Blood Oath Page 11

  * * * * *

  Demi paced to the window and gazed up at the moon before turning and making another circuit around Anca’s bed. He paused briefly to touch her leg, and he winced at the heat. Something more intense than a fever ravaged her body, and he felt helpless, knowing he could do nothing to help her.

  Ylenia had gone to bed to snatch a few hours of sleep, leaving Demi to monitor her. He had wanted to protest her leaving, but he knew if Ylenia couldn’t stop the transformation, she couldn’t help Anca if her body tried to reject the process. He could only hope his lifemate was strong enough to endure the change.

  If someone survived the first transformation after a bite from a werewolf, his or her body was able to handle the change. If Anca had been raised in the old ways, he would have had little fear of her not surviving her first transformation.

  However, since she had lived as a human all her life, he knew she was more vulnerable and in greater risk of dying. Humans were frail, and half of them were incapable of withstanding the change. Since she was weakened by Nikia’s bite that hadn’t fully healed, her body was more likely to reject the transformation and cause her to die.

  His hands balled into fists as he imagined the pleasure of fastening his hands around Nikia’s throat. He was glad of the guards keeping her locked in her room, for they kept him out. At that moment, he could imagine no greater pleasure than killing her, but he fought the urge. He refused to betray his king, and to violate Valdemeer’s orders not to harm Nikia would be to turn his back on Valdemeer, Corsova, and his role in its future.

  How could the old man be so blind?

  He tried to squash the disloyal thought, knowing Valdemeer’s conflicting emotions of guilt and hatred for his daughter made it impossible for him to deal with her without bias.

  His attention turned from thoughts of Nikia to Anca as a thin wail issued from her. She had kicked off the blankets, and a sheen of sweat covered her nude body. He couldn’t help a twinge of arousal at the sight of her beauty, but he didn’t allow it to interfere with tending to her.

  He knelt by the bed and touched her forehead. Her skin burned to the touch. As he stroked her cheek, he felt fur bristling through her skin. The transformation had begun. She made another sound low in her throat, and it emerged as an aborted howl.

  He held her hand as dark-brown fur grew over her body. When her hand began to take the shape of a paw, he moved away and shed his own clothes. He waited until she was screaming and writhing with pain, as she became a medium-sized wolf, before he approached the bed again.

  She was breathing heavily, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth, but her brown eyes were alert and questioning. He kept eye contact as he transformed to wolf-form. He saw her pupils dilate with shock. She shook her head, and then froze, seeming to realize she wasn’t in human-form.

  It’s okay, he said to her, using his mind. He wondered if she would be able to communicate with him at all, since her mental powers were stunted from years of living as a human.

  She blinked, and her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t respond.

  Come with me.

  After a brief hesitation, she got on all fours and stepped down carefully from the bed. She shook, and her fur rustled. She cocked her head to examine her body.

  You’ll adjust to the form soon. In fact, it can be quite liberating to run full-tilt through the forest without any concern, except catching your next meal. He felt a glimmer of a thought come from her, but she couldn’t make it take form. Concentrate on what you want to tell me. My blood flows through your veins, giving you the strength to communicate. More than that, we have joined. You can speak to me more easily than you can to any other. It will happen naturally, if you let it.

  Her gaze locked with his, and she seemed to be concentrating. After several seconds, the thoughts became clear.

  What’s happening?

  Nikia’s bite changed you.

  Changed? How?

  Corsova is a haven for many who would not fit in with humans. One of the bonds our people have formed over the centuries is with werewolves. Our blood gives them prolonged life, and consuming their blood just once allows us to transform into a wolf for the rest of our lives. Most of our people undergo the ritual in their early teens, as our bodies are more adaptable then.

  Her tail drooped, and her ears dropped flat against her skull. Her eyes appeared glazed, and she seemed to be having difficulty absorbing what he was telling her. The question she asked next surprised him. I thought there had to be a full moon.

  She was definitely overwhelmed, he decided, to ask about something so inconsequential at that moment.

  Let’s walk, he suggested. Once she fell in step beside him, he attempted to explain the transformation. Changing into a wolf isn’t dependent on the time of the month or phase of the moon. As you gain control of the ability, you’ll be able to transform at will. It’s only the first few months that the transformation can be unpredictable. Once your body adapts—and it evidently will, since you survived the initial change—you’ll be able to slip in and out of wolf-form with ease.

  You’re insane. A pause followed, and they padded out of the castle in silence. People don’t become wolves.

  Demi’s chuckle emerged as a throaty mewl. Our people do. Come, let’s run. Your shoulder has healed nicely from my blood and the transformation. You can keep up with me.

  He broke into a run, glancing behind him to make sure she accompanied him. In her current emotional state, it seemed prudent to distract her from her worries and burdens. He hoped she would become caught up in the freedom of the run and temporarily forget her questions about what had happened.

  But if she didn’t run with him, he wouldn’t leave her alone. He didn’t know if she was likely to attempt something drastic if left to her own devices. He had heard of only a few instances where someone was changed without their consent, and the process usually drove them mad. They ended up as a danger to themselves or others.

  She hesitated before finally breaking into a run. When she reached his side, Demi increased his pace, and she matched it. Soon, they were sprinting through the fields and forest. He was trying to outrun his rage with Nikia, and she was trying to outrun her thoughts.

  * * * * *

  Later, long after she had lost track of time, they stopped running. Anca panted heavily, disconcerted by the sensation of her tongue flopping against the outside of her mouth. Every muscle in her body ached, but it was the delicious tingle of exertion, not the pain she had previously experienced from Nikia’s bite.

  Her vision was sharper than she had ever imagined it could be. She could see an owl perched in a tree as clearly as if it was daylight, and she was able to make out the speckles on its wings and the tiny feathers on its neck.

  She could smell everything so vividly that the sense had acquired texture. She could feel the odor of the flowers carried by the breeze, touch the trace of deer droppings wafting to her, and reach out for Demi, whose sexual arousal made her nose twitch.

  It matched her own. She wondered how she could ache to have his cock inside her while the terrible weight of the surreal night’s events flooded her mind. At that moment, she had a more urgent desire for Demi than she did for a logical explanation of why she was running through the forest in a wolf’s body.

  Surely, it was all a dream. She cast her eyes to the side to view Demi, who had sprawled on the ground. His sides heaved with exhaustion, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. He looked like nothing more than a big, cuddly dog.

  If she had ever given it much thought, she would have supposed the way one thinks changed when they became a werewolf, but she was discovering it didn’t. She was still herself, and each of her thoughts was her own. She wasn’t driven by a wild, aimless desire to couple and hunt. Her passion ran deeper than that, motivated by memories of how tender he had been with her the night before. She wanted to feel that again.

  She laid down gingerly, not yet accustomed to the change in her anatomy. She m
isjudged where she planned to land and ended up scooting toward Demi on her belly. The submissiveness in the gesture wasn’t lost on her, but she found it sexy, not demeaning. Demi was very much the quintessential Alpha male right now.

  When she was lying beside him, Anca nudged his head with her nose, wondering if she was showing him affection or amusing him. A brief image of her doing such things in her human form made her want to simultaneously giggle and cringe with embarrassment.

  He put his paw on hers and rubbed his muzzle against hers. His head dipped lower, and he nudged the pendant still hanging around her neck.

  She was so used to it that she hadn’t realized she had been wearing it when she transformed. It hung low on her chest, and she was suddenly terrified of losing it.

  Demi rolled against her, nipping her lightly on the shoulder. Anca responded by swiping her paw against his side. He made a low sound, somewhere between a growl and a purr, and lifted his head to lick her ear.

  She shivered at the sensation, finding it as delightful as she did in her human form. She ached with desire, and her inability to make love with him frustrated her.

  We can make love, he contradicted.

  She eyed him skeptically. How?

  We can mate in our wolf-form—

  No!

  Something that sounded like a chuckle gurgled from his throat. I was going to say, we could do that, but I’ve never tried it. I was going to suggest we change back.

  I thought I was stuck like this until sunrise.

  No. Concentrate on changing and you will.

  She closed her eyes, straining to regain her human form. She felt a shift in her body, but when she opened her eyes, she was still covered with fur, though her muzzle had disappeared.

  Sexy, he teased as he transformed. “Half-woman and half-wolf. Interesting.”

  She glowered at him, though she didn’t know if her current configuration of features allowed him to get the full impact of her angry expression. “It’s hard,” she said, and she jumped with surprise at the growl lacing her tone.

  He nodded. “Focus. Picture your body changing back. Imagine each cell forming its original shape.”

  She closed her eyes and allowed him to talk her through the transformation. In a couple of minutes, she was back to being Anca—wearing only the ruby pendant and crouched on a bed of soft grass and rose bay. “This is the most vivid dream I’ve ever had,” she whispered. “It must be that dram Ylenia made me drink—if that wasn’t part of the dream.”

  He quirked a brow. “So, this is all a dream?” He spread out his hands to encompass the forest around them.

  “Absolutely,” she said with conviction, needing to believe it was. “It can’t possibly be anything else.”

  He remained silent—further proof it was a dream, surely.

  She reached out for him. “I’m hungry, Demi.”

  “I could catch something—“

  “For you.” She raked her eyes over his bare chest. “What I’m dreaming about us doing is preferable to what I’m no doubt really doing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m burning up with fever and thrashing in bed. You’re probably there to soothe me, which is how you crept into my dreams.” She leaned closer, until her lips nearly brushed his. “It’s no mystery why I’m dreaming I’m a werewolf. Being bitten by a wolf has obviously influenced my subconscious.” Her brow furrowed. “Though I do wonder why I’ve cast Nikia as the villain in this little melodrama.”

  “You’re perceptive,” he said flatly. “Listen, Anca…”

  She sensed he was about to dispel her dream theory, so she moved forward to close the remaining distance between them. Her bare breasts pressed against his lightly furred chest when she leaned closer. She touched her lips to his to silence him. She was unprepared for the demanding thrust of his tongue against her mouth as it pushed its way through the barrier to plumb her depths.

  Anca shivered as his tongue stroked hers. He was gentle, but there was a hint of roughness to his touch. The combination was exhilarating. She strained against him, opening her mouth wider and flicking the tip of her tongue against the side of his.

  Demi pulled back slightly, breathing heavily. “We must talk—“

  She put two fingers to his lips. “Shh.” She replaced her fingers with her lips, softening her mouth to fit the contours of his. She flicked her tongue across his bottom lip, and his body jerked. She tilted back her neck and moved far enough away to meet his eyes. “I don’t want to talk.”

  He made a growling sound and tangled his hand in her hair. “You look so tempting in the moonlight. The silver gives your skin a pearly sheen.”

  She traced her finger around his nipple, and then ran her nails through his hair, grazing the side of her own breast. “Do you want me, Demi?”

  “Of course.”

  “I want you too.” She shook her head, sending strands of tangled, dark-brown hair flying around her face. “I don’t want to think about anything. I don’t feel much like talking right now. I only want to feel…you inside me, for a start.”

  He hesitated, seemingly torn between his need to speak and his need for her.

  Anca held her breath, waiting for him to decide. She released it in a harsh sigh when he crushed her against him in a tight embrace and practically slammed his mouth against hers. The wildness of his emotions excited her, and she eagerly returned his kisses.

  Her hand slid from his chest to trail down his stomach. She paused to caress the soft skin of his flat stomach before venturing lower. A denser growth of curls covered his cock, and she fluffed it before grasping his cock. He froze as she circled the head and squeezed gently. He was hard and pulsing.

  Moisture pooled between her thighs as her body signaled it was prepared for him. “I’ve never met anyone who arouses me so quickly,” she said after she broke the kiss. She drew in a deep breath and regained a measure of control. “Just the thought of making love with you gets me hot.”

  He looked pleased by her comment. “It is the same for me. Until last week, I hadn’t seen you except in a faded photograph your mother sent years ago, but I dreamed of you each night. I fantasized about touching every inch of you.”

  “And being touched?” Anca asked with a throaty purr and squeezed his cock again.

  “Oh, yes. Sometimes, I thought I would go mad with the need to hold you. The waiting seemed interminable, but I was able to alleviate some of the frustration by imagining how good you would feel when we were finally joined.” He cupped her cheek in his hand as the hand in her hair began to smooth and separate the strands.

  A dart of jealousy surprised her. “I’m sure other women provided temporary relief,” she said in a biting tone. She winced at her reaction, again surprised. She had always subscribed to the rule of leaving past relationships in the past. It disconcerted her to be jealous of other women he had held.

  Demi shook his head. “There were no others, meu dragostia.” He spoke proudly, without a trace of embarrassment, as some men might have displayed with such a revelation.

  She blinked, certain she hadn’t understand. “I’m sorry…what?”

  “I have never touched another woman.” He dropped his hand from her cheek to touch his chest, thumping his finger lightly over his heart. “Always, you were here and in the back of my mind, guiding my choices.”

  She swallowed, and her brow furrowed with confusion. “I don’t understand. You said you hadn’t even seen me, except in an old picture. How can that be?”

  Demi shrugged. “My heart has always known you. You’re my lifemate, Anca. The choice to consummate our union was always yours, but there was never a time I didn’t love you.”

  Anca shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. You’re saying you’re a virgin?”

  He nodded. “I was until last night.”

  She started, having temporarily forgotten about their lovemaking in the wake of his revelation. “So, you waited for me because you knew we were destined
for each other, even knowing I might reject you?” There was more than a hint of uncertainty in her voice as she struggled to comprehend what he was telling her.

  The corners of his mouth curved in a small smile. “That’s correct.” A shadow crossed his eyes. “I don’t expect you to have done the same. You grew up in a different world, not living by our ways.”

  She rubbed her eyes. “Are you saying all Corsovans save themselves for their destined lifemates?”

  He bit his lip. “No, not exactly. Only a few have a lifemate. Tradition dictates the Protector of Corsova should have one, so their reign is a shared burden.”

  Anca sighed. “Save all the mumbo-jumbo about tradition, please. I’m still reeling from the shock of your innocence.”

  He frowned. “Why does this shock you?”

  “Well, you must be about forty—“

  “Thirty-seven,” he interjected.

  “How could you have remained innocent for so long? It’s not in anyone’s nature. The men I know would die if they were virgins at your age. And you can forget about any of them openly admitting it.”

  Demi shrugged. “It is accepted and encouraged in our country. I feel no shame in the admission.” His spine straightened. “I am proud to have my body know only yours.”

  Tears sparkled in her eyes, and she blinked them back. A feeling of guilt for having not stayed pure stirred in her breast, and she shoved it down. The tradition was archaic, she reminded herself.

  A twinkle of amusement glinted in his eyes. “Besides, pure and innocent are two different things, Anca. I have had years to learn everything I need to know to make our lovemaking pleasurable. I may lack hands-on experience, but I have the knowledge.”

  She chuckled at his words, relieved he had made the effort to lighten the atmosphere. “I suppose you want to get your hands on me, huh?”

  Demi put his hand on her thigh and squeezed gently. “Yes.” He slid his hand higher, until his fingers brushed against her pussy. “Will you open for me?”

  Anca felt entranced as she parted her thighs and lay back down on the dew-moistened grass. She could barely comprehend what Demi had told her. How could he possibly have been a virgin until the previous night? She shook her head with wonder as his finger probed her pussy and flicked over her clit. He certainly had applied himself to learning, she thought with a half-smile.