodshed.”
Her cheeks warmed again as she nodded. “I’d like that. If you think we can spare the time.”
“Red, I’d forgo eating for a week if it meant spending more time listening to you moan.” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
