“Better?” she asked.
“Much,” he said. He smiled. “Thank you.”
Ilyssa held up the collar. “Trust,” she said, and tucked the choker inside her waist cincher. “Don’t make me regret it.”
“On my honor,” he murmured. His smile faltered and he cleared his throat. “There…is…just one other thing. Something that must be done prior to this meeting, if you are to accompany me.”
He looked down at his hands as he kneaded each finger. “The woman I’m meeting is like me. A Werewolf.”
“I thought you were trying to realize some prophecy about Humans and Werewolves coming together.”
“We are,” he insisted. “I told you, she shares the belief that the two races must unite. She said she has a connection to the royal family; once our plan is set into motion, she will be able to return to Emberi and consult with the king.”
Ilyssa let out an incredulous grunt. “A Werewolf claims she has King Willem’s ear…Well, that just makes me even more suspicious. The king may have issued the decree of integration, but he’s one of the biggest hypocrites in Emberi when it comes to accepting his own law.”
She shook her head again. “I don’t like this.”
“Then you’re also not going to like what I am about to tell you,” Alaric said. “When I arranged this meeting, I said I would be coming with my driver.”
“Yes, and?”
“In my kingdom, Humans are servants. That is their station. If they are not employed by a Werewolf, they are not allowed within Lobishome. This is one of the many unethical practices I hope to see abolished, allowing Humans to become full citizens capable of owning their own businesses and contributing to society. But for now, they hold menial positions taking orders from their Werewolf employers.”
“Cut to the chase,” Ilyssa said, growing impatient. “You said you would be there with your Human driver, but we sent him back to Lobishome.” She shrugged. “Unless you specified that your servant was male, I see no reason why you can’t just tell them I’m your driver.”
“Yes, but there’s a problem with that,” he said. “By law, all Humans employed in Lobishome receive a unique tattoo – one that only Werewolves can detect – when they enter into service. I, myself, find it to be abhorrent. However, the people I’m meeting know of this law and will notice right away that you have no tattoo, which will give rise to suspicion. The trust I’ve labored so tediously to establish will be destroyed, and there will be no time to repair the damage before my father declares war.”
“Oh, well, this is lovely,” Ilyssa said with a caustic snort. “Thank you for being so forthcoming with that information. You could have told me this, sooner. And I agree that the whole tattooing thing is both sadistic and degrading.”
Planting her hands on her hips, she sighed and paced the floor in a small circle. “So, I’m supposed to go with you to this thing but I won’t be able to pass as a Human from Lobishome, which means we have to come up with some other reason to explain why I’m there, one they’ll accept.”
They both lapsed into silence for a moment. Then, Alaric said, “There is one other way we can do this. While not on the same level of barbarism as tattooing, it is primitive and crude.”
She stopped and looked at him. “What is it?”
“I would have to mark you. With my scent.”
Ilyssa frowned, drawing back in confusion. “What, you mean like pissing on me?”
Alaric let out a lighthearted laugh. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Nothing as unhygienic as that, I assure you…but very close.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How ‘close?’” she asked, folding her arms under her breasts.
She watched him look around the room as though searching for an answer. “Well?”
“I’m trying to find a way to put this in a manner that won’t offend you.”
“It takes a lot to offend me. Come on. Out with it.”
“All right.” Alaric drew a deep breath and continued. “For Werewolves, the most traditional method of marking another person is through sexual congress.” He grimaced and met her gaze again. “In short, I would have to mount you.”
Ilyssa stared at him as though a second head had suddenly sprung from his neck. It took a moment before she could speak again in a coherent manner.
“You’re telling me,” she said, “that before we go to this meeting – which is supposed to happen a few short hours from now – you and I have to have sex. So some iffy-sounding Werewolf woman you’ve never met before can smell you on me and know that I can be trusted.”
Alaric nodded. “That is the general idea, yes,” he said. He moved closer to her. “I’m sorry, Ilyssa, but if you are set on going with me to this meeting, I can see no other way. It must be done.”
Tentatively, he brought his hands up and placed them on her shoulders. “I’m not in the habit of bedding women I’ve only just met – even when they are as stunningly beautiful as you. As much as I would love to have you at my side for this history-changing event, I will not ask you to submit yourself to me if you’re opposed to the idea, just as I will not see you endangered in any way.”
“Endangered…” Ilyssa had to chuckle. “You have no idea who you’re talking to, Your Highness. Remember – I’m the one who held up your coach and kidnapped you. No one endangers me; I endanger others.”
The heat of his touch distracted her, as did his passing compliment about her looks, and once again she found his eyes to be captivating. Shake it off, girl, she told herself.
She had to consider her options. She could hang back with Kristof and whomever else she could recruit to go along to this meeting, watch from a distance, and at the first sign of trouble launch an attack. That seemed to be the wiser choice, but she could also foresee problems with it. He just told you the alternative. The question is, are you willing to submit to him?
“If you go in there alone,” she said at last, “they’re going to know something’s up. You need someone beside you. I already told you I would help you see this prophecy thing through.” Ilyssa smirked. “I also need to make sure you hold up your end of the deal about helping my tribe.”
“I gave you my word.”
“I know.” Reaching up, she removed the carved sticks holding her hair in place and gave her head a brisk shake. Her tresses, still damp from her bath, tumbled down around her shoulders. Looking into his eyes again, she smiled. “Now I guess you’re going to have to give me your mark, as well.”
Alaric seemed surprised at first, but then his mouth stretched into a grin. He brought his hands up from her shoulders to cup her face.
“We’ll have to make this quick,” he said. “But first, allow me this.” Bending down, he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.
Ilyssa felt an instant rush of heat through her body. She opened to him willingly, inviting him to deepen the kiss. She could still taste the wine on his tongue. As she wound her arms around his neck, she felt one of his hands slip under her hair to cradle the back of her head while the other drifted down and slid around her waist. He pulled her in against his lean, firm body. Ilyssa had never been this close to a Werewolf before; her intimate relationships had always been with Human men. Alaric had the preternatural strength to crush her to death right now if he so chose. Instead, she found him to be quite tender.
They knew they did not have much time. As soon as the kiss ended, they separated. Ilyssa made quick work of the lacings on her cincher. Tossing it aside she pulled her blouse off over her head. She turned to lean against the wall so she could remove her boots, when Alaric’s naked arms circled her from behind. He took her heavy breasts in his hands while nuzzling her shoulder. Ilyssa could feel his hairy chest against her bare back. She tilted her head to give him better access to her neck, moaning as he rolled her nipples simultaneously between his thumb and forefinger.
“That didn’t take very long.” Grinning, she tugged at the drawstring of her doeskin trousers to loosen them.
/> Alaric released her breasts and ran his palms down over her soft curves. One hand dipped down inside her pants, following the round of her belly to the thatch of curls between her legs. Ilyssa gasped as his long fingers teased her clit.
“So wet,” he whispered against her ear, and she shuddered.
“I must admit, I found you attractive the moment I first saw you.”
“Oh, really?”
Ilyssa grinned. “Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you. Being a prince and all, your face is fairly well-known.” She reached up and back, grasping a fistful of his hair. “I like what I see, though.”
“Mm,” he said, and slipped his fingers inside her, making her inhale sharply. “I like what I’m feeling.”
“So do I,” she groaned, and twisted her head to offer her mouth for another kiss. She wanted to reciprocate in some way, to please him, but between Alaric twisting her nipple with one hand and fingering her labia with the other, she found she could only stand there, swaying, easily supported by his embrace.
To Ilyssa’s amazement, Alaric needed no special attention to awaken his arousal. She could feel his erection brush her thigh as he tugged her breeches down around her knees.
The prince coaxed her to bend forward, hands braced against the cool stone wall. She felt him caress her ass, and then the head of his cock nudged between her folds, seeking entrance. She had to press her lips together and swallow back a cry of ecstasy when he pushed inside her. His prick felt enormous, definitely longer than any of the other men who had fucked her over the years. Alaric held onto her hips and thrust into her. The staccato rhythm of their flesh coming together matched the racing of her pulse.
She pushed back into him. “Faster!” she urged breathlessly, and he complied.
The air inside the small hut grew warmer with the heat radiating from their bodies. Alaric leaned in over Ilyssa’s back. His arms circled her, his hands finding her swinging breasts and gathering them up again, her hard nipples stabbing into his palms.
“Yes, yes!” Ilyssa panted. She could feel her orgasm gathering, bubbling deep within her like the hot springs.
Alaric mouthed around her ear, and his low, lusty growls launched her into a powerful climax. After a few more strokes, he pulled out abruptly and finished himself over her lower back.
“That,” Ilyssa said, once she caught her breath and could speak again, “was incredible.” She reached down for her trousers and pulled them up as she righted herself. “I think it might even be the best I’ve had in quite a while.”
She turned to face him. His eyes seemed to burn brighter than before. Like Ilyssa, he had removed his shirt and had opened his breeches but left them and his boots on. She took a moment to admire his physique. Broad shoulders tapered into a long torso and narrow hips, chest and arms well-defined and covered in sleek dark hair. Glancing down, she got her first look at his cock, and it was every bit as impressive to behold as it had been to feel it inside her, hard and pulsing.
“I agree,” Alaric said. He pulled up his trousers. “I’ve never been with a Human before.”
Ilyssa looked up at him and scoffed. “I guess now you know what you Werewolves have been missing.”
She retrieved her blouse from the floor and put it on. “So – are we good, now?” She didn’t want to dwell on the sex or how fantastic it had been. They still had important business to attend, but before that she would have to see if Kristof and Barto had made it back with that cart; she and Alaric would need it to get to the meeting with this mysterious Werewolf woman from Emberi.
“Yes. You have my scent on you, now. Any Werewolves we encounter will know without a doubt that you are with me, a trusted companion.”
“Good.”
Dressed once more, Ilyssa started for the exit, body still humming from their hot and hasty coupling. She found herself thinking about the things Alaric had said as he took her, and then afterwards. So much for not dwelling on it, she chastised herself. Still, I wonder if he’d be interested in having another go when – no. Don’t even think about it. Focus on the mission.
“We should get moving, now. We still have a lot to do and very little time left if we’re going to make it.”
She opened the door only to find Marten on the other side, his hand raised in preparation to knock. Equally startled, they pulled back and stared at each other.
“Oh,” Ilyssa said, doing her best to recover and appear collected, and not like a woman who had just engaged in some of the wildest sex she had ever experienced in her life. “What’s going on?”
“Kristof and Barto are back,” Marten said. “Kristof asked where you were, and that’s when we all realized that no one had seen you since before supper. I figured you might still be here, guarding the prisoner, so I thought I’d come back and offer to resume watch while you go meet with them.”
He eyed her, a bewildered look on his face. “Are you all right? You look a bit flushed.”
“I’m fine,” Ilyssa said, and brushed her hair off her neck. “Prince Alaric and I have just been talking. Small, windowless spaces tend to warm up when you’ve got two people sitting around inside, engaged in…heated discussions.”
Marten nodded. He motioned to her head. “I see your hair’s come undone, too,” he said. “You were wearing it up, earlier.”
“Where did Kristof say he wanted to meet?” Ilyssa asked, before Marten could point out any other telltale signs of her intimate romp with their esteemed guest.
“Barto’s hut.”
“All right. I’ll head over there, now.” Ilyssa turned and motioned to Alaric, who stepped up beside her. “He’s coming with me.”
Marten’s smile dropped away when he saw the lack of restraints on the Werewolf prince. Immediately, he reached for the flintlock tucked in his belt. Ilyssa’s hand shot out and latched onto his wrist to prevent him from drawing. He blinked at her.
“What’s going on, here?” he asked.
“I’ll explain once we get to Barto’s,” she said.
Chapter Four
As Ilyssa predicted, Kristof did not react favorably when she followed Marten into Barto’s hut, Alaric in tow. Both the huntsman and the tracker leapt to their feet, daggers drawn in defense when they saw the Werewolf prince.
“Calm yourselves, gentlemen,” Ilyssa said, holding up a hand. “He’s no threat to any of us.”
“Are you mad?” Kristof demanded. His pale blue eye widened when he got a better look at Alaric, and he spat a curse.
“Damn! You removed the collar, too. What dark magic did he use to convince you of that?”
“There’s no dark magic,” Ilyssa said. “We’ve been misled by the stories our parents told us to keep us afraid and mistrustful. If anything, they are the monsters for trying to pass their hatred on to us.” She motioned to the prince. “Alaric believes as we do. He was on his way to a secret meeting with someone from Emberi, hoping to find a means of bringing unity to our two races – not a reluctant tolerance of one another, but a bond of pure brotherhood where Humans and Werewolves are equal.”
She looked over at Barto, who had lowered his weapon as she spoke. “That’s why he was traveling alone last night. His title won’t protect him from charge of treason. He took a huge risk, on his own, putting his life in jeopardy for the sake of both races.”
She took a deep breath. “Which is why we have to help him.”
“Help him?” Marten’s pug nose wrinkled in consternation. “Help him to do what?”
“In just a few hours, he has to meet with his connection from Emberi for a very important exchange of information which will advance his plan to end the war before it begins.”
Ilyssa turned her attention back to Kristof, her closest friend. While he had always deferred to her, they still shared the duties of leadership when it came to making decisions for the tribe.
“He’s offered to give us protection from his father when he returns to Lobishome, along with provisions to see us through the winte
r.”
Kristof snorted. He thrust his chin at Alaric.
“How can he protect us?” he asked. “As soon as his father gets wind of his plans, he’ll be fleeing for the woods and spending the rest of his days scavenging – just like the rest of us.”
“It is a risk I am willing to take,” Alaric said, speaking for the first time.
He stepped up beside Ilyssa. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and immediately she felt another sharp tug low in her gut, wisps of arousal curling like smoke through her body with the lusty memory of being mounted and marked by him.
“When I told her of my plan, Ilyssa gave voice to concerns of my safety, believing in the possibility this may result in an act of betrayal. That’s when she offered to accompany me.”
“Did she, now?” Kristof clucked his tongue and shook his head. Hands hooked on hips, he looked at Ilyssa. “I was right – you are mad. Why would you agree to such a thing, without first consulting us?” he demanded.
“Because I have hope, too,” Ilyssa fired back.
She stared at him, imploring. “How many times have we discussed this dream of peace, Kristof? We left our homes, our friends and families, and chose to live as outcasts rather than be a part of that ugly world.”
She jerked a thumb at Alaric. “He found a way to make a change, but he can’t do it alone. So, yes, I said I would go with him. And now I’m asking you to go with me – you, Barto, Marten, and anyone else from the tribe who’s up for some adventure.”
The three Human men did not respond right away. Finally, Marten shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, all right,” he said. “I’ll go.”
Ilyssa favored him with a smile. “Thank you, Marten.”
“Let me make sure I’m clear on this,” Barto said, stirring the air with one hand. “He has this meeting planned out; it’s someone from Emberi and they’re supposed to discuss a permanent truce between Humans and Werewolves…but you’re saying there’s the chance of an attack?”
Sheltered by the Alpha Bear: Alpha Werebear BBW Interracial Shifter Paranormal Romance Page 14