by Jaide Fox
His nostrils detected the subtle sweet scent of pheromones rising from her skin. Mali was going into heat and she didn’t even know it. That would explain her sudden interest in him. He had a cock and he was available. Damned if he wanted to be the one to bring her into it. He grabbed her wrists, intending to thrust her away and head back to camp. She tipped her face up, cracking her eyes to heavy lidded slits. Her warm brown skin looked heavenly, but her full parted lips glistened with the nectar of her mouth as if she’d just licked them.
Damn him straight to hell…he wanted to see what she tasted like even if it killed him.
Jaxon bent his head and closed the distance to her mouth, knowing full well committing himself to a kiss was lunatic folly. He could hear her breath catch in her throat. He could feel the pulse in her wrists flutter beneath his fingertips as he held her tight. As his lips touched hers, her eyes flew open, startled that he’d given in.
“Wait—”
Jaxon cut off her protestation, swallowing her words as he kissed her and stole her breath. She tried to jerk her hands free, but he wouldn’t release her. Her fright or resistance—whatever it was—heightened his sudden excitement. How long had it been since a woman had teased him with her body? Since a woman had asked for his kiss? She didn’t know what she wanted, the little fool.
He nibbled her mouth, dragging his teeth across her bottom lip. She shivered, and he dragged her hands down to his sides, pulling her flush against his chest. Her small breasts poked him, drawing attention to her tightening nipples. She gasped into his mouth, struggling to pull her hands free.
He released her as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, breathing heavily as he broke free.
Mali brought her hand up as if she’d slap his face and just as fast dropped her hand. “You’re a beast!” she snapped.
She looked well kissed, but not as thoroughly as he would have liked.
“Don’t tempt a wolf when he’s hungry, gel,” he ground out, barely recognizing his hoarse voice.
“I should slap you. But I asked for it.”
“That you did,” he said, nodding and watching her warily.
She spit on the ground and wiped her mouth off with the sleeve of her forearm.
He couldn’t help the guffaw at her expense. She looked outraged, which only amused him more. “Don’t you go running off by yerself now.”
“I’ll do as I please. I know how to take care of myself,” Mali said. Grabbing her skirt, she whirled around and ran up the trail back to camp.
He snatched up the basket and ran behind her, grimacing at the pain in his knee as he was forced to keep pace with her. Damn the wet weather, and damn little women getting their first taste of real men.
Chapter Five
If Mali had harbored any illusions that she could charm her way to freedom with her body, Jaxon had effectively diffused that idea. That kiss was nothing like what she’d seen her mother and father share between them. She felt flustered just thinking about him sawing his mouth across hers. The feel of his teeth, the taste of his mouth, and that hot, wet tongue penetrating inside her…
Her insides squirmed, and her sex tightened uncomfortably. She could only imagine what it must be like between a man and a woman. The farm animals had always seemed so unhappy about being bred too…
Mali glared at Jaxon across the fire. The dolt didn’t have the good grace to die from daggers shooting from her eyes. Instead, he gave her a look that made her temperature soar despite the cold breeze tearing through her braids and down the back of her shirt. She shuddered and hugged her arms around her knees. The good spots close to the fire had been secured by Angelica and her brood. Kimber sat next to her, sharing a small blanket across their laps, but that left their backs exposed to the cold. The long sleeved shirt did little to keep the cold from skating up and down her spine.
Jaxon watched them a long moment before throwing another stick into the fire. He stood, went to the wagon, and returned with a burlap blanket. “Here,” he said, wrapping it around her and Kimber.
“Thanks,” Kimber said, looking up at him with a smile.
“Thank you,” Mali muttered, not bothering to look at him until he’d walked off to join the other men.
Kimber nudged her with her elbow. “He’s got eyes for you.”
Mali sniffed. “He can keep on looking. I’ve no use for him.”
“Don’t you? A woman could do much worse than grant rights to Jaxon. If he’s the same one I heard tales about as a girl. Even with that face of his. A strong warrior breeds strong sons.”
Mali slanted her gaze at Jaxon while the men dispersed and checked the perimeter. “His face isn’t that bad. I like it better knowing he got it for a good reason.”
“Not many survive the Ursine,” Kimber said.
“No. I wouldn’t imagine they would. Do you think they are worried about something? They’ve acted odd since going on the hunt.”
Kimber shrugged. “Who knows with men? No doubt it’s all us females that’ve got their breeches feeling snug. They can hardly stand to sit with us temptresses. But can you blame them with those harpies over there complaining about everything?”
The women might look pert and perfect on the outside, but their parents were probably glad to have them leave the household. Mali chuckled when Kimber made a face behind the women’s backs, enjoying having a friend to soften her homesickness.
She hoped she wouldn’t destroy the tenuous bond by having her secret exposed.
***
A rock seemed to be burrowing into Mali’s lower back. Try as she might to find the offensive stone, she couldn’t without disturbing Kimber, who was fast asleep beside her. Mali sat up and dug around under her blanket, but she couldn’t find anything but hard nodules of earth as the culprit.
Wind battered the walls of the tent like fists. She shivered as she crawled out of the tent without disturbing anyone. Standing once outside, the cold night breeze felt like fingers digging under her skirt and shirt. The embers of the fire glowed from beneath the black ash—radiating just enough heat to thaw her toes out briefly. Maybe that was why she was having trouble sleeping? She missed her warm soft bed and the heat of the stove in her loft. The soft snores of her papa comforting her with his presence. She’d never dared to dream of an alternate life away from home. She thought she’d live her life on their little farm—unmated, but safe and content.
Mali swallowed, choking back the well of longing. Walking through the camp, she headed for the line of trees shrouded in darkness.
“What are you doing up?” Jaxon said, stepping out of the dark to lean against a tree trunk and watch her. Shadows hid his eyes, but the stubborn set of his jaw spoke volumes to his suspicious mood.
Mali nearly jumped out of her skin. She clutched a hand to her heart to quiet its drumming. “Don’t you have anything better to do than scare the life out of me? You’re like a ghost,” she whispered furiously.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You didna answer my question.”
She glared at him hoping he could see her displeasure. “Must you know my every move?”
“I’ve been assigned to protect you all. So, yes, even scrawny little maids like you must answer to me.”
“I am not scrawny. Is flinging insults a perk of the job?”
“It can be.”
She rolled her eyes. “That makes me feel ever so much better.”
“It should. No one else here is going ta care about yer arse like me.”
“And you care about my scrawny arse?”
“I didna say your arse is scrawny. Seems quite well rounded ta me. Good for squeezing and pushin.”
“How dare you?” she gasped.
“I don’t care ta mince words at my age.” He grinned and she could see the whites of his teeth as he smiled. They looked like a perfect target for a good punch.
She stared at him. “I am trying to decide how I should take that. I feel I’ve just been insulted again.”
He sco
wled and straightened off the trunk. His stance seemed combative, alert for battle. “Your dancing around the question is boring. Answer me. Are you tryin’ ta take off again? I’ve been lookin’ for a reason ta tie you to the back of the wagon.”
“I don’t think I like the sound of your voice or your threat. I’m not afraid of you,” she said. Her chin set obstinately.
“You should be. That’s not a threat but a promise if you can’t behave yerself. Were you raised to be this stubborn or does it just come naturally?” Jaxon said as he grabbed her bicep and pulled her close.
“Stop manhandling me,” she said, grabbing his hand and digging her nails into his fist.
He smirked. The bastard had the gall to smirk at her.
“Why are you provoking me into a fight?” he asked. “Some women like to feign disinterest so they can enjoy themselves without guilt.”
“I promise I am not that guiled. You can’t honestly think I want you to put your hands on me?”
“Don’t you?” he said quietly. “You did beg for my kiss. You offered me more than that.”
He dipped his head when he said it, ruffling the stray hairs around her forehead with his hot breath. She looked up at him, stunned. “Once was enough for a lifetime!”
“It was that bad? If you’ve not come out here to fight, you must be after something else,” he murmured as he grabbed her other bicep and pulled her flush against his body. The hot, hard muscles felt like iron beneath the leather and wool clothing. She was under no delusion that he wasn’t carved like a statue. He might think he was old, but his body felt young and vibrant. Vaguely, she remembered him capturing her and crushing her beneath his naked form. Heat suffused her face.
“I need to relieve myself. Are you satisfied?” she gritted out.
He stared down at her for a long moment. She thought she detected amusement, but if he had a sense of humor, he hid it well. He released her from the prison of his arms without a fight. “I’ll need to accompany you. You don’t need ta wander around the woods alone.”
She gasped. “I’m not doing that with you around. Are you insane? And I was not planning on gallivanting through the woods in the dark.”
“Just like you weren’t tryin’ ta escape? You take me for a fool, don’t you?” he said. “I’m coming with you. I’ll turn my back if it’s privacy yer after.”
Mali attempted to jerk her arm free, but he held her tight and pulled her along with him. “This look good?”
“Yes,” she said tightly. “You can turn around now. Unless you fancy a watch.”
“You think me depraved, don’t you?” He chuckled.
“If the shoe fits…” Mali felt her face heat with embarrassment. She relieved herself as quickly as she could, convinced he would round the tree just to stare at her in a compromised position. Nothing would surprise her about him.
“You are egotistical and insufferable.”
“Aye,” Jaxon said, walking her back to camp.
“I was safe before I met you. I don’t need you to guard me day and night.”
“Aye. You do.”
“From what? What out there is more frightening and dangerous than the wolf clan?”
“Keep yer voice down,” he said quietly. “You’ll wake the entire camp with that banshee screech.”
Mali dug her heels in. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you’re afraid of.”
He stared down at her. “You’re smart for a farm girl.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting on an answer.
“We might have a bear stalking us. Don’t go tellin’ the others.”
“A bear? I thought they kept to their own kind up in the mountains?”
“You look at my face and tell me if you can still agree with it.”
She swallowed. “Can you keep us safe?”
“Not if they attack. Especially if there’s more than one,” he said, looking around the dark woods.
“How is staying on watch all night going to keep us safe then?” she asked, poking him in the chest.
He didn’t flinch, but caught her finger. His hot palm felt oddly thrilling. She jerked her finger loose.
“It’ll give ya a chance to shift and run if we sound the alarm.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not very comforting.
Jaxon shrugged. “It’s the best I’ve got.”
“Don’t you think the others deserve to know?”
His jaw tightened. “Would you want to tell that load of harpies we might be bein’ stalked? Might be? For all I know the ursine turned and headed back to its own territory. We didna take time to track it.”
“Good point.” She sighed. “I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
He grunted. “That’ll be a first,” he said.
She chose to ignore his jab. She looked at his face illuminated by spatters of moonlight shafting through the tree canopy. The jagged white marks seemed to absorb the light. How sad that his face should be marred forever. She wanted to touch them and wipe them away. Then maybe he wouldn’t be such an insufferable arse.
She hoped he was wrong about the bears. Just thinking about the stories she’d been told through her life made her shudder with repressed fear.
Chapter Six
Chaos greeted them when the tired horses and the overloaded wagon finally rolled through the ten foot tall gates that guarded the southern valley entrance into Fangor. Miscalculating the time needed for a wagon to traverse the rolling hills and mud-mired road, it took the group two full days to finally reach the Moonlight Festival instead of one day as Jaxon had thought.
The gate closed ominously behind them, sealing them inside the city Mali never imagined she would see in her lifetime. Guard towers dotted the corners of the walls, manned by men with crossbows and braziers licked by flame. Security should have been welcoming, but she saw any possibility of escape dashed by the thick beams marking the edge of Fangor. She tried to put that knowledge out of her mind. An overabundance of the wolf clan meant she’d likely blend in with the crowd. Perhaps it would be enough.
Mali never thought she could be so happy seeing civilization and being free of the unceasing complaints of her brethren. Except that she didn’t know how to react to the throngs of people that crowded the beaten earth streets. In the distance, a tall effigy of a wolf constructed of straw and wood stood in the center of town, waiting to be set ablaze to signal the commencement of the festival.
Their arrival at dusk did not go unnoticed. Men leered from the front of stores and other buildings, watching the women exit the wagon like hungry foxes stalking a gaggle of geese. Or hungry wolves, as was the case. The sounds of music--of flutes, lyres, trumpets, and the steady pounding of drums, infused her blood with excitement she couldn’t deny despite the nervousness seeping into her bones.
“Come on now,” Jaxon said, reaching for her.
“Oh,” she said.
Jaxon’s hands lingered on her waist as he set her onto the ground. She looked up at him, feeling breathless from the unfamiliar and strange scents carried on the wind.
In the street, a woman wearing a small top that barely covered her breasts and a sheer skirt embellished with jingling coins, spun and danced with flaming sticks. Across from her stood a man with a jacket and top hat at a table, shuffling cards through the air from one hand to another while his audience guffawed in delight.
“Have you ever seen anything so marvelous?” Kimber said, breathless with excitement.
“No,” Mali said. She looked at Jaxon. “It feels like a circus. Or what I’ve been told.” Reluctantly, she pulled free from him as he helped Kimber from the wagon. Despite her irritation with him, he was her tent pole of reliability. Fangor threatened to overwhelm her. She’d never been in a throng of people before. Home seemed impossibly far away.
“It is,” Jaxon said. “If you’ve any coin, you’re sure to lose it before the festival is over.”
That gave her pause. She chewed her bottom lip. “I don
’t have anything. Nowhere to go and nothing to wear. What am I to do?”
Kimber looked at her and put an arm around her shoulder. “You stick with me. We’ll keep each other safe.”
“No harm will come to you. Nicodemus has the inn set aside for first time females. Inside you’ll be fed and given a bed. There are clothes specific for you to wear that mark you as virgins.” He held her gaze, unblinking. She felt his stare like a torch. Heat flashed across her cheeks and forehead.
“This makes my belly flutter,” Kimber said quietly.
Mali nodded.
“I’ll take you all there so there’s no confusion,” Jaxon said. “After that, you’re on your own. You’ll find many will try to entice you with free wares, hoping for favors once the festival starts. Don’t fall for a pretty face or fat wallet.”
“Aye, daddy Jaxon,” Kimber said with a laugh.
Jaxon glowered.
Mali swallowed, feeling flustered by the activity around her. Despite the coolness of the night, she felt hot all over—almost to the point of sweating. Nerves. “This isn’t the festival?”
Jaxon flashed his white teeth in a wolfish grin. His eyes seemed lit by an inner fire. “It starts with the burning of the wolf—tonight—the first night of the full moon. By the third night you’ll be claimed…in one way or another.”
Adolpho lumbered to the back of the wagon to offload their belongings. “Don’t worry, girls. Jaxon just wants to scare you,” he said, giving Jaxon a look.
Jaxon laughed wickedly, making the hairs rise on the back of Mali’s neck. Obviously he enjoyed their discomfort. Or maybe it was only her and Kimber. The other women seemed ecstatic, if their shaking hands and jumping around were any indication. Angelica stood with her brood, flipping her brown hair and eyeing every man on the street like a prime piece of beef.
Jaxon watched the group of women for a moment before turning on his heel. “Follow me,” he said over his shoulder.
The downstairs of the inn held a bar, and tables filled with drinking patrons. Jaxon nodded to a tall redheaded man seated in a cubby near a wide hearth. Mali felt like she was on display as they crossed the busy room to the curved staircase. She quickened her step, ready to find a quiet spot to gather her thoughts. Upstairs, the sound of the rollicking patrons was muffled through the floorboards.
