by Young, Mila
Someone cleared his throat behind me.
Dagen lingered in the middle of the hallway, shadows marring his face. “Spying?” Without another comment, he returned to the bedroom.
What was his deal? Was he expecting me to follow him, or was he the kind who tossed out insults like wildfire bombs? Bang! You’re dead. He had interacted with Nero friendly. Why not with me?
I squared my shoulders and followed him, storming into the room, my sights swinging left and right. In a dark corner, his eyes glowed from the candlelight. What the hell was he doing?
“Trying to meditate to shut you out of my head,” he responded.
“Is it working?”
“Fuck no!”
I sighed and stepped closer before crashing on the side of the bed. “Why do you hate me?”
“Where do I start?” He growled, and while goose bumps snaked up my back, I refused to back away.
“You know you can’t blame me for whatever human harmed you in the past. That wasn’t me. You understand that, right?”
He emerged from the shadows, broad-shouldered and stiff, arms dangling by his sides, and he glared from beneath hooded eyes. “Don’t mock me, little girl.”
Okay, progress. I’d take “little girl” over “vile” any day of the year.
“Don’t kid yourself.” He circled to stand behind me, and I swiveled on the bed, pulling a knee under me.
Dagen lounged in a seat, the same one I’d used when I’d cured him, cared for him, asked him to wake up. I guessed that meant zero now that he treated me as a nobody.
His attention locked on me—stoic and unblinking—as he poised his elbows on the armrests and interlaced his fingers across his stomach.
I lowered my gaze, landing on the thick hair crowning his privates. Heat burned my cheeks, yet I couldn’t stop gawking.
“‘Cock’ is the word you’re looking for?” Dagen blurted out. “Or you could call it a ‘love stick.’” He smirked, but his smile vanished just as fast.
“Wow, you made a funny! Get out of the forest.”
He arched a brow. “You’re the one checking me out. Does that mean I get the same privileges?”
I twisted and shuffled across the bed to face him and swung my legs off the edge. “Is that what you do with females in your pack?”
He shrugged and fell silent.
“So,” I said. “What’s wrong with humans in your eyes?”
“You go right for the jugular, don’t you?” His attention dipped to my neck.
Was he considering how he’d rip out my windpipe? Gorge on my blood?
“I prefer meat.” His words sliced through my thoughts. “I’ve heard the witches in the Tritonian realm who practice Voodoo kidnap people for blood, so maybe you’re mistaking my kind for theirs.”
Right, he was in my head, reading my thoughts from the accidental mind meld. “They drink it?”
“Maybe. Or bathe in it. Who the fuck knows or cares? But if they step a foot in my land, I’ll make them choke on their own spines.”
I swallowed the thickness in my throat and stared down at my feet and the dirt under the toenails. Geez, someone was super aggressive.
“And wouldn’t you be?” he asked. “After being forced into a deep sleep by a human who then placed another spell on me. And she now lingers in my mind?”
“Well, yeah when you put it that way. But I didn’t plan any of this.” I raised my head to face him and noted the way he now clasped the armrests, his knuckles turning white.
Dagen jolted to his feet so fast, I flinched.
“You know what I didn’t plan on?” Two long steps and he towered over me. When he leaned closer, my breaths wedged in my lungs, and I recoiled, resting my elbows on the mattress.
“What?” I shouldn’t have asked, but the question slipped out.
“That I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about ripping off that blanket around you, spreading your legs, and fingering you until you come all over my hand. Tasting you. Bending you over and making you scream my name. Sucking on your tits until you beg me to stop.”
“Oh…” I gasped. How was I supposed to answer that? Because everything he’d described sounded divine and already scorching fire pooled between my thighs.
“And those thoughts aren’t helping.” He turned away, and I seized his hand.
His skin was rough against mine. I shivered and squeezed my thighs together from the heat burning me. Parsley. Juniper. Thistle. Any thoughts to stop the raging arousal between us consuming me.
He turned to face me and pulled free. “I can’t be with you.”
“P-Perhaps I should try using my ability on you again. To try to lacerate our connection, but no guarantees.” I swallowed hard, my gaze catching the twitch of his hardening privates. My libido quivered.
“When I’m away from you,” he said. “Your thoughts drum in my skull. But in your presence, fog blurs my judgment, and my wolf howls in my ears to claim you. Fuck you until I can’t breathe. So yes, anything you could do to quench the madness consuming me I’d welcome.”
But instead of me reaching over, he bent down and grabbed my ankles, lifting them and placing my feet on the edge of the mattress. His fingers trailed up my shins and to my knees.
I gasped, staring at the hunk whose expression had transformed into the devil’s, his eyes flooded with sexy intentions. The grin pulling his lips apart unraveled me.
“It works if I touch you.” My voice shook. Tightness coiled in my stomach, my desire for Dagen heightened and throttling me at the core.
“Do it then. But I also need something to tamper the insatiability chewing me raw. A taster.”
“Uh-huh.” Unable to move, I lay there as he spread open my knees, revealing my most intimate parts to the man who hated me, had called me “vile,” and right then, all I yearned was to be claimed.
“Show me your tits.”
I unwrapped the fabric from my chest without hesitation, without concern, without a care in the world. I wanted this more than my life. The hunger he spoke of rattled me, clasped my arousal, and my pulse morphed into a bull coursing through my veins. Charging. Controlling. Overpowering.
He reached over and gingerly ran a thumb along my slit, rubbing my length, the silkiness of my heat guiding him with ease.
I moaned, collapsing onto the bed, the tingling sensation rippling through me.
Dagen stared down at me. “Pinch your nipples for me. Let me watch you pull them.”
The moment a finger entered me, I arched my back. “Heavens, yes.” My hands moved of their own accord, caressing the hills of my breasts, pinching my pebbled nipples, rolling them between my fingers.
Fire devoured me, and my heart raced as he pumped in and out. But when he spread my inner lips and inserted another finger, and a third, I groaned so loud, I raised my pelvis, meeting his quickening thrusts.
The pleasure hurt from him stretching me, and I demanded more.
With his other hand, he rubbed my clit with a thumb, and my world floated on clouds. My body numbed with euphoria, him fingering me so fast, I trembled.
“That’s it, cum for me. Coat my palm.”
A sudden explosion shuddered through me. I convulsed and screamed as an orgasm owned me.
Dagen kept pumping, and I writhed across the bed as the sensation rolled through me, calming me, slowing as I gulped for breath.
“Fucking sexiest thing ever.” He grasped his hardness, a drop of pre-cum capping across the top.
I reached over and held his shaft, rock wrapped in silk.
He moaned. With his hand over mine, he quickened my pace. I cradled his tight balls, caressing them, teasing them. We moved faster, and I lost myself in the way his eyes rolled back, the tightness of his chest. Seeing a man as strong as Dagen under my fingertips filled me with hope and possibilities.
“Fuck!” At once, the bulging vein on his hardness pulsed, and he nudged my hand away as he leaned over me, creamy white excitement spurting out, coating m
y breasts and stomach. He grunted, his warmth flooding me.
For those few moments, we stayed there, both of us drowning in elation.
“Did my touch help?” I joked, gaining me a smirk. And for the first time since meeting Dagen, I felt a closeness to him I never had before. He smiled as he massaged his cum across my breasts. “I could fuck you for a week straight and still crave you.” His hand dipped between my thighs and tapped my clit a few times.
Shuddering, I couldn’t find my words.
“But I need to understand how and why my wolf demands you’re mine.”
“M-Me too.” His attentiveness was magical, taking me to places I’d never visited before—horny world, more specifically. “What if what Nero and Oryn said was true? What if we’re mates?”
He broke away, and I missed him already. He took a wet bandage and wiped me clean as darkness slid behind his gaze, then he wiped himself. He tossed the ball of fabric into a bucket.
“What I said before stands. I won’t be with a human ever again.”
“Again? So you have been with one?” I pushed myself to a sitting position.
He huffed. “Years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would never forgive humans for what they did. And each time I look at you, I’m reminded of the past, the atrocity, the pain that twists a blade in my heart.”
He retreated, and I was on my feet, naked, not caring. “Please, Dagen. This moment might have meant nothing to you, but it’s a lifesaver for a beacon, and you’ve just opened a box to an emotion and attraction I can’t lock away.”
Dagen growled. “Don’t make false promises.” His nose wrinkled and anger blared through his deep voice. “When it comes down to it, you will always turn against wolves. It’s what your kind does.”
Rage shot up my spine, and the words flew from my mouth. “Stop pigeonholing me into whatever shit happened in your past. I’m not whoever hurt you. Can’t you understand?”
He sighed. “I may desire you like no other, my heart may race for you, but in my mind, I can never forget the wrongs. I see humanity in you. Death and my hunger for revenge. I’m sorry if you think something is happening with us, but beyond pure animalistic urges and whatever spell you’ve put on me, nothing else exists.”
Tightness gripped my chest. How dare he toss me aside? And once again, he made me feel half the person I was.
My throat thickened and tears pinpricked my eyes.
He glared down at me, his lips twisting.
I couldn’t stop myself and punched him in the arm. “Fuck you! You’d be lucky to have someone like me. And now your fantasies will linger on the taster I so graciously let you have because you’ll never touch me again.”
Biting down on my lower lip to stop from crying, I swiped the blanket up and marched out, holding my head high. Yet on the inside, I crumbled, died at his words. But I refused to let myself go there, not while the prick invaded my mind.
Yep, that’s you!
Chapter 15
With the blanket wrapped around my chest, I tucked one end in under my arm and stood outside the kitchen door for a few moments.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
I wiped the tear threading down my cheek. Why did Dagen bother me so much? Why the hell did I crave him as if my life depended on it? Honestly, what I needed was to get out of the Den because near shifters, I turned into a sex-starved idiot. But the focus was on helping Oryn and his pack, then heading home. Distance would allow me to clear my head and decide if my emotions were real or not.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside, the savory aroma of the roast welcoming me. Nero was serving rabbit stew in four bowls, while Oryn lounged at the table, tearing a chunk of the bread loaf with his bare hands. They met me with smiles and warming glances. Then why did I feel their affection for me was undeserved? And yet they acted as if they heard nothing, but I was convinced they had.
They’d been nothing but caring and adoring, and my heart beat for them. So I shouldn’t have wallowed over Dagen or daydreamed about him.
“Just in time,” Nero said. “Come. You must be famished.”
Oryn tapped the chair beside him and winked at me to join him.
“Smells divine.” The aromatic scent engulfed me, and I crashed next to Oryn. He kissed me on the cheek.
“Dagen’s wolf has claimed you, hasn’t he?” he asked, softness in his voice.
“I don’t want him to claim me.” I slouched in my seat, and Nero joined us.
He lifted my hand and pressed my knuckles to his mouth. “You will always have Oryn and me no matter what.”
I smiled and leaned into his chest. Nero’s fingers were feather-soft across my arm.
“You’re both incredible. After the meal, I’ll run the test on the river’s water.”
“Perfect. We might finally understand what’s going on here,” Oryn said and he offered me a piece of bread as Dagen strolled into the room.
My pulse thumped through my veins, and I kept my gaze on my stew, though I sensed his every move, the scraping of his chair, the rough tearing of the loaf, and his slurping. Yep, talk about awkwardness.
We ate, and the warmth sliding into my belly left me sated and comforted. Yet I kept smelling the boar on the spit, knowing tonight we’d be eating like royalty.
“Don’t freak, but back home,” I said to eliminate the silence and encourage conversation, “I only eat meat once a week.”
Oryn choked on his bread and slammed his chest, cleaning his throat. “Once a week! No wonder you’re so tiny.”
“It’s just expensive and I have free veggies and herbs in my garden. Plus, most townsfolk eat that way. The royal families have personal hunters to capture deer for meat.”
“Well, little lamb,” Nero said before wiping his lips, “you need not worry anymore. We’ll give you all the meat you can handle.”
Oryn burst out laughing and slapped the table. “Man, are you referring to food or your sausage?”
Nero shoved Oryn in the shoulder. “She loves my bone and can’t get enough.”
I chuckled, heat climbing up my neck. I shouldn’t have been embarrassed since I was used to Bee’s sexual jokes. Though Nero had a point. I offered him a grin and licked my lips.
“She hasn’t tried Dagen’s yet?” Oryn blurted out.
I froze, daring to look Dagen’s way, unsure how to react. Would he growl and storm out of the room? I’d given him a hand job, but he’d never entered me fully… and the fact that Oryn knew this told me they’d heard us. Or he was simply fishing for information.
Dagen smirked and reached down to grab himself. “I’m packing more meat than both of you.”
“Ha.” Nero threw the rest of the bread at Dagen, who caught it in his other hand. “You’re dreaming.”
“So it’s true,” I said. “Dudes compare sizes? I thought only girls talked about this stuff.”
“To clarify.” Oryn lowered the plate from his mouth. “We never physically compare.”
“Bullshit,” Nero blurted out. “Remember that time we encountered that tiger shifter and he couldn’t stop gawking at your junk? He was comparing.”
“What? He was jealous. Simple as that. Everyone knows tigers don’t pack great ammunition. If you want a real man, it’s wolves all the way.” Oryn leaned against me and kissed my cheek. “Isn’t that right?”
“I can’t speak for tigers, as I’ve never seen one. But in relation to normal guys, let’s say you three are the abnormality in the best way, or every single female needs to move to the Den and get herself a hunter.” I waggled my eyebrows, and Nero chuckled.
I chanced a glance over at Dagen, and he watched me while biting into the bread. Was he remembering I’d said something similar to him when he was unconscious? Remembering how I’d helped him? Remembering I was the good person here, not someone who would hurt him intentionally?
Outside, the wind howled, and the door rattled. The drumming of rain struck the roof, yet in the kitchen, heat cocooned around me. I
loved storms when I was at home in front of the fire. I’d read a book under a blanket on the couch.
With our plates empty, Nero cleared the dishes, Dagen reclined in his seat, and Oryn brought the bucket of river water to the table.
“Okay, let’s do this.” I crouched near the vines and plucked free half a dozen translucent petals. With Oryn bringing the vinegar, I prepped to test for toxins.
I filled a small bowl with vinegar and tossed a petal inside. No reaction. I needed to confirm the acidity wouldn’t impact the flower. With a few sprinkles of the river water into the same bowl, I dropped two petals into the mixture.
Oryn and Nero both stared at the experiment alongside me.
“It’s changing,” Nero called out.
Black dots formed on both translucent petals, spreading like lava, and within seconds, they both turned a charred tone.
“Is that what I think it is?” Oryn asked.
“Yep,” I replied.
Dagen stood and approached us, so I added two more inside for him to view the results.
I retreated as all three gawked at the evidence. “It’s a simple test but accurate. Any toxins present will react to the crystalweed flower.”
Oryn glanced at me, his cheeks ashen. “So the river has been poisoned?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“At least we’re narrowing it down.”
Nero patted Oryn on the shoulder, then faced me. “So, what poison is it?”
I scratched my head as all three shifters studied me. “I don’t have the herbs with me to check. To determine, I have to run dozens of tests on water samples to see what plant reacts with it. It’s a process of elimination. And in the meantime, no one should drink any water from the river until we find a solution. Maybe we can find other sources and determine if they’re poisoned.”