by Chandler Dee
Lycan's Promise
Chandler Dee
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2012 by Chandler Dee
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Beginning…
End…
Sample: Predator on the Rim
Other Books by Chandler Dee
Beginning…
Sanda nudged a piece of hot coal with her foot. It glowed with dark orange light in the cracks from where it popped out of the fireplace, hiding dangerous, but useful heat within. Jurisa paced back and forth in front of her as she lectured Sanda about her reckless decision to go after Beryx without telling anyone in the Cold Mountains community first. Dragos stood by her with arms crossed, frowning at his nearly frantic mate. His brother was also present, but seemed to be paying more attention to the quiet Mouse seated next to Garrett and Cami in the lounger, unobtrusively waiting her turn for a lecture. Sanda stepped on the coal beside her booted foot, crushing it into black powder and effectively putting out any potential fire.
At least she wasn't being immediately run out of the pack. Sanda had been afraid of what sort of reaction their little group would receive on returning to the village several days ago. It wasn't nearly as bad as she feared.
Jurisa’s first concern was for any immediate political ramifications of their journey down the mountain. She made certain they hadn’t broken any major tenets of the contract between Lycans and humans. Jurisa was obviously relieved that the humans in the village agreed not to speak of the incident, but Sanda could still see the concern in her eyes when Beryx described Sanda's first change and the havoc it brought. The Alpha didn't say anything on the subject, but Sanda knew then that she could expect further inquiries.
Jurisa granted everyone in their group some time to recover from their journey. They needed it, especially Beryx and Garrett who were both shot. Mouse used her considerable medical skill to ease everyone's pain and encourage fast healing. Sanda spent those first few days ensconced in bed next to Beryx, curled around him like a protective blanket. They couldn't remain locked away in his cottage forever. Sure enough, everyone had been summoned to the leaders’ home for a grilling and who knew what else. Sanda wasn't well-versed in Lycan law yet. Beryx had been in little mood to discuss the subject during his recovery.
Jurisa stopped in her tracks and turned with a pointed finger at Garrett. “I know you're the one who implemented this plan.”
“I owed a debt to Sanda and the community,” Garrett spoke up. They all knew what he was referring to, his decision to let the human villager go without telling anyone. At the time, Jurisa and the other Alphas were furious. Sanda was in shock over his decision and responded with deep, deep anger. She felt that villager was the only chance she had to get her mate back safely. Looking back on it now, Sanda was ashamed over her treatment of Garrett. She still harbored some anger towards Mouse for keeping it all quiet, but could understand the woman's loyalty towards her friend.
“It wasn't up to you to decide how to pay that debt,” Jurisa said. She shook her head and threw up her hands in disgust over their misadventures.
“No, it wasn't. We did get him back alive,” Garrett said, referring to Beryx. Jurisa had banned Sanda’s mate from the meeting despite his forceful arguments. She hadn't wanted him influencing her decisions.
“He's right,” Dragos said, “they did manage to bring Beryx back and no one is the wiser.”
Jurisa side-eyed her mate. It was obvious what she thought of that statement. Dragos’ brother on the other hand, snorted.
“If they had just waited a few days,” he started to say before he was interrupted by Dragos.
“They didn't know if they’d have time.”
“All right, all right,” Jurisa said to the two brothers. “I need to think about this before I decide how to handle this behavior,” She finished, stating it for the benefit of everyone in the room. Jurisa turned to look at each of the four offenders. “Understand that I view this as clear disrespect and disregard for our law,” she said, cool steel in her voice. With that they were all dismissed to leave the Alphas deep in discussion.
Sanda turned on her heel and headed out the door. She didn't feel like waiting around to talk to the others. She wanted to get back to Beryx, to reassure herself that he was still there waiting for her. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself as she walked across the cold ground. Winter’s breath was in the air. Soon they would see heavy mountain snows. Sanda never experienced that kind of weather before, she only spent winters in a mild valley below Cold Mountains community. She was unsure what to expect for the coming season.
“Wait,” Mouse called after her. Sanda almost continued going, disregarding the woman's small voice. She'd already burned so many bridges though. Reluctantly, she stopped and waited for Mouse to catch up to her.
“Yes, what is it?”
Mouse stopped in front of her, drew back for a second looking as if she might turn around and walk away. Something inside of her seemed to rebel against the notion and she planted her feet more firmly in the ground, pulling her hood back to reveal curly locks of hair.
“How is Beryx?”
Sanda relaxed, she'd been expecting a confrontation. Mouse was only inquiring after her mate.
“He's well. His wounds are almost healed,” Sanda said cordially, “that poultice you gave us has done him a lot of good.”
Mouse nodded. “I want to check on his progress. Will you bring him over?”
Sanda hemmed and hawed a bit. The protective instinct was to keep Beryx ensconced in their cottage for as long as possible. She didn't want Mouse looking at Beryx. That was irrational. Mouse had already done a great deal for him. She just couldn't help but feel mistrustful of the woman after the way she'd kept silent about letting that villager go.
Mouse seemed to sense her hesitance. She reached out to grasp Sanda's arm. “You have nothing to fear from me,” Mouse said, “really, I only wanted to help.”
Sanda shook off Mouse's hand. “Beryx will be by tomorrow. I'll make sure of it.” She started to walk away again, but was stopped by Mouse’s call.
“I also wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” Sanda snapped at the woman. She didn’t mean to be irritable, but she also didn’t have time to fuss around in the snow all day.
“I helped a man escape our village a few weeks ago. That man could have helped clear this entire incident up without Garrett, Cami, or you having to go down to Ekras,” Mouse said. She licked her lips, looking at the ground when she finished. It was obviously hard for her to admit that to Sanda.
“You're right,” Sanda said. She looked over at the cottage where her mate was now kept warm and safe. She'd come so close to losing him. “But, I don't know that I can accept.”
Mouse nodded. She squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled. The woman’s quiet resignation over causing so much pain reminded Sanda of the pain she caused during that first transformation. She’d acted like a monster, almost killing two men in a vengeful rage. Despite her disastrous first change, she was still allowed to walk freely in the community. The others even treated her equally, at least until Jurisa came to her decision. The least she could do was attempt to reciprocate.
“But I can try,” Sanda said to Mouse. Immediately, t
he woman's eyes brightened. She smiled at Sanda and offered her heartfelt thanks. They spent a few more minutes chatting a awkwardly about Beryx’s treatment. Sanda closed their meeting with a promise to bring him over and she found herself walking towards their cottage in a slightly better mood.
Sanda entered the cottage to find it cold and empty. The fire had been banked. His rich scent filled the air but Beryx was nowhere in sight. She couldn't help the brief flare-up of panic that subsided as soon as she found his note on the table. They contained three words, “Find me outside”.
It took a few minutes to figure out how she could hope to find him without knowing where he went. Then, Sanda caught another with of his scent, warm and spicy like the sap that rose in pine trees every spring. She pulled her cloak around herself and went outside once more, drawing in air until she caught another whiff of her mate. The air almost felt warm, so recently had he passed by the front entrance of their cottage. She followed it around other scents that she barely paid attention to in the past few weeks. As soon as Sanda had realized her sense of smell improved along with her sense of sight and hearing she'd pushed it to the back of her mind. Using this perception again was a novel experience.
It was slow going. Sanda didn't have much experience tracking with her nose. She got lost a few times before getting back on the trail of her mate. It led out of the village and along a well-traveled mountain path. In the distance she could hear the rushing of river water. She didn't have to use her nose anymore to know which way to go, but it was nice to know that she was following the exact trail he left behind for her.
After several minutes, Sanda came out of the woods where the path met the river. She turned upstream and walked a short distance knowing exactly what condition she'd find Beryx in. Her breath quickened and her body warmed in anticipation.
Sanda finally found Beryx washing in the water. She quickened her pace and started pulling the ties loose on her cloak to remove it. The rest of her clothes came off quickly and were set in a small pile next to her mate’s cloak. Back to her, he scrubbed himself with clean sand. She could see the harsh red mark on his upper shoulder from the gunshot he received weeks ago. It still wasn't fully healed. Familiar lean muscles drew the eye down to firm butt and thighs glistening with water. Despite the scarring, Beryx was a fine man.
She eased into the water moving slowly and carefully to creep up on him. She stopped within pouncing distance, caught up in whether or not to surprise him. Sanda didn’t want to make his wounds any worse. Just when she made up her mind to call out his name, he caught her off guard by turning around with a roar. Sanda screamed as he snatched her round the waist.
“You’ll have to be quieter than that if you want to sneak up on me,” he laughed lightly in her ear.
“I, you tricked me,” she pouted. Sanda’s hands roved over his chest and shoulders, automatically checking the state of his wounds. She watched his eyes for any hint of pain or the slightest wince. He smiled fully, as if trying to reassure her that everything was as it should be with him.
“Yes I did,” Beryx said. He nuzzled the soft skin underneath Sanda’s ear. “Now, I have a lovely prize.”
Sanda grumbled halfheartedly. His lips trailed down her neck and his teeth nipped at skin above her collarbone. She knew she ought to correct him, tell him she wasn’t some trophy to be won at the end of the day, but Beryx was doing wonderful things to her neck with his tongue. She let it go along with her worries about his wound. Sanda arched into him with pleasure while his soft, wet tongue traced the contours of her neck, collarbone, and shoulder.
He moved down her chest to bury his face between her peaked breasts, humming softly with each slow deep breath. Sanda’s hands came to rest on the top of his head, threading fingers through wavy locks. She smiled as he placed a suckling kiss on the base of one breast, and then turned to do the same to the other. By turns, he placed opposing marks on each side of his chest working his way up to the aureoles, and then her erect nipples.
The contact had Sanda sinking into the cool river water up to her chest. She shivered as the water rushed over one newly exposed nipple and the sharp, erotic sensation was contrasted by the sudden heat of Beryx’s mouth on her other breast.
He lingered there, occasionally nipping at her skin to elicit a gasp or two. Sanda pulled on his hair to bring Beryx up to her for a throat deep kiss. Their tongues and wet lips swirled and danced, with the two of them stopping only to cling to each other, dragging in a hurried breath before diving back into the kiss again.
His manhood, hot with the rush of blood and need, prodded her belly under the water. Sanda reached down to drag her hand along his length. She smiled into his soft groan, relentlessly continuing her assault on the smooth, hard flesh of her mate.
“I don’t think I can remain standing if you keep doing that,” He gasped, staring up at the rich blue autumn sky.
Sanda pressed a kiss to the top of Beryx’s chest. “That was part of the goal.”
She decided to take pity on Beryx as he sank into the water with an exaggerated groan until it completely covered him.
“Come on,” She released him, grabbed one of his hands and urged him up to the river bank where they both flopped onto the shoreline with water rushing past their legs.
Beryx cupped the side of her face and kissed her slowly, teasingly with light bites that drove her mad, until she had to push him away. Laughter in his eyes hinted that he knew how much he’d gotten to her. Sanda narrowed her eyes, mock growling as she pushed at his chest until he gave way beneath her. She slip-slided across his wet body and straddled his chest.
She bent down to his ear. “You’re mine,” she said.
His only answer was a breathy affirmative. Sanda scooted up his chest, working her legs over each shoulder until she straddled his head. His breath was a hot pulse of steam against her inner thigh. Sanda leaned forward, pressing hands into the firm earth. Beryx’s arms came up and wrapped around each thigh to hold her in place against him.
“You smell like the rut,” he muttered into her skin at the crevasse between thigh and pelvic bone. His words brushing over curled dark hair.
“Now, Beryx, now.”
She pressed forward into that breath, seeking out his mouth her swollen sex. He moved up burying his nose and mouth in her wet flesh. His mouth nudged past her furred lips to kiss the hot flesh within. A cool-warm tongue slid over delicate folds of skin until it found the spot that made her hiss and pull back slightly from overly intense feeling. The tongue disappeared to be replaced with wet lips pressing a closed mouthed kiss against her most sensitive of spots. She sighed resting fully against Beryx’s mouth, confident that he wouldn’t hurt her.
The tongue reappeared, wet and soft, and began to lap at the thin skin around the focal point of her pleasure and her world. He started a slow, insistent rhythm of licks around the hooded skin exactly the way she liked. The regular slick friction was both maddening and delightful.
Sanda panted. She pressed against his face, threading her hands through his hair to hold him close.
Beryx grunted, licking her eagerly and with less control. Sanda didn’t care, she was close, so close and only wanted the pliant, textured movement to continue all over her insides. She ground against his face instinctively seeking satiation of the coiling tension inside. Faster and more firmly he pressed his tongue over her skin, holding her in place with strong hands cupping her thighs. It became almost too much feeling to handle. She was too close, but didn’t want to fight Beryx’s tight grip on her legs to get away. She could only twist with a cry as her body imploded repeatedly.
When she was unable to remain upright any longer, Sanda fell forward onto her arms and hid her face in the sand. Beryx finally relinquished his grip, sliding out from between her thighs as she flopped completely onto the ground. He slapped her lightly on the butt before standing. The sting of palm on skin felt sharp and erotic so close to still over stimulated nerves.
Sanda groaned, b
lowing air out of her mouth. She listened to him wander over to the river to wash his face. Sanda grinned on hearing Beryx curse the cold river water.
She contemplated rolling over onto her belly to get up to wash herself. It seemed like too much effort at the moment. She still felt lazy and a little unsatisfied. The way Beryx made her feel when he used his mouth on her was astonishing. Still, something had been awakened insider her body. She wanted to feel his full, pulsing length thrusting into her.
Beryx came out of the water, coming to stand between her spread legs. She shivered as a rush of cool wind slid over her skin. Sanda could feel Beryx’s eyes roving over her back and bottom. He had the same notion as her.
Sanda pushed up from the slightly damp river bank and looked over her shoulder at her mate. He stared down at her through lowered eyes. His erection was back despite the coldness of the water. She shifted her legs wider, perking her bottom up in invitation.
Beryx dropped to the ground, crawling over her, covering her body completely under his own. He nuzzled her ear, while a hand ghosted over her underarm and left side. Then he stopped, smiling against the area under her ear.