Of course, being chained like an animal didn’t make his task any easier. Getting free from this damned manacle was one of the first items of business. He would have to devote some serious attention to the matter right after breakfast.
He turned and went to relieve his immediate needs. He made use of the chamber pot, and then he washed briefly, shivering from the cold water he found in a small basin. Then, he crossed to the dining table and sat down to eat. Just as he was finishing his meal, Eleta began to rouse. She stretched sinuously beneath the quilts and gave a moaning yawn. Rafe’s erection sprang to full attention as he watched. She rolled over to face his direction and blinked several times as she opened her beautiful almond shaped eyes. When she saw him, she favored him with a radiant smile.
“Good morning,” she said drowsily.
“Good afternoon,” Rafe replied with an answering grin. He crossed to the bed and stretched out on top of the quilts, face to face with her. He propped his head on his elbow and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as he searched her eyes.
“Well? Was your first experience everything you hoped for, your Majesty?” he asked teasingly, his grin never wavering.
Eleta raised one haughty brow, but the corners of her lips were twitching. “You are just seeking compliments now, sir.”
Rafe chuckled. “Hardly. Since I was restrained, you cannot fault me if our lovemaking was not satisfactory for you.”
A pretty blush tinged her cheeks, and she nibbled her bottom lip. Still, she managed to meet his eye and give him an impish grin. “It was more than satisfactory, Rafe. In fact, I’m anxious to repeat the experience.”
To demonstrate the truth of her words, she freed her arms from the quilts and wound them around his neck. She kissed him boldly, and her lips promised all manner of delights if he would accept her invitation. Rafe returned her kiss for several long moments before reluctantly releasing her mouth with a sigh. She knew he was not unaffected by the kiss. His breathing was ragged, and she could see that his eyes had turned to deepest emerald once again. When he spoke, his voice hitched with barely restrained passion.
“We should wait for a while, Eleta. You must be tender, and I want you so badly right now that I don’t think I can be gentle with you. I don’t want to hurt you unduly.”
His gruff admission thrilled her, and Eleta felt sharp pangs of longing begin to throb low in her belly. “I am neither fragile nor frightened, Rafe.” She ran a finger along his bottom lip and met his eye boldly. “I don’t want you to hold back, and I want you just as badly as you want me.”
Rafe searched her eyes for a long moment. Then, he growled low in his throat and pulled her close for another kiss. This time, his lips were fierce and possessive as his tongue mated with hers. He stole her breath and quickly whisked her back into the flames of passion. Without releasing her mouth, he peeled the covers away, and Eleta eagerly kicked them to the foot of the bed. He pressed her flat onto her back, and greedily devoured her lips as his hands began to wander over her body. He mapped her curves with proprietary thoroughness, paying special attention to the lush globes of her breasts. He weighed their fullness and assessed their firmness. He twisted her nipples until they stood fully erect, and they ached for more of his skillful ministrations.
When he released her mouth, Eleta felt a moment of disappointment, but it dissipated when he cruised his fevered lips down the column of her neck. He paused briefly to nibble behind her ear and suckle the pulse point at the base of her throat, but the trail of fire led inexorably toward her breast. Eleta was impatient for him to reach his goal, and she arched her back in mute appeal. When his mouth closed over one throbbing crest, she cried out with heartfelt relief.
All traces of gentleness were gone, as Rafe devoured the tender peak. He had become a starved beast, and rather than trying to tame him, Eleta encouraged him to ravage her. She realized that in all their previous encounters, Rafe must have been holding back. Eleta wanted none of that. His uncontrolled passion stirred an answering response in her, and she yearned only to incite him further. She raked his back with her nails and thrust her breast up toward him.
His eyes flared hotter than before, and he growled low in his throat as he tugged even more fiercely on her tender nipple. He tortured her with teeth and tongue, alternating sharp nips with soothing strokes as she sobbed and writhed beneath him. He switched to her other breast, and subjected it to even harsher treatment as he continued to torment the first nipple with his wicked fingers. He held her breast steady and slowly scraped his whiskered jaw across the delicate peak, chafing the tender flesh until it was throbbing and bright red. Eleta moaned with pleasure and arched her back still further, mutely begging for more. He obliged her request with an even harsher swipe of his whiskers. Eleta screamed and came apart in his arms.
Rafe watched in surprise as she shuddered and gasped, clenching her thighs tightly together as her climax rolled through her body. He hadn’t even touched the tender flesh between her thighs yet. He had never seen a woman with such sensitive breasts, and he was thrilled by her responsiveness. It was a struggle not to simply hold her down and ravish her, but he grimly struggled for some semblance of self control. He waited just until she began to regain her composure before seizing her breast yet again and pressed her onward to a higher peak.
He took her nipple into his mouth and suckled harshly. He showed the tender nubbin no mercy, tugging powerfully with his teeth as Eleta writhed beneath him, sobbing with need. He slid his hand between her outstretched thighs and found her core. She was hot and dripping with fluid, and she arched her hips eagerly against his questing hand. He speared her with two broad fingers, and she shuddered. He located the swollen bud of her arousal and flicked it with his thumb in time with his thrusting fingers. She cried out with pleasure.
Eleta felt like she was drowning. Rafe was stroking deep inside her while still ravishing her breast with ravenous hunger. She felt possessed, claimed, devoured. She was incapable of rational thought. All her senses were focused on slaking his endless appetite, while her own hunger gnawed at her from the inside. She felt like an empty vessel, and she was growing increasingly desperate for relief. After what seemed like eons, she could take no more.
“Please,” she sobbed breathlessly. “Please, I need you!”
Rafe understood her plea. He knelt between her legs, gripped her hips and thrust inside her with one mighty stroke. Eleta shattered again with a scream of exquisite pleasure. Rafe felt as if his jaw might break. He grimly clenched his teeth together and held perfectly still. His muscles and tendons bulged with the effort it took not to move. Her inner contractions were sweet torture. Her inner walls were clamped so tightly onto him that it was almost painful. He waited impatiently until her velvety sheath began to relax, and then he plundered.
He claimed her in the most primal way possible, invading her with deep, repetitive, mind-numbing strokes. His fingers dug into her hips to hold her in place, as he simply took all she could offer. He demanded everything, and she gave him free access, allowing him to wallow in her molten depths. The more wantonly she flowered for him, the more deeply he forced himself inside her.
He snared her startled gaze and held it as he rode her, blatantly staking his claim to her body. There was no holding back. The violence of his possession shook her to her core, but she didn’t shy away. Instead, Eleta wrapped her legs around his waist, and Rafe gave a possessive growl of approval as he thrust even deeper inside her. He stuffed a pillow under her hips to lift her slightly, and the new position allowed him to reach still new depths. She could feel the broad head of his erection battering her womb with every harsh invasion. Nothing had ever felt so good!
Their bodies were slick with sweat, and their breathing was harsh and ragged, but still Rafe continued to ravage her tender flesh. He alternated the pace of his thrusts, keeping her near the peak but never letting her reach the ultimate fulfillment. Eleta grew increasingly frantic, and she met his strokes with eager ab
andon, ceding everything to him. When she thought she might die from pleasure, he thrust deep and flung her over the cliff. She sobbed ecstatically, and he threw his head back with a howl of harsh relief. He held her immobile beneath him as he emptied his seed inside her in a seemingly endless series of waves. She could feel the hot bursts at the very entrance to her womb, and she savored the poignant intimacy of the moment.
Rafe remained motionless for several long moments, his fingers biting into her hips to hold her tight against his loins as his chest worked like a bellows. Finally, he seemed to come back to his senses. His eyes burned with possessive satisfaction as they slowly scanned her body. He savored the sight of her. Her eyes were slumberous, her lids were heavy with passion, and her softly parted lips were swollen and red from his kisses. Her ivory skin was flushed pink, and her entire body was shiny with perspiration. Her breasts rose and fell with her panting breaths. His eyes flared even hotter as they traced her pouting nipples. The impudent tips were raw and red, swollen from his mouth, hands and whiskers. He growled low in his throat and let his eyes drop further to the area of their joining. He pulled out of her ever so slowly, letting her feel the growing void as he withdrew inch by slow inch.
Eleta could not suppress a moan of disappointment as he slipped free from her body, and Rafe met her eye again. He dropped onto his heels, and he held her gaze as he laid her knees wide apart. Eleta felt her heart pounding with joy as she lay still beneath his heated stare. Her glistening folds lay fully exposed, and Eleta held her breath as he examined her with leisured thoroughness. He ran his fingers along the swollen flesh, noting with satisfaction that her outer lips were red and chafed from their lovemaking. It pleased him that he had marked her in such a primal way. The sensual tableau before him was captivating, and his cock began to respond yet again, albeit sluggishly.
Eleta watched him with fascination. She could see his erection slowly swelling once more, and she held her breath. She would gladly welcome his advances if he so chose. Rafe saw the acceptance in her eyes, and he was sorely tempted. But a dark splotch on the white sheets caught his eye. He turned and saw a few faint drops of dried blood, a reminder of her recently lost virginity. He couldn’t, in good conscious, ravage her again so soon.
He released a shaky breath and cast one more longing glance at her womanly flesh. A small trickle of their combined fluids dribbled from inside her, and he grunted in approval. Rafe bent over her and kissed her luscious lips. She moaned and responded to his kiss, her lips warm and inviting beneath his. At last, he released her mouth and met her gaze.
“You are mine now, Eleta,” he said simply.
Eleta could find no words in reply. She could not admit it aloud, but she did not disagree with his assessment. Their relationship had shifted and she wasn’t sure where they now stood, but it was somewhere different. She was no longer his queen. She was simply his. She shivered involuntarily.
Rafe seemed to understand her acquiescence. With a pleased humph, he stretched out behind her and pulled the covers over them both. He gathered her against him, pressing her softness into the curve of his body. Her bottom lay cradled against his groin and he cupped one breast possessively in his palm with a satisfied sigh. Eleta had never felt so safe and happy. She was snuggled in the arms of her fierce wolf, and strangely, everything felt right in the world. Within moments they were both deeply asleep once more.
Chapter Eight
When Eleta woke, she was surprised to see that it was dark outside the windows. The stars shone brightly in the sky, and the light of a full moon sent silver rays through the glass panes.
She snuggled deeper beneath the covers and closed her eyes as she took inventory of her body. She was deliciously sore in some very delicate areas. As she stretched cautiously, she winced from a multitude of tiny abrasions and bruises across her breasts and between her thighs. The memory of how her wounds had been acquired made her smile rather smugly. She debated reaching for Rafe to rekindle their mutual fires, but decided she didn’t quite have the energy right at that moment.
The thought of fires made her open her eyes once again. She glanced at the fireplace and saw that Rafe had added logs recently, for the flames were leaping merrily in the grate. She smiled again, this time with mischief. She would have to reward him somehow.
Her stomach gave a loud growl, and she sighed. As much as she didn’t want to leave the cozy confines of the bed, she really did need sustenance, and Rafe was likely hungry too. She turned over to wake him and frowned at the empty place beside her in bed. She sat up in confusion. She couldn’t see him anywhere in the room.
“Rafe?” she called, thinking he might be making use of the chamber pot behind the screen. “Rafe!”
There was no response. Her eyes opened wide with shock, and she scrambled to the end of the bed and looked down at the chain. The attached shackle should have been wrapped around Rafe’s ankle, but instead, it lay open on the floor. The iron lock lay open too, and there was a fork with a bent tine and several of her hairpins nearby. Obviously he had picked the lock to gain his freedom.
Despair struck her like a heavy weight in her chest. She felt forlorn and abandoned. She had given him everything, and he had left her. She was devastated by his desertion! She gave a keening cry. Tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets, and she curled into a miserable ball on the bed. She sobbed loudly as she clutched the quilts to her face. His scent clung to the bedding, and she buried her face, gulping in huge breaths of air as she wept.
Suddenly, Rafe was there, lifting her across his lap and cradling her like a child. “There now, love. What’s the matter?” he crooned. He shook her gently, when it looked like she hadn’t heard him. “Eleta, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
She gaped up at him with huge, tearful eyes and then flung her arms around his neck. “I thought you had gone,” she cried. She continued bawling as she clung to him. “I thought you had left me. I thought I would never see you again.”
“Hush now,” he ordered gently, brushing her hair back from her face and kissing her brow. He lifted her chin and gave her a teasing smile. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, love.”
She tried to smile in response, but the best she could manage was a trembling sniffle. However, she did begin to calm. Her sobs subsided into hiccupping whimpers, and her breathing gradually settled. The whole time, he rocked her on his lap, stroking her hair and lavishing kisses on the top of her head. He murmured endearments in a soothing voice, and she cuddled contentedly against his chest. In the dim recesses of her mind, she realized that she had not even been worried that the prophecy would not have come true, she had only been concerned that Rafe had left her. Knowing she had forgotten about her mission even temporarily was disturbing, but she refused to think about it at that moment. Her emotions were too raw to be examined too closely.
When the storm had finally passed, he wiped her face with the edge of the sheet. He made no move to oust her from her comfy perch, and instead tucked her head beneath his chin. Rafe had found his clothes in the wardrobe and gotten dressed. Now, the entire front of his shirt was wet from her tears. She nibbled her bottom lip and ran her palm across his chest self-consciously.
“I’m sorry for getting you all wet,” she whispered.
Rafe clasped her hand against him, squeezing her fingers gently. “Don’t give it a thought, Eleta.” He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “You didn’t really think I would leave you, did you?” he asked softly.
She nodded and tucked her head beneath his chin once more. “I caught you trying to escape once before, from the inn. I had no reason to think you would not escape now if you found a chance. You told me yesterday that you wanted to leave.”
Rafe lifted her chin, insisting that she look at him. He gave her a puzzled frown, as if her reasoning was obviously flawed. “That was before,” he murmured.
“Before what?” she asked with wide eyes. Her eyes were huge and full of confusion and uncertainty.
&n
bsp; He cupped her jaw and ran a thumb across her lower lip. “Don’t you understand, Eleta? When I wanted to escape, that was before you gave yourself to me. Now, you are mine,” he said softly. “I don’t walk away from what’s mine. You are mine, and I will never leave you. I simply refused to be chained like some beast any longer.”
She shivered with pleasure. Hearing him say she belonged to him filled her with deep satisfaction. She reached to kiss him, and their lips melded in the gentlest of caresses. It was clear that they both approved of his claim. She finally drew back with a sigh and her eyes were glowing when she met his gaze.
“So now that you are free, you won’t leave me?” she asked.
He gave a self-deprecating chuckle and squeezed her lightly. ” My God, do you honestly not know how desirable you are?” When she shook her head, he continued. “I could sooner cut off my right arm than to walk away from you, Eleta. You are like the most intoxicating elixir. I can’t seem to get enough of you.” As if to prove the truth of his words, he caressed her breast, gently pinching and twisting her nipple until it stood stiffly erect. “Your body calls to me constantly. There is no way I could walk away now.”
Eleta blushed prettily, greatly pleased by his words. “Where did you go then?”
Rafe kissed her forehead briefly and then lifted her from his lap and sat her in the middle of the huge bed. He rose and brought a plate of food that he had set aside when he saw her weeping. He lit several candles around the bed. Then, he plopped down beside her, fed her a piece of roasted chicken, and took another bite for himself.
The Fall of The Wolf (Historical Romance) Page 14
