Wolf's Eye

by Rae D. Magdon

“Me too. Cate,” she said, the words coming out in a rush, “stay with me. Be my mate. Please.”

  I closed my eyes and rested my head against her arm. “Forever? You promise?”

  “Forever. I promise.”

  There was nothing I wanted more.

  …

  Chapter Five:

  The next morning was almost as wonderful as the night before. I was alone when I opened my eyes, but I saw that Larna had left me a young deer for my breakfast. I was flattered that Larna had given her kill to me. For any animal, even Wyr, food meant survival. Placing someone else’s survival above your own was the greatest token of affection in their world. It was much more than just breakfast in bed, or in our case, on the forest floor. I was glad that no one had disturbed us. The rest of the pack probably knew what had happened and avoided this area on purpose.

  I slipped effortlessly into wolven form to eat my breakfast. Once the meal began digesting, I could change back without getting sick, but human teeth were not good for tearing through fur and crunching bones. I ate quickly and crept towards the river on my paws. Larna’s scent went in that general direction and I could guess where she had gone.

  watched Larna without moving, content to observe her from behind the shadows of the trees. I stared, totally captured, as she stripped off her leggings and lifted her vest and undershirt over her head. I wondered when she had found the time to dress.

  Guiltily, I let my eyes wander along the pale curve of Larna’s naked torso and dip into the shadows under her ribs, stopping just above her small breasts. Fluidly, Larna lifted her head and looked into the trees. “You could probably be seeing better if you came closer,” she said.

  Ashamed that I had been spotted so easily, I pushed aside the branches of a sapling with my nose and padded out onto the grass beside the river. She was in the water now, and her wet hair clung to her cheeks and the side of her neck. It had grown longer, but was still well above her shoulders. I changed back to match my lover and sat on the bank of the stream, waiting for her to acknowledge me.

  When she turned to look over her bare shoulder again, the desire in her eyes made me forget to breathe. I trembled as she stalked towards me. Before I knew it, I was running to meet her. I slid into her arms as if I had done it for a thousand lifetimes. A perfect fit.

  She tucked her chin over my head and rocked me for a few moments. Our naked bellies pressed together, our heartbeats thudded against each other’s skin. She was wet, but not cool. Larna always seemed unnaturally warm to me. Since I had become Wyr, I rarely noticed the cold. My forehead and cheeks felt hot and I almost jerked back when Larna’s hand began stroking my bottom. Her touch burned. “Do you trust me?”

  Impulsively, I stood up on my toes and pressed my lips against Larna’s. We both stayed perfectly still for a long second. I did not open my eyes until Larna broke the kiss. Our second kiss was longer, deeper. Larna wrapped an arm around my waist, pressing our hips together.

  “Do you want to…?” Larna whispered into my lips.

  “Yes.”

  Larna kissed my cheeks, my eyelids, my forehead. “Last night was too fast. This time, we will be learning together.”

  Without thinking, my lips wandered over her wet skin, tasting a warm shoulder and bending my head to kiss the outline of a breast. Larna pulled us deeper into the river until the current tugged at our legs and we had to cling tighter to each other. Smooth river rocks slid beneath our feet.

  I cupped water in my hands and poured it over Larna’s broad back, watching it roll down her spine and return to its source. I saw her skin prickle. I pressed my face into Larna’s neck and felt the throb of my dark-haired lover’s heartbeat against my lips. Shyly, I pressed my mouth over Larna’s pulse point and suckled on the pale skin there, smiling inwardly as I felt the muscles along her back tense under my hands.

  Before Larna, I had never understood how much trust a kiss like that could hold. For a Wyr to offer their throat or belly, they needed to feel very safe. I was glad that I was the one who made Larna feel that way. When she turned, I gave her my own throat and she latched on and tugged lightly with her teeth. Her large hands stroked in circles over my stomach and I let her and the water carry my weight.

  Larna sighed contentedly, tilting my chin up for another kiss. She pulled away for air after what seemed like an eternity, flicking the tip of her tongue across my bottom lip. I giggled and trailed my hand down my new lover’s side, marveling in the softness of her skin.

  “Do you trust me?” she asked again. I realized that I had not answered her question the first time.

  “Mmhmm, I want this, I promise.” I kissed my way along the pale curve of Larna’s neck again, wanting to explore more of my lover. My line ended at Larna’s soft earlobe and I took it between my lips, kissing it gently. Larna smiled, shifting her weight and sliding her thigh between my legs. I closed my eyes and made a satisfied sound in the back of my throat. “Harder,” I whimpered, pressing myself down above Larna’s knee.

  “We are having time,” Larna reminded me.

  I rested my cheek against the warm skin of Larna’s shoulder, pulling myself against my lover’s lean body.

  “I love you,” Larna said, planting a soft kiss on my forehead.

  “I love you, too.” My hips jerked as Larna’s fingers climbed higher. My legs started to shake and I whimpered, trying to push myself against Larna’s hand. Larna fluttered kisses over my cheeks and face, slowly stretching me with the tips of her fingers and brushing the pad of her thumb over the hard, swollen bud above.

  “Relax,” she whispered, kissing along my shoulder. “Let me take care of you.”

  “Larna, please…”

  “Open for me,” Larna said against my neck, urging my legs farther apart with her hands.

  I went limp in her arms and let her have what already belonged to her. She was very careful with me, because we were in the water and I was still swollen-red from last night. With her fingers still inside of me and my legs wrapped tight around her waist, she carried me to a shallower spot.

  “What are you doing, lover?” I nipped her arm at the end of the question and pressed a long kiss on her cheekbone. Since her lips were so close, I had to taste them, too.

  “The water canna be stealing all of your wetness away,” she explained in the middle of the kiss. When Larna began moving within me, I was grateful that we had found a shallower spot. Underwater, her quick, short strokes would have been dry and painful. Soon, I forgot all about water and the river, even though I was in the middle of it.

  The steady thrusts between my legs became uneven as both of us flew higher. The sounds that Larna was making were driving me mad. Shallow panting, desperate whimpers, the occasional low growl. All of them sent a tingling rush of heat over my skin. It came from somewhere deep inside of me, near the base of my spine.

  I angled my hips up, my hands opening and closing, occasionally clutching Larna’s shoulders, sometimes tugging at her hair as she kissed me. The feeling of Larna inside me sent heavy jolts of pain and pleasure across my hips and along my stomach. It hurt wonderfully and I wanted more.

  “I’m close, lover,” I murmured, not really aware of what I was saying. “Please. Finish me.” The soft words, half of them lost in our breathing, made Larna take me even harder. I spasmed around her fingers with short, sharp pulses. My body arched violently into hers for several timeless seconds and I was nearly carried away by the river. Larna clung to me, anchoring my weight as my muscles clenched with aftershocks.

  I felt pleasantly sore and drained. I barely felt Larna’s fingertips still stroking me, calming me down. As my misfiring senses started to sort themselves out, my lover’s gentle touches became painful. “Please… it hurts…” I groaned. Larna removed her hand and held it to her lips, sucking her wet fingers clean.

  “I don’t think I can stand on my own,” I said, my voice hoarse. “My insides came apart.” Larna’s other arm was firmly anchored around my waist and she held me
until I found my balance.

  …

  “Larna?” I asked afterward, “what happened last night?” We were stretched on the green grass, snug in each other’s arms. Everything around us was still and peaceful. Even the river moved more slowly and the birds’ voices were subdued.

  My eyes were closed, with my face resting on Larna’s shoulder, but I could sense her thoughtful expression. She was choosing her words carefully. “You came into your heat,” said Larna. “All Wyr are needing to mate. Your instincts told you to run. I had to be catching you to prove that I was strong enough to give you pups.”

  “Will we have children?” I asked, a little frightened. Larna’s big hand caressed my belly. I imagined a tiny Larna growing inside. The fear receded and I felt warm and safe.

  “Not yet, little bird. Two females canna have a litter without a bit of magic.” I was a little relieved. The idea of children – a litter? – was appealing, but I wanted Larna to myself for a little while longer.

  “So, you want… with me…?” My cheeks turned pink, and I was unexpectedly pleased.

  Larna kissed my hair and I opened my eyes, wanting to see her face. “Yes. You are my mate. But most of all, I want what you want.”

  “I want what you want, too…” I sighed and closed my eyes again, cuddling closer to Larna’s warm side. She was the perfect shape to rest against and her arms fit just right around my waist. “Will you go into heat, too?”

  “Eventually. In a few months. I did not know yours would be happening this soon or I would have been telling you earlier.” I felt Larna’s frown, even though my eyes stayed shut. I was completely in-tune with her expressions, with every thought and emotion that flitted across her mind. “I am sorry, dear heart.”

  “I was with you. I was not afraid,” I said in a tired whisper. The heat spreading from Larna’s skin to mine was making me sleepy. I wanted to drift off beside her. But I had another question. “If a Wyr has no mate, what do they do when they go into heat?”

  “They run. Some do mate with a lone wolf or temporary partner, but not many. They go off on their own, frustrated, waiting. It is unpleasant.” I realized that Larna was referring to her own experiences. “Some relieve the ache themselves. I was after trying that once or twice, but stopped. There was no point. I couldna… finish… It was you I needed so horribly.”

  “You have me to take care of that now,” I said, stroking her thigh. The muscles flexed against my palm. I suddenly realized that I had not really taken care of Larna. She had given me release over and over again, but I hardly paid attention to her. That needed to change.

  I kissed the pulse-point in Larna’s throat, then along her collarbone, smiling as she shifted beside me. Her skin felt warm. I took in a deep breath, enjoying her special scent. “Catie?” she asked, looking down at me with large brown eyes. “Catie?” she repeated as I stroked the tips of her breasts to hardness with my thumbs. “Are you…”

  But there was no stopping me. I wanted Larna to feel all of the pleasure that she gave me. I found every mark on her body, kissing each freckle, stroking every small scar. I wanted to learn which spots made her skin tingle and her breath quicken. Soon she was breathing hard and my head was at her hips, just above a neat triangle of dark curls.

  “Please? Let me?” I pleaded. Larna let her legs fall open, her stomach rising and falling in short, sharp gasps. Feeling more confident than I expected, I gazed hungrily at the treasure before me. I let Larna weave her fingers through my hair and pull me closer.

  My hand glided through warm silk. I found her, tugging the base of the small, sensitive shaft. She gasped and hardened for me. I felt everything, the stiff little point between my fingers, the quivering muscles of her belly. My hand was covered in wetness past the wrist.

  “My brave one,” I cooed, feeling her shaking breaths. “I love you, forever-mine. You’re safe with me. Let go…”

  I looked up into her eyes, seeing the strain in her face. She was beyond words, lost in pleasure. I toyed with her, rubbing the swollen bundle forward and back with two fingers.

  She was quaking all over. Her skin burned where it touched mine. My lover looked so overwhelmed that I wondered if she would cry or scream. Secretly, I hoped for both. I wanted my Larna to shake apart and dissolve. I wanted her to find paradise.

  I started light flicks over the very tip of her as two fingers probed lower. A whimper came from between her closed lips and her eyes rolled back. “Give me all of you,” I coaxed as her tender muscles swallowed my fingers, squeezing them in a warm glove.

  As Larna shuddered above me, I scattered kisses across her thighs and outer lips. She blossomed open for me in a soft pink line. Her wetness made the skin impossibly soft and velvety. Part of me wanted to just stroke her and see what happened, but I found my face drawing closer and closer. Her hips jerked at the first swipe of my tongue and she almost pulled away. I held still, waiting, until she settled back against my mouth.

  I learned every inch of her with wet, open kisses and gentle bites. Larna’s breathing was shallow and uneven. Her legs flexed and her head tossed from left to right. I gripped her hips and pulled her down to me. She fit perfectly, swelling to match the shape of my round lips. My head swam, and my senses were flooded with Larna. Her warmth, her taste, her smell. And I wanted her.

  I was so proud, so filled with love and joy, when my tender warrior arched her back and screamed my name. She was beautiful. Her voice broke and the warm glove of muscle trembled and fluttered.

  I kept stroking, even after she collapsed, jerking with aftershocks. I wanted to draw another peak out of her. I could not get enough of the slick, clinging heat. I kissed up her stomach and her strong arms wrapped around my neck. Her gentle hands toyed with my hair. She seemed relaxed, but I knew that I could build her up again. “Catie,” she murmured, trying to push herself harder against my fingers.

  “That’s it, love. Come in my hand this time…”

  I was too excited to hold her on the edge. One brush of my thumb over her straining pearl and Larna was lost. I pressed a kiss to her handsome mouth, sharing her taste, as she released a second time. The kiss did not break until I had fondled the last sharp pulse out of her.

  “Ah, how I love you,” Larna murmured weakly, pressing her damp cheek to mine. I kissed her again.

  “I’m glad.”

  “Proud of yourself?”

  I blushed, but smiled at her. Our faces were touching, so she could not see it, but I know she felt it. “Well, maybe a little.”

  …

  Chapter Six:

  Returning to camp was awkward and embarrassing for both of us, because we had no clothes. It was only a few hundred yards to Larna’s house from the edge of the trees, but it seemed like a thousand miles. Even though we walked the short distance in wolf form, I still felt naked as several members of the Pack watched us with grins and knowing looks on their faces.

  “I hoped no one would notice we were gone,” I said when we changed back inside of Larna’s cabin.

  Larna kissed my hair, running a hand up and down my bare back. Reluctantly, she pulled away to find some clothes. “They would have smelled you coming in to your heat anyway,” she said.

  I sniffed the air around me, trying to notice if my scent was different. Larna smiled and shook her head, watching me over one shoulder. She was bent at the waist, looking for a shirt. I enjoyed the view. “Your nose is used to your own smell, you wouldna be noticing it.”

  “That must be why ladies at formal parties never notice when they have on too much perfume,” I muttered to myself.

  “Perhaps,” Larna said. “I have never been to a formal party.”

  “You are lucky, then.” Larna handed me one of her long shirts and a pair of my leggings to change into. I held the shirt to my nose and inhaled before putting it on. It smelled just like Larna and made me feel safe and warm inside.

  “Dinna be surprised if people are congratulating you,” Larna warned me before I
>
  went back outside. “You are my mate now.”

  I realized that, in the eyes of the Farseer Pack, Larna and I were in something like a marriage. They called it a hand-fast in Amendyri. That thought excited and frightened me at the same time. Mostly, I was happy. Maybe someday, I thought, Larna and I could have a ceremony, too. That way, Ellie could see my wedding. For now, I was just glad that I had Larna.

  Thinking about Ellie, I remembered my journal. I wanted to write in it, but was not sure what to say. Could I put something so personal on paper, even if the person reading it was my best friend? I decided to save the letter for that evening.

  “You are glowing, little sister,” said Aria when I stepped out of the door. “I thought I was seeing you creep back in here.” She pulled me in a warm hug. I blushed.

  “I hoped no one saw,” I mumbled. There was a small crowd of five or six. All of them offered congratulations. I was even more embarrassed. Part of me wanted to go back and hide in the cabin with Larna.

  “Let her breathe,” said Aria, gripping my arm gently.

  “We canna tease her?” Goran said, grinning.

  “In my village,” said Yerta, “friends sang under the windows when a couple was joined. Should we sing under your window tonight, Cate?”

  “No singing, at least not from you!”

  Everyone laughed. I felt a little better now that the teasing was shifting away from me. “My blessing on you, Cate,” said Aria, kissing my forehead. The next few minutes were a blur. There were hugs and handshakes and cheerful comments. Before I knew it, people were preparing a large meal. Larna came out of hiding to join me and I felt much better holding on to her arm.

  “This will turn in to a party,” she warned me, whispering in my ear, “I was worried about this.”

  “A wedding banquet?” I teased. I was uncomfortable with all the attention, but everyone was trying to be nice to us. Maybe Larna and I would have a good time.

  …

  It started with a smell. One moment, everyone was laughing and eating and telling jokes. The next moment, with one body, everyone around the fire pit looked to the south. Beside me, Larna’s muscles trembled. She set down her mug. Goosebumps spread over my skin.