Lupine [Moon Child Series Book 2]

by Candy Nicks

  "It's done."

  "What did she say?” Naima stood behind Finn, her emotions in turmoil. Apart from the sudden clarity of speech, Carine appeared to be in a stupor.

  Finn looked worse, not better. Lightened of his sins, but weighed down by his new responsibilities. Under her fingers, his clenched shoulders and arms were shaking with the strain of appearing normal.

  "Let's go,” she said. “You've been through enough today."

  "She said it's done.” Finn stood and rubbed the back of his neck, arching the stiffness out of his spine. When he relaxed, he staggered and clutched at Naima for support. “Just need to sleep,” he said voice fuzzy with fatigue. “Don't let my father near me. Won't be responsible..."

  "Come on.” Naima propped him upright and he stood, swaying like a drunk. She quickly retrieved the Crystal and stowed it back into its hiding place. On the way downstairs, she called Tragiria to watch Carine while she took Finn back to the hut. Healing him had been her number one priority, but with the healing came the inevitable letting go. Her advice to Brynn, back at the camp, had been sound. The last thing Finn needed now was to feel cornered or trapped again.

  She remembered, with mortification, the way she'd blurted out the marriage vows. He hadn't answered her proposal. Was he now regretting asking her to be his mate?

  As soon as he hit the bed, Finn's breathing evened out and his arms fell limp at his sides. Whether he slept or just wanted some time to hide from the day, she didn't know.

  "I'll be back later,” she said and kissed his forehead. “I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast for you. I'm learning as I go and I'm only human."

  "I like you human,” he murmured. “Don't go."

  "Sleep,” she said, running a hand over his eye-lids. They fluttered beneath her palm. “Things will sort themselves out."

  "You're asking things of me I have no understanding, or experience of, Naima. I'm sorry to be such a disappointment."

  "I fell in love with you, Finn. Not some ideal. Well, perhaps I was idealistic to start with. But..."

  Finn murmured something and turned onto his side. Would that she might lock the door and keep him forever. The man, perhaps he would be able to live with her, here in the Settlement. The wolf? Even she felt its restless spirit straining to be free to fulfil its destiny.

  Outside the hut, she met her father. Hands in pocket, he contemplated the high mountain peaks.

  "The Vortex,” he said. “Can you feel it?"

  Naima pulled her jacket closer against the chill of the night. “Carine will live,” she replied and moved to stand beside him. “Yes, I can feel it."

  Ancel's pale hair ruffled in the breeze, catching glints of moonlight. “Eight years since I've felt anything like this. And, before that, when I was fifteen..."

  "Father, you don't have to explain. You gave me life, and you've done more than enough to ensure I have a good one. You have my eternal gratitude."

  "Has Carine said anything more?” He turned to her, his face darkening as a bank of clouds sailed across the moons. “She asked for Finn. Why?"

  Her throat tightened with the need to hold back the truth. She could offer no solutions. No guarantees. If she told her father everything, he would simply become one more person condemned to hope for something that might not exist.

  "We need to make enquiries about the injured man. For everyone's safety, we must catch whoever is doing this. First Carine, now him.” Ancel tilted his head towards the infirmary.

  "First Finn,” she countered, but Ancel was already shaking his head.

  "Finn's injuries were old, not fresh. Little chance that it was the same person, but somehow it's all connected. This is what the Vortex does. Joins seemingly random strands into a whole. We won't know what, until it hits us full-force. Pray we survive it."

  "Father, I want to tell you something."

  "Go ahead."

  "I'm spending the night here, with Finn. I spoke the marriage vows. I know they're supposed to be spoken after much consideration, but I meant them with the truest intent. They just sort of..."

  "Happened?” Her father's smile held more than a hint of nostalgia. “You're truly my daughter. Did he repeat his own in return?"

  "Not exactly. He did say yes,” she added. “I don't think he knows his tribe's words."

  Ancel frowned. “How can he not know? Do as you will Naima. Live your life. I'm fast approaching the stage where I'm able to summon up surprise for anything. I'm expecting Dargo to start discussing the weather with me at any moment."

  "Your approval will always be important to me."

  "You're a grown woman. Be sure you're doing the right thing. And be more careful than I was."

  "It's not the easiest thing, but it feels right. I love you, Father. Whatever I do, please don't forget that."

  "I know. Let's not get maudlin, please. I don't think I could stand it just now. Be happy and be careful. The best advice I can give. If Finn should happen to remember the right words, let me know. I'd like to stand witness for you."

  "Will Kandar be a problem?"

  "Hard to tell. He'll either back down, and floor us all with his nobility or issue a formal challenge. We'll just have to wait and see. Come.” Ancel crooked his arm. “Walk with me. This is the peace before the storm. Let's enjoy it while we can."

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  Chapter 14

  Only a blind man would step so confidently into the dark. Better that he couldn't see the journey ahead. If he could fully appreciate what he was leaving behind, all the beasts of Hell wouldn't have been able to drag him away. Despite his exhaustion, sleep didn't come easily. The wolves were out in force, agitated and fretful. His own wolf listened with a growing excitement Finn found impossible to rein back. It was raring to go.

  "You've come to share the last night of a condemned man?"

  Naima shushed him with a finger to his lips. Her other hand lingered on his forehead, brushing back his hair. “I haven't come to feel sorry for you. How are you feeling?"

  "Same as always. Trapped. Frustrated."

  "I've come to help you with that."

  Her fingers trailed over his features, lingering to outline his lips, exploring his body through the homespun fabric of the shirt and pants. A heavy warmth flooded his groin and flowed through him. The lassitude pinned him to the bed while Naima continued in her quest to leave no part of him untouched.

  He resisted the urge to look at her. Later, he would. Now, he was enjoying being in her power. Responsibility would soon be his new master, loneliness his only companion.

  No, he didn't want her pity. He wanted to fuck her until neither of them could move.

  "That's nice,” he murmured as her hand slipped into the loose waistband of his pants and circled his hard cock. He reached for her, only to find his eager hands batted away.

  "Relax and enjoy,” she said. “No rush. We have all night."

  "You'll stay?” His hips bucked into her hand, and he clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her.

  Naima continued to touch him, cupping his balls gently, scraping her nails down the long, hard length of him. “My father knows. I think he understands. I am your mate, after all?"

  Through the sensual haze, he heard the question in her voice. Groping for her wrist, he said, “I'd have loved you to be my mate forever. I can't ask that of you, knowing I might not come back."

  "Oh, it's too late to change your mind now,” she said blithely. “I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

  When she stopped touching him, he felt bereft. Her words gave him great joy, but how could he ask her to live life in a limbo of uncertainty? The rustle of clothing rubbing against skin and floating to the floor distracted him momentarily. Curling his hand around her bare thigh, he pulled her to the narrow bed and searched for her with his mouth. Going slow was an untried luxury. Kissing his way agonisingly slowly across her quivering stomach, a kind of torture for them both. The bed dipped and she climbed over him, a knee on eit
her side of his stomach. Rising and falling in a sensuous rhythm, her hands holding his waist, she worked him to a fever-pitch of arousal. Every time she fell forward to touch her mouth to his, her hair shrouded him with the softness of silk and her scent overwhelmed him.

  "Not sure I can wait any longer.” He cupped her breasts with his hands, arching his neck to search for the hard-budded nipples with his tongue. “Please tell me you've brought protection."

  "I took some from the infirmary supplies. They're rationed, and someone would notice if I took too many.” She slid down his thighs. The sheath encased him.

  "I wish I could fuck you skin to skin,” he said holding her elbows as she guided him home.

  "Me too,” she said with a catch in her voice. “Have I done this properly?"

  All rational thought left him and he gave himself over to pure sensation. Skin rubbing skin, slick and wet. The heady scent of arousal. His climaxes had always been swift and guarded. With her, he could let go and lose himself for a while. Lying, legs tangled, in the dazed aftermath, he fought for air and held her limp body to his. Kissed away the remnant of tears on her cheeks and buried his face in the unruly mass of her hair. They lay together, enjoying the peace. The wolves had ceased their howling, as if they knew that, for now, he was safe.

  "I'm coming with you."

  This time her tone held no question, just a simple certainty. He didn't have the energy to argue with her, although he tried.

  "I don't know where I'm going,” he said. “Or what I'll find when I arrive. Carine said I would know, or at least the wolf will. It feels...” he searched for the words. “Like instinct, something I've always known, but forgotten. The ancient tracks and footprints of those long dead are there still—they've just been obscured by time. If I look and listen hard enough, I'll see them and hear the echoes of the footfalls. They will lead me to where I need to be."

  "Apparently,” he added, and laughed. “Are these just the mad ravings of a fever-touched brain?"

  "Carine believes in her magic, and I've seen a few things...” Naima shuddered, as if someone had stepped over her grave. “So the wolf already knows where it's going?"

  "I think so. The more I heal, the more I understand what brought me here.” He kissed her forehead and let his lips linger on her salty skin. Imprinting her on his senses. “Much as I'd like to think otherwise, you, this, was part of the test. Leaving you is the hardest part. If I can do this, I have hope for the rest."

  "Brynn wants to come too. He loves Carine as much as anyone, and he'll be a staunch ally. It's a dangerous world. We'll need all the protection we can get."

  "He knows what I am?"

  "Don't be angry, I had to tell someone. He's pumped your father full of sleeping draught, but he can't do that indefinitely. He also destroyed the warrant for your retrieval."

  Finn stilled and concentrated on calming his panicked breathing. “Did he read it?"

  "Yes. He didn't believe the charges. I don't either. Everyone knows bounty hunters carry false warrants.” She tightened her hold on him, as if sensing he might bolt.

  "I did kill them, Naima. Rather, the wolf did. After years of torment, I had no hope of holding it back. When he wakes, he'll tell your father, and that will be the end of us. If you come with me, your father will follow you. Would you rest if you knew your daughter loved a vicious killer?"

  "My father has seen something of the world. His captors forced him to kill for the entertainment of decadents. It gave him no pleasure. He will understand."

  His wolf especially loved her tenacity. The way she held on to the things she believed in. Why didn't she run screaming from him at the revelation?

  "Aren't you shocked?” he asked her. “My actions sicken me. And the worst part? I still believe they deserved it."

  "Finn, I'll have an answer for everything you throw at me. I'm lying naked with you on this bed, and nothing you've said so far has made me want to leave. So stop trying to put me off."

  To make her point, she pressed herself closer, breasts flattened against his chest, one arm draped possessively over his shoulder. “Take me with you. We can have so many more nights of this. Wouldn't you like to spend every night like this?"

  Her seductive whispers sent shivers through him, arousing him to a point where protection no longer mattered, and he would have thrown caution to the wind had she not stopped him. Holding himself over her, he ached to thrust inside her welcoming heat and spend himself without having to think about consequences.

  "I've only one more,” she said arching to meet his hard cock.

  "You're not too sore?"

  She laughed. “A little ... only a little. Do you want to use it now, or save it?"

  Save it for what? A time that might never come? If they used it now, would he be silently telling her he didn't expect to return? “Put it on me,” he said. “I want you now. The future will take care of itself."

  * * * *

  Naima refused to believe that her only role was to test Finn's loyalty to the Goddess. When the door to the hut opened to reveal a damp Finn, shaking himself off, she bit back the relief. Waking in the shadowy dawn alone in the narrow bed had sent her into a frenzied panic. Had he abandoned her, despite all her entreaties?

  He threw back his wet hair, sending droplets of water flying from the glossy strands, and grinned. “I've just seen the sun rise over the mountains,” he said. “This world's a beautiful place."

  Backlit by the window-light, his aura glowed with a myriad of colours. “Will your sight get better as you heal?” she asked, smiling herself to see him so buoyant. Watching the real Finn emerge from the broken shell they'd found outside the Settlement gates both heartened her and scared her to death. This morning he looked like someone keen to take on the world, without having any real idea of how big the world actually was.

  "I see shadows and shapes, changes in the light, but my wolf—you wouldn't believe the clarity.” He touched his chest lightly. “I'm far from my full strength, so the wolf takes more out of me than usual. But this morning I wanted to run and run and never stop."

  As he moved closer, she saw that the glow was the after-effect of too much energy expended at once. She pushed herself upright holding the sheet over her breasts; a largely redundant move since he showed no signs of being able to see her.

  "Sit,” she ordered.

  Finn made himself comfortable and regained his breath. Rubbing his back absently, Naima's mind moved to more practical matters.

  "You'll need transport. Can you ride?"

  The look he gave her, incredulous, eyebrows raised, made her laugh aloud.

  "Have you ever seen a wolf riding a horse?"

  "Well, the volcano at Transivar is an awfully long way. You don't mean to walk there?"

  "No, it's not where I need to be,” he said dropping his head back to her shoulder. “Part of the reason I went out this morning was to get some inspiration. I have a feeling this is more about a state of mind than a place."

  "What makes you think that?” Naima inhaled the familiar scent of his hair and skin. How wonderful it would be to wake up to this every morning. How stupid would she be to let it slip through her fingers?

  "Hard to explain. Journeys aren't just about getting from one place to another. Some of the most epic journeys take place in here.” He touched his forehead followed by his heart. “It's not really about finding the Soul Cleansers, it's about finding me. I want to know what I'm capable of achieving. I never will if I stay here and pretend to be something I'm not. The Soul Cleansing Stones are only a part of this."

  "You don't have to prove yourself to me, Finn.” Under his thin shirt, she felt the tone of his muscles, the growing strength of his shoulders. Even in his weakened state, he could lift her one-handed. He would be formidable at full strength.

  "Wouldn't you like to know if I'm more than just a coward who hides from destiny?"

  Naima slid from the bed and crouched to retrieve her clothes from the floor. “No one
could call you a coward for asking the questions you did.” She gazed at his bare, muddied feet. When she skimmed her fingers lightly over the top of one foot, he laughed and curled up his toes. She did it again, this time curving her hand around his calf, tracing the outline of the long, lean muscle. She shuffled round to kneel between his legs, sliding her hands upwards over his thighs to meet and cup his straining erection. With a gasp of pleasure, he fell back onto the bed, legs dangling over the edge. Naima pressed a tentative kiss on each knee. Laid a trail of small butterfly kisses along each thigh until her mouth touched his hard length through the thin cloth of his pants.

  "Did you lock the door?” she asked and kissed him again, pressing a little harder this time. His rapid, choppy breathing and quiet moans told her how much he enjoyed her attention. When she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants, he lifted his hips to help her slide them down his legs. Circling the base of his cock with one hand, she touched her tongue to his sensitive skin.

  "What would you like me to do?” she said, eager to learn more. “Kiss you here?"

  "Hell, yes."

  He was still buzzing from his run, quivering around her gently exploring lips. Lifting his hips, he fell into synch with her and strained towards his climax. Naima followed his lead, listening to the changes in his breathing. When she pulled back a little, he shifted his hips to reach for her, silently pleading that she continue. As she brought him to the edge of control, the power inside of her increased. Now would be the time to beg him to take her on his quest. Wisely, she kept silent, anxious not to make him feel coerced.

  When she cupped his balls, he jerked back with a muttered curse.

  "Did I hurt you?” She sat back onto her heels embarrassed by her audacity.

  "No. I'm going to come and I wasn't sure ... Just touch me. Hard and fast. Please."

  Come in her mouth? She took a deep breath. “Teach me what to do. I'd like to try it,” she said and wrapped her lips around him once more. Two heartbeats later, he was pulsing and desperately trying to control his thrusts, while she held herself steady and let him know she trusted him absolutely.