Unleashed

by Abby Gordon

  He strode from the dining room and glanced about. Timson pointed toward the library and bowed at his lord’s thanks. Amanda was curled up in a chair in front of the fireplace. The expression on her face as he entered told him that she hadn’t thought he would find her so quickly.

  “Amanda, who or what is frightening you?” he demanded, striding toward her.

  She just looked up at him. A sudden, dire thought crossed his mind and he hooked a stool closer with his foot. Sitting down, he gently took her hands.

  “Do I frighten you?” he asked quietly.

  “No, milord,” she protested with such sincerity that his relief must have been visible on his face. She smiled. “It’s not you. It’s…”

  “Your dreams?” he guessed, fearing the worst now. But that means she remembers them. They’ve affected her. “Your dreams frighten you?”

  “Not frighten. Just…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, my lord. I’m not usually so flighty. Nor do I let dreams unsettle me. It’s just…”

  “Things happen in your dreams that you don’t understand?”

  “Things I know nothing about, so how can I be dreaming them?” she fretted.

  He chose his words carefully.

  “Amanda, sometimes dreams are the way our hearts and minds give us answers. It’s how we prepare ourselves for something or find the courage to change our lives.”

  “They could use things I understand,” she grumbled.

  He smiled at her spunk and thanked God. He wanted a wife who accepted his decisions, but also was strong in her own right. Any woman marrying into his family had to be.

  “Perhaps your dreams are telling you that you need to be ready for a change.”

  She frowned at that. With a slow smile, she nodded.

  “Thank you for being so patient with me, milord,” she smiled. “I promise to ask my dreams for an answer to your proposal.”

  “Just don’t have a nightmare?” he requested, standing and helping her to her feet.

  She laughed, a dimple flashing. He escorted her out of the library toward the grand staircase.

  “I don’t think I’ve had a nightmare since I was a little girl.”

  “What was it about?”

  She paused, a sudden odd expression on her face. He watched her intently, not daring even to breathe.

  “I was in an unknown woods,” she replied, her voice soft as she remembered. “I was being chased by men. The snow was very deep. Up to my knees. I could hear someone ahead of me shouting my name. Someone I wanted to get to, but the men behind me were closer. I was very frightened because I knew that whomever was trying to save me wouldn’t get to me before the men did.”

  “Is that when you wake up?” he asked, his mind pulling up faint memories of dreams of fear, a desperate need to reach someone. Dreams he’d thought gone. She is the one! The beast exulted in his mind.

  “No,” she shook her head, gathering her skirts up in her hands so she could go up the steps. “I’m saved.”

  He frowned, moving beside her, a hand at her elbow. “But you said…”

  She stopped on the landing and looked up at him.

  “A wolf saves me,” she said softly. “A very large wolf tears apart the men the way Aaron was torn apart this morning.”

  He closed his eyes briefly. The snow that morning had been nearly to her knees. And more was falling. He remembered his concern about Aaron pushing Amanda into a marriage with him in the hopes that Wulfgar would pay off his debts. Perhaps realizing that, even if the pair wed, the Baron wouldn’t help his wife’s brother, Aaron had stolen numerous valuable objects to sell or barter for payment. Which meant, Wulfgar realized, the men Aaron owed might have followed the family from the capital. Perhaps to convince Heinrich to pay his son’s debts. Or to catch them on the road where it would be an easier matter to take Amanda from the carriage. Whether or not they knew that they would incur his wrath, the men would try to recoup whatever was owed to them by stealing Amanda. She was his to protect, he vowed. In silence, they continued up the stairs and stopped at her door.

  “I’ll make sure you meet Bane tomorrow,” he promised. “Sleep well, Amanda.”

  “And you, my lord,” she replied in a low voice.

  Chapter Six

  Thoughtfully, reviewing his words, Amanda changed into her nightgown and washed her face. Sitting up in bed, she said her prayers and stared at the fire for several moments. So much had happened.

  It was incredible that her brother had died that morning and she wasn’t grief-stricken. She puzzled over that until she realized that he’d been her brother but he had been a stranger. Aaron had been full of discontent in their town, eager to be away and frustrated at anything or anyone that seemed to oppose him. Soon after her mother died when she ten, Aaron had been helping their father with some papers and realized that her mother’s family had no titles. Money, yes, but absolutely no “quality” to their blood. As his mother had been the granddaughter of a duke who had been on the king’s council, Aaron had lorded that over her and, she sighed, bullied her unmercifully whenever their father wasn’t around.

  Her father and Bettina were somewhere in the manor. She wondered if her father would sort out his marriage. She hoped so, for his sake and Bettina’s. She had liked Bettina until they’d been married. And she didn’t like Bettina’s mother. Amanda scowled at the fire. Katerina Grunden was an interfering bully who belittled everyone who didn’t agree with her immediately. Amanda had long suspected that Katerina was responsible for the change in Bettina. Her father asserting himself as Bettina’s husband would displease Katerina mightily and, for that alone, Amanda hoped her father and Bettina emerged with closer marital bonds.

  And to top off the day—Lord Wulfgar’s proposal at dinner. That he should be in her dreams and then propose had totally unnerved her. She had longed to say “yes” immediately, but was terrified of telling him of her dreams and what she was. To not tell him would be deceitful, and she could not deceive him if they were to be married. But she was so afraid that if he knew what she was dreaming he would be shocked and scandalized. Surely he would cast such a wanton out of his home.

  She thought about his words. He thought dreams could give her answers or prepare her for something. That was worth considering. Could her dreams be trying to prepare her for being married to him? The memories flooded her mind and warmed her body.

  She suddenly smiled. There was someone who might understand her problem and help her. She glanced at the clock and closed her eyes.

  Cousin? Karl, are you there?

  A moment later, she heard his startled thoughts. She sensed him waving off those around him and going into an alcove surrounded by potted palms.

  Mandy? Where are you?

  There was a blizzard. We took refuge at the manor of Baron Socton.

  Socton is a good, honorable man, Mandy. He served the realm well during the Southern Rebellion. She felt his pause and gentle probe. You’re upset. What else has happened?

  Aaron is dead. He stole valuable objects from the baron’s household. He was trying to leave the manor when… Her breath caught in a sob.

  Socton’s beasts stopped him. Did Socton tell you about them?

  Yes. Father and Bettina are in a different wing of the manor. And… Cousin, he…he proposed to me tonight. I don’t know how to tell him…

  Tell him.

  I’m scared.

  Don’t be. Trust me, little one. If anyone beside us two can understand, it’s Socton. Again, her cousin paused. If you can, try not to bring me into the conversation. Especially around your father.

  You and the baron aren’t friends?

  I’ve had to play a different game of survival than Socton. And he has some things to tell you as well.

  Such as?

  Those are his secrets to tell. Not mine.

  Men!

  His laughter filled her mind. It’s late for you, Mandy, and if you’re that far, this will exhaust you. Good night. And congratulations.r />
  Good night.

  She snuggled deeper into the covers and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  For a third night in her dreams, Wulfgar opened the bedroom door. Pulling the covers from her, he gazed down at her a long moment. She saw fire in his eyes as he reached for the neck of her nightgown with both hands. With quick jerks, he tore it in half down the front. Shocked, she couldn’t move. He sat on the bed and covered her breasts with his hands. She sighed as he fondled the soft skin. He lowered his head and suckled on her tight nipples. He nibbled and licked them until they were peaked and aching. She gasped as his teeth nipped the hard peaks of her breasts. He caught her hips, holding her still as his mouth roamed her upper body. He seemed to relish the reactions when he touched her breasts and focused on them. Her hips shifted restlessly on the bed.

  Relentlessly, he tormented the sensitive skin, his long fingers fondling the soft mounds, pinching and pulling at the nipples until she was moving frantically on the bed. Her skin was glowing with need. Her breath came fast and shallow. Her core tightened and ached. And her mind…her mind was demanding the explosion she’d felt the night before. The need became a hunger. She reared up off the pillows, reaching for him as she sat up. Her fingers tangled in his hair and forced him to look at her.

  “Wulfgar,” she whispered, all her need in his name.

  Down the hall, the man stirred on the great bed, his hand gripping his cock while his mind hungrily took over hers. He could feel her heat as if she was in the bed with him, smell her arousal as if her sweet nectar was actually beneath his mouth. Her hips arched up and her thighs fell to the side to give him greater access to her heat and then he felt her hands on his head. She spoke his name. He could see her…sweet God, she was there with him.

  The fire in his eyes blazed higher when he saw her desperate need. With a deliberate movement, he lowered his head and put his mouth where the night before his hand had given her pleasure. Her moans grew louder as his tongue touched her clit. He closed his eyes as her hands held him to her. Her back arched as he greedily feasted on her flesh. Her soft moans told him how his touch affected her. Her fingers tightened in his hair. She bowed over him briefly before flinging her head back as ecstasy filled her. Her fingers went as boneless as the rest of her and she fell back on the pillows. Smiling at having satisfied her, he stretched out next to her and gathered her against him.

  “Beloved,” he murmured in her ear.

  ****

  Amanda stirred and the memory of her dream flooded into her mind. She felt her belly warm and her legs tremble. With a smile, she burrowed further into the pillows and shifted on her side. She suddenly froze. She was naked! Frantic, she searched for her nightgown and saw it on the floor several feet from the bed.

  Clutching the sheet to her chest, she took several deep breaths unable to believe she’d taken her nightgown off in her sleep. The alternative was unthinkable. She could not believe that Lord Wulfgar would actually come into her bedroom while she was asleep. Even if she had accepted his proposal last night, surely he wouldn’t be so bold.

  She swallowed, realizing that she knew very little about the man. Her cousin’s words echoed in her mind. Unwilling to leave the bed, she sat staring at the puddle of pale green flannel.

  Images from her dream kept trying to overwhelm her, and she closed her eyes at the sensations. It was so tempting to run to him, say “yes,” and beg him to really do to her what he’d done in her dreams. But the fear of his rejection paralyzed her. The picture of her holding his head between her thighs wouldn’t go away, no matter how she fought back at them. She could feel his mouth on her core again, feel his hands on her breasts pressing her to the pillows and then she fell back, succumbing to the sensation. She muffled her cries with her fist as waves of pleasure rolled over her.

  Spent, she curled up on the pillows. As if on its own volition, one hand went to her thigh and then between her legs. For a moment, Amanda couldn’t move. She was wet. Not as if she was going through her cycle, but something very different. That made her curious enough to lift the blankets and look. What met her gaze shocked her even further.

  At the top of each inner thigh lay several narrow marks and a few of what looked like small bruises. In disbelief, she traced one, feeling the indentation. She trembled. Had he come to her room? Why? And had he actually come to her the other nights when she had thought she was dreaming?

  Her head swiveled to look at the pillows but she saw only the indentation from her head. And he had definitely held her as she’d slept. Hadn’t he?

  Knowing she had to at least pick up the nightgown before Mrs. Anders or one of the maids came in, she took a deep breath and slid out of bed. She took two quick steps, snatched up the material, and sprang back into bed. Safely under the blankets, she clutched it to her.

  If it was torn, then he had come to her. If it wasn’t… She frowned. If it wasn’t, then how did she get the marks on her legs? Why had she reacted the way she did when she knew she was awake? Or was she awake?

  She took a deep breath. Slowly she pulled the nightgown out from under the covers and found the neck-line. For a long moment, she stared without seeing before she focused on the material. She closed her eyes.

  It had been torn in half.

  Now thoroughly confused, she struggled with the shame of her dreams knowing that no well-brought up maid would do such a thing. She shouldn’t even know about such things. Trembling, she pulled herself from the bed, washing herself and dressing.

  She didn’t go down for breakfast. When no one came to even bring her morning tea, she told herself that Lord Wulfgar was so angry at her not immediately accepting his proposal that he had ordered everyone to stay away from her. Part of her knew that he wouldn’t do something petty, but the other part didn’t care. She brushed her hair but left it unbound.

  Near ten o’clock, there was a light tap on the door. Amanda lifted her forehead from the glass pane where she sat on the window seat.

  “Come in,” she called, half-expecting to see him.

  Mrs. Anders came in with an affectionate, understanding look on her face.

  “His lordship requests you join him in the library, miss.”

  Nodding, Amanda stood, smoothed down the skirt of her deep yellow gown, and followed the housekeeper down the grand staircase to the library. Timson opened the door for her and she entered, pausing as the door was closed quickly after she entered.

  Dressed in a dark green jacket over a green-brown tweed vest, Lord Wulfgar was again seated at his desk working on accounts. At the sound of the latch, he closed his account book and looked up at her. Even from across the room, she knew that expression. She could see the fire in his eyes. It was the same look on his face from her dream.

  Images of him coming to her room flashed in her mind. The first night when he’d held her. The second night when he’d suckled on her breasts and his fingers had stroked her to pleasures unimagined. Last night when he’d bitten her thighs and feasted on where his hand had been. And just that morning when she’d been awake and felt the pleasure again.

  With a low cry, she stumbled back against the door, a hand reaching behind her. He was there in an instant. He picked her up and carried her to his leather chair before the fireplace. She struggled weakly to free herself.

  “Please. Let me go,” she pleaded. “Leave me be.”

  “Shh, Beloved,” he murmured, cradling her head to his chest.

  “Don’t call me that.” She didn’t deserve to be called that, and to hear him say it pushed her to despair.

  “It’s your name,” he told her. “An ancient translation and what I will call you.”

  “No,” she insisted, dissolving into tears. “What are you doing to me?”

  “Fulfilling our destinies.”

  “No,” she shook her head in denial. Her brain refused to accept what he said.

  “It is the fate of the men in my family,” began Wulfgar, arms tight around her. “To know that the on
ly woman for us is one we have a mental link to. It usually starts in dreams. As the pair becomes closer, both the man and woman can initiate the link to communicate with the other. The instant I saw you…I thought you were the gentlest beauty I’d ever seen. I didn’t dare hope that you would be the one for me.”

  “The blacksmith in town said you’d been married,” she whispered. Mental link? Was he putting the images in her mind? But why? How? “Didn’t you have the link with her? Or was that part of the family curse he mentioned?”

  “No,” he said shortly. “She was part of a coven of witches who used tricks and potions to make it seem as if she had formed a link with me. I don’t know what you heard in the town…”

  “I know you didn’t kill her. I don’t know what killed her, but I know it wasn’t you.”

  “Even knowing that I found out that she’d tricked me?” He seemed astonished at the conviction and certainty in her voice.

  “Whatever you might have to do in battle, you would see harming a woman, especially killing her, as a sign of great weakness.” Her head shifted and she met his gaze. “I knew that as soon as I saw you.”

  “Thank you,” he said simply. “The first night you were here,” he resumed the story. “I tried to tell myself that fate had forsaken me. That it certainly wouldn’t bring me the one woman meant for me in the middle of a blizzard. But I dreamt of holding you that night. My dreams knew better,” he decided.

  “And the second night?”

  He gave her a slightly embarrassed look.

  “I wanted to caress you, to dream of touching you to ecstasy. It truly never occurred to me that you were experiencing the dreams, until you came in to breakfast yesterday. The day before you had blushed when you first saw me, but I thought it was because you were shy around me. But yesterday morning,” he smiled at her, “I started to wonder. The idea that you might have felt some of the dream wouldn’t leave my mind. Even when Anders came to the door. I saw how you looked when I fastened my cloak. I decided to adjust yours to see what your reaction was.” Desire blazed in the blue eyes. “All I wanted to do was carry you to my bed.”