“Mm.” Sophia struggled to be free. She lifted her hand, as if to touch the man’s chest. Only Mina’s hold stopped her. “Let me go. I wish to prove my love to my lord.”
Mina shook herself back to reality. If Sophia felt the same way as she, it was certainly a trick or a demonic spell. Her voice sharp, she demanded, “Who...? What exactly are you? And why have you brought us here?”
* * * *
Humans.
Larus grimaced, eyeing the dirty-faced maidens. It just had to be humans. The scent of them was unmistakable. They were definitely from the realm of mortals. His frown deepened. It would seem he’d never be free of their kind. They were spilling into his world like rodents.
Eyeing the light-haired one first, he felt the tiniest stirring inside him. She stared adoringly at him, licking her lips in open invitation. He was a man who knew well the look of feminine invitation and the woman was beautiful to behold.
Larus moved to study the dark-haired woman. Her look was now the opposite of what it had been. She no longer looked pleased at his attention, though he thought to still smell her desire. If ever he imagined two temptresses, this would be what his mind created--two young, pretty sisters, matching in almost all ways but temperament.
At first, he thought them fairies or elves by the way they looked at him with obvious lust. Their pheromones were strong, calling to him. It was very rare that the delicate creatures would seek to attract a wolf, as lycan were known as wild lovers.
For a moment, when the humans were both staring at him, their wide blue eyes begging for kisses, he’d almost given in. It wouldn’t be the first time he took two women to his bed, and these two would be lovely visions atop his excited body. But, there was more than just desire inside him. There was a stirring of bloodlust.
Some immortal women had a penchant for the beast so that wasn’t so unusual. However, smelling the unmistakable mortal scent in the sisters, his desire died just as quickly as it grew. He wouldn’t tempt the beast inside him. Fairies would heal, mortals would not.
The dark one’s gaze bored into him with accusation, which fueled his blood even more. When Larus first saw her, a jolt of bold desire had struck through his system and he’d been sure she felt it too. He couldn’t explain it, but he wished it were her stare that was dreamy. Her hostility only provoked the hunter in him, making the beast even more desperate to come out and play.
Deciding the dark one was the only one with her wits about her, Larus directed his questions to her. With ease he used the old tongue all immortals knew but rarely used. Thanks to Rhiannon’s presence, he’d had time to practice it. Most elders made a point of remembering the old tongue, so if ever the mortals came back into their world, they would be prepared. “What are you doing in this realm, mortal? Your kind isn’t welcomed here.”
“Well, nieten,” the dark one answered, sneering. “Obviously someone wanted us here or else we’d not be here.”
Her eyes tried to drift down over his body and he was sure her cheeks turned a bright pink beneath the soot on her face. Her lush lips parted. They were lips he instantly wanted to feel on his body, kissing and sucking every inch of him. Larus frowned, following her glance down over his naked frame. With a growl, he ordered, “Don’t move.”
Standing, he stalked off into the trees. He wasn’t worried. If they did run, he’d be able to hunt them down. No human could ever outrun a lycan.
He was unsure as to what annoyed him more. Was it the fact that he seemed to be surrounded by mortals? Or was it that the strongest rush of desire he’d felt in a very long time would be going unanswered?
It didn’t take him long to find to his clothes. Suddenly remembering the sting he’d gotten as he awakened from a deep sleep, he frowned. Insects usually didn’t bother his kind. Larus looked at his leg and found a welt. His frown deepened. The welt had an odd pink ring around its edge.
“Great,” he mumbled, grabbing the large rectangle of cloth that was his tunic. He swung it about his body, knotting it together at his shoulders with practiced ease. His legs were also left naked, covered only by his leather boots. His kind rarely bothered with pants, as they only got in the way when they shifted. As was the style, his arms and a shoulder were left bare.
Larus paused in his task as he heard a strange chattering noise. Instantly his eyes filled with green-gold and he stiffed the air. Turning, he saw a squirrel running in circles around a tree. He grabbed his cloak and moved for a closer look. Imbedded in the tree was a dart.
Larus frowned, leaning over to pull the dart from the bark. To his surprise, the squirrel didn’t move away, but simply hugged his little arms to the tree and held it. Usually small woodland creatures would sense the predator in him and run. This creature only appeared to see the tree.
Ignoring the critter, he studied the dart. Something was very strange about all this. He thought of Cupid. But, as he sniffed to detect the troll’s foul odor, he only got the fresh scent of nature. No, if Cupid was near, he would have smelled him a mile off.
Larus had more to worry about than a dart. For all he knew pixie children shot him with it, daring each other to provoke the giant lycan. His biggest problem was the mortal women. Had they come through the portal when Cupid opened it to Lady Rhiannon? It seemed unlikely for he’d seen the confusion on their faces as they looked upon him, unless they’d been sleeping for many months.
Larus was sure Cupid wouldn’t be stupid enough to defy the elders by opening the portals again, even if he was angry. The only thing that made sense was that Cupid had left the portal open the first time. A growl of outrage built in his throat. Why had no one thought to check it? Was Cupid so incompetent as to risk everything the immortals had built over the three centuries since they’d been away from the mortal kind?
Larus let loose a string of dark curses as he stood. In anger, he threw the dart, embedding it back in the tree. There would be time to worry about that later, for now he had to tend to the women. He would drag them back to the opened portal and shove them through it, if it was the last thing he ever did. And, if Cupid had left the portal open, he might shove the troll to the other realm as well, making sure to lock him forever on the other side.
Chapter Three
Mina watched the strange man-beast disappear into the trees. Struggling to her feet, she wobbled slightly before grabbing Sophia’s arm. She roughly jerked her sister to stand. Under her breath, she said, “Come on, Sophia. By all that is holy! Like we would actually stay here to await the devil’s return.”
“But... but, he said to stay and wait for him,” Sophia whispered, as she was forced to move. “Mina, stop pulling. I love him.”
“I said run!” Mina tugged her sister behind her, sliding her hand over Sophia’s arm to grab her wrist. Sprinting through the forest, she ignored Sophia’s protests and declarations of love. She didn’t know what was wrong with her sister and now wasn’t the time to stop and figure it out. Whatever that man-beast was, she was sure that the devil had something to do with him. Surely the best plan was to get away from him.
Mina’s heart thundered in her chest, but not from their short sprint. She was terrified. The man-beast did something to them. She felt it, when she first looked into his incredible green eyes, so curious, so trusting, so deep and soulful. Something about him made her want to grab him close and declare her love for him. That something was surely a curse, a devil’s curse. And, if he wasn’t a devil, then he was surely the son of one. For who else could call forth the transformation into a hairy wolf-beast?
Mina’s legs tangled in the skirt of her dirty gown as she tried to jump over a fallen log. She tripped, losing her hold on Sophia’s hand. Instantly, Sophia turned and began marching back the way they had come, yelling, “I must obey my master, for without his happiness I am not whole! I need him, Mina.”
Mina growled in frustration and rushed after her. Clutching Sophia firmly by the wrist, she yanked her sister from behind. Sophia made a weak noise, but her body had no
fight in it and she unwillingly obeyed as she was once again dragged forward.
“Sophia, he is a nieten. A man-beast. Please, come on. Hurry!” Mina begged. She heard the rustling of leaves behind them and knew the creature followed close. Part of her was torn, wanting to stop so he might catch them. She ignored that part of her, damning it for a fool.
“I don’t care what he is. He is my nieten!” Sophia announced as stubborn as a child. “I love him! I want to be with him and nothing you can say will stop us. You hate him. You just don’t want us to be together. You want him for yourself!”
“Blessed saints, are you mad? Sophia, listen to yourself. Why would I want him if I hate him?” Seeing a cave, Mina tugged her sister up the small incline and into the opening. “Now, hurry. Please.”
Sophia whimpered in protest. Mina didn’t care. She pulled her sister into the dark cave and wrapped her hand over her mouth. Holding her close, she hugged Sophia tightly to her chest. She bit her lip, listening to the creature run past them. Even after the sound of his footfalls had faded, she didn’t relax her guard.
Tears of worry came to Mina’s eyes. There was something terribly wrong. Sophia wasn’t acting like herself. Her sister would never fall in love so easily. She highly doubted her sister would ever fall in love. Whatever sorcerer’s spell the nieten put on Sophia, it was a horrible curse. It could only mean his intentions toward them were dark in purpose.
“Oh, what fools these mortal be, coming into this cave without invitation.”
Mina gasped and even Sophia stopped her weak struggles at the sound. Slowly, their heads turned to look into the den. Just enough light fell onto the creature who spoke to make out the hideous array of sharp, pointed teeth. If not for the voice, they’d have mistaken it for a wild animal.
Mina’s hand slipped from her sister’s mouth. Sophia screamed. The creature reared its ugly face and screamed back--louder and high pitched. Both sisters jolted at once, falling from the cave’s opening and rolling down the small incline to the forest floor.
Almost immediately, the nieten was back, still in the form of a human but now dressed. His long green cloak flowed as he ran toward them. With a deft twist of his fingers, the material slid off his arms to the ground. Beneath the cloak, he was indecently clad in only a draping tunic that fell to the top of the knee.
“Oh,” Sophia sighed from her place on the ground, sounding very much the witless maid. “My lord. You found us! I knew you would. I told Mina not to run away from you. You must forgive her. She can be quite ridiculous.”
Mina looked around and picked up a nearby branch. Standing, she wielded it before her like a sword. She turned first to the nieten and then to the frightful creature covered in fine black fur from head to foot, and yelled, “Stay back, both of you!”
The black creature stood upright, though only as high as Mina’s knee. More afraid of its sharp teeth than the man, she pointed the stick at it in warning. The creature grinned, an awful expression of pleasure, and said, “Be they yours, lycan? They smell sweet and unclaimed. Run along and let me play with them, beast.”
“I’m no man’s or beast’s!” Mina proclaimed hotly.
“Yes,” Sophia simpered. Mina blinked to see her sister drifting over to the half naked man. Her arms lifted up to him. “I belong completely to him, heart and soul and body.”
“Sophia!” Mina commanded, gritting her teeth. She lunged to grab her sister’s hair and missed. Her legs tangled in her skirt and she fell over.
“Yes, Uldra, they are mine.” The man-beast reached over and pulled Sophia to him.
Mina looked up into the dark, penetrating gaze of the man. Her breath caught at the possessiveness of the man-beast’s statement. A fire burned inside him, glinting hotly from his rigid features. He was furious.
His eyes stayed fixed on her, as he artfully swirled Sophia around, only to pull her back into his chest. Hot jealousy surged through Mina and she wanted to rip her sister from his arms. She shook violently and had the insane urge to hit the man over the side of the head with the stick--and not because she wanted to free her sister.
The man’s mouth twitched up at the corner and she wondered if he could sense the jealousy in her. Mina forced all emotion from her face. Sophia sighed and nestled against his hold, completely content to be there. Her eyes drifted closed, as if her position was the most natural in the world. Envy nearly choked Mina as she watched.
“The creatures sleep and must not be disturbed. Only I may enter to feed them. Your women encroach.” Uldra pointed his hairy little finger at the two humans in turn.
“My apologies, Uldra, they are simpleminded. I shall lead them away forthwith.” The nieten kept his eyes trained on Mina in warning. She shivered, instinctively not saying a word.
“See that you do,” Uldra said. He turned and with agile grace, leapt back up into the cave. Grumbling under his breath, he said, “I don’t know why the council would let humankind back in. I think it’s a fool’s mistake. No good ever came from having a human around, unless it is to feed them to dragons.”
“You are so brave, my handsome lord,” Sophia gushed. She trailed her hand over the man’s forearm, boldly caressing him. “And so strong. Have you a name, my brave, strong knight?”
“I am Larus,” Larus answered, distracted. He stared at Mina. She made it a point to glare back. “Come, we have to get out of here. Uldra is a testy character and you don’t want to wake the beasts he tends.”
“I am Lady Sophia of Aucester and this is my sister, Lady Willamina.” Sophia continued to stroke Larus’s arm. Sighing, she turned her cheek into his chest and began to rub against him.
“Let her go,” Mina demanded, taking a shaky breath. Anger, raw and hot, took over her body. She had just about had enough of this man and his domineering manners. Slowly, she got to her feet, pulling the stick up behind her back. “Sophia, come away from him this instant.”
“Why, dear sister? He is my heart. Without him I’m not whole.” Sophia rubbed her back into his side, trying to entice him to look at her. He kept his eyes fixed on Mina.
Sophia lifted her hand to his jaw and pulled. Larus frowned and instantly let her go, putting her away from him. As her sister was out of harm’s way, Mina took the opportunity to swing for Larus’s head. His hand shot out with lightning speed and stopped the attack. The stick smacked his palm. He didn’t even flinch and his eyes never moved away as he continued to stare at her.
“If you will not obey, I will take you by force,” Larus said, not once looking at the stick they both held. For a moment, their eyes warred in silent battle. His hard gaze swirled with liquid amber. Her fingers shook and she was the first to let go. The man-beast tossed the stick aside and it landed with a hard swish in a nearby shrub.
Before Mina knew what was happening, she was held flush to a muscled chest and captured in a vice-like grip. A steady heart beat beneath her cheek. The soft material of his green tunic pressed into her face and neck, warmed from his body. It had been a long time since she felt such warmth. The strong press of flesh molded against her, as hard as stone and as smooth as polished marble. Hair tickled her forehead and she wasn’t sure if it was hers or his. Shivers wracked her length.
The sheer power of his touch took her by surprise, and she didn’t protest as much as she should have. Whatever he was, he felt good against her. The subtle smell of the forest surrounded her, tinged by the natural scent of man. It teased her senses, numbing her thoughts. In a moment of insanity, she liked the feel of him holding her. She felt safe and protected by his nearness.
Her body stirred, becoming warm in unfamiliar ways. Men had attracted her in the past, but not such as this. The attraction scared her, for she didn’t wish to become witless like Sophia.
“Mina!” Sophia yelled, her voice full of venom. “What do you think you are doing? Get off him! He is my knight! He is mine! Mine! Mine! Mi--!”
“Sophia,” Larus said firmly, in a low voice that gave both women obvious
chills. Mina tried to lift her head to look more fully at her sister, but he held her face to his chest. Sophia stood in mid-stride, her mouth hanging open as she waited for the man to speak. “Gather my cloak for me.”
Sophia’s expression instantly changed from anger to smitten adoration. She nodded happily and went to get the cloak from the ground. She dusted it off before handing it to him. Mina watched all this in speechless awe, feeling betrayed and alone.
When Larus reached for the cloak, Mina jerked herself free and tried to get away. She made it two steps before the man growled and tackled her from behind. Landing on the ground with a thud, she felt his heavy length down her spine, crushing the breath from her lungs. With an angry pull, he hauled her around to face him. Straddling her with his thighs, he pinned her arms above her head with one hand.
Helpless and trapped, Mina struggled to be free, whimpering softly. But she only succeeded in forcing him against her smaller frame in hard jolts, tightening his hold over her. The intimate stroke of his body rubbed indecently against her core, heating her sex and making it moist. She breathed deeply, unsure of what to do next.
Larus’s nostrils flared and he gave her a wickedly dominant look. His gaze raked hotly over her breasts. Mina tried to shake loose, terrified by how that look made her skin tingle with the longing to be touched by him.
With a few deft movements, he had her wrapped up and tied in the large cloak. Her head poked out of the top, her feet out the bottom. She struggled, wiggling around on the ground like a worm. The man stood above her, hands on hips, as he watched her sputtering and cursing beneath him. He waited until she was breathless, huffing for air, her energy spent.
“Speak and I will gag you,” he warned. Leaning over, he hauled Mina over his broad shoulder and turned to look at Sophia. His hands settled indecently along the back of Mina’s thigh, close to the bottom curve of her butt cheek. “Come, we camp tonight. I will decide what to do with you two on the morrow.”
Naughty Cupid Trilogy Page 18