“This is it,” she said aloud to herself. “This feels right.”
She checked her reflection once more and then she headed toward the door of her bedchamber. She hoped that the guards would leave her be, but even if they insisted on following her, she would gladly accept their escort down to the main hall.
She laughed to herself, her mood had certainly lifted considerably since earlier in the day.
As she opened the door, as expected, they both turned and looked down at her.
“Evening,” she said cheerily as she swept past them and waited for them to follow.
They picked up her signal and dutifully followed, keeping just enough distance between them as to not anger Bonnie, and to keep it looking as if she wasn’t being completely guarded and flanked by two soldiers.
As they made their way down the grand staircase and continued down the hall, Bonnie felt the nerves rising up from her belly and into her throat. Her heart was beginning to race and she felt herself go dizzy.
What if he had left?
Or even worse… What if he was fooling on with another woman right there in the castle?
Both were likely concepts, but Bonnie felt inside of her that surely Alexander would do neither. She had felt something when she had looked into his eyes, and she was certain that he had felt it too.
The guards walked beside her as they approached the tall, open doorway to the main hall, and she took a moment before she sucked in a lungful of air and took another step forward.
This is it, she thought. One way or another, you’re about to find out.
She made her way, slowly and demurely, into the main hall, and without looking up, she could already feel the eyes on her. She cast her eyes seductively around the room and when they fell upon Alexander Campbell, she felt a surge of something that only confirmed what she had already thought.
This man was meant for her.
He got to his feet and looked back at her with lust and affection in his eyes. He took a step forward, not taking his eyes away from Bonnie, his mouth hanging slightly open.
He wasn’t with another woman, and he was very much still in Castle Grant!
Now all Bonnie had to ensure was that he made his way to her… and never left.
13.
She smiled to the familiar faces of the clan as she passed through the crowds and looked nervously for her mother or father. She knew that they would be there somewhere, but she had no idea how to find them when the hall was so busy.
Up until the Campbell’s had arrived earlier that day, she had had no interest in being involved in the late night affairs of Castle Grant. Bonnie had always retired to her bedchamber early, and had been more interested in escaping into the night for a secret look at the moon and stars than drinking wine with her parents and family members and dancing to badly played music.
She felt nervous and out of her depth, but as she moved deeper into the crowd and the room buzzed around her, she found herself relaxing. She noticed her father out of the corner of her eye and skipped over to meet him. He held out his arm and she nuzzled into the crook of it, just like she had done when she was a little girl.
“My lovely Bonaventure,” he smiled. “What a day, eh?”
“It has been father,” she smiled. “But I couldn’t stay upstairs and not see what fun was happening down here in the hall. What a lot of people and what a party!” she laughed.
“Indeed Lassie,” her father slapped the side of his leg and picked up an overflowing tankard of wine. “Indeed. Here, get my daughter some wine!” he called to one of the servers.
The boy quickly hurried over with a large glass and filled it to the top with deep red wine. Bonnie looked at it, and although she had never been so keen on the taste, decided that having the warm feeling of relaxation wash over her on a night like this wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
She sipped it slowly but it quickly got hold of her and as she drank it faster, she was soon motioning to the boy to bring her more. Her father laughed and slapped her leg and her mother joined them and drank alongside them too. It was the first time Bonnie had spent a good deal of time with her parents in a long time…and she realized how good it felt to enjoy being in her family’s company. But she also couldn’t help but feel that it was, in some way, symbolic. As if this was both the first and last time they would be together in this way, and soon, Bonnie would be off on her own properly and living her own life.
After all, she was more than an adult. She was nearly twenty and it was practically unheard of for a girl in her position to not be married off and have several children under her belt. She glanced around the room and smiled to herself. Maybe now really was the right time for her. Maybe this is why she had waited, and her father had waited. Maybe, in some way, he had wanted her to choose her own path. She looked up at her father and smiled at him fondly. He wasn’t so bad for a grouchy old highlander.
“M’lady?” The familiar voice broke her train of thought, but when she looked up and her eyes met with Alexander Campbell’s, she was filled with joy.
“Alexander,” she whispered as she placed her hand inside his.
Her parents were on either side of her, engrossed in their own conversations, but as Alexander came and took hold of their daughter’s hand, they both turned their attention to them with beaming smiles.
“And what do we have here?” her father asked as he slapped Alexander affectionately on the shoulder. “Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked him as he looked down at Bonnie.
“She is simply exquisite,” Alexander smiled, his own eyes falling onto Bonnie’s delicate face. “I have been quite taken by her…” he continued.
“Many men are,” her father said, “but not many are worthy enough of her affections. However, I think I see something in her here tonight. And I’m pretty sure I saw it down by the drawbridge earlier today…” he trailed off and looked down at Bonnie and winked.
She felt her face flush crimson.
“She is a rare beauty,” Alexander continued. “One I have longed to find for some time, but never knew if it would be possible.”
“Me?” she asked shyly. “You think I am a rare beauty?”
“Most certainly,” he said as he looked deep into her eyes. “I have never been drawn to the women I have met on my travels… But you, you are very different indeed.” He looked at her with such intensity, Bonnie was finding it impossible to break away.
“Well,” her father said, “there is a great alliance now with the Grant’s and the Campbell’s. And my daughter is yet to wed…”
He let the statement hang in the air between them and although her heart was pounding with nerves, when she saw the wry smile spread across Alexander’s face, she knew that he was as happy about the suggestion as she was.
“It would be an absolute honor to be the man that won your daughter’s hand, Lord Grant,” he said seriously. “In fact, I could think of no higher honor.”
Bonnie felt herself blush even more and she suddenly felt very overwhelmed and warm from the wine. Her father was beaming with pride and looked as if he could burst with happiness.
“Why don’t you two get to know each other properly,” he suggested as he took a step back and took hold of Bonnie’s mother, pulling her into an embrace. “After all, the success of a long and happy marriage is the foundation of friendship!” He planted a sloppy kiss on her mother’s lips and pulled her into the middle of the crowd where he danced with her wildly.
Bonnie smiled and laughed, and she realized that Alexander was doing the same.
“Well,” he said as he held out his hand, “Shall we?”
Bonnie bit her bottom lip and smiled. She looked out onto the dance floor and at all of the writhing, sweaty bodies throwing themselves around and then she winked at him and said…
“Actually, I’ve got a much better idea…”
14.
Bonnie linked her arm with Alexander’s as they sat side by side on the walls high up on the Castle Kee
p. It had always been one of Bonnie’s favorite places and the night sky twinkled brightly above them as the moon rose high and full.
“I love the night,” she whispered as she turned and looked into his eyes.
“That’s a strange coincidence, because so do I,” he smiled.
Bonnie felt herself blushing again, each time her eyes caught his and she realized how wide and dilated with lust his pupils were, it made her tingle with excitement and need. She had always heard about women who fell in love at first sight, but she had never truly believed that it could be real, and yet, there she was with a man she had only met earlier that day, and she already knew that she was crazy about him.
She looked up to the sky again and was sure she saw a shooting star trail above them.
“Wow,” she gasped. “Did you see it?”
“No,” Alexander whispered, “I was too busy looking at you.”
Bonnie turned to look at him again and he moved his hand slowly up to the side of her face and cupped her cheek before he pulled her face gently toward his. When he kissed her, the first thing she thought was how hot and alive he felt. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and took her breath away, his skin feeling like it was on fire.
She had never been kissed before, and it had been worth the wait. Her virgin lips tingled with anticipation and excitement, and with each graze of his tongue, he awakened parts of her that Bonnie had never even known existed.
Alexander slowly moved his face from hers and looked her deep in the eyes, the ice blue of his reflecting in the azure of her own.
“I would like to ask your father for your hand…” he said. “Is this something that would please you?”
Bonnie could barely contain her excitement, but she tried to keep her decorum.
“That is something that would please me very much,” she smiled.
They got to their feet and Alexander wrapped his hand in hers. His skin and palm were red hot and fiery, and she thought of how she had never felt someone with such a blaze inside of them.
They made their way back down toward the main hall and even though Bonnie was tipsy from the wine, she was determined to commit every part of what was happening to memory.
She had finally found the man who she was supposed to be with… And he was going to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Could this day get any more perfect after it had started out so uncertain and worrying?
As they re-entered the main hall, the party was still in full swing and Bonnie could see that her parents were still wrapped up in each other and dancing with some other couples from the clan and the bard. Alexander dropped her hand out of respect but rested his palm flat against her back and led her through the crowd to her mother and father.
“Well, well, well,” her father bellowed as he noticed them heading toward him. “This is something I definitely like to see! My beautiful girl with a very fine suitor indeed! Alexander is from one of the most powerful families in all of the Highlands, Lassie!” he said as he looked to Bonnie.
Bonnie smiled and nodded, her stomach and heart in knots waiting for Alexander to ask what he had promised. She looked up to him and he was smiling down at her, aware of her nerves but finding them nothing but adorable and endearing.
“Lord Grant,” Alexander spoke up, “I have something I would like to discuss with you.”
Bonnie’s father smiled from ear to ear and patted Alexander on the back.
“Of course, laddie, what would you like to know?”
“Well,” Alexander began, barely able to hide his own happiness “I have been completely taken with your beautiful Bonaventure and I would like to ask if I may have the honor of taking her hand in marriage?”
Bonnie’s heartbeat picked up even more and she swallowed down her nerves. Her father looked from Alexander to Bonnie with a look of uncertainty on his face, which then quickly turned into a beaming smile and a roaring laugh.
“Of course you may!” he bellowed as he slapped Alexander affectionately on the back once more. “This is the best news to hit Castle Grant in many years!”
He pulled both Alexander and Bonnie into his big, chubby arms and hugged them both tight. Bonnie could barely even register what was happening, but she knew one thing for certain… She was going to be wed; she was going to become a wife.
“There isn’t a moment to lose!” her father shouted as he looked around the room. “Come! The Campbell’s are leaving Castle Grant at first light, let us wed these two this very night and send them off as newlyweds the morrow!”
Bonnie couldn’t help but squeal with excitement. She was getting everything she had ever hoped for and more… She was going to become part of a powerful Highland dynasty.
As her mother and father got the bard to play around the room, they raced to wake the priest and sent the peasant boys to gather flowers from the fields. Bonnie was rushed upon by the chambermaids and her mother as they placed petals in her hair, and she knew, at once, that it didn’t matter how or when her wedding took place, as long as she was marrying Alexander, everything would be right in the world.
As she stood by him at the altar and looked into his eyes, she knew that she had finally found the piece of her that had been missing. A man with dangerous secrets, and a power that most others would crave.
Now Bonnie was about to be welcomed into the Campbell Clan… And whatever secrets they were hiding were about to be revealed. It should have scared her, but she had never been more intrigued and excited in her entire life.
15.
As the priest pronounced them husband and wife, there wasn’t a man or woman in the hall who didn’t cheer and clap their hands in celebration. Bonnie was crying with happiness and as her husband swept her up into his arms, with such intense strength, she wrapped her arm around his neck and nuzzled into him as he walked with her, in big strides, toward the door of the main hall.
“My beautiful wife,” Alexander smiled as he kissed her on the lips.
He strode with her through the hallways and up toward her bedchamber as her heart pounded in her chest and her nerves began to mount. She had wanted this more than anything, but now she was facing being taken to bed by a man, especially a man of such power, it was nerve-racking and intense.
Alexander kicked open the door to her bedchamber and walked inside, carrying her over the threshold. The fire burned wildly in the hearth and Bonnie was relieved to see that Ariane was nowhere to be seen. As Alexander kicked the door closed behind him, he walked with her to the bed and placed her down gently on top of it.
The only light in the room was the light from the fire and the few candles that burned quietly in the corners. Alexander stood before her and began to remove his armor, and Bonnie’s breath caught in her throat. As he peeled away the layers and revealed his muscular physique, she found herself becoming wet for him, her body convulsing and desiring him even more.
He stepped toward her and placed her hand over his heart. His skin was so hot she could barely touch him.
“What are you?” she whispered as she looked up into his eyes and she was sure that something flashed over them that she had never seen before. Something animalistic… Something wild…
“You’re about to find out,” he breathed, and she was sure that it was followed by a growl.
Her heart beat faster and her arousal grew feverishly. As he climbed on top of her and she felt the strong poke of his desire, she shuddered and bit her lip. Even though she had never been with a man before, she was more than ready. And now that she was lying there waiting for her new husband to make love to her, she could barely believe how lucky she was.
Alexander pulled at her dress and ripped it off over her head to expose her curvy, supple body. Her large breasts bounced free and he took them hungrily in both hands and sucked them greedily.
“Bonnie,” he moaned. “You have no idea what you do to me…”
With each touch of their skin, Alexander became more aroused and his hands became rougher and hotter. Bonni
e let her head fall back as his fingers disappeared between her thighs and found her sweet spot, his thumb massaging her and opening up her flower for him to pluck and devour. She had never felt sensations like it, and as he rose high above her and positioned himself at her opening, she looked down to see his huge, impressive manhood. It was thick, long, rock hard and full of veins. She gasped as he thrust inside of her and took her again and again.
As he fucked her slowly and sweetly, Bonnie trembled with pleasure. There was something changing in him before her very eyes, he was no longer the man that had asked for her hand in marriage, he was a beast… an animal… a wolf.
He growled as he powered into her again and Bonnie gasped as, beneath her fingers, his skin tore open and wiry fur sprang up in its place. His hands were paws and they were full of sharp claws which tore at her juicy skin, but it did not hurt her… it only aroused her more.
“More Alexander!” she screamed as the wolf howled above her.
She felt herself on the edge of the most intense sensation she had ever felt and as the wolf slid himself inside of her one last powerful time, she opened up and came in a crashing wave of ecstasy.
Alexander shifted back into his human form and his release thundered through him, he emptied his hot and heavy load right up inside of her and collapsed down on top of his new bride, breathing heavily and completely spent.
Bonnie looked up at him as he pulled her close and cradled her in his arms. So now she knew that the legends were true. The Campbell Clan didn’t just have wolves with them… they had wolves inside themselves.
She smiled as she drifted off to sleep, completely exhausted and more in love than she had ever thought possible. She had found a man who was like nothing she ever could have imagined, but that she couldn’t imagine being without.
A man with a wolf inside of him.
A man who was going to show her everything.
16.
Shifter Romance: BODHI (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 4) Page 99