by Mac Flynn
"Can you feel it? The goddess around us?" he hoarsely whispered.
A warm wind blew past us and I felt as though a touch of soft, hot fur brushed against my bare skin. The sensation filled me with a deep, warm longing and sweat spilled all over my body. I shuddered and gasped for breath.
"My laird, what are these strange sensations?" I asked him.
"Your true self. The wildness that lives deep inside you," he told me. "Fall into her arms. Revel in the joys she brings."
I closed my eyes and felt the warm wind wrap around me. My body fell into a sensual river of strength and lust that awakened a deep, aching desire inside me. A longing arose in me, a painful pleasure that demanded I be taken again and again in the throes of passion until my womb was filled.
My laird pressed me close to him and I felt his need against my hip. My eyes flew open when he ground himself against me. The night was gone. His features were sharp and clear. His ears were long and pointed, and his hair spilled over his back like a great silver mane. I felt his clawed hands press gently against the skin of my arms. His clothes strained against his expanded muscles and the fur that sprouted from his flesh. My lover's nostrils flared as he took in the sweet scent of my need that flowed from my body.
"Yes," he hissed.
"My god," I whispered in return.
I'd never felt more alive. Every part of me strained to touch and rub myself against this monster that stood in front of me. I was tortured with the lust that filled me with thoughts of our bodies intertwined as we lay sprawled over the sweet-smelling grass beneath our feet. We would strain against each other in a union that brought us both to blissful completion.
My clothes grew tight as a change came over my form. I felt my hips widen, and my muscles stretched and pressed against the cloth of my dress. My breasts swelled until they pushed against the fabric of my shirt and nearly tumbled over the revealing neckline. Sweat covered my body and added a wonderful sheen that glowed in the light of the full moon above us.
My laird pulled me to arm's length and his eyes brushed over me with unmistakable intent. He would not release me until he had his way with me again and again. His will would bend mine and bring us both wondrous enjoyment. I licked my lips as I thought of the deliciously long night that awaited us.
His lips curled back and he growled at me. I whimpered, and all that was needed to be said was said.
He lay me on the ground and tore away my tight dress. I cried out in joy as my changed body was released from its cloth imprisonment and his hands explored my body. He gripped my well-rounded hips, and his fingers danced across my stomach. He clutched my fleshy breasts and massaged them in his warm hands. I reveled in every moment of his touch and the fire inside me burned hotter than ever.
"My goddess," he hissed.
"My laird," I moaned.
I leaned back and groaned as the warm wind around me soaked into my body. The luscious heat filled me with a lust that was bottomless, but my mate would try his hardest to fill my need. He covered my body with his own and deeply penetrated me. Our forms melded into one as he thrust in and out. Each push made me groan and gasp. I felt as though a thousand hands groped my body and massaged my flesh.
A brilliant light blanketed us in a warm glow that heightened our lust. My mate grunted and tilted his head back so he faced the sky.
"Yes," he growled. I noticed the source of the light came from the eyes of the stone statue. They glowed a bright red that matched the intensity of my laird's yellow eyes. "Yes, my goddess. Come and bless our union," he pleaded to the sky.
We were plunged into a brighter light that engulfed us and blocked out the rest of the world. A warmth of pleasure washed over me. My breasts tightened and swelled. Lustful thoughts of animals rutting filled my mind. I grasped my mate's arms and arched my back. The seduction wrapped around me in a tight blanket that I never wanted to leave.
"Yes. Accept the light," I heard my mate hiss.
"Oh god," I groaned. My body was on fire with the lustful, primitive need to procreate, to plead wit him to take me hard and fast. "Take me. Oh god, please take me," I begged.
"As you wish, my goddess," he answered.
I reveled in the feel of him as he wrapped his arms around me and pinned me to the ground beneath his body. He pushed deep and long into me. Each stroke drove me into a deeper frenzy of lust. Every touch of his body against mine sent shivers through me that could only be satiated by his hard, powerful thrusts. They filled me with a deep longing and loosened the beast inside me that had long sought to escape my meek self. I was a monster of lust and desire, and I desired that my mate take me and claim me again and again.
We were like two animals as we rutted atop the grass. Our grunts and growls filled the air and the light around us pulsed with our joined bodies. I never wanted this delicious bliss to end, and yet my body demanded satisfaction. I needed him to claim me, to make me come and cry out his name.
The wondrous waves of orgasm swelled inside me. I leaned my head back and opened my eyes. A glistening star appeared in the light around us and hovered above me. It floated down until its bright body touched my chest. I gasped as a warmth as hot as fire and as soothing as a lover's touch melded with my body.
Every sensation increased two-fold. The light brightened, the feel of the grass was softer, and my mate's strokes against my sensitive nub drove me into a wild, feral frenzy. I dug my lengthened fingernails into his arms and growled. My face stretched and formed into a long snout. I felt my feet thicken into hard soles with long toes. My hair grew and slithered over the grass around my head until it was like a dark halo.
My voice was deep and feral like that of a wolf in heat. "Faster," I growled. "Harder."
My mate snarled and obeyed my demands as his own features changed. His clothes split open and fell to pieces around us. Fur completely covered his body and his hands were now large claws. His muscles rippled beneath his fur and his yellow eyes glowed like candles in an otherwise dark room. He leaned over me as his back curved to allow him to run on all fours.
He thrust hard and long into my hot, wet body. His swollen manhood stroked my nub until I knew nothing but the wondrous bliss of pleasure. The hunger inside me reached a high, agonizing pitch.
"Yes! More! More!" I demanded.
He fulfilled my order as a violent orgasm swept over me. We thrashed and rolled in the throes of passion. Our sweat-soaked bodies rubbed together and heightened our union as I convulsed with pleasure. He joined me and thrust a few more times, and then we were both spent.
We collapsed onto our sides so we faced each other. The light around us faded, and with it went our beast forms. We reverted back to humans, and I felt a heavy lethargy pass over me. I glanced at my mate, my lover, my laird, and he smiled back. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my sweat-soaked face.
"My goddess," he whispered. My eyelids grew heavier. He pulled me against his warm body and chuckled. "Rest well. Tomorrow is a new day for you."
I snuggled into his warm, muscled chest and drifted into sleep.
CHAPTER 37
I awoke to the soft feeling of my laird's body pressed against mine. His arms were around me and pulled me against his tight muscles and clothes. My eyes fluttered open and a view of the chamber met my gaze. I shifted beneath the warm covers and felt a strange sensation of energy flow over me. My muscles felt strong, and my breasts were heavier than I recalled.
"Good morning, my goddess," my laird whispered into my ear.
I half-turned to him and blinked into his autumn eyes. "Was it all a dream?" I whispered.
He shook his head. "Not a blade of grass nor a limb of a tree was false." One of his hands slid up and cupped the necklace that still lay around my neck. "The essence of the goddess passed through the necklace and into your body. You are now her, and she is you."
"But I feel no difference inside of me," I pointed out.
My laird smiled and pecked a light kiss on my lips. "But now yo
u have no need for the necklace. The power that resides in there is now in your own body. You can do away with the necklace if you wish."
I clasped the necklace in one hand and shook my head. "I would rather keep it as a remembrance of your mother," I told him.
He chuckled. "Always innocent. It is no mystery why the goddess chose you to keep her among her people."
I looked down and pursed my lips. "If I truly am as you say then what shall I do with such power? How can I help everyone I care for?"
Tristan clasped my chin between his fingers and raised my eyes to his. His smile thrilled my heart. "You needn't look for trouble, my goddess. Merely choosing the right course of action when the time calls for it will be enough."
I returned his smile with one of my own and nodded. "As you wish, my laird."
"Tristan," he reminded me.
"Tristan," I gladly repeated.
He released me and threw aside the covers to swing his legs over the side of the bed. "Now if you would, my goddess, there is good food to be eaten and guests to entertain. I would have you wear your finest for a grand show."
My laird assisted me in dressing and in a few minutes we stepped out into the hall hand-in-hand. Our faces radiated with our happiness as we walked down the long passage to the stairs. Unfortunately, the happy air around us was doomed to disappear. We met Alan, captain of the guards, at the top of the stairs. He stood stiff and pursed his lips. My laird stopped us and raised an eyebrow.
"What is the matter?" he asked his servant.
"My laird, I bring bad news that I wish to relay in private," Alan whispered to us.
Tristan pursed his lips and indicated a doorway close at hand on our right. He led us inside, and Leod firmly closed the door and turned to us.
"The former Bean Lyel has been seen at the edge of the village along the moors," he informed us.
A dark shadow fell over Tristan's bright eyes and they hardened. His hand that grasped mine tightened. "When?" he asked his captain.
"Last evening," Alan answered.
"Have the men been called out?" Tristan questioned him.
Alan gave a nod. "They have, my laird, but they have found nothing."
"Are they aware of their duty should they find her?" Tristan asked him.
Alan bowed his head. "Aye, my laird. They are to take her life."
My hand flew to my mouth to stifle my gasp, and I looked to the tense face of my laird. "Kill her?" I asked him.
"She is more dangerous than you can imagine," he warned me. He turned his attention back to Alan. "Double the guards around the castle, but do not tell anyone other than the soldiers for the reason. Tell Chamberlain that I wish to see him about a matter of urgency, and for him to meet me in the throne room after breakfast."
"As you will, my laird," Alan agreed.
Alan hurried from the room and Tristan released me to pace the bed chamber. His brow was furrowed in deep thought and his lips pursed to tightly they were white. My nerves couldn't take the suspense, and I captured one of his arms and gave a tug.
"Tristan, what is the matter?" I demanded to know. "Why is she so dangerous that she must be killed?"
He didn't turn to me as he spoke. "Because she is a danger to you."
"You spoke those words before, but how is she a danger? You have banished her from the castle," I reminded him.
Tristan turned to me and clasped my hands in his. His eyes looked into mine and I noticed his hands quivered. "Your innocence is admirable, but in cases of evil it can be a hindrance. Her efforts to harm you before her exile would be enough to concern me, but her reappearance is more distressing. She would not risk returning unless the aims were worth the reward."
"You mean she wishes to harm me again?" I guessed.
He nodded. "Aye, and I have no doubt her final intention would be to murder you."
I felt the color drain from my face. "She despises me so greatly?"
"She was loyal to my father if only because he provided her with a home and a great many riches," he reminded me. "And she knows it was you who released me to avenge myself against my father for the murder of my mother. She will seek like retribution."
I shuddered and looked away from his firm, worried gaze. "And nothing but her death will bring safety to me?"
"Nothing," he assured me.
I scrunched my eyes shut and steadied my nerves before I looked back to him with a firm gaze. "I will face her if I must," I swore.
A smile brightened his face, and he leaned down and pecked a light kiss on my lips. "Grave words, but I fear she will not risk confronting a goddess."
I blinked at him. "Then she knows?"
"She would if she approached you. Her kind are adept at sensing the powers of the old gods," he explained.
"Then how must I proceed. How can I help?" I asked him.
"By keeping your senses open and your eyes keen. That is, until she is caught, and she will be caught," he assured me.
I smiled and bowed my head. "I will do as you wish, my laird."
He cupped my chin in his hand and lifted my eyes to his. "As I advise, my goddess," he teased me.
"As you advise, then, Tristan," I corrected myself.
He stepped back and offered me his arm. "Now if you would, my goddess, breakfast awaits and it promises to be more pleasing than yester morning."
I laughed and took his arm. "I will gladly accompany you to such a feast."
Tristan guided me out into the passage and down the stairs to the dining hall. Our guests, minus the stoic Father Clarke, were seated in their customary chairs. Before them was the usual fare of meat, cooked vegetables, and a good bounty of bread. The brothers MacNaughton each had their plates filled to the brim with the good food.
All but the aged MacLaren stood at our entrance, and Tristan waved them back into their seats.
"I would not dream of interrupting such a bountiful feast," he laughed as we each took our seats.
Seumas leaned forward and glanced across his patron and at me. "You look particularly lovely this morn, my lady, even more so than last night," he complimented me. "Have you changed your hair to better suit your beautiful face?"
"Perhaps you have overlooked her radiance before," Tristan spoke up.
Seumas smiled and bowed his head to Tristan. "Perhaps I have."
Mary emerged from the kitchen carrying two bowls of warm broth. She set one bowl before my laird, and another in front of me. I turned to smile at her, but something about her wide grin caught my attention. Her eyes were bright and unblinking as she bowed her head and stepped away from the table.
I furrowed my brow and turned to look at my bowl. The broth was chicken with bits of vegetables that floated at the surface. I took up a spoonful of the soup and sniffed the liquid. There was a strange, bitter smell to the food that suggested a new ingredient. I took a tiny sip and wrinkled my nose. The soup had a pungent flavor that displeased my mouth. I set my spoon down and reached for an apple that sat in a platter in the center of the table.
"The broth not to your liking?" Lady MacLaren asked me.
I shook my head, and the movement caused my vision to blur. My hand missed the apple and I fell forward. I spilled the contents of my cup and knocked against the bowl so it rattled out of my path.
"Muira!" Tristan cried out.
The audience at the table rose, and Tristan and Lady MacLaren rushed to me. Tristan pulled me off the table and tried to sit me straight, but by that time my body had a terrible pain that made me shudder. I quaked in his arms as he set me on the floor and into his arms. Lady MacLaren knelt on my other side and pressed the back of her hand against my forehead. Her hand felt like a cool cloth against my hot, quivering skin, and I heard her gasp.
"She is with fever," Lady MacLaren told my laird.
Duncan stepped over to my bowl and picked up my spoon. He scooped up a small bit and tasted the end with his tongue. His face twisted into a snarl and he tossed the spoon away.
"Wolf's ban
e," he informed the company.
Tristan's eyes snapped up to Mary who stood two yards away with her grin still on her face. He set me in Lady MacLaren's strong arms and stood to face the servant.
"What do you know of this?" he questioned her.
She chuckled, and the sound made even my feverish mind shudder. There was a deep, wicked malice that promised ruin to the suffer. "Everything," she answered him. "It twas I who placed the wolf's bane there, and with any luck she will succumb to the same fate as your mother!"
Tristan let out a cry of fury that echoed through the long hall. He lunged at her, but she was took quick. What appeared to be a single step for her was several yards backwards so that she stood near the fireplace. Her false face and clothes dropped off her body like a waterfall, and she revealed herself as Bean Lyel.
The servants from the kitchen rushed into the room, and I noticed the real Mary among them. Bean Lyel leaned back her head and cackled. The light from the fire danced off his wizened features and cast her twisted, laughing face into dark shadows.
"You seek revenge for this trollop's death, but your efforts will be fruitless!" she warned him. "Before I am finished with you and your murderous ways you will lose everything. Your love, your will, and even your ancestry!"
Bean Lyel turned and jumped into the fire. Her body was not consumed by the flames, but rather swallowed in a thick blast of heat. Her laughter continued to echo around the room for a few moments more before a deathly silence fell over the room.
A spasm of pain shot through my body, and I cried out. Lady MacLaren squeezed one of my hands and Tristan jumped back to kneel by my side.
"Muira?" he choked out.
"Everything will be fine," Lady MacLaren promised him. She looked down at me and smiled. "Listen to my voice and relax."
I wanted to keep my eyes open to reassure Tristan, but the effort proved to be too great. My mind slipped away, and the room faded to black.
CHAPTER 38
I struggled through a sleepless darkness that oppressed me. My eyes would not open and my limbs would not move. There was a great weight on my chest that I could not throw off nor slit out from beneath. I thrashed and struggled, and hands held me and voices yelled at me. There was a high voice among the others, one that was familiar and yet not. The voice broke through the dark veil that surrounded my mind and penetrated the hazy, feverish thoughts that encompassed me.