by J. E. Taylor
She curtseyed and gathered Shadow up in her arms before she left the room.
I turned back to Aiden and stared at his palm, just waiting for me to continue my exploration of the patterns. Tentatively, I started tracing the lines again, memorizing each curve and intersection.
The overriding sense of someone watching me settled in, and I glanced up at his face. His eyes were open, revealing that blue that captured my heart. His lips formed the slightest curve of a smile. Heat filled my face and soon flushed through my entire body. When I went to pull away, his hand grasped mine.
He winced at the movement and his eyes squeezed closed. “Jesus,” he whispered, and his free hand reached towards the bandages on his head.
I grabbed his arm before he could disrupt them. “Don’t.”
He stopped and pried one eye open. “What happened?”
“You didn’t win the fight with that bear, but at least he didn’t kill you.”
Aiden pulled his arm from my grip and tried to sit up.
“Please, just lay back before you start bleeding again.” I stood and gently pressed his shoulders back down on my bed.
“Where am I?”
“In my bedroom,” I said.
His eyes widened.
“My father and I dragged you back here. And I patched you up the best I could.” I adjusted the sheet and met his questioning gaze. “It’s okay. They aren’t going to lock you up in the dungeon.”
He glanced towards the window and the lightening sky. “I can’t stay here.” He attempted to rise again, wincing as he moved.
“Aye. You can.” This time I pushed him down with more force. “You are in no condition to be wandering the forest today. Besides, I have honey and berries. I think I can handle the bear.”
He let out a high-pitched laugh. “You are insane.”
“You were the one who saved me. You aren’t going to hurt me.”
Aiden pressed his lips together and stared at the canopy of my bed. “Why would you even chance it?” His gaze traveled to mine, the question in his eyes just as clear as his underlying pain.
Fueled by the memory of his searing kiss, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. His soft groan sent liquid fire to the spot between my legs as our mouths opened, allowing the slow exploration of our tongues. I clamped my thighs together against the sudden wetness. His hand threaded in my hair, holding me in place as the kiss transformed into something irresistible.
When his other hand skimmed over the flesh of my thigh, I pulled away with a gasp. He had navigated the fabric of my dress while we were kissing, and now his fingers found that sweet spot between my legs that erased logical thought from my head.
I stood in place as he rubbed my folds in slow circles. His blue eyes locked with mine as he plucked my body like a master minstrel. I let him bring me to the brink, and I pressed the back of my wrist to my mouth to stop the moan that wanted to escape as every muscle tightened and a warm rush coated his hand.
His fingers slid inside me, adding to my heat. My hips grinded into his hand, demanding more. Aiden’s eyes closed. His mouth parted, and a soft sigh slipped out. The sheet tented with the stiffness of his manhood and all I could imagine was that thick length filling me instead of his hand.
When his eyes opened, a raw need filled them, but he turned away, glancing at the window again. He pulled his hand from between my legs, and I let out a squeak of protest.
He drew his fingers into his mouth, sucking my juices from his flesh as he groaned. “You need to leave unless you want to be taken by a bear.”
I stepped back, the warmth filling me turning frigid, and I blinked as his words sank through the lingering euphoria he had created.
“Go,” he whispered. His voice filled with as much urgency as his eyes. When the nails on his finger grew into sharp claws, he rolled out of the bed, landing on the floor on the far side with a grunt.
I took a step towards the bed and a roar filled the room. Nails scraped wood. The arch of a brown-furred back appeared over the side of the mattress. The metallic taste of fear filled my mouth, but my feet still refused to leave the spot where I stood.
When the grizzly grew to his full height, the last of the bandages I had used fell to the ground. His sharp, blue-eyed gaze locked on me, reflecting that same intense want.
My feet finally listened to my brain and I turned, running to the door. Before I could get the knob turned, his large paw slammed on the wood blocking my escape. His warm body pressed against mine, and his snout tickled my neck. His low suggestive growl was beyond what I could take. I jabbed my elbow into his hurt side.
His teeth pressed down on the back of my neck.
The pressure froze me in place. “No. Aiden,” I said. My voice was steady despite the tremors filling me from my toes all the way to the point where his sharp teeth dug into my soft flesh. “Let go.”
To my surprise, the bear followed my demand and let me go. He backed up a few paces, and I turned to face him. He shook his head like he was shaking water off and roared at me.
I pointed my finger at him. “You are going to behave. Understand?”
He growled low, remaining on all fours, and huffed before he turned and assessed his surroundings. He circled and then settled on the floor to stare at me.
The howl outside my door made me jump, and as soon as my heart started up again, I rolled my eyes. I had to let my wolf in before he woke the entire castle. Without taking my eyes off Aiden, I cracked the door, and Shadow darted inside. I shut the door once he’d cleared.
Shadow slowed his gait, stopping a few steps in front of me. The hair on his neck rose, as did a vicious snarl from the back of his throat. He bared his teeth at the bear.
“It’s okay, boy,” I said and squatted, pulling the wolf to my side.
He calmed immediately and glanced back at me as if to make sure I was okay with the large beast in the room. I stroked his back to make my point and he turned to me, swathing my face with his tongue.
I sighed, pushing my wolf’s snout away from my face. Now that I’d assured him there was no danger, Shadow turned and bounded in Aiden’s direction with his tail up like he had found a new playmate.
Aiden climbed into a sitting position to where Shadow couldn’t nip at his face. His gaze moved from the little thing weaving between his legs to mine, and he cocked his head as if to say, “Really?”
I smiled just as Shadow jumped onto Aiden’s haunches. Aiden swatted Shadow, sending him rolling across the floor. But that only fueled the playfulness in my wolf pup. He ran straight at Aiden.
“He’s just a puppy,” I said before Aiden could snarl.
He glared at me and lay back down, resigned to the fact my dog was going to terrorize him all day. And it was going to be a very long day, at that.
Chapter 6
Not only was I ready to drop from exhaustion as the daylight faded away, I was ready to eat a holiday feast. I had shared the fruit with Aiden earlier, hand feeding the bear as Shadow bounced around curious as to what we were doing. But as my grumbling abdomen made clear, that was not enough to sustain me. My stomach growled, even as my eyelids dipped. My head bobbed, and I jerked awake.
Shadow lay curled at my feet and Aiden paced slowly in the cramped space. My bedroom was larger than most in the castle, but it was not big enough to allow for the restless roaming of the bear.
The click of nails was hypnotic, and I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Pressure on my shoulder yanked me awake. I shot up, straight in the chair I had been slumped in, and turned, gasping at the chiseled chest in front of me. I blinked and looked up into Aiden’s amused smile.
“I have no idea how you could sleep through that ruckus,” he said.
The churning noise in my belly was loud enough to rival Shadow’s growls. But my wolf pup had in fact slept through the god-awful noise as well. I shrugged, and my gaze dropped to the silken throw blanket Aiden had tied around his waist.
“Any chance you
could find me some clothes?” he asked.
“Aye.” I yawned and stretched. When I went to stand, my head started to spin, and I stumbled.
Aiden caught me and sucked air through his teeth. He made sure I was steady, and then his hand went to the raw cuts on his side. At least they weren’t oozing. There was something to be said about the healing abilities of transforming to a bear and back.
A soft knock on the door interrupted the moment. I stepped back, out of his arms.
“Come in,” I said as soon as I was sure my feet would hold me.
Sheri stepped inside with a tray overloaded with food and a bowl of milk for Shadow. My wolf pup stretched and trotted over to Sheri as if he thought all that food were for him. I didn’t think I had ever been as grateful as I was at that moment.
“Thank you!” I followed her to the dressing table where she changed out the brimming tray with the empty one. “Think you can find something suitable for Aiden to wear?”
Her cheeks turned red as her gaze flitted to the nearly naked man in my room. “Are you sure?” she whispered in my ear.
I smiled and looked down at the floor before glancing at her sideways. She caught my dimples and suppressed a smile of her own.
“Aye, I’m sure,” I whispered after a moment.
“Very well,” she said and turned towards the door. Her gaze lingered on Aiden until she was out of sight.
Aiden put his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow at me. “You hesitated for a minute too long, my lady.” He crossed and glanced at the array of meats and breads on the tray. “After you,” he said, waving at the food.
Just his close proximity clouded my thoughts. I picked at the food, unable to think of anything else but his hand between my legs last night.
His hands landed on my waist and I jumped.
“Are you just going to pick at that?” he whispered before running his tongue along the edge of my ear. “Because I have something much more interesting for you to eat than a tray full of food.” His hands squeezed my hips, and he pressed against my back.
My heart fluttered, and my mouth went dry. I reached for the cup of wine, dousing the dryness in my mouth with the sweet concoction. I didn’t dare turn, because the moment I faced the man, whatever logic remained in my mind would flee in favor of his lips.
“I’m undecided as to what to have first,” I said and licked my lips, forcing myself to focus on the food instead of the steady pressure of his hands and the pleasant circle of his hips against mine. “Besides, Sheri will be back soon.”
He purred in my ear, letting his tongue follow the line of my neck. It tickled and tantalized, and then it was gone, along with his touch. I glanced over my shoulder to catch him crossing to the window.
Aiden MacMahon had to be the sexiest man I had ever laid eyes on. The physical attraction was undeniable. But beyond his desire to bed me and to be free of the curse, I knew nothing about him. I took one of the chicken legs and turned in his direction.
“Tell me about yourself,” I said.
Aiden turned, both his eyebrows arched. “Why?”
“Because, I’d like to know more about you.”
He laughed and looked out the window. “I’m not one of your suitor’s, so there is no point in this conversation. Besides, it looks as though they are setting up for a beheading. Any bets on whose head will be on that chopping block?” He pointed to the courtyard.
I dropped the chicken leg on the plate and crossed to stand at his side. My eyes narrowed, and my hands clenched. “That is not going to happen.”
Shadow rubbed against my leg in a show of solidarity.
The door opened, and my father waltzed in with a couple of guards. Sheri was behind him with an armful of clothing, her face as shocked as mine felt.
“I see our prisoner has woken.”
“He is not a prisoner.” I stepped in front of Aiden, blocking him behind me. “He saved my life. Both our lives.”
“We are not doing this, May,” my father said through clenched teeth. “Take him to the gallows.”
The guards started towards Aiden.
“No.” I stood tall. “You told me to choose a husband. I choose Aiden. If you kill him, I will follow him into the afterlife, and I will be sure to take you with me.”
No one in the room moved. My father stared at me with his jaw hanging open. Sheri clutched the clothing to her chest with her eyes as wide as I had ever seen them, and the guards stared at me in the same shocked expression everyone else wore.
“Leave my bedroom. Now.” The resoluteness in my command was unmistakable.
The guards took a step back, unsure of what to do next. I glared at my father. The gauntlet had been issued, but my heart thundered in my chest at the indecision I saw in his eyes.
He glanced at Aiden and sneered.
My chest tightened, but I kept my face neutral, praying my fear didn’t seep through my façade.
My father nodded at the guards.
They stepped forward, grabbing my arm, and pulled me along with Aiden out of the room. The king held up his hand before we passed and stared into my eyes.
“When you issue a threat, you better damn well be willing to follow through with it,” he said to me and then pointed at the door.
I didn’t speak. I didn’t argue, even as they marched both of us to the courtyard where a small crowd had gathered for the beheading festivities. Anger festered inside me, creating a potent cocktail that swirled in my blood.
Aiden hadn’t said a word since we were dragged from the room. I glanced at him as we were lined up side by side. My blanket still hung from him, but it had slipped enough for me to make out the sharp outline of his hips.
He glanced at me as they put another wooden block in the space in front of me.
A hush fell on the crowd.
I ripped my arm from the guard’s grip and took a step forward, dropping to my knees in front of the chopping block. “If this is a world that persecutes a man just because he carries a name that was outlawed over a hundred years ago, I do not wish to be a part of it.” My voice projected over the crowd. I lay my cheek on the wood and looked up at Aiden.
He slowly dropped to his knee and adopted the same position, his eyes locked with mine.
I reached my hand out, and he threaded his fingers through mine.
A disturbance started in the back of the courtyard. The crowd that had been so ripe for a killing, turned.
“Why is Princess May up there?” someone in the crowd called out.
Their rumblings grew louder until my father climbed up on the stage.
“She chose a MacMahon.” He pointed at Aiden.
“So what?” several of the people in the gathering called out.
“That’s a ridiculous law,” others chimed in.
“It doesn’t warrant death!” still more yelled.
“I would have chosen him, too.” A few catcalls echoed from the back.
Aiden blushed, but kept his gaze on me, our hands still intertwined as the masses argued our fates.
“You are the king. You can change the laws of the land.”
I broke eye contact with Aiden and looked up, straight into Sheri’s upturned face as she repeated verbatim the words I had said the morning after the feast. She still clung to the pile of clothing I had asked her to retrieve.
“You cannot kill your only daughter and strip this land of a future queen full of the kind of grace this nation needs. One with a heart so pure that only she would think of saving a wolf pup from certain destruction. You cannot deprive this land of a ruler who will deliver swift justice as effortlessly as a worthy pardon. Not for a century old grudge that no longer has meaning!” Her impassioned plea riled the crowd further.
She had been there for me time and time again over the years and was my closest and strongest advocate outside of my parents. It humbled me that she would stick her neck out for me in such a public way.
My father stood clenching and unclenching his fi
sts as he scanned the crowd. He crossed to the axe and picked it up, then positioned himself before lining up the blade with Aiden’s neck.
I leaned back on my heels, still holding Aiden’s hand. He didn’t move from his position, nor did his eyes leave me. He squeezed my hand tighter, waiting for the end.
My father raised the blade in the air.
“Do not do this,” I said, my voice low with a warning thrum I had never heard.
My father hesitated and moved his focus to me.
His eyes widened the same way the guard who unlocked the dungeon cell for me had.
The crowd gasped and fell silent.
I didn’t dare move my gaze from my father’s, but Aiden’s hand squeezed in a way that defined involuntary shock.
My father slowly lowered the axe and took a shaky step back. The color bled from his face, leaving him pasty under the shadow of the moon.
I glanced at Aiden. He wasn’t looking at me, but beyond me with eyes wide with fear. His grip on my hand tightened.
Metal hit wood. My gaze snapped back to my father. The blade of the axe stuck out of the wood deck at his feet. The echo of the bang was enough to snap everyone out of what had bewitched them.
“Bring them to the throne room,” my father said, low enough for only the guards to hear, and then he stormed out of the courtyard.
Chapter 7
Aiden and I were dragged into the empty throne room and forced to our knees. A blade was held at each of our throats, keeping us in place.
My father stepped into the room, his normal calm demeanor gone. His face was as red as I had ever seen it, and his hands were in fists so tight they were almost white. He paced the floor with his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes bore through me.
Nearly two minutes of silence went by before he spoke. “Put the swords away,” he growled.
The blade under my chin disappeared, and I slouched as the stress keeping me upright evaporated. Aiden reached for me.
“Do not touch her,” my father snarled, then he turned his brutal glare my way. “What the hell did you do out there?