The Eye of the Wolf

by Sadie Vanderveen

  If this is true, if my father murdered my grandfather, then it is my destiny to correct the damage my father has caused. It is my destiny to bring lasting peace to Amor. I must…

  The pounding on the door jolted Mikayla back into the present. Her head jerked up and wide eyes looked towards the front door, hidden in the gloom brought by the storm. She waited a moment, allowing her heartbeat to slow to its normal rhythm, allowing her breathing to slow before rising slowly. Malachi’s words echoed in her mind, where she had been lost in his medieval world. She picked up the lantern that had illuminated the ancient pages of King Malachi’s diary and wove her way from the dining nook to the front door. The house was cast into shade by the flickering candlelight, the only light left since the storm had knocked out the electric power for the entire island.

  The pounding on the door was incessant, never ceasing. Then, she heard her name called over the sound of the winds. She stepped carefully over her wet shoes where she had kicked them off upon entering the house just after the gale had let loose its fury. She had been caught on the street with her camera and recorder by the blast, unaware of the nature of tropical storms in that region of the Mediterranean as spring drew closer. The island was immersed in its three days of mourning, which preceded the funeral of the king. Each house was decked in black crepe to signify the sadness of the loss. Each hour the church bells dolled out the mourning tones reminding her of the poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” A sad, mournful sound that struck her heart. There had been no people on the streets and all of the restaurants, except those at the resorts along the far coasts, had closed to demonstrate respect for the king who had passed on.

  “Mikayla!” Will’s voice called through the door, fear and anger laced through that one word, her name. His fist pounded on the door, threatening to create a hole if she didn’t open it soon.

  Mikayla wrenched open the door and felt the force of the blast of icy, wet air that waited for her on the porch. There, in a faint pool of light cast by her glowing lantern, Will waited, soaked to the skin. His gray eyes were dark as the storm, but there was a bright smile on his face despite the blonde hair that was plastered to his head like a really bad toupee. His smile betrayed the fury that consumed him from within.

  “Hey.”

  Mikayla lowered the lantern she had held up in order to see his face better. “Hello.” She was irritated with him and wouldn’t allow the image of him soaked to the skin like a drowned rat diminish that annoyance. “What are you doing here, Will?”

  Will looked over her shoulder into the room with its flickering candlelight that blew around in the wind from the storm. “I know the power is out.” He shrugged his shoulders in an impatient gesture. Then, surprising them both, he took her free hand and kissed it lightly. “I was worried about you.”

  It was a simple statement, one that shouldn’t have tugged at her heartstrings so, but it did, and it melted the inner tension she had felt for the past few days, wondering where he had been and why he hadn’t stopped by after the tour. Why he hadn’t even bothered to send a note to say he wasn’t coming to work in the following days. She knew she shouldn’t have cared so much. It was dangerous to care so much, but it was there, hidden inside of her. She couldn’t deny that a part of her wanted him to care for her as much as she was beginning to care for him. He wouldn’t ever care for her though, not in the way she desired him so she pulled her hand free and rested it on the door, not opening it any further, not allowing him in. Forming an imaginary wall that she should never have allowed to diminish. Forcing him to stand in the freezing rain that pelted him from behind.

  “I’m fine. You needn’t have worried.” Her tone was stiff, afraid that if she relaxed just a little, those feelings of inadequacy that had arisen after he had disappeared would reappear again. She didn’t look into his eyes, afraid of getting lost in that sea, afraid more than anything of the power he seemed to have over her.

  Will pushed against the door and met no resistance even though her eyes were hard, cold, and she stood straight in the doorway denying him that need he wanted her to feel, a need that matched his own. He stepped inside, not waiting for an invitation, and pushed it shut behind him. The storm was outside, raging against the night, but it felt as if it were raging within him. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t come here. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t turn to her. He was vulnerable, and he wanted to be comforted. He wanted to be comforted by Mikayla, to feel her arms wrap around him and to lose himself in her. He knew he wanted her and that was why he had promised himself he wouldn’t turn to her, but he hadn’t been able to control himself. He had driven home and then past his home to arrive at her doorstep. A force beyond himself had forced him out of the vehicle and to her door.

  Now, he stood on her rug, dripping and angry at the world that dared to interfere with his life. A tempest swirled within him, but it was beyond his control despite the valiant efforts he made to turn away from what he felt inside. He wanted to be lost in her. Her scent. Her eyes. Her voice. He wanted to be lost and forget the world outside for just one moment. He needed her like he had never needed anything before. He remembered falling into their kiss and wanted to feel that again. He wanted to feel that suspension of time and to be lost, even if she would have him for it later. And he knew she would have him; there was no way to prevent it.

  Mikayla looked at him, standing on her rug, watching her with dark, wild eyes, emotions flitting over his face as water dripped off of him. Suddenly, she was afraid. She had never been afraid of him before, but now, she was afraid. Afraid of herself. Afraid of the emotions swirling inside of her. Afraid of him and the sudden need that she could read on his face and in his eyes. There was danger here. A danger she didn’t understand, but a danger she would have avoided in any other situation, if it were any other man.

  “Mikayla.” Will’s voice was soft; he practically whispered her name as he lifted the lantern from her hand and set it carefully on the table next to the door. His ran his hands softly up her bare arms, raising goose-bumps, creating a tingle that shivered through her entire body.

  His voice washed over her like a gentle wave heating her inside and out as she shivered beneath his caresses. His fingers entwined in her hair and pulled the haphazard pins loose, allowing her curls to fall in a cascade down her back. His fingers streaked up her back to cup her neck. He pulled her closer until they were within a breath of one another.

  Mikayla’s blood pounded in her ears, loud as thunder. Her breath shortened into small gasps when Will cupped her neck in one hand and wrapped his free arm around her, molding his body to fit hers.

  “Will, I…I don’t think this is a good idea.” Mikayla’s breath caught in her throat, escaping with difficulty. Her eyes rolled heavenward as he gently rubbed the base of her neck, releasing the tension that resided there permanently. She felt like she was floating, floating above herself, watching him move closer. Her eyes felt heavy so she allowed her lids to drop down, just for a moment. It wouldn’t hurt to enjoy being touched just for a moment.

  “Why, Mikayla?” The question was simple. So much behind the question stirred in the air like the wind from the storm, stirring the candles into a dance. Will kept his eyes on her face, watching the emotions play across it, soft in the candlelight. He could see her nerves jumping beneath her skin and felt her pulse beneath his thumb as it ran across the silky skin on her neck. It leapt at his touch and seemed to burn his hand where it touched her.

  He had expected Mikayla’s body to be soft. He had expected her to be fragile. He hadn’t expected her to fit perfectly against him as if she had been made for him. He hadn’t expected a stab of desire to wash away all other senses once he was close enough to breathe in her essence.

  Will rained soft, feather-light kisses over her face, inhaling the faintest wisp of vanilla. Tracing her cheekbones and jawline in those same feather-light kisses he heard her sharp intake of breath and watched her wary eyes go dark with sudden desire.
She sucked in a sharp breath and moaned, a faint sound that warmed him. All other emotions, fear, curiosity, and confusion, were wiped away into a sea of need that he hadn’t expected to see. He hadn’t expected her to need as much as he even though he had wanted her to. He hadn’t expected it and it unnerved him.

  Mikayla’s arms wound around his body, snaking around his waist and gripping his shoulder, pulling him closer. Sensations that were new, exciting, thrilling wove through her body, filling her and leaving her hungry for more. The tension that had been building was tight in her stomach and her body ached with a need she had never experienced before. This was a new need, something she hadn’t known could exist. It was frightening and exciting. She knew nothing good could come of this, wherever it might lead. She knew she had to push him away and refuse herself the things she most wanted, but she wasn’t strong enough. She wanted to feel the heat that was there in his arms. She wanted to feel those emotions, those passions he could ignite within her. She wanted to be alive, someone other than she normally was. Her head fell back in surrender as his hands wove through her hair and he traced kisses down her neck.

  Will watched her eyes grow dark with hidden mysteries and felt that well of need surge to the top. Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a kiss that left them both bruised, fierce, demanding, damning them both for all of eternity, lifting her onto her toes and pressed against her. Drowning in her. It seemed as if nothing else existed except for her. There was no storm outside, only the storm that raged within him. A need to conquer the wall that separated them and to be with her. A need to forget the world that separated them just as surely as the protective wall she had built around her. He knew he had to have her, even if it was just for one storm tossed night before the world returned to as it had been before.

  Her taste was sweet and soft. Her body melted into his own. He drowned in kisses that became longer, deeper, more intense with each passing moment. She came alive beneath his hands as they roamed, touching, exploring, enjoying.

  Her lips parted, allowing their tongues to touch in the dance, the most erotic of moments. He felt her start to pull away, start to move away from that moment when two souls collide. Before she could slip from his grasp, he deepened the kiss, clinging to what was there, what he needed more than anything. He wasn’t going to let her get away; there was too much warring within them to allow it. He murmured her name, nipping at her bottom lip, driving her mad, blinding them both until nothing existed except desire.

  Swinging her into his arms, Will climbed the stairs as she wound her fingers through his wet hair, pulling him into mystifying kisses that melted his brain and made him forget who he was. She made small sounds of pleasure that echoed in his head, begging him for more. Heat flowing through her into him, making him want like he had never wanted before. Leaving him blind except to the heat, her and his own desire.

  At the top of the stairs, he set her on her feet, pulling her against him until they were close enough to be one. He wrapped her hair in his hand and yanked her head back, leaving stars dancing in front of her eyes. When she would have groaned in pain, she merely gasped with delight. His mouth ran over her neck, leaving a searing trail that traveled the length of her body, heating every part of her that had ever denied it could feel. Her nerves sang and danced, begging for more.

  He hadn’t come here for this, he told himself. He hadn’t come to touch her. He had promised himself he would keep his hands to himself, but he knew he was lying to himself. He had come for her, not being able to deny what he knew existed. Not being able to deny what he wanted more than anything else in this world.

  His hands streaked over her body, cupping her small breasts that fit perfectly in the palm of his hands. Her deep purr was enough to have him dragging the simple cotton t-shirt over her head, revealing glorious skin that glowed like the finest silk in the flickering candlelight of the hall. His lips cruised from her face to her neck, nestling in that spot between neck and collarbone where arousal was fused.

  Her mind was dark with demanding thoughts, all thoughts focused on what he was doing to her system. A system that demanded more and promised to leave her senseless. His hands were greedy and only pushed her to want more, to cease denying herself those dark pleasures that all others enjoyed. There was more here than she had ever imagined could exist, had ever known could exist.

  Will trailed his tongue over her shoulder and down the gentle curve of her breasts, covered in delicate, white lace, not simple nor practical, a contradiction to the simple utilitarian tee shirt and jeans. Delighted, his ran his hands over the gentle slopes and circled her nipples with his thumbs. She arched beneath his touch. Her skin was hot beneath his hands. He followed the curve of her shoulder, sliding the lacey strap down her shoulder, leaving her bare. “My practical Mikayla,… not so practical after all.” He murmured as he slid hands and mouth over her skin.

  She giggled slightly and tugged impatiently at his clothes, unbuttoning his shirt with damning slowness. So slow that his nerves fizzled and he thought he would curse her before her fingers finally streaked over his bare chest as his shirt fell from his wrists to the floor beneath him. She wrapped arms and legs around him as he picked her up. Her mouth, hot and greedy, fused with his as he carried her to the bedroom that glimmered with waving candlelight.

  Lightning and thunder flashed outside, rattling the windows, Mikayla was blind and deaf to everything except the feel of him as he lowered his weight onto her. The satin spread dipped beneath their weight but it was nothing and he was everything. There might have been more here than she was prepared to feel, but it was too late to turn around and move away. It had been too late the day he walked into the Hall of Records and looked into her eyes.

  Mikayla gasped out his name as his hands and lips and tongue streaked across her body, suckling and laving at her breasts, intense pleasure causing her to arch beneath his hands. He tugged away her jeans and was thrilled again to find a swatch of satin and lace covering her. His mouth cruised over her flat belly, fire sparking between them.

  Mikayla grasped his bare shoulders, digging her nails into the toughened skin. “Will, please!” She whimpered. She needed release; she felt she might explode if she didn’t have release. It was like nothing she had ever imagined before, and she knew she would never feel it again.

  Her words echoed through his head, driving him to near madness as he ripped the swatch of satin away from her skin and cupped her. Heat and wetness drove him desperately. She moved beneath his hand, writhing with pleasure and need. Roughened palms aroused her like she hadn’t known she could be. She moved and begged. Pleaded for more.

  Mikayla tugged at his remaining clothes until he obliged. Bare, his weight pinning her to the mattress, her hands were greedy as they streaked over his skin, taking in every muscle, taking in every new sensation. A storm raged within her, begging for lightning to streak across her skin. He groaned when her hand wrapped around him, bringing him new and unexpected pleasures.

  He moved his hands and mouth over her, felt her moving beneath him as he brought her to climax. His own need hard against her silky skin. He drowned her moans with his own as her clever hands stroked over, trailing molten lava across him and where her nails dug in, he only felt pleasure.

  Her hands fisted tight, gripping his shoulders until she drew blood. She cried out as the orgasm rocked her, leaving her breathless and mindless.

  Her eyes were open but blind. She saw nothing except the deep gray of the sea in Will’s as he closed his mouth over hers, wrapping her again in the frenzy of a kiss that demanded more with each passing moment. Instead of weak from the orgasm, she felt strong, liberated and returned the demand with her own. She rolled over him until she straddled him. With the look of a witch and lightning flashing in the darkness behind her, she drew him in, wrapping him in the heat, hot and wet.

  His hands cruised over her skin, gripping firm buttocks and fondling breasts as she began to move over him. His mind was blank; he was
lost in a world where she ruled and he was helpless. She was a witch whom had cast her spell over him, making him her servant even when he knew he had control. He had never known heat as smothering as what was there now. He had never believed anyone could bring him to the point of surrender as she did now.

  She moved above him, lost in the feel. Lost in the glorious tension that filled her and the vibrations that trembled along her skin as his hands bruised in greedy grasps. He moving with her, she driving the pace, forcing them both to that glorious conclusion that had brought down civilizations throughout history.

  The orgasm racked her system, leaving her defenseless and stunned. Her breathing hitched and her mind wondered how it was possible people survived when loving was such madness filled with such intensity.

  Will reveled in the sight of her head thrown back as the orgasm shook her to trembling beneath his hands. He thought briefly before his mind went blank again that he had never seen anything more beautiful than a woman steeped in her own desire. A fresh wave of longing swept over him, his hands gripping her hips as they began to move again.

  Mikayla leaned over him, her eyes dark, hands fisted in his hands next to his head as they moved. The pace fast, demanding, like that of a Thoroughbred. Her lips locked on his, drowning him as need and heat wrapped around him, taking them into another world where nothing else existed except that moment.

  He plunged hard into her, deep and dark, demanding. They moved in a dance, the tempo the beat of their hearts and the hard fist of need in them both. Dark and wild, ozone scented the air; wind whirled around them, tossing her hair in a mad dance in the night. As she reached the peak, she arched back and cried out his name, a sob ripped from within, begging for him, begging for that oblivion on the other side of the cliff she danced along.