He released her and pulled back. She was panting as she looked at him.
"Let me help you take these clothes off," he whispered. She nodded. He helped her out of the bed and then he stood beside her. It took several moments to get past all the buttons and laces but she was finally naked before him. He slipped off his trousers as well. It did not seem fair that he see her in all her glory while hiding his body from her.
The sight of her had awoken his cock but it was only at half mast and not ready to give her pleasure.
He reached out his arms and pulled her naked body against the length of his. Her skin was soft against his and one hand rubbed over the curve of his back as he gently pulled her lips back up to his.
Once her lips were under his he moved both of his hands to her pert bottom and pulled her upwards so that he was holding her off the floor. He took several steps backwards until his knees hit the bed and he pulled them down together so that her body was above his. The softness of her hip grazed his cock making him moan into her mouth.
She pulled back to look at him. He loved the way that her hair fell over her shoulders and her breasts bounced with her slightest movements.
She reached a hand forward tentatively to touch the patch of hair on his chest. Her touch was so light he could barely feel it as she ran her fingers through the hair on his chest. When her thumb grazed his nipple he groaned and closed his eyes.
Sophronia had not seen him properly before and she had never thought to ask to touch him but he did not seem to mind her exploring his chest. The hair was rough but underneath he had two dark nipples. She had not meant to touch them at first but his reaction when her thumb accidentally grazed one had told her that he was enjoying her touch as much as she was enjoying touching him.
She remembered the ache in her breast on the first night they had made love when he had taken her nipple into his mouth. She had not thought she could be so bold and surely if his eyes were not closed she would never have dared to.
She watched his hands fist the sheets as her lips found the nipple beneath his pelt.
She felt his hips buck underneath her and she lifted her mouth and pulled away.
He opened his eyes and she was surprised to see that they looked glazed.
"Do you like when I touch you?" she asked.
"Yes," he whispered. It was all the assurance she needed to run her hand down his chest and past his belly. She watched his eyes watching her hand as she reached out to touch his manhood.
It did not feel as she had expected it to. Inside her it felt strong and hard. It was those things but it also had a softness to it that she had not felt when it was inside her. She ran her fingers up and down the shaft exploring the texture of his member.
"Good God," he growled between gritted teeth.
"Am I hurting you?" she asked dropping his member.
She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She was a wife and a mother but she had no idea how her husband's body worked. How could a woman be with a man and even carry a child and still not understand the anatomy of her husband?
He opened his eyes to look at her and she could see his face soften. He must have seen her mortification. He reached a hand up and cupped her face.
"Your touch makes me lose myself in pleasure. I had meant to pleasure you not for you to pleasure me," he said.
"It does give me pleasure to touch you," she said. She took his member in her hands again. He reached out and put his hands over hers. He closed her hand around his organ and led her hands upward and back. It took her a moment to realize that was what he wanted her to do but then she began to move her hand up and down. She could feel his member stiffen even more with her movements. His eyes closed again and she watched his face contort as if he was in agony but the bucking of his hips and his fingers clenching the blanket told her not to stop.
She was sure she had never touched a man in such a way and it had never occurred to her that a wife might do so. Being above him and giving him pleasure with her hands made her feel a strange sense of power. She also found that it excited her body. The heat in her belly was inflamed as she watched him writhe in pleasure at her touch.
Before she was finished he reached a hand out to stop hers from moving.
"We must stop now," he whispered. She could see the agony in his face as he said those words. She remembered what the precipice of pleasure had felt like and she imagined he must be very near it.
"Why must we stop?" she asked.
"Because I want to put a baby in you. My baby," he whispered.
He reached for her hips and she allowed him to move her forward. She thought he would roll them over and cover her as he had before but he did not. Instead, he reached between her legs and spread her open with his fingers. Then, he lowered her downwards onto his member.
His hands on her hips guided her up and down until she understood what she was supposed to be doing. His cock rubbed deliciously against her pleasure nub as she moved up and down his shaft. She moved harder and faster as she felt the buildup of pleasure as she had the first night they were together.
He could smell her desire as she moved on him. He could feel her need as her movements became more desperate.
He knew he was dangerously close to disappointing her a second time that night and he was not about to let that happen.
He reached a hand up to where their bodies were joined and found her pleasure nub. He used his thumb to tease it even as she was using his cock to rub against it. As she moved harder and faster so did his thumb. She began to pant and make whimpering noises and he knew she was almost there. He needed her to hurry. He would not be able to hold back much longer. The feeling of inevitability kept pushing him towards the edge. Just when he thought he would not be able to hold himself back a moment longer he heard her gasp and felt her whole body tighten.
Her pussy squeezed his cock as wetness splattered onto his thighs and lower belly. He let himself go. His balls tingled as his seed shot into her depths.
She collapsed forwards onto him just as the pulsing ceased in his cock.
She lay atop his chest as they both tried to catch their breath.
Her eyes looked at him sleepily and he rolled her off of him and into the bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly feeling exhaustion through his whole body.
It took only moments before he fell asleep with his wife in his arms.
Sophronia was surprised to awaken to morning light streaming through the window and a naked husband in her bed. She felt much more self conscious now that the sun had replaced the shadows of dusk. She was about to crawl over Nathaniel to retrieve her clothes when he caught her in his arms and brought his mouth down on the back of her neck.
Part of her wanted to fall back into his arms and let them both get lost in pleasure but another part of her wanted to throw her clothes on and flee. Did all women act so shockingly with their husbands? She could not imagine her mother and father nor Eldon and Claire doing the things she had done the night before with Nathaniel. Part of her wanted to be ashamed but another part of her wanted it again.
She reached a hand behind her to stroke his manhood but he gently pulled away from her.
"I think you will be sore from last night," he whispered though her touch had made him hard again and she could see he would have been perfectly capable of filling her again.
"I suppose you should dress and return to your own room," Sophronia said though she was loathe to have him leave her.
"We are married. No one will say anything about where I sleep," Nathaniel assured her. She did not think her father had ever awoken in her mother's room. Had she not seen it or had they been the sort of people who loved for duty. She might have been like that if she had married another but now that she had been with Nathaniel again she was quite sure she would crave him during the waking hours of the day. Already she looked forward to nightfall.
"Then should I have a breakfast tray brought up for us?" Sophronia asked.
&n
bsp; "I think we had better break our fast in the dining room. Mercy will need the company," Nathaniel said.
"Last night I wanted to ask you about Mercy. Is she quite well in her mind?"
"I am sure the loss of Daniel will affect her. She loved him very much. They were intended to be married at one time," Nathaniel said.
"I know that. She said there was something wrong with her that ruined the match. From her words I thought she spoke of barrenness but she said it was a condition shared by a relative whose diary she was reading. I stumbled upon the diary and-"
"You read Thomasina Wolstenholme's diary?" Nathaniel asked. His alarm did little to calm her fears.
"I did. It seemed Thomasina was quite mad. She believed that her family were werewolves and that she had been sent away because she was not a werewolf. She even thought the man she married and children she helped him raise were werewolves. If whatever condition she and Mercy share causes such delusions I wondered if it was safe for her to be around Keturah. I would not want her thinking that her niece is a werewolf and harming her," Sophronia said.
"Neither my sister or ancestor suffer from madness. Thomasina's family were werewolf as am I. I have every reason to believe than Keturah will grow to be as well," Nathaniel whispered.
Sophronia wanted to laugh because it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard but the look on her husband's face told her that he was being deathly serious.
Nathaniel felt like a knife had been turned in his stomach at the look of horror on his wife's face. He had not wanted to tell her the Wolstenholme secret in such a way but since she had somehow gotten hold of the diary it would be better to be honest.
"My father is the leader of a pack. Once he is gone my brother will be the leader. Though both of my parents were werewolf for some reason my sister was not. The reason I must go hunting once a month is to be safely away from the estate during the full moon. The day before and after the moon as well as during it I have little control over changing to my wolf form. I have some control of myself even as a wolf but I do not think as a man does. My being werewolf was why Mercy had to give you blood after the birth of Keturah and not I. Dr. Alyes was not sure it would be safe to join my blood with yours."
"Perhaps all of you are mad," Sophronia said softly backing away from him on the bed.
"I assure you, none of us are mad. It is the truth."
Nathaniel stood up and moved away from the bed. He took a deep breath and concentrated all his energy on his wolf.
He felt the change from man to wolf and immediately reversed it again. By the time he had returned fully to the form of a man Sophronia had fainted.
"Damn," he whispered.
He yanked on his trousers and rang the servant’s bell. He pulled the blankets high over his wife to preserve her modesty as he waited. A moment later he heard footsteps. He opened the door and was relieved to see it was Ruth who had answered.
"My wife has fainted. Can your retrieve smelling salts and attend her?" he asked. Ruth nodded. He waited for her to return with the salts then he headed back to his own room. Likely, his wife would need time for all of the information to digest. He thought perhaps he should not have changed to his wolf before her. He knew that even those who grew up knowing of werewolves found them overwhelming. He could not imagine what Sophronia must have thought. He knew he should have waited to show her his wolf self but he hated the idea that she thought he was mad.
He had just slipped through his door when Reggie appeared. He wondered for a moment if Ruth had alerted the valet of the situation but Reggie held out a letter to him.
He took the letter and opened it. He read it with a groan.
Dearest Brother,
Vivian is missing. I arrived at our family home and she is gone though I was assured she had been returned there. I have contacted the neighbors and sent messages to your father and the other pack leaders. I cannot know whether she has run away in her grief at the loss of our parents or whether the fiend who killed my family came back to abduct her for monstrous purposes I cannot even fathom.
Please, help!
Your Dutiful Sister,
Claire
"Bloody hell," Nathaniel muttered tossing the letter onto his bed.
Chapter 22
Sophronia sent away the breakfast tray. She still felt sick. The smelling salts had woken her but she felt as if she was in some kind of nightmare. Her husband was a werewolf. Her child would grow to be a werewolf. She was living among werewolves. She would have thought them all mad if her husband had not become a werewolf before her own eyes.
She stood up and stumbled down the hallway to the nursery. Alice was rocking Keturah. She stood up from the chair when Sophronia entered the room.
Sophronia stepped forward and took Keturah into her arms but held her a bit away from her so she could look her over. Was her baby really destined to grow up to be a monster?
"Is it common for werewolf children to be born early but appear as if they were not?" Sophronia asked. She had hoped Alice would look at her as if she was mad. She wanted Nathaniel to have somehow tricked her eyes. Alice had gone with them hunting. If what he said was true she must be one of them as well.
"It is not always the case but it does happen. Especially when the woman carrying the baby is not a werewolf also," Alice said slowly. The naturalness of her explanation told Sophronia that her husband had not played a trick nor had he lied.
"My daughter will be a werewolf?"
"We can never be certain until the change happens but she does show all the early signs," Alice said.
"Your daughters Amelia and Emily are not werewolves," Sophronia said. She had so many questions and she was not at all sure what she should ask. Everything seemed unreal.
"My first husband died in the war. We had no children and I was a young woman back then. I remarried a man who was not a werewolf because many of our number had died in the war. He knew of our kind. Many of the tenants on the land come from werewolf families if they are not werewolf themselves. Some of my children are werewolf. Some are not."
"There is nothing to be done to cause or prevent a baby from being a werewolf?" Sophronia asked. Surely, there must be some way she could prevent her daughter from becoming a monster.
"None that any of our kind has found," Alice said.
Sophronia looked at Keturah. Her daughter was smiling up at her and cooing. She reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. It was soft under her touch. It seemed impossible that once she grew up she would change into a beast at the full moon. How could such a horror happen to her beautiful baby girl?
Sophronia let out a sob as she handed her daughter back to Alice.
"I am sure it is a shock for you, mistress. I assure you that it is not as terrible as you might imagine. She will have a high place in the pack as the granddaughter of Marquess Wolstenholme," Alice said. Sophronia brought a hand to wipe away a tear from her cheek and nodded.
She tried not to hurry as she left the nursery. She did not want to draw attention to herself.
She tried to calm her nerves as she entered her room and searched for a small bag to pack her necessities in. She needed to leave. She could not stay another moment under the Wolstenholme roof with a werewolf husband and a daughter who would grow up to be a werewolf. How could she raise such a child? Keturah would be far better off in the care of Claire.
She was not sure what she would do. Deep in her heart she hated the idea of returning to her mother's house though it was the most sensible option. She could tell her mother she had been widowed. She could go into mourning and never set foot in England again.
She realized the lie would only work until her father came upon Wolstenholme or his sons while on business. Going home wouldn't be an option.
She would figure out what to do once she got back to America. All she could do now was to run.
She crept down the stairs and to the front door. She was almost surprised that no one saw her. She had just opened the door when she s
aw a shadow over her shoulder. She cringed and turned.
"Are you joining the search for Vivian?" Mercy asked. Sophronia tried not to register her confusion. She did not know why anyone was searching for Vivian but the fact that they were gave her a perfect explanation for leaving and she would take it.
"I am. Nathaniel is terribly worried for her," Sophronia said. She was not accustomed to lying and she hoped that Mercy would not notice.
"I would have thought my brother would want you home and resting. It is still so soon after Keturah's birth."
"I am well enough. Vivian is family and must be found."
"Does Nathaniel know where you have gone and how to reach you if she is found?"
"Of course," Sophronia said.
"If you find Vivian send word here even if you cannot persuade her to come with you. Claire thinks she has gone mad with grief," Mercy said.
Sophronia gave a quick nod then hurried through the front door. She hoped Mercy would not look outside and notice the lack of carriage. If Mercy realized that she was running away she surely would never let her go. Nathaniel and his werewolf family might lock her up and never let her leave the house again.
Fortunately, Mercy seemed distracted by her concern and closed the door behind Sophronia. She tried to take casual steps forward but as soon as she was no longer within sight of the house she broke into a run.
She needed to find a horse and once she found a horse she needed to get to the nearest harbor and on a ship to America before Nathaniel found her.
Nathaniel looked up at the sky. Night was falling. The days search was fruitless. None of Vivian's friends knew of her whereabouts. Nor did the family that they had been able to contact.
"We should see if the others have had any success," Nathaniel said. Reggie had been at his side all day. He had arrived at Claire's family home just hours before Eldon, Owen, and his father. When he had first arrived he helped Claire search the house and lands just to be sure Vivian truly was missing and not just hiding in a barn to cry out her grief. Once the others had arrived a full search had begun.
The Wolf's Pregnant Bride Page 15
