VIKING ROMANCE: Married to the Viking King: Wolf Shifter Romance (2 page)

A second passed before the clan around them cheered. They congratulated their leader on his marriage, and he nodded graciously to accept their praise. Linnea gave him a soft smile, the happiness of the clan contagious.

Linnea waited patiently, and when Aric felt sufficiently congratulated, he turned to look at her. He took up her hand, and Linnea couldn’t help but flinch slightly.

“Now, we go to dinner,” Aric said flatly, and led her by the hand down one of the small roads in the village. The rest of the clan followed suit behind them. They walked for a moment before the dwellings gave way to a large, circular area of empty space, with a roaring bonfire in the middle. On a spit above the fire, a sheep was being roasted.

Linnea realized that the circle was made up of flat rocks, and furs had been laid out over them. Aric led her over to the largest one in the circle, and he promptly sat down upon it. Linnea stood awkwardly, unsure of what she should do.

“Sit,” Aric said, and gestured to the space immediately beside him. Apparently they would be sharing the large rock.

Linnea did as he asked. In order for them to both fit on the surface of the rock, Linnea had to sit so close to him that they were touching. Aric made himself more comfortable by stretching his arm out behind her, and Linnea found that she could easily lean into his side.

They remained this way for the rest of the night as they were fed by the other members of the clan. Aric interacted happily with his friends and Linnea sat quietly at his side, never daring to try and interact. She watched as the children in the clan chased each other and played games. She looked into the fire and allowed the heat from Aric’s body to warm her as the sun went down and she began to shiver.

Aric must have noticed, for he wrapped her more snugly to his side with his arm. This provided some relief, and Linnea was grateful that he noticed.

Without notice, Aric stood and drew her up with him. The clan settled down and looked up at him.

“Thank you all very much,” he dipped his head to them graciously, his voice easily carrying over the crowd. “Now, I will retire with my wife.”

There was a murmur of general affirmation from the crowd as Aric turned and stepped out of the circle and back toward the village, and Linnea stayed close to his side. She squinted to try and see, but the sun was gone, and the entire village was bathed in darkness. She wondered how on earth Aric could see anything in this inky blackness, but she found that she was not surprised at all.

At length, they came upon one of the stone dwellings, and Aric pulled back the fur flap on the door, gesturing for her to move inside. Linnea did so gladly, and she was grateful that the temperature was a bit warmer out of the slight wind. She watched silently as Aric moved to a fire place in one corner, and began to make a fire. When he was done, the room began to warm up considerably, and Linnea sighed with pleasure.

Finally, Aric turned to face her. He looked up and down her body, and Linnea felt anxiety well up inside of her. His face and his eyes betrayed no emotion as he came to stand directly in front of her. Linnea felt her pulse pounding in her ears, and she vaguely wondered if Aric could hear it.

Linnea watched silently as Aric raised his hands to the crown of flowers woven into her hair, and removed each one carefully, allowing them to fall gracefully to the floor. Linnea tensed as he came to stand behind her, but she relaxed as he merely began to unbraid her hair, freeing her blond locks. She shivered lightly as he ran his fingers though her hair.

Aric moved to stand in front of her once again. Linnea watched, transfixed as he raised his tunic up and over his head to reveal his solid, broad torso. Linnea felt her mouth go dry as she looked upon his rippling muscles. Scars littered his chest and chiseled stomach, and she could not help the pang of sympathy that passed through her body.

Linnea did not have long to sympathize, however. Aric looked at her expectantly, waiting, and she knew what it was that he wanted her to do. She took a shaky breath, and gathered up her dress in her hands. She closed her eyes as she lifted the garment up and over her head, letting it fall to the floor. Now entirely bare before her new husband, Linnea shivered with a mix of emotions she had never felt before.

“Open your eyes,” Aric commanded, and she dared not disobey.

Linnea opened her eyes, and they were quickly locked on his hands, which were working on the ties of his trousers. It did not take him long to unfasten them, and he carefully drew first one leg, and then the other out of the garment. When he was at last free of them, he stood before her, his thick, hard manhood on display for her.

Linnea felt her heartbeat increase. She had never seen a naked man. She was unable to look away from his member, which was pointing slightly up and toward her. She felt muscles clench deep in her stomach.

“Come here,” Aric said softly, and Linnea took the few steps required for her to be standing directly in front of him.

Linnea allowed Aric to guide her shaking hand to his length, and he guided her to wrap her fingers around him. Linnea released a shaky breath. He was so hot, and hard, but the skin was soft. She softly stroked up and down his length, mystified by the velvety softness. Aric released a harsh hiss into her ear, and Linnea flinched away from him, abandoning his hardness.

“I’m sorry,” Linnea stuttered, her body trembling. “I didn’t mean to…”

Linnea wrapped her arms around her body protectively and shied away from Aric’s overwhelming presence. She felt as if she might throw up from the various emotions whirling in her body. Mostly, she was still deeply afraid that Aric would prove abusive, and he would not hesitate strike her should she do something wrong.

“Hush,” Aric said- his voice low and gentle. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Come here.”

It took all of Linnea’s willpower to obey when her entire being was begging her to run from the overwhelming power of the man before her. Still, she knew that he demanded obedience, and she moved to meekly stand in front of him once more. Again, he guided her hand to his hardness, but this time she dared not to move her curious hand.

She didn’t have to. Slowly, Aric began to thrust his hips back and forth, dragging his erection through the canal of her palm and fingers. He placed his hands over her shoulder as he moved, and soft sighs began to escape his lips. Linnea watched, entranced as his eyes fluttered closed and his fingers flexed against her shoulder blades.

Linnea watched him, and she felt tingling sensations all over her body. Her nipples tightened, and an ache built up in between her thighs. She rubbed her thighs together where she stood to try and get some relief, and allowed Aric to pump in and out of her hand. Her actions did little to alleviate the throbbing ache that was pooling between her legs, and a slight whimper escaped her throat.

Aric suddenly looked up at her at the sound, and Linnea felt fear mix in with the heady new sensation, only serving to make it stronger. His steely blue eyes seemed to see right into her soul, and she could only stare into them as her heart threatened to burst out of her chest.

“Lie down on the bed,” Aric instructed, and Linnea once again obeyed immediately. Nervously, she laid herself out on her back, her eyes never leaving Aric.

He moved to lie beside her on the bed, and he slowly moved his hand to cup her cheek. Her body was stiff, but her nerve endings danced as he traced his hand from her neck down to the valley between her breasts. Linnea felt her breath hitch as he moved his hand and covered one of her breasts with his palm, and kneaded it softly. The sensation seemed to add to the already maddening throbbing between her legs, and she couldn’t help but squirm beneath him.

He lowered his hand further down, brushing it over her stomach, and eventually letting it rest on the patch of soft hair at the apex of her thighs. Linnea whimpered softly and tilted her hips in an attempt to entice him. He was so close to where she was burning and aching…

Aric moved his hand lower, and Linnea gasped as he traced over her sensitive entrance with his fingertips. She buried her fingers in the furs beneath her, and panted at the rush of pleasure he gave her. He continued with the gentle strokes, and she noticed a wetness accumulate on his fingers, which he spread around her nether lips. Linnea had to bite her lip to keep from begging him for more.

After what seemed like an eternity of torture, Aric removed his hand, and Linnea bit back a cry of disappointment. She watched carefully as Arik positioned himself so that his body was hovering over hers. He aligned his manhood with her sensitive slit, and it took all of her self-control to keep from thrusting against him like a cat in heat. He dragged his tip over her wetness, and Linnea couldn’t help but release a sob.

From his place above her, Aric growled. Linnea saw him reach down to align himself with her, and in one swift thrust, he was buried to the hilt inside of her. Linnea gasped loudly and tears sprang to her eyes as it felt as though her insides had been torn in half. She clutched at Aric’s shoulders and ground her teeth as waves of pain shot through her body from her center. Aric was still inside her, and he murmured soft words of comfort into her ear.

When she calmed, Aric began to move inside her. Linnea released occasional whimpers at the pain, and when Aric began to thrust hard into her, she bit down hard on her wrist to keep from screaming at the pain. Through it all though, she noticed that along with the pain, there was an ever-present dull pleasure, and a part of her never wanted him to stop.

Suddenly, Aric gave three last, hard thrusts, and Linnea felt a rush of warmth as his seed filled her. She sighed in relief as he withdrew his member from within her, and she flinched at the slight sting. Aric stretched out beside her, his chest heaving as he came down from his climax. Linnea merely curled onto her side, facing away from him.

“Linnea,” she heard him say her name. “Come here.”

Linnea turned, and saw that he held his arm open for her. She complied with his wishes, and curled up against his chest. He wrapped his arm securely around her, and tilted her chin up so that she could see his face.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he apologized gently. “It should only hurt the first time. But I  loathe to be the cause of your pain, even once.”

Linnea was shocked by the sincerity in his words. He was so intimidating and overpowering, and here he was apologizing to her for causing her pain. Linnea felt a mixture of disbelief and relief.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I am glad that you… care.”

“You’re my wife now,” Aric said intently, his intense blue eyes boring into hers. “I will always care.”

Linnea felt her heart flutter at his words. She did not know what to say, and she suddenly felt exhausted. She laid down, resting her head on Aric’s strong chest, and fell into a deep sleep.

It didn’t take long for Linnea to fall into her place in the clan, which just so happened to be at the bottom. She listened to the other women, and learned the chores that she had to do around the village, as well within her own household. Aric had been right when he had said that it would likely take a while to establish herself. Still, she was determined to prove herself to be a valuable member of the clan.

The more she interacted with the other members, the more she began to pick up on the subtleties and relationships between each person in the clan. She discovered that many people had lost their parents to illness or injury at a young age, and that this was the smallest the clan had been in a long time. They all basically raised one another, and they could depend on each other for everything in the village.

With such a rich history and such strong relationships, Linnea could hardly blame them for being exclusive. She had never been quite as close to her village as this clan was to one another, but she could grasp the concept of comradery and the sense of family that was present here. Most of all, Linnea was just grateful that her marriage to Aric was going well.

Aric was often off in the day with the other men to hunt or fish, while the women stayed back behind with the children and did various chores and tended the sheep. Every evening though, the men would come home, and the whole clan would have dinner together. This seemed to be the time that the clan really had to relax and just mingle with each other.

Linnea’s favorite time, though, was after dinner, when she and Aric would retire to their dwelling place. Linnea couldn’t have found a more caring and devoted husband if she had searched the entire world. Aric always filled her in on the events of his day, and he asked about hers. He assured her that the clan would warm up to her over time, and that she was already doing a good job of integrating herself into their way of life.

They talked about other things as well. Linnea told him about her life growing up, and the hardships she had endured. Aric told her how he had lost his mother and father during a particularly terrible winter, and how he had looked to Lamont as a male role model, and that had eventually guided him to his position as leader.

One night, he even told her about each of his scars as she traced over them lightly with her fingertips. She shuddered as he recounted the tales of battle, and how he had beaten every foe he’d ever faced.

“That’s what it takes to be an unquestioned leader,” he had explained to her. “Unquestionable victory assures unquestionable authority.”

Linnea had merely nodded, and stowed away his words for later as she continued to explore his body. He had certainly been right when he said that their coupling would only hurt the first time. Since then, they had enjoyed one another’s bodies nearly every night before falling asleep in one another’s arms. It had rapidly become one of Linnea’s favorite activities.