by S. E. Smith
“Perfect,” he dryly responded before raising an eyebrow. “Am I allowed to water a tree before you handcuff me or will you do me the pleasure of holding my cock so I can at least pee?”
The arm holding the sword wavered for a moment. Her face grew warm, but she didn’t look away. Alexandru saw her gaze move to his crotch before returning to his face. A hint of a smile curved her lips and he swore she was actually contemplating the last part of his question. Just the thought had his cock responding eagerly to the idea.
“As tempting as your suggestion is, I will grant you the privacy to relieve yourself – with the accompaniment of two of my wolfhounds, of course,” she added, lowering her sword. “There is a small stream flowing to your right. The wolfhounds will lead you back to the road. I will warn you again, do not try to run. They are vicious hunters and so am I.”
Alexandru knew his mouth was hanging slightly open when she turned and disappeared off the edge again, leaving him with the two wolfhounds. He snapped his mouth shut and glanced to the right at the alpha watching him. A rueful grin curved his lips when it showed its teeth to him in the perfect imitation of a canine grin.
“You have a fascinating mistress, lord wolfhound,” Alexandru chuckled before rising to his feet.
He brushed off the debris from his clothing as best he could. Bending, he picked up the jug of water and drained it. He would refill it after he freshened up.
“Well, if you are going to be my escorts, lead the way,” he said with a wave of his hand.
The alpha sneezed and trotted by him. Alexandru came after with the second wolfhound in the rear. He followed the rock ledge around and stepped down onto an animal trail. Following it a short distance, he saw the stream Ka’ya mentioned.
Alexandru set the empty jug down on a rock and relieved himself. An expression of distaste crossed his face when he noticed how filthy the front of his light blue shirt was. It would have been worse if not for his jacket.
There was nothing he could do about the disrepair of his clothing at the moment. He washed his hands and face before he realized he didn’t have anything to dry them with. Searching the pockets of his jacket, he was relieved to discover a clean cloth. As he pulled it out, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Alexandru dried his hands and ran the cloth over his face before he bent to retrieve the paper. Turning the rectangular card over, his eyes scanned the elegant script on the front of the ivory-colored card.
Magic Furnishings: Alexandru Carson,
Owner and Antiquities Expert
* * *
Pain flared through his head. Raising his hand to rub his brow between his eyes, he tried to focus on the words on the card. They swam before his eyes, changing before returning to normal again. He dropped his hand and shook his head. At least he knew he had been correct about his name. Now, he had another clue as to who he was – a business owner and antiquities expert.
A soft growl reminded him that he was not alone and that his furry companions were getting impatient. Muttering under his breath, he filled the jug with fresh water and replaced the plug attached to it by a thin piece of string. Glancing down the slope, he saw Ka’ya standing along the edge of the road.
“You know, your mistress is beautiful,” he said conversationally to the wolfhounds. “She’s a little rough around the edges, aloof, and quick with the blade, but very captivating.” He chuckled at his unintentional pun. “It will be interesting to see what she plans next.”
Alexandru casually straightened the cuffs of his jacket before he began his descent. As he descended, he couldn’t help but wonder where in the hell he was. His gaze swept over a maze of white flowers swaying 6in the breeze. The wolfhounds snapped at the flowering blooms. The blooms disappeared back into the dark blue stems. Shaking his head, he tried to remember if he had ever seen anything like the flowers before – and drew a blank.
Once at the bottom of the slope, he stepped toward Ka’ya. His advance was cut short when the alpha placed his large body between them. He glanced down at the wolfhound before looking back at Ka’ya.
“Hold out your hands,” she instructed, turning to face him.
Alexandru released a deep sigh. “Is this really necessary? In all honesty, I have no plans of going anywhere else,” he stated before shaking his head and holding his arms out when she continued to gaze at him in silence.
“How can I be certain of that?” she asked. “Besides, that is what you would say while you were planning to escape.”
She carefully wound several lengths of twine around his wrists and pulled it tight before taking the water jug from him. He stared down at the top of her head. He liked the way she had her hair pulled to the side. The sudden flash of her eyes and the tug on the cord told him that he must have said his thoughts out loud.
“So, why am I your captive again? I do not believe that taking prisoners is a common occurrence where I’m from,” he replied, following her when she turned away and started walking.
“You do not believe? Don’t you know if it is common or not?” she inquired.
Alexandru was silent for a moment before he replied. “I don’t remember,” he admitted.
Ka’ya glanced at him with a frown. “What do you mean you don’t remember?” she asked.
Alexandru gave Ka’ya a wry grin. “I appear to have lost my memory,” he said.
His attempt to appear nonchalant about the fact must not have been as good as he hoped. Ka’ya stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at him in surprise before her expression turned to one of suspicion. He returned her gaze with a steady one of his own. He saw her gaze move to his temple.
“Your head…. How did you heal so quickly?” she asked, gazing back at him.
Alexandru shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
“What do you remember?” she asked.
“My name,” he said in a quiet voice. “I found a card in my pocket. It had my name and the name of my business.”
“Where is this card?” Ka’ya demanded.
Alexandru turned slightly so that his left pocket was toward her. “My jacket pocket,” he replied.
Ka’ya stepped closer and reached into his pocket. Alexandru bent a tad so he could breathe in her scent. She smelled of the woods – fresh dew and earthiness. She pulled her hand free of his pocket, the card clasped between her fingers. She turned it over and stared at the writing with a frown.
“What does this say?” she asked, holding it up.
“Can’t you read?” Alexandru asked in surprise.
Ka’ya scowled at him. “Of course I can read! I just do not recognize these symbols. They are different from ours,” she retorted.
Alexandru grimaced. “I didn’t mean that the way it came out. I assumed that since you spoke English, that you could read it as well…. Only, you aren’t speaking English,” he replied slowly.
His voice faded when it dawned on him that he was speaking a language he had never heard before meeting her. The faint memory of a series of words flashed through his mind – along with the knowledge that those words held power. He closed his eyes when a shaft of pain swept through his head.
“What is it?” Ka’ya demanded, reaching out to steady him when he swayed.
Alexandru opened his eyes. “A memory – at least I think it was a memory,” he said with a slight shake of his head.
“Your head still hurts?” Ka’ya asked, reaching up to trace his temple where it had been bruised and cut the night before.
“Only when I try to remember,” he admitted with a grim smile. “Perhaps if you tell me about yourself and wherever in the hell we are, it will help.”
Ka’ya dropped her hand and stepped back. “I will tell you as we walk. Time is of the essence,” she said, turning away from him.
“Time…,” Alexandru murmured, glancing around before shaking his head. “No, not time…. Far, far away….”
“What?” Ka’ya said, turning to look at him again.
“I don�
�t know,” he growled in frustration, lifting his hands to run them through his hair only to remember they were tied. “I don’t know. Far, far away – I remember those words, but I don’t understand what they mean.”
Ka’ya was silent for several seconds before she pressed her lips together and turned again. “Well, we have a long, long way to go, so you can try to decipher the meaning on our journey,” she said.
“Your sympathy is truly heartwarming,” he retorted sarcastically, walking behind her when she tugged on the rope.
“Would being sympathetic solve your memory loss?” she asked.
Alexandru chuckled and shook his head. “No, but it might help my ego a little. I get the feeling I’m not accustomed to being treated like a – prisoner,” he said, hesitating on the last word and holding up his wrists.
“You’ll get used to it,” she replied with a straight face.
“Great! I lose my memory and get stuck with a comedian instead of a doctor,” Alexandru muttered under his breath.
Ka’ya’s soft chuckle drew a smile from Alexandru. Yes, he had lost his memory. Yes, he was a prisoner in a strange place. But damn, if he wasn’t curious about his captor. Another memory flashed through his mind, this one came without the familiar pain of the others. This memory was more recent and much more tantalizing. This memory was of the sweet, coppery taste on his tongue – a taste that made his stomach clench and his blood heat.
Alexandru was surprised when he felt his canines begin to lengthen. His tongue swept over his top teeth, feeling his canines sliding down from his gums. He glanced at Ka’ya. She was walking ahead of him, unaware that he was eyeing her with a hunger that shook him.
His gaze ran down her back to her long legs and back up again. His eyes locked on her neck. The moment they did, he felt his teeth lengthen until he knew they protruded. It would be impossible for him to hide the change if Ka’ya were to turn around and look at him. The sudden burning need to sink his teeth into the tender flesh of her neck nearly overwhelmed him.
He bit back a groan and clenched his fingers to keep from reaching for her. The wolfhounds sensed the building tension in him and gave him a wary look before moving closer to their mistress. Alexandru drew in deep breaths, trying to calm the raging fire that had started to burn inside of him. He focused on Ka’ya’s voice when she started to talk, thankful that the conversation didn’t require him to speak at the moment.
5
“There are no villages near here. At first, I assumed you must have been banished from your group if you are a raider or you became separated from them and lost your way. It was clear that you were alone since there were no other tracks. Raiders seldom travel alone. The forests are far too dangerous even for them,” she mused, trying to determine how Alexandru had ended up on the road. “But, you do not have the mannerisms of a raider, so I have determined you are not one. The only other option is that you are a merchant of wealth. Your clothing is too finely stitched to be that of a servant or farmer. Even the Elders of my village do not wear clothing so finely woven. Perhaps you were captured by raiders and escaped. That would explain how you were alone and injured.”
“That sounds… more reasonable,” he agreed in a terse tone.
Ka’ya briefly glanced over her shoulder at Alexandru, but he was looking down over the edge of the narrow road. She returned her focus to the path. Their journey at the moment was easy, but soon they would have to leave the winding road and travel a much more difficult trail. The road would take an extra four sunrises if they followed it, and it would leave them vulnerable to those who preyed upon unsuspecting travelers.
Instead, they would cut through the Mist River Pass. She had only been through it a couple of times before. If time had permitted, she would have preferred to take her chances along the road. Once she returned for her mother and brother, she would have no other choice. Neither would survive the route through the Mist River Pass.
“If you are wealthy, perhaps you can pay for your own release. It would be worth the cost of coin for my protection,” she said, glancing over her shoulder again with a frown. “You are not going to pass out on me again, are you?”
“No,” Alexandru replied. “If you have determined that I am not a raider, but a possible client in need of your services, is it possible for you to free my hands?”
“Perhaps – later,” she said. “I am not convinced yet of my conclusions. After all, you could be the leader of the raiders and simply wearing fine clothing stolen from a wealthy merchant who you killed when he did not give you the coin you demanded.”
Alexandru’s groan made her grin. She knew she was goading him, but his silence was beginning to worry her. He looked flushed. She was worried that his injuries might be worse than she first thought and perhaps he had received more damage to the inside of his head than the outside. She remembered a farmer who had been kicked in the head once by one of his beasts. The wound had healed on the outside, but he had never been quite right again.
“Are you…,” she started to ask.
“I’m not…,” he said at the same time.
She slowed to a stop and turned to look at him. He had his face averted from her still, as if he was trying to hide something. He jerked to a stop. Ka’ya stepped closer to him and lifted her hand to touch his face. She was surprised when he pulled back. Hurt at his reaction dissolved when he turned to glare at her. Her lips parted on a soft gasp when she saw his mouth. Her gaze swept up to meet his in inquiry.
“Your mouth,” she whispered.
“I know,” he bit out.
Ka’ya frowned. “But, how is it possible for your teeth to grow like that?” she asked.
Alexandru shook his head and gestured with his hands. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
Ka’ya could see the confusion, frustration, and – a hint of pain in his eyes. For a moment, he reminded her of Dru – lost and forlorn when none of the other children would play with him. She lifted her hand again, more slowly this time to give him a chance to understand what she was doing. His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t pull away this time.
She gently lifted his lip. His canines were even longer than they had been last night. Curious to see what he would do, she ran her thumb over the tip. Once again, a drop of blood welled up from where the sharp point had penetrated. A soft rumble escaped him and his tongue swept out and around her finger.
Her breath escaped in a startled hiss when she felt a tug on the front of her vest and found herself pressed as close to him as his bound hands would allow. He sucked on her thumb, pulling it deeper into his mouth. Ka’ya swallowed, mesmerized by the feel and sight of what he was doing.
Her gaze moved up to his eyes. They were glowing with a dark fire. She released a soft moan when he ran his tongue over the pad of her thumb. Pulling her thumb free from his mouth, she stared up at him with wide eyes.
“You did the same thing last night,” she informed him.
“What did I do?” he asked.
“Your…. Your teeth grew, but not as long. The tip is sharper than my blade. It pierced my flesh and you… you… licked my blood from it.” She glanced at the pad of her thumb. “It is healed. How?”
“My saliva,” he said without thinking. His eyes widened at the admission. “Ka’ya….”
There was a need in his voice that drew her to him. She didn’t know what he wanted, but there was something in his voice that made it difficult to resist. Her hands slid up his chest and she leaned closer. Her breath mingled with his. Before their lips could touch, the alpha pushed against her leg and released a soft growl of warning.
Ka’ya stiffened, her eyes clearing at the soft alarm. “We have to get off the road,” she said, pulling away and glancing around. “There! Hurry.”
She didn’t wait for Alexandru’s response. Pulling on the cord wrapped around his wrists, she tugged for him to follow her. Ka’ya hurried over to a grouping of rocks and thrust the cord she was holding into Alexandru’s tied hands. They d
idn’t have much time.
“Climb the rocks and stay down,” she instructed.
“Why?” Alexandru started to ask before his eyes darkened with understanding. “There is at least a dozen.”
Ka’ya turned to look at Alexandru in surprise. “How can you know that?” She shook her head. “Go, I will follow you.”
“What about the wolfhounds?” Alexandru asked with concern.
Ka’ya gave Alexandru a quizzical smile. “You are a strange man, Alexandru Carson. My wolfhounds will be fine. It is ourselves that we must hide. Now, go,” she instructed.
She turned and waved a hand at the wolfhounds. In a flash, they disappeared into the woods on the other side of the road. Returning her gaze to Alexandru, her eyes widened when she got her first good look at the formfitting blue trousers he was wearing – well, it wasn’t truly his trousers that she was looking at, but his ass. Her hands itched to reach up and run over the tight fabric.
“What are you doing to me?” she growled under her breath.
“Nothing, but I can share a few things that I would like to be doing,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder with a grin.
Once again, Ka’ya was startled by his excellent hearing. She ignored his comment and began to climb behind him. They crouched down behind a large boulder and waited.
The heavy sound of war beasts, the creaking of wood and metal, and the muted sound of men talking were soon heard along the road. Ka’ya silently counted the number men in the caravan – twelve. Her eyes narrowed when the man in the lead suddenly stopped and held up his hand. The other men immediately halted behind him and grew silent.
She watched him dismount his beast. Two other men dismounted behind him. A frown creased her brow when another man nudged his beast forward.
“They noticed the wolfhound tracks,” Alexandru murmured.
She looked at him in surprise. “How?” she mouthed, touching her ear.