by Sky Winters
“That was so beautiful to watch and feel,” Thomas told her, returning to what he had been doing even more aggressively until she had shattered violently several more times against him, her body contorting with the force of her orgasms.
Then, Thomas was moving upward, kissing his way toward her lips the same way he had kissed his way downward. She could taste her own passion on his lips as he kissed her urgently, his erection pushing into her hip before he pulled slightly away, repositioning himself to enter her. She looked up at him, their eyes locking as he pressed into her, the large bulbous head of his cock parting the entrance to her virgin sanctum. Bit by bit, he pushed further into her.
“Are you okay,” he asked as she shifted and let out a groan against his chest.
“Yes. Don’t stop,” she breathed. It hurt but she knew from talk from the other girls that it was normal to feel some pain at first as her new husband took his maidenhead for his own, never to be given to another. The pressure of having him inside her felt exquisite and then he was slipping from her, rocking his body slowly back and forth as he made love to her so slowly she felt like crying from happiness.
“You feel so good. I’ve waited for this for so long, to give ourselves only to each other. There’s been no one but you. There never will be,” he told her.
“There never will be for me either,” she told him, kissing him as he continued to plunge into her more and more aggressively until he couldn’t hold back anymore and filled her with his seed.
They lay there in the darkness, just enjoying the way their bodies felt against one another, but were disrupted by shouts and loud growls from the village. Thomas was up and on his feet in seconds, running from the cave toward the sound. It took Aileen a moment to realize that he had left completely naked and she began getting dressed as fast as possible as she watched his naked figure disappear across the clearing.
And then, just before he entered the bank of trees that divided the clearing from the village, she saw it. His body contorted, growing and changing. He was no longer Thomas, but had somehow changed into something completely different, something she recognized instantly. The large reddish brown bear that had repeatedly watched her from the woods at night and that had accosted herself and Lord MacAuley as they were out walking. Had that just happened?
Aileen crept closer, trying to watch through the trees at the carnage that was unfolding. Her heart raced as she worried about whether Thomas and her family were okay. It seemed to go on forever and she grew more and more afraid that she might lose Thomas again, this time forever. The sounds of screams and growls filled the night air, but she was having a hard time seeing anything as she crept closer.
“Well, look who we have here? If it isn’t my soon to be blushing bride,” she heard Lord MacAuley say from behind her in the clearing. She turned to face him.
“Why aren’t I surprised that you are out here rather than in there in the fight, you coward!” she said defiantly.
“You’ll want to watch that wicked little tongue of yours, my pet. If you plan on speaking to your future Lord and Liege like that in our home, it might just have to be cut out. Pity that would be though. I would surely hate to miss your screams of pleasure when I take your precious virginity as my prize,” he sneered.
“I’m afraid you’re a bit too late for that, you spineless little worm. You see, I told you my betrothed would be back for me. We were married this very day and I’ve already given him what was rightfully his to take. Such a pity,” she told him. She could tell he was surprised.
“You filthy whore! How dare you lie with another man when you are my intended. I can’t very well have a harlot as a bride. It’s none the less though. I shall have you in any way I desire and just relegate you to the brothel when I’m no longer in need of your services,” he told her.
“My Thomas will tear you apart, limb from limb if you so much as try to take me from this place again,” she told him, though she knew Thomas was otherwise engaged and might not be able to save her again.
“You are a foolish one. Where is he? I see him no more now than I did when you told me he existed before. You’re full of nothing but lies. I’ll have my doctor check you for purity and then we will decide your fate from there,” he told her, climbing down off his horse as she turned to run. He was almost upon her when a deafening growl filled the night air around them and the reddish-brown pair landed squarely upon him, literally ripping him apart and then snatching him up to return to the village.
Running through the trees behind him, she could see Lord MacAuley’s body lying on the ground, along with many others of his people. She watched as his men began to run away from the village, seeing that their Lord was dead, they knew they would only be staying to be slaughtered for no reason and rapidly retreated from the pack of bears that prowled the village and took them out, one by one. When it was all said and done, Thomas returned to the woods toward her, changing again before her very eyes.
“I’m sorry you had to see any of that. I know you may feel differently about me now, knowing what I am, seeing what I have done. This is why I had to leave you. I didn’t want to, Aileen and when I learned that Lord MacAuley had you, I couldn’t let anything happen to you. Hannah has been working there for a while and I knew she could find a way to get assigned to attend you. She reported back to me daily and helped me get you out to where I could save you,” he said.
“You frightened me nearly to death,” Aileen exclaimed.
“I know. I’m sorry for that too,” he said.
“I think I can forgive you,” she told him, kissing him softly on the lips. “Can we go back to bed now?”
“Shortly. We have to help with the mess in the village. Let me get my clothes and I will be there in a minute,” he told her.
The two worked side by side through the night helping sort out the mess left in the village. By the time all was said and done, they were both exhausted and badly in need of rest. Walking back to the cave hand in hand, they retrieved their things and brought them back to Thomas’s hut, where they began their lives together anew. Over the years, Thomas would sometimes have to leave for long journeys with his clan, who Aileen now knew were all were bears. Even Hannah was a bear. It had been pretty unbelievable at first, but she had gotten used to the idea now and accepted it.
The one thing that remained constant, is that Hannah was always happy to see Thomas return. Their love spanned a lifetime of almost seventy years, four children and 20 grandchildren. When the time came for Hannah to pass, Thomas wept by her side knowing it would be years before he could join her on the other side due to the extended life from his were bear metabolism. He had her buried just outside the cave where they had first made love and he hibernated there during the winters. During the warm months, he could often be found lying beside her grave, talking to her in a soft voice and he could hear her speaking back to him. Always she would say, “Why are you crying?” as the tears streaked his face.
But one day, in a dark winter many years down the road, Thomas fell asleep in the cave and when he awoke, it was warm outside and the flowers were blossoming. He could hear the sound of Aileen’s voice, singing softly in the meadow outside and he stepped out to see her, grateful that she could come to him in his dreams if nowhere else.
“Hannah, you look so beautiful,” he told her. “I’m so glad for the time that I can see you when I sleep.”
“No, Thomas. You are not sleeping. Your time has come and you’ve drifted off to me while you slumbered. We are here together now and we’ll be together always,” Aileen told him, taking her in ere arms and kissing him. Thomas felt like everything was finally okay again and tears of joy fell down his face.
“Why are you crying?” Aileen asked.
“Because I found the love of my life when I was only five years old and now, she has come back to me once again. I love you, Aileen,” he told her.
“I love you too, Thomas. Always & Forever,” she replied.
The End
Bear of the Highlands
“Go faster, you infernal beast,” Lady Murdina yelled at the horse she had stolen from the stables of her childhood home.
Though it was already furiously galloping through the thickest parts of the forest, causing her to duck branches, it just wasn’t fast enough. She could see the knights her brother had sent closing in on her from behind. They would be on her in no time if this animal didn’t go faster. Her only hope was to lose them in the trees before the clearing up ahead. If she failed, she would be dragged back to her brother’s castle and handed over to Lord Cannon as his betrothed. She had rather die on the cliffs than have that happen.
Lord Cannon was well known to be a sadist. She would be his sixth wife in only five years. The first had not survived the night, it is told. Two of the others were locked away in the mad house and one had disappeared. Whether it was the woman’s own doing or his remained a speculation, but a body had yet to be recovered. It was commonly believed that she escaped, but no one knows to where. Talk of a dungeon and cruelty beyond measure was said not to be embellished, but rather watered down for the innocent ears of those who knew naught of such things.
Just ahead she could see a clearing, she headed towards it, but quickly banked left and ducked back into an adjoining section of trees, heading southeast at an angle. Hopefully, the knights would be well across the clearing before they realized she had changed course and was long gone. She barked at the horse to move faster as it continued its dangerous pace through low hanging limbs and treacherous footing.
As the forest grew darker and thicker, she slowed and paused the horse, letting them both catch their breath as she listened for hoof prints. Hearing none, she began walking the horse slowly through the blackness of the obsidian woods. It would be daylight soon and she would be more visible to those who followed her. The further she could get away in the darkness, the better, but she needed to give the horse a break. Unfortunately, the turn had resulted in her becoming a bid disoriented and she was no longer sure which direction she was headed. The tree cover prevented her from seeing the moon and stars above, so she had no guide other than instinct.
“Okay, we can’t keep walking fellow. Just hang in there with me and I promise that you will be the most spoiled horse in the land for getting me out of here alive,” she whispered to the stallion beneath her, smoothing the hair on his neck with her hand before digging in her heels and sending him charging forward again.
There were no sounds that she could hear as they rode, so she thought she was in the clear. Still, they made their way quickly along toward a part of the woods with which she was unfamiliar. There was no hesitation in charging right into it. Whatever was in there was still bound to be better than the cruelty that awaited her at home. Speed was of the essence now.
“What is wrong with you?” she said to the horse as she suddenly pulled short and side stepped what appeared to be a clearing in the woods. Murdina climbed down and looked ahead of them, discovering that they had reached a deep chasm that could not be seen for the thick woods that grew all the way up to its very edge. The horse had seen it and stopped.
“Good boy, but we can’t stay here,” she said, smoothing his nuzzle as she looked around and listened. Not too far off, she heard the crunch of branches. It could be anything, including her brother’s knights. There was no doubt they would pursue her until there was no hope of her being found. Their fate in returning to her brother without her in their clutches would be decidedly final in nature.
She climbed back on the horse and followed the forest along the edge of the deep ravine until she arrived at a clearing in the trees. There was no sign of the knights as she cleared the woods and began galloping quickly across the meadow ahead of her. She topped a slight ridge and her face fell. Facing her were a good portion of the knights, apparently having figured out what she had done and fallen back to track her back into the woods. She turned, too quick, and the horse came out from under her. It stumbled away as she struggled to get out from under its faltering feet.
“Well, look who decided to turn back up,” Sir Hooson said, climbing off his horse to retrieve her. Murdina scrambled toward the edge of the chasm.
“Stop! Come any closer to me and I’ll throw myself over the edge!” she screamed at him.
“Go ahead. You’ll save me the trouble of hauling you back to your brother kicking and screaming,” he laughed as he continued toward her.
Murdina took a deep breath and said a silent prayer as she stood on the edge, preparing to jump. Suddenly, strong arms were around her, pulling her upon the back of a black stallion headed deep into the woods. She barely had time to register what was happening as she was rushed into the dark part of the forest where no one dared go by a strange man she had never seen before. They were miles away before he stopped and climbed down, helping her off the horse before pulling the hood of the long dark cloak her wore away from his head. She stood looking up at his dark, handsome face and broad shoulders as he looked down upon her softly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to see if you were okay, but it appeared you were between a rock and hard place back there. Well, a mob and a hole might be more apt,” he told her with a smile.
“I’m . . . fine,” she hesitated. “Are we safe from them? I can’t go back with them.”
“You are safe,” he replied, putting his hands on her shoulders to calm her. She felt a shudder go through her entire being as he touched her. Whoever he was, he had saved her.
“Thank you so much. I was in dire straits,” she told him.
“It certainly seemed that way. Why are those men after you?” he asked.
Murdina considered the question, but was hesitant to answer. She had no idea who this man was. Just because he saved her didn’t mean he was a good guy. He could very well turn around and ransom her back to her brother if he knew who she was.
“They wanted to trade me for favors from a man with which they do business,” she replied.
“Sounds like nasty business, that. Where were you planning to go to get away from them? I can help you get there,” he replied.
“I didn’t know. I stole a horse and just took off on it. I was just trying to get far away and then sort out where I would go after that,” she replied.
“Well, our camp is not far. We are mostly men, but there are some women. You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. You will be safe. We only ask that you do your part,” he told her.
“That would be overwhelmingly kind of you. I would appreciate it very much,” she replied, feeling relieved.
“Very good. I’m Rory of the Clan McKordia,” he told her, looking at her softly.
“Anna,” she lied.
“Just Anna?” he asked.
“Yes, just Anna,” she told him.
“Well, Anna, let’s get you back to camp before those men decide to venture into the darkness to find you,” he replied.
Murdina knew that the men would not venture into the darkest part of the woods to look for her. At least, not at this late hour. She could go to Rory’s camp with him at least for the night to figure out what she must do from there. Tomorrow, the men would surely return with reinforcements to retrieve her. Climbing onto the back of Rory’s horse, she held onto him as they rode quietly through the thick part of the forest. She felt safe and secure with him, despite his being a stranger to her. Hopefully, he wouldn’t betray that simple trust and she would make it to some far away land where she could feel completely at ease.
“Here we are,” he told her as they rode into what appeared to be a makeshift encampment.
Looking around, Anna could see huts that were erected with whatever materials were handy. They were built all along the banks of the river that ran through the forest and ended in a waterfall of the cliff on the other side. The cliff jutted out so that three sides of the camp were protected by the steep climb it would take to reach it from below. The only way in was through the deepest part of the f
orest where very few dared to venture. There were tales of many who had done so and never returned. Even the cliff itself was obscured by a heavy bank of trees that enclosed the somewhat open area along the water’s edge
“This is quite the place you have set up here,” she remarked.
“Yes, it is. We aren’t really welcome in most of the established areas of Scotland. It is in our best interest to keep to ourselves the best that we can. You are lucky that I was out bartering with a nearby trader when I came across your situation,” he said.
“I was lucky. I don’t know that I can ever thank you enough,” she replied.
“It was nothing,” he replied, stopping and climbing down off the horse. As before, he reached up to help her down.
Anna looked awkwardly around, not sure what to do next. She had no place here. All her life she had lived behind castle walls. It would be obvious to them that she was not a commoner the moment she attempted to do any menial task. Her short lived relief gave way to panic.
“Where will I stay?” she asked nervously.
“I don’t know. I have room, but that would be inappropriate. Let me get my horse unpacked and we will find a place where you will be comfortable. Have you eaten today?” he asked.
“No,” Anna replied, shaking her head and looking at the ground. She felt like a beggar.
“Then, let’s get you something to eat while I work on everything else,” he told her.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, feeling ashamed.
“Don’t say anything, Anna. Pretty much everyone here was in your shoes at some point. Some of us are kinsmen that came here together, but a good many of the people are just like yourself. They were on the run from something or someone when they wound up here. Some hadn’t eaten for days and had nothing to call their own. They came here and made a new life. You can find a place here, if you choose. If not, then you are welcome to our good graces while you figure it out. As I said before, we only ask that you do your part while among us,” he told her gently.
