Beastly Intentions

by Stone, Wendy

  "Yes, well, shall we get on with the story? I, uh, marked the page after you left me last night."

  She leaned forward, her breasts brushing against his arm as she took the book off the nightstand. For a moment, she thought she heard him groan, but she wasn't sure.

  "Are you ready?" she asked, opening the book and skimming the page until she found where she thought they'd ended.

  "Yes," he growled, his arm burning from the pressure of her breasts, his erect cock straining at the sheets so much he bent his knee to hide it from her sight."Go on, read." She cleared her throat and began to read. "Jeffrey…"

  * * * * Nathaniel began, only to stop and stare at the man's tense back helplessly. "Haven't you ever wanted something, wanted it so badly that it wouldn't leave your thoughts until you had it? Then when you have it, you realize you only want it more?"

  Jeffrey sighed. He knew what the master meant. He'd felt that way once about a woman and then had to watch her die. "Yes," he said softly. "Then you understand how I feel?" "Yes, I do, Nathaniel, but it doesn't mean it's what is for the best."

  * * * * Melissa's eyes fluttered open and she looked around the deserted room. Nathaniel had gone and she was alone. She sat up, holding the duvet cover to her breasts and pushing her long hair out of her face.

  Once more he had left her with no clothing, she noticed, slightly amused at the situation.

  Pulling the cover around her bare shoulders, she moved to the edge of the bed, hearing a clatter as the tray Nathaniel had brought in earlier moved with the blanket. She reached for it, smiling at the different array of things he'd brought. There was a small pot of tea, now grown cold, bread sliced by a clumsy hand, some torn half way through. A chunk of cheese sat upon one side of the bread, one edge jagged as if it too had been pulled apart. Some apples and a thick slice of ham were on another plate.

  There was no cup for the tea, no butter or jam for the bread. But the tray touched her heart anyway at the thought that Nathaniel had tried to prepare something for her, a kind gesture from a loving heart that beat in the breast of a beast.

  She sighed, looking around the room to see if there was a cup or a glass that she could use for the tea. She was thirsty and hungry. Finding nothing, she tipped the pot until it ran into her mouth.

  She swallowed a little then held the rest in her mouth for a moment, grimacing at the harsh taste. It was a strong mix of leaves, nothing that Melissa could recognize. Instead of swallowing the rest, she spit it into the chamber pot, wiping her mouth with a corner of the blanket. She would make do with an apple, she decided, shuddering at the horrid taste left upon her tongue.

  Just as she was about to take a bite, the door to the room burst open and Nathaniel came in. She jumped, startled, and wrapped the blanket around her more securely. "You're awake," he said unnecessarily. "Yes, sir, I am. I don't usually sleep during the day," she said,

  feeling a trifle shy around him now that they were out of bed. "Neither do I, but if it meant being with you, I'd spend my days in that bed gladly," he whispered, walking toward her and cupping her chin in his big rough hand. He bent down, letting his lips rest against hers for just a moment, the kiss chaste and unhurried, more one of affection than of passion.

  "Jeffrey talked to your parents, Melissa," he said when he finally lifted his head. "They are content with the matter and the monies that I sent them to compensate them for your leaving."

  "May I visit them?" she asked, dropping her gaze to the buttons on his shirt, noting that he'd fastened them crookedly.

  "I…ah…" His voice died out when her fingers reached out, brushing against his stomach as she unbuttoned his shirt, doing it up again and smoothing her hand over the placket. He exhaled sharply, catching himself as he leaned forward. Instead, he shook his head, trying to find his thoughts. "Uh, I would let you visit, Melissa, but I must ask for your word on one thing."

  "I will come back, Nathaniel, if that is what you are worried about. I gave you my word earlier," she dropped her hands from his chest as if suddenly realizing what she was doing.

  "No, that isn't it." He took her hand, leading her to the bed so that she might sit on the edge. He leaned against the bedpost, studying her intently. "I need your word that you will tell no one of my affliction."

  "Is that all?" she asked with a laugh. "Tell me, sir, do you think anyone would believe me?" * * * * "I would have," Brenna said. "Believed her, I mean," she added

  when she saw the confused look upon Garren's face. "You would have believed her if she'd come to you and said she was working for a man who was part wolf?" Garren laughed. "Brenna, girl, when you first saw me, you had problems believing it."

  "But now I like looking at you," she said, her fingers curling in the sheet that covered him, fisting slowly and pulling the material down.

  Garren grabbed it before it got to his stomach, narrowing his eyes in warning at her. "Read the story, Brenna," he growled out the order.

  But she saw the tented sheet and knew that he was as aroused as she was, remembering the night before and the pleasure it had given them. She gave him an innocent look from under her thick lashes and picked up the leather-bound book once more. "There is no..."

  * * * * "…way of telling what would be believed. It would just be best not to mention that you work for a beast," Nathaniel said, his words tinged with the hatred he felt for this form.

  "I promise, Nathaniel, since it means so much to you. I'd like to visit them. I'd like to get my clothes." She looked down at the blanket she still had wrapped around her naked form, her golden hair falling over her face.

  Nathaniel reached out, one clawed hand carefully pulling the lock of hair back, running it through his fur covered hand before tucking it gently behind her ear. "I don't know, I sort of like you dressed like that," he said huskily. "It might make cleaning rather difficult," she said. "You won't be cleaning anymore, Melissa. Your duties are to take care of me, and that is all." He leaned forward, his hand closing around one edge of the blanket and pulling it slowly away. "You shall be at my beck and call, day," he dropped the blanket, exposing part of her upper body, reaching for the other side and pulling that out of her hands as well, "and night," he finished, his hand going to her breast, lifting the plump mound in his palm.

  Melissa moaned as he fondled her, feeling her nipple harden under his caressing fingers. Her back arched, and she dropped her arms to her sides to give him more access to her body, opening herself to him.

  Nathaniel leaned forward, cupping her breast, lifting it and bending his head until the taut tip brushed his lips. His tongue slipped out, lapping lightly at the pink nipple, circling it with just the tip of his tongue. A dark smile appeared on his face when he heard her growl, her voice low and guttural, filled with need.

  His eyes went to her face and he blinked, backing away to study her more intently. Her lips were parted and for just an instant, he thought he'd seen fangs where her gleaming white teeth were now.

  "Nathaniel?" she asked huskily, her eyes opening to see him studying her. "Is something wrong?"

  "Uh, no, I just thought I saw…" he stopped, shaking his head. It was silly. "Nothing," he finished.

  "Then why have you stopped?" she whispered, her fingers coming up to trace the soft fur that was over his cheeks. She leaned closer, her lips brush his, moving her mouth over his and teasing him with small tastes. She moaned again, pressing closer, the blanket dropping back to the bed, her thighs partingto draw him closer to her.

  His stomach pressed against her loins, his chest against her breasts. His hands went to her back, sliding under the smooth fall of her hair and caressing the slender muscles that flexed under her sleek flesh. Pulling her closer, he felt her breasts press against his shirt, her nipples taut and leaving a trail of fire through the thin linen. "Unbutton my shirt," he ordered her. "Take it off of me." Her hands went to his shirt, her fingers fumbling at the buttons she'd just done up so easily a few moments before. She pulled too hard and one popped off, ro
lling across the floor, making him laugh.

  "I guess that's only fair considering what I've done to your clothing," he rumbled, his chuckles vibrating against her fingers. "But it was your own fault, that gown was positively obscene." "It was the gown that Jeffrey gave me," she said. "Then I shall have to give him a raise," Nathaniel said, chuckling harder, his hand going to her cheek as she finished with the buttons. Her hands slid up his chest, she pushed them against the flow of his fur, ruffling it until she reached the tops of his arms. She slipped her hands over them, caressing him as she pushed the shirt off of his shoulders and down his arms.

  Nathaniel let the material slide over his hands and fall to the floor, eager for more of her touch. She nuzzled into his neck, her hot breath stirring the hair on his throat, sending a shiver through him. She growled again, her teeth brushing his skin, the shiver turning to a shudder of pleasure at her aggression.

  "God, Melissa," he groaned, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling it back, bringing her face up to his. Her mouth was hot and wet, her tongue a fiery blaze against his own, sending his passions flaming until he could barely think.

  It was as if the first two times they'd made love that day hadn't happened. He wanted her so badly, needed to feel the heated depths of her cunt stretched tightly around his cock, to feel her under him, arching in pleasure. He grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back, kicking off his shoes before leaping onto the bed.

  Melissa laughed, feeling a wicked freedom in her soul. Her hands reached for him. "Are you going to fuck me?" she whispered into his ear, dragging him down on top of her, spreading her thighs so that he was cradled in the curve of her hips.

  "God, yes," he sighed, his mouth covering hers, stopping her wanton laugh with his kiss. It was one of wet, hot need, a melding of mouths designed to drive passions higher.

  "Ouch!" he cried, pulling his head back and tasting blood. "You bit me," he growled, his eyes glowing amber.

  "Did I?" she panted, licking lips that suddenly felt different, thinner, stretched across her teeth. Her vision grew blurry, spots darkening her eyesight, until she reached up and clutched him, suddenly afraid. "Something's wrong, Nathaniel."

  He stared down at her, seeing her eyes lighten, the color changing to a blue so light to look almost white. "No," he whispered, rolling and pulling her up next to him until she sat on the side of the bed once more. "Can you see me, Melissa?"

  Her eyes turned, looking in his direction, her tongue slipped across her lips, wetting them as she squinted. "Y-yes, I think so. But it's different, you look different," she said slowly, her voice growing huskier. She inhaled deeply, as if she were going to sigh. "You smell good," she said slowly.

  "Oh, God, Melissa, I gave it to you," he cried, rubbing her bare arms as she looked up at him with her new vision.

  "It's so different, Nathaniel. I can see you, but you look…strange. You're you, but not you," she said, shrugging her shoulders at being unable to explain it any better than that. Her hands reached out, and he let her grab him, her fingers kneading his skin as she stared at him. "I can smell your sex," she whispered. "I can smell musk and sweat, but it's not like just smelling them."

  "You can taste them on the air," he said, his heart aching in his chest as he thought of what he'd done to her. She would now be as much of an outcast as he was.

  Melissa stared about her, then her gaze focused on him. She growled low in her throat, her hands roaming over his naked chest, her fingers sifting through his fur. "Everything feels so different," she said. "Even the way you feel when I touch you is more intense."

  "I'm sorry." He wanted to pull away from her, but also to take her in his arms and hold her, to tell her that he would protect her, take care of her so that no one would find out her malady. The two conflicting desires left him standing undecided, allowing her to touch him as she would.

  Touch she did, stroking over his arms, across his back, pulling him closer so that her breasts rubbed with infinite care against the fur on his chest, her nipples growing even harder as that soft hair flowed over them. Her gasps had him growling, her moans had his hands clenching at his sides, letting her do as she wished and trying to hold on to the human part of him that didn't want to see her hurt.

  "We shouldn't," he groaned, trying to ignore the wild clutch of lust that had his cock throbbing against his pants. "Melissa," he hissed, as her teeth found the place on his shoulder where his neck started, her new fangs scraping at the flesh beneath the fur. "We can't," he tried again.

  "Fuck me," she growled, looking up at him with her new eyes. "Fuck me and make me yours."

  His head was shaking even as his mouth found hers, wanting to deny what was happening, deny the wildness he felt inside of her that called to the beast in him. He wanted to ravage her, to dig in his claws and feel her arch under him, to plunder and ravage her slender form until she was too weak to move, and then he wanted to do it all again.

  He could feel her under him, wanted to feel the heat of her cunt stretched around the girth of his cock. He could feel her heat against him and, with a growl that was pure animal, the beast won.

  He lifted her in his arms, throwing her back on the bed, following as he ripped at the last piece of clothing that remained on his body. Tearing his pants off, he saw her through a haze of red lust, leaning back on her shoulders, her blonde hair spread around her in a mass of golden waves. Her legs were parted for him, her sex already glistening with the juices of her arousal.

  She laughed when he growled, stalking her across the wide plain of the bed, and her hand rose in the air, her nails sharp and gleaming in the light. She beckoned him to her, her palm touching his face, leading his lips to hers.

  Heat seared into flame, blazing passions as their lips and tongues merged. His hands grasped at her, pulling her closer, spreading her legs further apart. With a desperate groan, he drove himself into her, feeling her flesh part before the raging staff of his cock, surrounding him in velvety heat unlike anything he'd felt before.

  Melissa's head fell back against the bed, her mouth open as an unearthly cry came from between her lips. Her hips jerked up to meet his thrusts, her fingers dug into his back, urging him to move faster. Searing friction built, his cock sawing into her, rubbing against her clit with every stroke. His hand found her breast, his fingers kneading the heavy flesh, playing across her nipple. * * * * Brenna stopped reading. She could feel the flesh between her legs growing wet, swelling and itching with need. She looked up from the book, meeting Garren's gaze with her own, her eyes heavy with her arousal.

  "Are you all right, pet?" he asked her, his voice a husky growl that was deeper than normal.

  "No," she whispered. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Is this why you won't make love to me like in the stories that I read to you? Is it because you're afraid I'll turn into what you are?" Garren closed his eyes, blocking out the sight of her anguished face.

  "It is but one of many reasons, Brenna, but it is the most important." "What if I wished to become as you are? What if I wished for you to

  make me one of you?" "Brenna…" he began only to be interrupted. "No!" she shouted. "Why is it only you who has the right to decide what should happen to me? Do you plan to marry me off to some fine gentleman? Perhaps someone who will spend his time away from me with the strumpets down by the docks? You know the place, where you found me?" She wiped one hand under her eyes, trying desperately to call back the tears that seemed determined to spill down her cheeks.

  "I would never marry you to anyone you didn't want," he said, sitting up in the bed, his sheet falling to pool at his waist. "You know that, Brenna. I want nothing but your happiness." He reached his hand out to her, almost as if begging her to understand why he was doing as he was. "I cannot condemn you to a life such as this. To walk around at night in a disguise so that others won't know what you are, to hide your face during the day because the sun burns into your eyes until it feels as if your brain must be aflame, to face down this beas
t inside that demands much that would disgust you. Brenna, these are only a few of the things I face daily."

  "But I would have you," she sobbed, covering her face in shame that she couldn't control her emotions better. "I would be with you, like Melissa is with Nathaniel. I could share your fate so that you wouldn't have to be alone anymore, Garren. It is why you took me, is it not? I was cast-off, unwanted garbage from a coupling that shouldn't have happened."

  "You are not unwanted, Brenna," he argued. "I wanted you from the moment you looked at me. I knew you as a companion, as a child that made me smile when naught else could. You were a joy to me. You ARE a joy to me."

  "But nothing else?" she asked, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her dressing gown and watching his face. He tried so hard to hide his feelings from her but they were there to see. One just had to look into his eyes to know the tenor of his thoughts.

  There was anguish and loneliness in his eyes now, darkening the strange blue color until they seemed almost black. "I cannot put you through this. I will not, not for something so selfish as keeping you with me. You will find someone else. You will!" he stressed. "Then you will thank me for having the forethought to deny this one thing."

  He looked down at his lap, unable to look at her anymore. All he wanted was to lift her in his arms, to tell her of his true feelings, to make her his in every way he could so that she would never be able to leave him. But he couldn't make her like him.

  The slamming of the book made him jump. She dumped it off of her lap, stood upon the stairs, and looked at him with eyes that flashed blue fire. "You are incredible," she hissed at him, furious. "You deny us both; you deny your feelings for me and all for the sake of some idiotic honorable notion? You are a fool, but then again, so am I for I love you, fool or not." She stamped her foot, then turned and walked from the room.

  He expected the door to slam as she left, but she closed it quietly behind her. The almost hushed click of the latch sounded louder than a slam in the silence of the room. He rose from the bed, tearing the covers off and flinging them away from himself, letting the beast that howled within him have free rein as pain flared brightwithin him.