by Candy Nicks
"I think he was at the hut.” Tian shook him off and sat up, shoulders tense. “Someone put a blocking stone on my mother's grave. Who would do that but him?"
Sleep would not come easily this night. With a sigh, Sol pulled himself from the comfort of the bed to sit beside Tian. He did not embrace her. With her wolf so near to the surface, he knew better than to make her feel trapped.
"I left a marker on the grave. Perhaps I placed it wrongly?"
"I know you left one. Why would you misplace it? Were you not taught the correct ways? Why would someone want to keep my mother's soul from its rest?"
He had placed a stone. Carelessly? Unlikely. He'd been well schooled in the rituals of the dead.
"Probably an animal digging through the newly-turned soil. Disturbed the stone. They do that, sometimes."
"This is torture for me, Sol. Now we've made contact, I have to find him. To know my enemy, I need to see him. My wolf needs to see him.” The sunshades dropped onto the coverlet. She reached for the hem of her tunic. “It wants to go out for a while. Sleep. I will join you later."
Stopping himself from reaching out took all of his strength. Foolish to think he could restrain a wolf. More foolish, though, to allow the woman he loved to put herself in danger? Tian emerged from the folds of the tunic, smoothed back her hair and without preamble, removed her undershirt and pants. Naked, she stood before him, challenging him to stop her.
"You expect me to sleep while you're out there, deliberately putting yourself in danger? Go, before I pin you down and make love to you until you can no longer breathe."
A life with the Lupine would always be one of swings and balances. No doubt, Tian would worry his hair grey, but the tender kiss of thanks she pressed to his lips was more than worth the anxiety she would undoubtedly bring him. He heard the muffled plop of her feet landing below the window. The soft whickering of the horses. Not all men revered the wolf. To some, they were mystical creatures. To others, merely vermin to be destroyed on sight or harvested for their pelts.
Crossing to the window, he leaned on the sill and surveyed the moon-lit valley, praying for another fall of snow to cover the wolf's tracks. In his pocket, the Crystal lay cold and dormant. Should he risk another connection with it? Would that merely serve to bring Tian's father closer to his prize?
"Goddess," he muttered. “Tell me what to do. Tell me, at least, where he is."
In the silence that followed, snow began to fall silently to the earth. One prayer answered, but so many puzzles remained.
* * * *
Father, tell me where you are.
Every sense, both of the woman and wolf, listened for an answer. Too cold to remain human for more than a few heartbeats, Tian huddled in the shelter of a thicket of trees, sending out a challenge her father couldn't ignore.
Not the actions of a dutiful wife. Back in wolf-shape, obeying a soon-to-be husband was the last consideration. The wolf sent out its own challenge and turned keen eyes onto the white glow of the landscape. How would it ever rest without a resolution? How would any of them?
The Crystal will find him. Go back and take it. Open the channel.
No, Wolf. That is a step too far.
The wolf raised its chin, standing proud and tall. You are a coward, Tian. You talk to the wind because you know it will not hear you. You think you are doing, but you are doing nothing.
I want this confrontation as much as you.
And you will not do the one thing that will bring your father to us?
I have made my will known. If it is to be, the Goddess will send him.
The wolf sniffed the sharp air. Opened its mouth and tasted the scent of smoke and fire drifting across the valley. How much nicer the world was when nature forced humans inside to huddle by their hearths. A sudden sense of freedom sent it hurtling across the valley, turning sharply to leap up the steep incline, lumps of snow and ice scattering in its wake. Panting, it stopped on the edge of a precipice and looked with disdain, on the Township spread below.
He is not there, Tian. If you do not take the Crystal, then I will.
No. For a heartbeat, she was flesh standing on the frigid ground. Then again a wolf, overwhelmed by the creature's determination.
Once in control, the wolf softened its tone. Tian teetered on a precipice of indecision, needing only a small push to send her over.
Take it while Sol sleeps. End this waiting and you will do us all a great favour.
Tian's silence was answer enough. The decision already made—or why did she roam the night searching for the man who held their future in his hands? The wolf turned for Janelle's house, forgoing the exciting new smells and sounds it was eager to explore. Better to get Tian back to the house before her courage wavered.
Near to the stables, it loosened its hold. Tian emerged, hair glistening with droplets of melting snow, skin already prickling with goose bumps. To her left, she heard the muffled crunch of someone walking through the drifts. A guard, by the look of the gun slung over one shoulder. She darted into the warmth of the stable and listened to him shuffle by.
"It's only me,” she said in response to Balan's enquiring nicker. Instinctively, she moved towards the horse and pressed herself against his warm neck. When he pricked forward his ears and twisted around for a better look, she reached out a hand.
"Sorry boy. I've nothing for you.” Balan's lips tickled her palm searching for a treat. In the next stall, the mare sighed and shifted, content to be out of the biting cold. Somehow, they too had crept under her wing. Made her feel responsible for them. Her once-simple life was becoming more complicated by the day.
"We'll get you home,” she said reaching for one of the neatly-folded horse-blankets stacked on a nearby straw pallet. “Eventually. First, there is something I must do."
She started towards the house, blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and stopped short, ducking back into the shadows when she spotted the figure standing in the pool of light cast from the kitchen window. Sol. Out in the cold, looking for her, no doubt. His concern warmed her. She would make it up to him. Spend the night loving him in the comfort of Janelle's huge guest-bed. She would...
"Here they are.” Janelle's voice carried across the courtyard. The woman stepped out into the night wrapped in a thick coat, boots on her feet. Sol turned as if expecting her.
Tian pressed into the wall, wolf-eyes glowing to bring the scene into sharp clarity.
Now, her wolf said. While the woman distracts him. Take the Crystal and call your father.
Janelle reached up to pop something into Sol's mouth. His groan of pleasure carried across the yard.
Tian's fingers curled into fists. “Candied coffee-beans.” She heard him murmur the words and saw him bend his head for another. He chewed, grinning like an idiot with no brain. Candy and a welcoming smile. Were men so easily bought? So weak?
How far could she trust him?
Rest easy, Tian. The wolf pulled her back. He will not betray us.
How can I be sure when Janelle is all but throwing herself at him? How will he resist her?
Sol is noble and loyal. Of this, I'm certain.
Are you saying we are not?
We do not take the easy path. We do this to protect us all.
I must go to him. Stake my claim.
The insistent push and pull of the wolf held her back.
Over there, it said. Use the side-door and slip round the back. Take the Crystal and do it before Sol goes inside.
Powered by the wolf's momentum, she crossed the stable and grasped the door-handle.
I will have to tell him what I've done.
Afterwards. When he cannot change things. A man who loves as much as h, will forgive.
Will he?
Brave or foolish? Such a reckless action had to be one or the other. Climbing back into the room posed no problem. Once inside, she lit the oil-fuelled lamp and reached for her discarded clothes. On top of the pile lay her mother's talisman. Tian fastened it a
bout her neck, feeling the cold metal against her skin. Whatever magic it still held would be most welcome.
With a wary glance at the door, she hauled the small saddle-pack from under the bed and dumped it into the centre of the mattress. Courage had a habit of fading rapidly after the first rush of blood. Already she regretted giving in to the wolf.
"This is the right decision,” she said aloud. Where had he stored it? The bag contained only a few items of clothing, a canvas wrap covering the framed image of Sol's family, two sheathed eating knives and the small protective pouch bearing the ring and the shell necklace. Next she searched the bag bearing the story-harp. Cora immediately began to sing, happy to be in the light once more.
"Shh,” she told the harp. “Go back to sleep. We mustn't attract attention."
The music faded. “I'm sorry,” Tian whispered. “When we get to Wolf's Valley you will take your honoured place and never be silenced again."
His jacket. The Crystal must be in his jacket pocket. Steal it when he slept. Do the deed. And let fate decide the rest.
She huffed out a frustrated breath and caught sight of herself in the small mirror on the dresser. Her tan was fading, as it did when the strength of the sun weakened. Momentarily distracted, she lifted her tangled hair and turned to study her profile. Sol called her beautiful, but what did it mean? Perhaps he was downstairs even now, saying the same thing to Janelle? She turned away, ashamed of her vanity.
"No point in unpacking if we're only staying one night.” Sol strode into the room, half in and half out of his jacket. He pulled it off and tossed it over a chair, then flung himself down next to the mess on the bed.
"Good food. A warm bed for the night. And my beautiful soon-to-be-wife, standing before me like a gift from the Gods. Come here,” he said patting the down quilt. “Let me show you what a good mood I'm in.” He finished with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, a playful gleam in his eyes.
Tian smiled to cover her guilt, refusing to be jealous of a plump inn-keeper who offered favours to her male guests. Sol rarely smiled like this around her. Had Janelle sweetened him with more than candy?
"Not unpacking,” she said, attempting a nonchalant swagger. “I was finding clothes to wash. We should make use of Janelle's wash-tub while we're here."
"Never mind clothes—which, by the way, you're wearing too many of. Kiss me."
"Let me re-pack the bag first.” She skipped out of his reach when he made a grab for her and re-filled the saddle pack. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his jacket hanging from the chair.
"Obey your husband, woman.” Sol grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto the bed. She offered no resistance and dutifully hooked a leg over his to sit astride his hard stomach. He grasped her hips and slid her down over the growing bulge in his pants. Leaning down, she accepted his sweet coffee-kiss.
"We can do better than that,” he said gazing at her thoughtfully. “You're distracted. What is it? Something out there worrying you?"
"No. I'm just a little tired, that's all.” She kissed him again to stop him asking more questions. Sol turned his attention to the two shirt-buttons she'd bothered to fasten. Pushed the material aside with care.
"I truly feared this would never happen.” He planted a noisy kiss on each breast in turn. “You coming with me willingly, I mean.” He lay back, arms folded behind his head. Enjoying the view.
Her cue to do with him as she willed.
"Would you have taken me by force?” she asked. “Shall I kiss you here?"
"No, yes.” Sol reared slightly from the bed at the touch of her lips to the hollow below his ribs. She slithered backwards, kissing a trail to the hard length outlined by his pants. He pulsed against her exploring lips.
"It never crossed your mind?” She stopped kissing him and pulled at the drawstrings closing his leather pants.
"More than once. It's irrelevant now. Release me. Touch me.” Lifting his hips, he pushed into her hand.
She paused. “Janelle might hear us."
"Janelle already knows what we're up to."
"Did you want to do this with her?"
Sol responded with a low chuckle. “The three of us, eh? Now wouldn't that be interesting? Want me to call her in?"
"What? No."
Sol's lips twitched in an effort to keep from smiling. “Then make love to me,” he said and craned his neck for another kiss. “Your ever loyal husband."
Tian touched her lips to his. Sol had seen the world. Known other women. When they made love, did he compare her to them?
"I will be a poor choice of wife. I will not always obey you and I will not be dutiful. I will certainly not agree with everything you say. Janelle would be a far better choice."
"Stop right there,” Sol said, covering her mouth with his fingers. “You will be everything I ever wanted and more."
"I may never live up to your expectations, but thank you for the kind words. Now, do you like it when I do this?"
He answered her soft kisses with a moan. When she bit lightly into the curve of his shoulder, he groaned and thrust blindly, seeking relief. Every muscle tense and quivering and completely at her mercy, she realised. What better time to ask for the Crystal?
"Take off your pants,” he urged. “I plan to go slow, but when I see you like this I just need to be one flesh with you."
She rolled from him to comply, while he dropped his heavy boots onto the floor, pushed his own pants over his hips and kicked them away. Loving was a constantly shifting landscape of give and take. She held out her arms and invited him to make love to her.
"How could I refuse?” he said, voice gruff with passion. He moved over her, resting his weight on his elbows. Taking a moment to say he loved her, before parting her thighs and pushing inside with a long, contented sigh. When he spoke those words, she softened in a way that both thrilled and alarmed her.
Together they scaled the dizzy heights, losing themselves in passion and each other. Sol's anguished cry of release triggered her own climax. She held back so she could catch him when he came apart in her arms. She loved holding his spent trembling body, slick with the sweat of his exertions. Loved that he rested his full weight on her, knowing she would not find him a burden.
"Done for,” he muttered through the tangle of his hair.
She smoothed it away from his face, sifting her fingers through the fine strands. Felt his soft cock slipping out of her. Sol's weight increased as he drifted towards sleep. Tian pressed her nose into his shoulder and inhaled deeply. This scent she wanted firmly imprinted on her brain.
Much as she would have liked to drift off with him, the thought of Janelle finding the evidence of their lovemaking on her beautiful quilt, mortified her.
"Sol,” she said and gave him a shake. “I need a cloth. We mustn't stain the quilt."
"It will dry,” he mumbled. “Sleep."
She rolled him deftly so he was beneath her and extracted herself, clenching her inner muscles to keep his seed insider her. Swiftly, she slid from the bed to root through her own bag for a wash-cloth.
"Where did you get the candy?” she asked, turning her attention to Sol. She wanted to lick him clean. Would that be too strange, she wondered, dragging the cloth over his genitals. Did human women perform such services for their men?
"From Janelle,” he said with no trace of guilt. “Stepped out to meet you and she followed me."
"Did she offer you anything else?” Tian's hand stilled. Unlike him, she did not find the situation amusing.
"Oh yes."
"Sol, this isn't funny.” He lay before her, grinning, shirt still buttoned. Every bit a man stepping confidently back into his world after being so lost in hers. A brief panic rooted her to the spot. How would they ever be equals in a world where Sol knew everything and she nothing?
He took pity on her confusion. “Janelle offers favours to male guests for a price. Widow like her needs to make money where she can. A business proposition, nothing more. She wasn't
offended by my refusal."
Tian sat back on her heels and blew out a breath. “Is this the way of the world? Women preying on other women's husbands?"
"Despite your outburst at the table, she believes you're my very meek, adoring wife. That's why she chanced to ask if I required any bedroom favours.” He reached out a hand and took hers. “Don't do anything to make her think otherwise. And keep doing that,” he said moving her hand and the cloth over his skin. “Feels like heaven when you touch me like this."
"If she ever touches you like this, me or my wolf will kill her."
Sol let out a sharp bark of laughter at her matter-of-fact tone.
"Tian, you can't go around killing every woman who looks at me. As I can't kill all the men who will invariably look at you with lustful eyes.” He leaned forward and yanked his shirt over his head. “Come to bed. And stop worrying. Life is complicated, but you'll do just fine."
"You truly believe in me, don't you?” Tian swallowed down the gnawing guilt. Betraying the trust of one you loved was the ultimate sin. “Sleep,” she ordered. “I need to visit the bathroom."
"Be quick. I like you here beside me."
She took the jacket on her way out. Inside the pocket, the Crystal pulsed and reached out to merge with the spirit of the Lupine. She dipped a hand inside, curling her fist around the smooth stone. Already the pathways were opening. The merest thread of intention was all the Crystal needed to make the connection. The wolf, calm and watchful, steadied her, helped her to channel the energy without the trauma of the last time.
Downstairs in the bath-house, she worked the water-pump and splashed ice-cold water onto her burning cheeks.
"On my terms,” she said to the blurred image in the polished metal mirror. “Father, I will allow a meeting on my terms."
"As you wish."
His voice, deep inside her mind. So similar to her wolf's that she opened her mouth to reply.
"Father?” She glanced around the small room, angry at the unaccustomed prickle of fear drying the words in her throat. The wolf reared and bucked, anxious to burst out and meet the man head on.