by Marie Medina
He let his gaze shift down her body. “I’d stay in the castle more often if you get the urge to spend much time in that position.”
She turned away so he wouldn’t see the flame of color on her cheeks. She told herself she was very lucky he hadn’t forced himself on her. She shouldn’t be having such sexually charged thoughts. A man like him would surely pick up on them and tease her all the more. Or worse, tempt her to act on them.
“I really can cook. I’ll cook every meal if you like. It’s the least I can do for the expense I’ll be to you.”
“Money is of no concern. You’ll learn that soon enough.” He moved to stand behind her, but he didn’t force her to turn around. The heat from his body made her blush even worse, and something about having him so close behind her sent a thrill up her spine. “I eat at eight, one and six. I’ll unlock your door shortly after sunrise every day.”
He walked toward the door, but then he turned. “And leave food out for the cat starting tomorrow. He prefers chicken twice a day. I kill one for him every morning.”
Despite the flush still on her cheeks, she turned to him. “Cat? You’re a werewolf, but you own a cat?”
“Why is that so very odd?” he asked, though he didn’t stay to hear her answer.
She stood staring at the empty doorway for a long time, and then she walked into the larder. Her eyes went wide as saucers as she looked at the full shelves. She could make anything if the larder was always this full. And a whole chicken every day just for the cat? How many chickens did he have?
She fought the urge to go find Marrok. Why did he keep so much food on hand? How did it get here? Everyone said he never left his own land. How had he become so wealthy? He didn’t seem so bad to her, so were people only afraid because he was a werewolf? He was rough around the edges, and obviously set against another marriage and socializing with people in general, but only his eyes gave away the fact he wasn’t an ordinary man.
She stopped short as she reached for a bag of flour. What if it was all an act? The banter and suggestive comments? What if he intended to seduce her and then send her back to her father in a state of dishonor? Or even carrying the bastard child of the Wolf? She took the bag off the shelf and went back into the kitchen. Or was that too obvious? She had every reason to believe he would never allow her to leave. She set to work, determined not to let speculation of his plans—or lustful thoughts—drive her mind into a frenzy. One way or another, she wanted to keep her wits about her. She knew deep down that she needed to be ready for anything.
* * * *
Marrok followed her scent up to her room at five minutes until ten. He hoped to find her in a very sheer nightgown, but he knew she would most likely still be fully dressed. It had taken her half an hour to lug both her trunks up the stairs, so he prepared himself to find her collapsed on the bed at any rate. He pushed his roaring libido down with little success. The sooner he warned her what he was like after sunset, the better.
He didn’t announce himself, but he was sure she’d heard his approach. She sat on the floor sewing something small and lacey.
“I see you didn’t feel like playing games tonight. That’s very good,” he said.
“Why?” She put her work in her lap and gazed up at him.
“You know all about werewolves, perhaps, but you know nothing about me. I turn into a wolf every single night at midnight. I don’t change back until the sun rises. That is why I will lock you in each night. I might not recognize you, or even if I did the wolf might not care.”
Her face flushed white. “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Only other animals. I bit a chicken thief once. He was lucky he knew how to climb a tree.”
“I understand. I’ll always be here at ten.”
He eyed her, slightly suspicious of how submissive she was being. Did he want to warn her about the rest? At this very moment he wanted to hear a teasing remark from her mouth more than anything.
“What is it?”
He forced his eyes to leave her body and focus on her questioning gaze. “There is one other thing. I have a hard time controlling my instincts as midnight approaches. For your own sake, you might want to keep your opinions to yourself after sunset.”
She lowered her eyes. “You think you would lose your temper and hurt me?”
He chuckled. “No, my dear. I might lose control and ravish you.”
Her eyes shot back up to his, and the blush that spread over her face and down to her breasts made him hard. He didn’t worry though. He doubted her innocent eyes would recognize the bulge in his breeches for what it was.
“I didn’t have to give you that warning, but I was a gentleman once.”
“You were the bravest knight in the land. And the most virtuous and honorable.”
He frowned. “I thought no one would tell you anything about me? Who used those words?”
“I read it in the history books. One was printed the year before I was born.”
“I’m surprised the words haven’t been blotted out.”
She rose from the floor. “I don’t think anyone would dare. I’ve never seen that kind of fear before. It’s hard to believe you’re the man they’re all so afraid of.”
He strode over to her quickly and pulled her against him. She looked very confused as he leaned down into her face. “I don’t know if you meant that as a compliment, but it bordered between that and an insult. It’s opinions like that I was referring to.”
Her breasts heaved as her heart raced and her breathing quickened. Her scent changed slightly as he held her. He let his hand slide from her waist to her bottom, and he pressed her against his erection. Her eyes widened. Did she know what was throbbing there against her? Did she recognize the answering throb in her own core? He could smell her arousal, so he knew he’d stirred her there.
“Shall I put you to bed and kiss you goodnight?”
She ignored his question. “I meant it as a compliment. You’re more of a gentleman than most of the men at my father’s court. If they got a woman alone and knew no one cared what happened to her, she would have been tied to the bedposts within thirty seconds.”
“Then his kingdom is indeed going to the dogs, isn’t it?” He leaned slightly closer to enjoy her scent.
Her lips trembled into a smile. “It’s past redemption, truth be told.”
He released her. Another moment and he’d be burying his face in her hair and ripping the bodice to free her ample breasts. Her bottom felt far too good in his hand as well. “Don’t be afraid if you hear howling. It’s me and only me. No other wolf dares come on my land.”
“Do you howl most nights?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason?”
She liked to push her limits, didn’t she? He decided her curiosity deserved a very blunt answer. “Tonight, I’ll be regretting how much of a gentleman I still am.”
He turned and left without seeing her reaction. As soon as he’d locked her door, he shed his clothes and changed, the desire in his groin finding some relief as he did so. He ran from the castle, ready for the hunt. There would be time enough for other pursuits in the future.
Chapter Three
Josette did not sleep very well. Her eyes had popped open every single time Marrok howled. She got out of bed and got dressed just before sunrise, not sure when he would unlock her door. She figured she’d feed the cat and then take a short walk before making breakfast. When she heard his boots echoing in the hallway below, she descended the stairs to meet him. She liked how he had eventually recognized that she was not a spoiled, lazy princess, and she wanted to keep reinforcing that impression.
Just as she reached the bottom step, the door swung open. She lifted her eyes to Marrok and watched a pleased smile spread across his face. But her attention was drawn elsewhere quickly. He wore black leather pants and riding boots, but he wasn’t wearing a shirt. His broad and well-muscled chest was on full display. Every inch of him was perfectly sculpted and
dusted with a fine layer of dark brown hair. Each muscle was so chiseled she suspected she would feel stone if she reached out and touched him.
“Eager, aren’t you?” he said, stepping forward. “You can touch me if you like. That’s one thing you never need my permission to do.”
Josette licked her very dry lips, and then inwardly cursed herself for doing so. She averted her eyes and held her breath to avoid breathing in more of his musky scent. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she called over her shoulder. “Taunting an innocent?”
“You may be a virgin, and you may lack knowledge, but I would never call you innocent, Josette.”
Something stirred inside her. He’d never used her name until now. “Really?”
“Oh yes. And I’m not taunting you. I’m enjoying having a beautiful woman look at me without running away.”
She turned to him when they reached the kitchen. “You never leave your own land. When do you ever meet any other woman?”
“I do not leave my own land now. I used to leave all the time.”
“Why the change?”
“Inspiring fear is very boring. I grew sick of being around idiots. Everything I cannot provide for myself is delivered by a man who has learned he will be safe and rich as long as he follows my rules.”
She saw the freshly killed chicken and began plucking it to keep her mind and eyes off his magnificent body. “How does your cat like his chicken?”
“Bake the whole thing, then tear all the meat off. Give him half now and the rest mid-afternoon. If he gets hungry at night, he chases vermin in the barn.”
Exactly how big was this cat? She continued to yank at the feathers. “Does he have a name?”
Marrok smiled. “Rumpelstiltskin.”
That name was familiar. “Any chance he’ll answer to something shorter?”
He shook his head. “No. He demands respect, so make sure you give it to him.”
So even the cat outranked her? She was anxious to meet this impressive feline. “I will then.” She wracked her brain. “Why did you name him that?”
“It’s a name from an old legend about a man with very special powers. Trust me when I tell you it suits him.”
He sat at the table and watched her work. She wished he would put a shirt on, but she sensed he loved making her uncomfortable. Whether he intended her any harm or not, he definitely intended to seduce her. She could feel it. She’d heard whispered tales of his powers. If he could read her mind, he’d likely succeed in taking her virginity within a week. If she were stuck here, it hardly had value anyway, did it?
She looked up at him. “Did women really run away from you?”
“Oh yes.”
She frowned as she turned the chicken. “Just because of what you are? Your eyes are the only hint that you’re different.”
“Do they bother you?”
She considered this, letting her own eyes take in his face. “I’m getting used to them well enough.”
“They were once blue, and they captured women’s hearts.”
They still had a power she couldn’t define. She wouldn’t say her heart was in danger, but her body definitely reacted when she saw them widen sometimes. She cleared her throat. “So you never met my mother?”
“I never met her before she became the queen. When she was pregnant with you, I had to guard her often. While I was keeping men from looking upon her for too long, my wife was out bedding the entire kingdom. I’d never been asked to guard anyone but the king before.”
She found a pail and put it on the table to collect the feathers in. She dumped in the pile she’d already accumulated. “Perhaps it was meant as an honor. I was the heir, and I’m sure they hoped for a son.”
“I believe your father kept me from home on purpose. I first suspected the truth when I found evidence of my wife’s activities in our bed.”
“You caught her?” She wondered if there was any chance at all the man was still alive, but her brain quickly told her it was very unlikely.
He looked into her eyes, and she couldn’t have looked away if she’d tried. “No, not in the act, but I found evidence that she had been bedded, and I knew it hadn’t been me. She was not generous with her favors after our wedding night.”
“What did you find?” She squeezed her lips shut after the words slipped out. She was curious, yes, but she knew a lady wouldn’t have asked.
“Semen. And lots of it. After she cursed me I destroyed everything that had the smell of another man on it.” He growled. “There was hardly any furniture left at all.”
“We can talk about something else.” She was not only embarrassed but also afraid she had angered him. She would have to learn to control her tongue.
“I imagine we’ll eventually talk about every subject in creation.” His face had darkened as he spoke of his unfaithful wife, and that made his smile even sexier. “Unless you want to fill our time some other way.”
She needed to look away from those eyes. “I need to cut the head off this chicken right now.” She turned to look for a knife. She heard him stand and move close to her.
“It’s there,” he said, pointing to a cleaver.
She picked it up, but he took it from her and cut the head off himself. He removed the feet as well and inspected her work before setting the carcass in a large pan.
“Did you live in the kitchen at your father’s castle?” He went to the sink and washed his hands.
“I wanted to. My only friends were there.”
He gazed down into her eyes. “So you were lonely?”
“Yes, very often. My maid wasn’t very friendly.”
He smiled. “So I’m a slight improvement?”
“I’m not ready to answer that question yet.” She moved to the sink and washed her hands in the icy water. She shivered as she dried them.
He put his hands on her shoulders and whispered against her hair. “You should light the boiler, unless you want me to keep you warm.”
She shivered again. Something about him standing behind her stirred something low in her belly. She turned in his arms. “If you seduce me within the first week, what will we do to fill the decades stretching out ahead of us?”
“If I told you, you’d probably try to run away. Or faint from shock.”
“I don’t faint.”
“We’ll see about that.”
She put her hands on her hips. “You know, you keep saying you don’t want another wife.”
“We don’t have to wed to do what I have in mind.”
“You know what I mean!” She pushed past him and slid the chicken into the oven, tossing another log into the fire. “I’m as shackled to you, it would seem, as any wife would be, perhaps even more so.”
He laughed. “I’m enjoying myself, Josette. Forgive me if you’re not deriving as much pleasure from our flirtation as I am.”
She leveled her gaze at him. “So what would my fate have been if I’d been ugly?”
“If you still had the same spirit, it would have been no different. That is what I’m enjoying. If you had been spoiled and whiney or just plain boring, I would have ignored you. Court dandies may think of nothing but beauty and breasts, but some men do have more substance. A woman with fire in her heart is far more appealing than any simpering sexpot. You have a delightfully wicked mind, my dear, virgin or no.”
“Oh, go put a shirt on and leave me alone! I’m going for a walk.”
“You don’t believe me?” he asked, following her.
“What does it matter?” Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? When she’d arrived less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d had no reason to believe he would show her any kindness at all. Now he was wooing her? Or, if not wooing, at least pursuing. She tried to walk faster.
“Well, I’m not exactly a handsome, charming prince, but I’ve certainly gotten you worked up quickly enough.” He intercepted her, and she collided with his broad and still naked chest. “Perhaps you’re going to be rewarded for your self
less sacrifice. Instead of being wedded to a foppish, stupid prince you’ll be bedded by a beast who can actually satisfy that fire in your belly.”
Her core felt hot indeed, not to mention wet, but she was not about to admit it. She liked him, genuinely, but she didn’t like his smugness. Did he think she would fall into bed with him just because he was there and willing? She wasn’t going to have sex with him simply because he was the only man around.
“Handsome, charming princes are overrated. And hard to come by at any rate. Also, I don’t recall telling you if I find you handsome or ugly.”
“You like something you see, that’s for sure.”
She tried to move away, but he stopped her again. “You’re not a beast, though you are behaving like one.”
He held her still, flush against his chest, and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure I’m only acting like one?”
She felt the low rumble in his chest, and it inspired a strange longing in her body. She didn’t want to think about it too much. “Let me go,” she whispered.
He seemed confused by her reaction. He probably expected her to lose her temper or keep arguing with him. He released her and stepped aside. She straightened her dress and kept walking. She thought she heard him say something, though she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t look back for fear her knees would give out if she saw him standing there and watching her in all his virile glory. She cursed under her breath and went out into the stable. She didn’t know what she’d do, but she’d find something to keep her busy until the chicken was ready. She’d had enough conversation for the moment.
* * * *
“Marvelous view,” Marrok muttered, his eyes on Josette’s ass as she huffed away from him. He watched her walk into the stable, the urge to follow and tumble her in a mound of hay very strong. What had she been afraid of when she asked him to let her go? Him or her own desire? He could still smell her sex. He aroused her, and he wanted to satisfy that arousal. He went back into the castle, but her scent filled the halls, and he grew restless immediately. He needed to slake his own lust or else breakfast might end with her pinned beneath him on the kitchen table.