by Ashlee Price
Alicia stared at the closed door. ‘Wow! What a piece of…well, damn, he is sexy!’ was the first coherent thing that crossed her mind. She had liked being in his arms, she had to admit. He was warm, his scent was intoxicating, and he was one hell of a looker. Laying back against the pillows, she snuggled in and let her mind drift to her rescuer. He must be Lionel Eckhart, he was young enough, but what their written communication had not mentioned, was that he was tall, with ice-blue eyes, chiseled features, and a body that was hard as a rock. She wondered, idly, what that body would feel like under her hands. Her reverie was put to an end by a soft knock at the door.
Alicia sat up. “Come in, please.”
“Hello dearie, I’m Heather Carpenter, but you can call me Mrs. C. if you like, just as Lionel does, bless his heart.” The older woman bustled around to the side of the bed Alicia was laying on, put down a cup of tea next to her on the bedside table, and sat down. “So, come tae help the master with his work, have ye?”
Alicia nodded. “Yes, Mr. Eckhart. Was that him? Who helped me last night?”
“Indeed lass, ‘twas none other. So how are ye feelin’ this morn’?”
“I’m not sure. Thirsty, my throat hurts a little, but I feel so hot!”
“Ah!” Mrs. C. clucked, “tha’ would be a fever you be havin’ what with getting so wet and cold like that! I’ll make my famous hot toddy and be bringin’ it up to ye with the breakfast.”
When Alicia would decline, saying she preferred getting dressed and getting to work as soon as possible, she was scolded soundly by the little woman who told her in no uncertain terms that to get up would bring down the ‘wrath of the master’ and that was apparently most undesirable.
She sipped her tea in contemplative silence as the small women left, and had a good look around her. Her new room was beautiful and decorated in hues of white and rose, her bed a solid four-poster with curtains which could be drawn; all old fashioned, yet beautifully done. The curtains in front of her windows were open, allowing her a glimpse of the grey sky beyond, before she realized there were French doors and she had a balcony. She felt as if she had walked into a scene dating back to the eighteen hundreds. All she still needed was a dress to suit the surroundings. She smiled at her fanciful thoughts.
Her door was suddenly flung open to reveal Lionel Eckhart once more. The large man had her two bulky suitcases as well as her vanity in hand, and he was not even breaking a sweat.
“I’ll put them over there, shall I?” he indicated a space in the corner near the window. “Mrs. C will help you get unpacked later. She’s bringing you up something for your fever, she said, and our breakfast. Then we can talk. I’ll see you in a few.”
“Yup. Sure thing,” it came bemusedly from Alicia. That voice! That smell! Intoxicating!
Alicia got out of bed, needing to use the bathroom, and went through the door which she thought served as such, but was surprised to find herself in a large lounge area with a desk set up at one end. She had her own suite! Going back to her bedroom, she tried the second door, which, she was grateful to find, was the much sought after bathroom. Doing the necessary, she decided on a shower and got undressed. She selected a cooler temperature than she would normally have chosen, but she felt so incredibly hot that the cooler water felt like bliss on her skin, cooling her down, cradling her. After toweling off, she donned the night dress she had been wearing again, noticing for the first time that the flimsy material did next to nothing to hide her nakedness. Then she remembered the previous evening, of being undressed in front of the fire, and realized that her new boss and rescuer, had seen every square inch of her naked body. Blushing at the thought, she made her way to the bedroom and started going through her luggage, intent on finding something more appropriate to wear. Her flannel pajamas were at the bottom of the one suitcase and she pulled it out and put it on, feeling more adequately dressed than she had before.
Mrs. C. came in, with Lionel Eckhart at her heels, each of them balancing a tray. “There we go then! Ah, ye’ve been up then, have ye? Well, get yersel’ right back into that bed! Go on with ye!”
“Better do as she says, she might be small, but she packs a mean punch.”
The command in the rumbling voice made her get back under the covers, much to her consternation. What was it about this man that had her doing as he said? It was uncanny!
After bustling about a little more, Mrs. C. left, closing the door after her, and left the two of them alone.
“So, you are Alicia Clarke, are you? We don’t stand at attention here. I’m Lionel Eckhart, but call me Lionel, please. Mrs. C. you’ve met. Her husband, Mike, you have yet to meet. He doesn’t say much but has a heart of gold, as does she.”
Alicia found herself taking him in rather than what he was saying, noticing that his hair was still damp and there was an added pine scent to his mixture of smells that had not been there earlier, which she surmised must have come from his soap. “Hi,” she managed, with a small wave.
Lionel sat on the bed where the two trays were set between them and shoved a fork full of bacon and eggs into his mouth. When he felt her stare, he looked up, their eyes meeting, the silence between them seeming to stretch for an eternity.
The power of his gaze hit Alicia in her gut, and she had a strange feeling of déjà vu. It was as if her eyes were drawn to him of their own volition, she could not look away, instead trying to read the message behind his unfathomable gaze. His nostrils flared.
“Something has changed. You don’t smell the same. Have you had a bath?”
Alicia gulped. He was aware of her smell? As she was of his? “Yes,” she nodded, “a shower, actually. I feel so hot! I thought a cool shower would be nice.”
“Hot? Ah, good, very good. Eat up. You will soon feel quite normal, I promise. Now eat…please.” He said the last work like a man who was not used to asking for anything, she noticed.
Alicia dug into the food, finding that her appetite had returned in full force.
When they had finished, he lay back against the one post of the bed, giving her the full force of his regard. “So tell me about yourself, Alicia Clarke.”
Alicia recounted the boring details of her life: that she was an orphan since shortly after her eighteenth birthday, that her mother had died from cancer when she was thirteen, was raised by her father, and that she had been adopted at roughly the age of three.
“What happened to your birth parents?”
“I’m not all that sure, to be honest, except from what Dad told me: that my birth mother had given me up for adoption for reasons unknown and my father, apparently, had been a marine and died overseas at some point. That’s all I know.”
“I see, so you have no contact with your blood family at all?”
Alicia shook her head. “None whatsoever.”
“Well now, that’s a sorry state of affairs.”
“Is it? I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it. My parents were both wonderful people.”
“I am sure they were. Tell me something? Why did you take this job?”
“I don’t know exactly. I’ve always loved the open wilderness, and the fact I would be away from the city appealed to me. I look forward to the summer, so that I can go exploring the area.”
“Too many people about makes you feel uncomfortable? As if you were constricted? Smothered?” he leaned in closer and his scent filled her nostrils once again, while a tiny fluttering started at the pit of her stomach, spreading downwards. She suddenly felt agitated, yet wanted to draw nearer to this man, wanted to touch him, feel his skin beneath her fevered palm, wanted to, yes, she admitted to herself, wanted to taste him!
Her harsh, sudden intake of breath made him smile. He raised his one hand and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “You feel it, don’t you? The pull? You want to get near me, touch me, and smell me? I’ve been looking for you for a very long time, Alicia. Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you, ever, even when…” he trailed off, leaving
the sentence unfinished.
“Right, you look okay to me. You can get dressed and come downstairs if you wish, I’ll be there.”
He piled all their dishes and cutlery onto one tray and placed the empty one underneath, and left, carrying them both with him.
Alicia let out a pent-up breath of air. She had never wanted someone so badly in her life! His mere presence was like a flame, and she a willing moth, wanting desperately to fly around it, even welcoming the possibility of getting burnt!
She went through to the bathroom once again and splashed her face with cold water. “What have you gotten yourself into now, Alicia Clarke?” she asked her reflection in the mirror above the sink.
Chapter 3
“Is she the one, then?” Mike asked his employer and friend.
“Yes, she is, but I don’t believe she has a clue who she really is, Mike. Do you know how long I’ve been looking for her? Longing for her? Needing her? And now that I finally find her, she has no idea as to her background, or about her father. What was her mother thinking? I’m sure she must have known! Why would she have given her away like that?”
“I don’t know, my boy, and I guess we’ll never know. The main thing is that you have found her. Are you going to tell her?”
“God, Mike! Would she even believe me? But the signs are there already. Her temperature is up, and my smell unnerves her, while at the same time I can feel her fighting off the attraction she has for me.”
“What about you?”
“Oh yes! The moment I touched her I knew she was mine; that I had to have her. Her smell is driving me insane! I have to keep myself in check every moment I seem to be with her. Last night, with her in my arms, was the first proper sleep I have had in such a long time, I can’t even remember. And for once, there were no dreams! There was just her, and her smell! That amazing, maddening smell of hers! I don’t know how long I can hold out.”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Lionel looked up to find Alicia standing there, dumbfounded. “What is this all about?”
“Oh boy,” it came from Mike, “you’ve got your work cut out for you now. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” The older man nodded to Alicia as he left.
“What is this all about?” Alicia repeated.
Lionel sighed. “I think you had better sit down for this.” His gaze on her was steady. “Please?” he added, once again as an afterthought.
“You,” he began, “are my woman. Promised to me by your father. Marriages are arranged for our kind, especially in our cast.”
“Whoa, big boy, roll that back a little. Arranged marriage? Cast? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You, Alicia, are in fact Alice Von Haultzen, and your father Hans, was indeed a marine who was killed in battle, but he was more than that. He was of my cast, and you, as his first born daughter, were promised to me in marriage when your mother fell pregnant with you. We know the sex of our children before they are born, you see, our kind has this ability, and a marriage between us would not only tie our families closer together, but at the same time strengthen the bonds as well. Our children will be immensely strong, with the genes of both our families flowing through them.”
“Marriage? And what the hell do you mean about children and genes? I don’t get this, any of it!”
“Have you never felt that you were different from the people around you, Alicia? Never felt as if you were not really a part of them? Felt that somehow, you were different? That something was different?”
“Well, yes,” Alicia said, remembering her childhood, of always being alone, never being able to really fit in, and the fact that she would rather be by herself and much preferred her cat’s company than people’s.
“And as to the marriage part, Alicia. I smelt you while you were in your mother’s womb, and I knew, even as a child, that you were my Kona.”
“Your what?”
“Kona, it means woman. My mate, my other half. Do you not feel the attraction?”
“Well…”
Lionel laughed. “Of course you do, just like I feel you as well! You are a shifter, Alicia. The thing is though, what kind of shifter are you? Those who are of true blood tend to stick to the line of our fathers, whereas those of mixed blood, such as you are, tend to be able to morph into an animal of your choosing, depending on the animal you have the most affinity with. What is your favorite animal?”
Alicia started to laugh and back away from him. “Okay mister, look, I’ve listened to you! I mean! You are telling me you are a werewolf or something? And that I am as well? Please, spare me! What do you think I am? Thirteen years old and an avid science fiction junkie? Do you think I am crazy, believing all this nonsense? Pahleez!”
Lionel sighed. “I’ll just have to show you, won’t I? Whatever you want to believe, Alicia, the attraction is there, you can’t deny it!”
“I can and I do! I think I need to leave! You are obviously not in possession of all your faculties and in need of some serious counseling, Lionel! You need help!”
“Come here, Alicia!” His tone was commanding once more, and Alicia found herself obeying before she could stop herself. She stood in front of him, her head bowed.
What the help is wrong with me! He crooks his finger, okay, his proverbial finger, and I jump up and do his bidding?
“Come sit on my lap, woman. Now. Please?”
Once again Alicia did as she was asked, sitting on his one knee, her legs dangling between his. Lionel put his arms around her and pulled her closer. Again his scent assailed her and she found herself involuntarily nestling against him, the need to touch and taste him once again overtaking all coherent thought. Then her senses were overwhelmed once more, and, without thought, she moved even closer, and closed her eyes, her arm lifting around his neck as if by itself. His arm around her tightened, as if he, too, needed closer contact.
“I know it sounds crazy, but you are what you are, as I am what I am. And we share the same ancestral history. You are my mate, and there can and will never be anyone else for me, as is the same with you. Not now, not anymore. We were destined to be, whether you wish to believe it or not.”
Before Alicia could refute what he was saying, he tilted her head up to his and kissed her. She found herself moving in closer, wanting more, and opened her mouth to his questing tongue. As their tongues made contact, a flame seemed to grow inside her, overwhelming her with need, so much so that she pressed closer still, wanting, needing more. Her free hand went to his shirt and undid a button, and her hand slid in between the material, and stroked his chest. He was hairy, but not unduly so, his light intake of breath at her touch causing a deep seated satisfaction that she had that effect on him.
“I want you, woman. Will you come with me?”
Alicia had no way of answering, as her body was drowning in sensations she had never known before with any man. He took her silence as assent, and lifting her, made his way up the stairs to what she later realized was his bedroom. Once inside, his hands made short work of removing her clothing, his scent an aphrodisiac against which she had no defense. He pushed her backwards with his body, as intent, it seemed, on keeping contact, and speedily divulged himself of his clothing. She fell back as he knees hit the side of the bed, and had her first chance to look at him. He was magnificent. He had the kind of body which was not the result of working out in a gym, but which is gained from hard labor. Every inch was hard muscle. She ached to touch him and lifted herself, stretching out a hand to slide across his stomach, downwards, until it made contact with his jutting erection. It was smooth, veined, and silky to the touch, with a hint of pre-cum on the tip. Not able to help herself, she lowered her head, and licked the tip. It was the most sensual thing she had ever done in her life, and the taste of him, she found, was addictive. She wanted more, her body screamed for it.
She opened her mouth and let it slide over his shaft, and pulled up on it, her lips making a popping sound as she reached the end.
&n
bsp; “That’s enough for now, woman. I need you. We can play all you wish later.”
Taking her by the armpits, he pulled her up the bed and rolled on top of her, centering himself between her legs. His cock was at her entrance and she squirmed, wanting more. Lionel smiled into her eyes and pushed, entering her in one warm deep thrust. Her eyes widened at the realization that he had filled her with nothing to spare, his girth stretching the walls of her pussy like none other. Then he slowly began to move, all the while keeping her eyes prisoner with his own. It was if they were both entranced. He started to pick up the pace, his breath quickening, as if keeping pace with hers. Alicia was a mass of sensation, aware of her heartbeat, his, and of something else, a fluttering deep within her womb, spreading throughout her body, and finally centering on her sex, until she came with a scream, heedless of who might hear, all coherent thought having left her, leaving her a mess of jumbled nerve endings and feeling. Lionel came in her, his seed shooting into her, his only outward show of having come the deep sigh and shudder of his body as he lay over her, his arms baring most of his weight, and he struggled to gain his equilibrium once more. “Mine,” she heard him whisper in her ear, and she realized that indeed she was; totally and completely. She fell asleep cradled in his arms.
Alicia woke a while later, a feeling of wellbeing encompassing her. She snuggled closer to the warmth that seemed to be cocooning her, and the smell that was filling her with its richness. She felt safe; cared for and cherished. Her eyes snapped open and looked directly into a pair of eyes that were such a light icy blue they seemed almost to be grey. Her hand reached up to his hair and brushed aside a strand of his hair that had fallen across his forehead, and which, of its own volition, stroked the side of his cheek.
“Hi,” she managed, shyly.
He smiled at her, the motion causing the sides of his eyes to crinkle slightly.
“Hi yourself, beautiful. Calmer now? Rested?”
Alicia nodded, feeling his shaft rubbing against her thighs.
“Good. Because I want you again.”