by Lyndi Lamont
Val shook his head and let out a defeated sigh. “No. If it made sense, we could choose love instead of love choosing us.”
Rolf chuckled. “True words. I ne’er foresaw this day. But whatever happens, I am sworn to protect the royal family, and marriage to Bruno will break her spirit if she lives long enough. And who knows what will happen to the little prince?”
Rolf’s hand tightened into a fist. “By the gods, I will stop Bruno or die in the attempt.”
“No, Sir Rolf,” Val protested, his expression full of alarm. “You know how powerful Bruno can be. You saw it first hand.”
Rolf sat up straighter. “Yes, I did, but this time I am better prepared. I want you to stay back though. Someone must live to protect the little prince. Promise me that.”
Val let out an aggrieved sigh.
“Swear to me boy. Promise you will protect Prince Frederick.”
“I so swear,” Val said softly. “But try not to do something rash.”
“Who, me?” Rolf asked with a grin.
Val just shook his head. “Werewolves. Not an ounce of sense, the lot of them.”
Rolf laughed and climbed out of the tub, dried himself and donned clean clothes, anticipating Ilona’s nocturnal visit.
*
Rolf paced back and forth in his small monk’s cell as he waited for Ilona. ’Twas no fit place to receive a princess, but he could hardly join her in the royal guest chamber with Fritz and Dagmar there.
In the meantime, he had much on his mind. He was more disturbed by his conversation with Val than he’d like to admit. The notion of Ilona forced to marry Bruno filled his heart with rage and chilled his blood. He’d sensed the magic power that coursed through her, knew firsthand the evil Bruno could wreak, and knew why Bruno had wanted her. With the ability to draw from her magic, he would be invincible. Nor could Rolf bear the thought of the evil Bruno touching her, defiling her.
Rolf tamped down his rage, and silently vowed to do whatever it took to prevent such a disaster from befalling the kingdom. Whatever the price, he was prepared to pay it. It wasn’t as if he could have a future with Ilona.
He shook his head. Would he have made love to her in the woods had he known she was a royal? He liked to think he’d have had the honor to decline her offer, but he was only human. Well, part human.
The princess and the werewolf. Impossible.
He sank down on the narrow bunk. No good could come of this. He should refuse to let her in. What if he got her with child? He’d never wish this curse on anyone, much less his babe. But oh, how he liked the thought of her belly swelling with his child, of them growing old together. His heart ached from longing for what could never be.
A soft knock heralded her entrance. He drew in a breath at the sight of her, still in her smock under a voluminous shawl.
He stood, ready to send her away. “Ilona, this is a bad idea,” he began.
She moved toward him and put a finger over his lips. “Hush. I don’t want to hear it.”
He took her hand. “You have to, my love. I mean, my lady.”
She frowned slightly. “I much prefer my love. I haven’t felt like a princess in a long time.”
She threw off her shawl, sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, one full breast brushing his chest. His cock stiffened at her closeness, and he cursed under his breath.
“What is wrong, love?” she breathed against his lips before closing her mouth over his. Her sweet breath and questing tongue coaxed a response from him.
When she pulled her head back, her breathing quicker, he forced himself to speak. “We cannot risk it, Ilona.”
“Risk what?” she asked before nibbling on his ear.
“Conceiving a child.”
She stopped and looked at him, her expression troubled. “I know. Dagmar has given me herbs to prevent conception, but they are not infallible.”
“Then what?”
She ran a hand down the side of his face, tracing the stubble. He’d meant to shave, but he’d had second thoughts about making love with her. He groaned and pressed his forehead against hers.
“There is,” she said, “more than one way to please each other. As long as we’re careful, there’s no reason why we can’t be together.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Positive.” Standing, she pulled the smock over her head.
By the gods, she was beautiful. Venus could not have been more so. He pulled her to him and closed his mouth over one pink nipple as his hands roamed her legs and bum. Her skin was soft and smooth under his calloused palms. With one hand he cupped her pubis, playing with the red curls covering her mound. She spread her legs to give him better access. He used his fingers to trace her outer and inner lips. She gripped his hair and tugged his mouth to her other breast.
“Like that, do you?”
“Yes, more,” she urged.
As he laved and suckled her breast, he moved his free hand to the crease in her buttocks, tracing the sensitive area between the cheeks. At the same time, he stroked her slit from back to front. Her hips bucked toward him. He looked up and saw her eyes were closed, her head thrown back slightly in ecstasy. Oh, yes, there were other ways.
He circled her pleasure bud, and then stroked her thighs again.
“Stop teasing,” she ordered, tugging a lock of his hair.
Smiling, he moved his hand back to her pubis, stroking it back and forth before inserting one finger in her hot, tight channel. Her inner muscles clamped down on his finger and she gripped his shoulders. Her legs trembled a bit as he kept it up. At last, she convulsed around his hand, her breathing fast.
He pulled her into his lap and held her until her breathing slowed.
Her smile was one of complete satisfaction as she snuggled against him. “I know ’twas Fortuna led you to me in the woods.” She turned her head and kissed his neck, making him groan with need.
“Now ’tis my turn.” She tugged at his robe. “This has to come off.”
He stood and removed his robe. His prick was hard as a pike, just begging for attention.
“Lie back,” she ordered.
He complied, but sat up when she knelt by the bunk. “Nay, love, the floor is too hard.”
“Very well.”
When she joined him, he scooted up, resting his back against the wall. She lay between his legs, took his cock in her hands and licked the underside from base to tip. A shudder passed through him and his balls tightened.
She looked up at him and laughed. “Did I surprise you?”
“A bit.” Though he should not have been. He knew sensual play increased her powers, and he was feeling mightily pleased at the moment. “Do with me what you will, my lady. I am all yours.”
“And do not forget it,” she said. “You are mine.”
Would it were so.
Lowering her head, she kissed his abdomen just below his belly button, and then took the head of his cock in her mouth, sucking gently on it. He gripped the sheets with both hands as she alternately licked, nibbled and squeezed, sending spirals of desire through him. His awareness narrowed to her mouth and hands and his own need. His muscles clenched and his hips bucked. Taking him into her mouth, she sucked harder, her head bobbing up and down, until he could take it no longer. With a groan, he came in her mouth.
When he was drained, she crawled up to lie on top of him in a tangle of sweaty arms and legs. He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll never forget you, Ilona.”
“Hush. You make it sound like we’ll never be together again.”
“It might be best if we weren’t.”
She looked up at him, tears forming in her luminous green eyes. “Wisest, perhaps, but right now we need each other, in more ways than one.”
He hugged her close as she laid her head on his chest and let out a sigh. “So we do, my lady. But for how long?”
*
The next morning Ilona slipped back into her chamber before dawn. She found Dagmar already awake, but Frit
z still slept the sound slumber of the innocent. She’d have to wake him soon to say good-bye. Her heart ached at the very thought of being separated from him for the first time in his young life.
Dagmar had been staring into her scrying bowl when Ilona left last night, and she was at it still. Now she raised her head. “You went to him, did you not?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” Ilona admitted. “I needed him.”
Dagmar snorted. “Wanted is more like it, but you always did as you liked. Why should that change?”
“Have I been such a trial to you?” Ilona teased.
The old woman’s smile was mixed with affection and sadness. “Of course not. I just want you to be careful, child. You’ve had your heart broken once before. I’ve no wish to see it happen again.”
“Nor do I,” Ilona said softly as she dressed in boy’s clothes supplied by Brother Ulrich.
“Are you sure about this journey, my lady?” Dagmar asked her.
Ilona sighed. “What choice do I have? I cannot allow Bruno’s power to go unchecked any longer.”
Dagmar sighed and stared down at the scrying bowl.
“What have you seen?”
“Very little, all is murky and uncertain.”
“I sense danger ahead,” Ilona admitted, “but know not what kind. The mountains are treacherous, even in summer. Have you no sense of the final outcome?”
The old woman shrugged her rounded shoulders. “The outcome has yet to be decided.”
Ilona nodded. “Then the future is in the hands of the goddess Fortuna. Perhaps she will answer my prayers.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go, my lady.”
Ilona leaned down to kiss the old woman’s leathery cheek. “I know you’re just worried about me.”
“How can I not be?” Dagmar asked softly.
Ilona squeezed her maid’s hand. “You’ve been a godsend these last five years. I know not what I’d have done without you.”
The old woman blinked back tears. “Just make sure you come back to us safe and sound.”
“I’ll do my best,” Ilona promised. She refused to think of what would happen to Fritz if she failed.
Chapter Four
Aquilo Pass lived up to its reputation.
Dread crawling up her spine, Ilona stared at the narrow gap in the mountains. They’d climbed steadily all yesterday and were now above the tree line. Rolf had called a brief halt on a small ridge to rest the horses before entering the pass. A cold wind blew from the north, chilling her despite the July sunlight. She looked back at the path they’d taken, and wished she hadn’t. A wave of dizziness washed over her. Wrenching her gaze to the path ahead, she took in deep, calming breaths. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down.
Rolf moved to stand beside her, a worried look on his face. “Are you all right?”
She managed a smile. “I’ve never been fond of heights.”
“That must have been a problem growing up at Castle Novita.”
She shrugged. “Not as long as I stayed off the ramparts and away from the window. We’d best get moving.”
“It will be single file from here on through the pass,” Rolf warned. “I’ll take the lead.”
“Let me do it, sir,” Antal said. “My horse is sure-footed and lighter than your stallion.”
“Very well,” Rolf agreed. “Val, you’re next, then Ilona. I’ll bring up the rear. Keep some space between you, just in case.”
Rolf helped Ilona to mount, his hand lingering on her leg as he secured her foot in the stirrup, reminding her of his hands on her naked body that last night at Klosterlupe. She leaned down to caress his tousled hair.
“Be careful,” he said.
She nodded. “It was good of you to let Antal go first. I think he needs to feel useful.”
Rolf chuckled. “I wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t have a good point. His horse is sure-footed.”
He walked back to Orion and mounted as Antal led the way into the narrow gorge, his horse picking its way carefully on the stony path. A glance upward showed towering cliffs studded with rocks that appeared ready to tumble down at a moment’s notice onto any creature foolish enough to venture through the gorge. The wind increased, buffeting the riders.
Ilona forced herself to hold the reins loosely, despite the tension in her arms and shoulders. The trail wound along the side of one slope, but there was a deep cleft between the cliffs. She kept her gaze straight ahead, ignoring the sheer drop off to her left. Her uneasiness increased the higher they rode. Her inner senses were screaming about danger ahead, but she knew not where it came from or when it might strike.
She closed her eyes and focused inward. In her mind she saw the trail widen ahead. That was good, but just as Antal reached the spot she’d foreseen, she saw a rock come loose, hurtle down the slope and knock Antal off his horse.
Heart pounding, she opened her eyes and searched the area, but sighed when she realized they had yet to reach that part of the trail. “Antal,” she called softly. “Be on guard. Danger lies ahead.”
He pulled his horse to a stop and turned to look backwards. “What have you seen, my lady?”
She pointed up the pass. “I saw rocks falling down on the trail.”
Antal nodded. “Thank you for the warning.” He started again at a slower pace.
Still concerned, Ilona kept a sharp lookout for the wide spot. When Antal had almost reached it, she looked up and saw the rock break loose. “Stop, Antal,” she screamed, pulling on her reins.
He jerked his horse to a stop just before a rock crashed down in front of him. When his horse reared, he tumbled out of the saddle and slid down into the gorge, his scream echoing off the cliff sides.
“No!” she cried.
Ahead, Val jumped off his horse and almost lose his footing on the pebbled trail.
“Careful, Val,” Rolf called from behind her. “Take it slow and easy. Ilona, stay where you are.”
Ilona eased her mare Zora closer to the side of the mountain so Rolf could squeeze by, if ’twere even possible. But when she glanced back, she saw he’d shifted into wolf form, his clothing strewn on the ground by Orion’s feet.
Zora shifted nervously, but Ilona held the mare still as the wolf crawled between Zora’s legs and those of Val’s horse. Then Rolf disappeared over the edge of the gorge.
“Be careful,” she called, not knowing how much Rolf could understand while in wolf form.
Ilona sent up a silent plea to the gods and slid off her mare. She had to see what was happening. The suspense was unbearable. Dropping to all fours, she crawled to where Val was peering over the edge. Resisting the urge to look, she stared at Val. “Can you see them?”
He never looked at her, just kept staring downward. “Yes. Antal landed on a small ledge, but I think he’s hurt. If I could just get down there, I could heal him.”
“What can we do?”
“We can drop a rope to him. If he’s strong enough to grab hold of it.”
“I pray he can do so.”
“We need more than prayers, my lady.”
Val stood and went to Antal’s horse, which stood quivering on the path. After quieting the animal, Val opened a pouch hanging from the saddle, removed a rope and attached it to the horse’s tack. He returned to where Ilona knelt and tossed the other end of the rope over the edge. “Antal, can you reach the rope?”
“No,” came the cry from below.
Fighting her fear of heights, Ilona peeked down to where Antal lay below. The rope was long enough, but had fallen too far from Antal’s location for him to reach it. With her mind Ilona nudged the rope closer until he could grasp the end with one hand.
“Thank you, my lady,” Val said. “I know how unsettling it must have been for you. I heard what you said earlier about your fear of heights.”
Ilona turned to face Val and let out a long breath. “Oddly enough, I was more afraid for Antal than for myself.”
He flashed her a smil
e, the first genuine one she’d seen from him. “Now you know what it feels like to be a warrior. We fight to keep each other safe.”
She returned his smile. “I’m glad I could help. If only I’d warned him sooner.”
“If you hadn’t warned him at all, the rock would have killed him. He owes you his life.”
“Only if we can get him to safety,” she said. Steeling herself, she glanced down again, looking for Rolf. A movement caught her eye and she saw him, still in his wolf form, crawling down the slope on his belly. She gasped at the risk he was taking. She barely breathed until she saw the wolf nearing the ledge.
“Don’t worry, Antal,” Val called down. “Rolf is on his way.”
“Will he be able to shift back?” Ilona asked.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Val replied quietly.
Before their eyes, wolf became man. Ilona watched, fascinated. She’d had her eyes closed the last time and hadn’t witnessed the process. “Thank the gods,” she whispered. “The curse is truly broken.”
Rolf examined Antal, whose arm appeared broken. Rolf tore off part of the gypsy’s cloak and bound the arm to his body before tying the rope around his waist. Rolf lifted Antal onto his feet, then Antal gripped the rope with his good hand and gave a tug.
“That’s my signal,” Val said. “I’ll lead the horse to pull Antal up. You need to watch and tell me when to slow down or stop. Can you manage, my lady?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. She couldn’t fail Antal now. Not after all he’d done for her and Fritz.
Val went to the horse, took the reins in his hand and clucked to move the animal forward.
She glanced down and saw Rolf boost Antal into the air. As the rope tightened, he rose higher, a grimace on his face as he struggled to keep his injured arm from bumping into the side of the mountain. All went well until his belt caught on a scraggly bush.
“Stop, Val!” Ilona cried.
Rolf had shifted back into wolf form and was climbing the steep slope, following Antal’s process. When he reached the bush, he used his teeth to pull Antal’s belt free.
Ilona gave Val the signal to move forward, and soon Antal’s head appeared at the edge of the cliff. At the same time, the wolf crested the slope and lay panting on the path. Tears sprang to her eyes as she reached for Antal, trying to pull him over the side. He was shaking all over, and she knew he was fast losing strength. Then strong arms took over, lifting Antal out of danger and laying him down on the path.