Defying Destiny

by Olivia Downing

  “With my spilled blood, this curse

  doth die,” he whispered.

  Maralee sat up with a startled cry. A

  hand touched her in the darkness and she

  gasped.

  “It’s me,” Nash said, sleepily.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She knew it had only been a dream,

  but that didn’t stop her from collapsing

  against him. She kissed him; missing his

  mouth, her lips brushed his chin. She

  kissed him again, higher this time, finding

  his lips in the darkness. Her kiss was long

  and deep, as she pressed her body up

  against his and wrapped her arms around

  him. She filled her hands with his warm

  flesh to reassure herself he was alive. She

  hadn’t killed him with her sword. He was

  here with her now. He wasn’t dead. He

  wasn’t.

  Nash broke her desperate kiss. “You’d

  better slow down,” he said. “I don’t think

  you realize what you’re doing.”

  “Oh, Nash,” she whispered, hugging

  him closer. “I had a horrible dream.”

  He gave into her need for comfort. He

  wrapped his arms around her and stroked

  her hair with one hand. “Do you want to

  tell me about it?”

  “No, it’s too terrible. I don’t want to

  think about it.” She squeezed her eyes shut

  and willed the horrific images to leave

  her.

  “It was just a dream,” he murmured

  drowsily, planting a brotherly kiss on her

  forehead. “Go back to sleep and have

  pleasant dreams from now on.”

  Her dreams were never just dreams.

  They either reiterated her past or

  prophesied her future. It had been that way

  for as long as she could remember. Nash

  hadn’t been there the night her family had

  been murdered so maybe, just this once,

  she’d had a dream not based in reality.

  She hadn’t killed Nash. She wouldn’t. It

  wasn’t as if he were a Wolf so she had no

  reason to kill him.

  Maralee could never fall back to sleep

  after her ritualistic nightmares, but the

  warmth of Nash’s body beside her and the

  comfort of his hand in her hair soon had

  her eyes blinking drowsily. “Thank you,”

  she whispered to him before drifting back

  to sleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  Shuddering pleasure pulled Maralee

  from sleep early the following morning. It

  took her several moments to realize the

  source was Nash’s warm, wet tongue

  against her bared breasts.

  “Nash,” she gasped and lifted her

  hands to touch him. He backed away

  before she could find him in the darkness.

  Disappointed, she dropped her hands

  and he reappeared, licking first one

  hardened nipple and then the other. Her

  back arched and she sighed with pleasure.

  “Oh,” she gasped, a throb between her

  thighs making her squirm.

  Unable to keep her hands to herself

  any longer, she reached for him again, and

  again he moved away.

  “Why won’t you let me touch you?”

  His response was to lick her thigh.

  Her breath escaped in a rush. This

  new

  sensation

  was

  even

  more

  pleasurable. She needed him to help her.

  Help her with what? She didn’t know, but

  she needed it. Needed him.

  He made his way up her thigh.

  Maralee squirmed, anticipating him giving

  her what she wanted, what she needed, but

  skittishness got the better of her and she

  rose up. She grabbed Nash’s shoulders to

  stop his progress.

  “I should not have done that without

  your permission,” he murmured. “I

  discovered that your scent increases as I

  lick your breasts. I couldn’t resist.”

  “My scent?”

  His nose brushed the mound at the

  juncture of her thighs. Warm breath bathed

  the insides of both thighs and she gasped.

  “It excites me,” he said. “Your scent…

  excites…”

  He nibbled the tender skin at the top of

  her thigh and she collapsed back against

  the soft furs of his pallet. “Nash,” she said

  breathlessly.

  He made a low sound in the back of

  his throat—almost a growl. “I need…” he

  panted. “I need…” He backed away

  unexpectedly. “I have to leave for a

  moment.”

  She reached for him, but he had

  already retreated through the door at her

  feet. She groaned in protest. Why did he

  keep leaving her in this state? The heated

  flesh between her thighs felt swollen and

  achy. She moved her hand to press against

  her tormented mound.

  The door creaked open and then

  closed again, bathing her in absolute

  darkness.

  “Nash?” she whispered.

  Deep, raspy inhalations came from

  near her feet. Her knee. She opened her

  legs for him and he whimpered.

  Whimpered? Maralee grabbed him

  and instead of earning a handful of firm

  muscles and smooth flesh, her fingers sank

  into dense fur.

  A repulsive dog had been sniffing her!

  The animal retreated to the door, where,

  to Maralee’s astonishment, it pulled it

  open with its mouth and dashed out of the

  room. She caught a flash of black fur on a

  thick tail before it vanished into the

  hallway.

  “Nash!” she yelled.

  Maralee stumbled to her feet, pulling

  the shirt that had served as her nightgown

  over her still puckered nipples. She

  rubbed them angrily with both hands.

  Disgusted that her arousal had been

  investigated by an animal.

  “Nash!” She was working herself into

  a rage. Where in the hell was he? She

  heard the front door open and she

  stumbled into the hallway.

  “What are you screaming about?”

  Nash asked, standing at the end of the

  hallway in nothing but a pair of loose

  fitting undershorts.

  Maralee couldn’t stop herself from

  giving him the once over before continuing

  on her rampage. “There was a…an animal

  in bed with me!”

  Nash was the epitome of calm when he

  replied, “Ah, yes. I just let him outside.

  He sometimes sneaks into the house.”

  “What?”

  “He didn’t harm you, did he?” Nash

  asked, looking her over carefully.

  “I…no,” she admitted, blushing. How

  could she tell him she’d opened her thighs

  for a dog because she’d thought it was

  him?

  He smiled at her crookedly. “I think

  you’d better get dressed,” he said. “You

  still plan to stay with me for a few weeks,

  don’t you?”

  She was once again under the spell of />
  his gorgeous smile. “I…yes, I suppose.

  But…”

  “But?”

  “You have to promise to keep that

  horrible creature out of my bed.”

  He lowered his eyes. “Horrible, was

  he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, he is an animal. His greatest

  motivation

  would

  be…instinct.”

  He

  looked at her again. There was something

  sad about his expression and she was at

  once reminded of the terrible dream she’d

  had the night before. The man seemed to

  have a strange attachment to canines, be

  they Wolf or dog.

  “I guess we’ll head to the village to

  retrieve my things,” she said, wanting to

  change the subject and erase the sadness

  in his golden eyes. “Purchase some forks

  and maybe a potato or two.”

  He smiled. “It is rather early in our

  acquaintance to expect so much from you.”

  Maralee’s

  brow

  furrowed

  with

  confusion. “Where did that come from?”

  His smile widened. “Did I say that out

  loud?”

  “You’re being funny strange again.”

  “I apologize,” he said, ducking his

  head. “I was on my way to the bathroom

  when I heard you scream. If you’ll excuse

  me.”

  Maralee watched him step out of the

  house into the cold, crisp winter morning

  in nothing but his undershorts. The sun had

  scarcely made an appearance and the

  temperature was well below freezing. She

  shivered just thinking about how cold he

  must be. She peeked out the window over

  the desk, hoping to catch a glimpse of him,

  but the only living creature in sight was a

  huge black dog, which she determined

  wasn’t a dog after all, but a Wolf. It lifted

  its leg on the corner of the porch and

  disappeared around the side of the house.

  She hoped Nash would be all right,

  wandering around outside half-naked with

  a Wolf in the area, be it a friendly Wolf or

  not. She retreated to the bedroom and

  dressed.

  The house was chilly. Maralee went to

  the living area to light a fire in the grate

  while she waited for Nash to return. She

  had just added the first log to the fire

  when the door opened and Nash

  reappeared, carrying young Carsha in the

  crook of his arm. She was holding onto his

  neck, hugging him with her eyes closed in

  loving bliss. It would have been a

  touching scene if Nash hadn’t been

  entirely naked.

  “Nash,” Maralee admonished. “You

  can’t go around like that in front of a little

  girl.”

  Carsha opened her eyes and glared at

  Maralee. “He can hug me if he wants to.”

  “She means I’m without clothes,”

  Nash told his niece, setting her down on

  her feet.

  “But Uncle Nash, you never wear

  clothes when it’s warm outside.”

  Maralee gasped. Perhaps she had

  visited at the wrong time of the year.

  Nash laughed nervously. “Go warm

  yourself by the fire, Carsha,” he said. He

  padded unconcernedly out of the room to

  find his clothes. Maralee followed him

  with her gaze until he was out of sight.

  “Don’t you like to be without clothes

  when it’s hot outside?” Carsha asked

  Maralee, stepping closer to the fire and

  extending her hands towards it.

  “I only go without clothes when I

  bathe,” Maralee said in a low voice. This

  subject made her uncomfortable. What

  kind of barbaric people went around

  naked?

  “I hate clothes,” Carsha said. “I only

  wear them in winter because my mother

  makes me.”

  Wanting desperately to change the

  subject, Maralee said, “We’re going to

  Sarbough this morning. Would you like to

  come along?”

  “To the village where the humans

  live?”

  “Your mother will never let you come

  with us,” Nash interrupted, tugging his

  sweater over his head as he entered the

  room.

  “Mother took Lark and Lord out for a

  hunt. They’ll be gone for days,” Carsha

  said.

  “Lark and Lord?” Maralee asked.

  “Carsha’s older, twin brothers,” Nash

  explained.

  “I’m staying with Grandmother. She’ll

  let me go if you make her,” Carsha said.

  “That wouldn’t be—”

  Carsha

  interrupted.

  “But

  you’re

  supposed to be leader. You just let her

  take charge. You’re the alpha-ma—”

  Nash interrupted her, sending her what

  Maralee took as a look of warning.

  “Carsha, you go ask her. If she says ‘yes’

  then you can come. I’m not going to make

  her do anything.”

  “But—”

  “If you don’t stop being so contrary,

  you won’t be allowed to go at all.”

  Carsha’s eyes filled with tears and she

  stamped her foot angrily. When Nash

  didn’t back down in the face of her fury,

  she turned and headed for the door

  dejectedly.

  When she was gone, Maralee spoke.

  “Perhaps I shouldn’t have invited her.”

  “It will be good for her to go,” Nash

  said and made his way to the fireside.

  “Perhaps our greatest folly is secluding

  ourselves in the forest.”

  Maralee sat down beside him. “I don’t

  know. I find the two of you refreshingly

  different.”

  He didn’t look at her or comment on

  her compliment. She decided she was

  making him uncomfortable, so she changed

  the subject with a falsely enthusiastic

  smile. “The three of us could have

  breakfast at the inn. My treat,” she said.

  “The owner’s wife makes fantastic

  griddlecakes.”

  “I’m not used to exotic food.”

  She laughed at his joke. “Now you’re

  being funny ha-ha.”

  He stared into the fire as if it held a

  sudden fascination for him. A few

  moments later, Carsha returned, letting

  herself into the house.

  “Grandma says I can go!”

  “She did?” Nash looked surprised as

  he glanced at the girl over his shoulder.

  “She said I should be safe as long as

  you’re with me, Uncle Nash.”

  Nash smiled at her. “This should be an

  adventure. Maralee says she will treat us

  to breakfast at the inn.”

  “I hope you like griddlecakes,”

  Maralee said.

  Carsha glanced at Nash uncertainly.

  “What are those?”

  “I have no idea,” Nash said, shrugging.

  Maralee chuckled, grinning at the pair

&n
bsp; of them. “I guess a good sense of humor

  runs in your family.”

  Nash and Carsha exchanged glances.

  Maralee’s face fell. “You don’t mean

  you’ve actually never had griddlecakes?

  You two are in for a treat.”

  “Okay!” Carsha said enthusiastically,

  as if she were conquering a great fear.

  “Get your boots and cloak,” Nash said

  to Maralee. He began smothering the fire,

  which had just started to warm the room.

  “I’ve got some furs and buckskin we can

  trade for supplies. I’ll meet you on the

  porch.”

  “Can I go to the bathroom first?”

  Maralee asked.

  He nodded at her, before sliding his

  feet into his boots and putting on his long

  leather coat. He looked every bit a

  dangerous outlaw.

  “Can I help you, Uncle Nash?” Carsha

  asked, following him to the door.

  “Don’t you have some rabbit furs in

  the store room?” he asked. “Maybe you’d

  like to trade them for something at the

  mercantile.”

  “Can I really?” Carsha rushed out of

  the house in front of him, waving her arms

  excitedly.

  Nash glanced over his shoulder and

  gave Maralee a smile before closing the

  door behind them. Maralee put on her

  boots and cloak, slipped outside and

  around the back of the house for a moment

  of privacy, and then returned to the porch.

  Nash and Carsha joined her within a few

  minutes, Carsha carrying a small bundle of

  rabbit furs and Nash a much larger batch

  of hides and other furs.

  “So is this how your village makes

  money?” Maralee asked.

  “We are fairly self-sufficient,” he

  said. “We trade furs for the few things we

  cannot find in the forest.”

  “Like cigarettes?” she teased him.

  “My one guilty pleasure,” he agreed.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I don’t suppose I could get my sword

  back before we go?”

  “Not yet,” he said. Carsha clung

  fearfully to Nash’s leg. “You won’t need

  it until the next full moon, right?”

  Maralee avoided the child’s frightened

  golden eyes. She would have insisted

  upon the return of her sword if Carsha

  hadn’t been so obviously terrified of it. “I

  suppose.” She sighed. “I guess I’m ready

  then.”

  They headed in the direction of

  Sarbough, Carsha staying protectively by

  Nash’s side, while Maralee picked her

  way through the dense underbrush a few

  paces behind them. The sun was higher in

  the sky now, and the frost was beginning

  to melt from the bare branches of the trees