A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) (32 page)

Sometime during the night, I awoke to an explosion of light and a strong wind blowing against my back. I sat up and glanced around. Everything appeared unchanged. Outside the forest was still. No wind or rain rattled the trees. The only sounds came from the river and a couple of noisy owls in the distance. I dismissed the experience as a dream and rose to add another log to the fire.

I checked on Aric and adjusted the sheet over his back. The wet cloths I’d applied over his eyes had slipped off. As I replaced them, I noticed his eyes stared ahead, devoid of any awkward movements. His trembling and twitching had also ceased and his muscles and breaths appeared more relaxed. He seemed…at peace.

I wrapped my arm around him. “Are you feeling better, love?”

Aric didn’t respond.

My fear was he’d grown too weak. I watched him for a long while wondering if I should try to wake him. When his condition didn’t deteriorate, I decided it was safe to return to sleep. Lying close to his fur made me too hot. I removed my shirt and snuggled against his back.

I awoke not long afterward to Aric sniffing my neck. Instead of feeling the rough texture of his scarred face, soft fur stroked against my skin. I turned and scrambled away when I saw what he’d become.

Aric blinked back at me in his human form. His dark Irish skin glowed against the firelight, smooth and absent of scars. Short, thick dark hair covered his head and beautiful brown eyes glistened back at me. I crawled forward, my eyes widening and my breath quickening with each movement. “Oh my God.”

What I initially mistook for soft fur was actually a full beard, the length of his short hair. I reached out, skimming my fingertips over his face. Aric’s gaze followed my hands as I traced them down his neck, chest, and arms. Silky, unmarred skin stretched over dense bulging muscles. He was…
perfect
.

I could see and feel his metamorphosis, and still I couldn’t believe it. After several passes over his skin, I finally accepted his body had mended. My words broke through my tears. “Baby, you’re
cured
.”

Aric tilted his head, as if working to understand. He may have resembled his former healthy self, yet something about him seemed off.

Using extreme care so as not to scare him, I returned my hands to his face. His beard mimicked the soft whisper of newborn hair. To my relief, he continued to welcome my touch. He rubbed his jaw against my hands and caressed my face—mirroring my movements. I kissed his lips as tears streamed down my cheeks. Aric didn’t kiss me back; instead he watched me with curiosity while I stroked his hair and took in his magnificent scent.

My hands slipped down to his chest. Aric leaned forward to sniff my neck once more. I laughed. He stopped just to smile at me. My heart soared at that familiar grin…only to stop when he pushed me down into our bed and climbed on top of me. He ran his tongue over my throat and across my jawline. His licks were un-wolflike—sensual, with enough heat to make me quiver. Goose bumps spread the length of my body. But he wasn’t well—not completely—so I thought it best to discourage his behavior.

“Um, Aric. I don’t know if you should—”

I startled when his tongue found my left nipple. Aric stopped to stare at it, deeply fascinated and evidently impressed with how the tip responded to his affections. He continued to experiment until it hardened to his satisfaction, then he moved to the other. Arousal shot through me like blazing bullets, stiffening body parts that made me ache and groan. It had been a long time since he’d touched me that way.

Aric’s nostrils flared. He’d scented my passion. His excitement built, knocking hard against my thigh. He abandoned my nipple and searched for the source of my heat. I screamed when he found it with his tongue.

My back bowed.
Okay, I officially like the beard.

My moans grew as he continued. Still I questioned whether our lovemaking was appropriate in his given state. I tried to squirm away. Aric wouldn’t allow it. He hauled me back and spread my legs further. Suddenly, our roles were reversed. He held me as I convulsed out of control. I screamed and thrashed, my hands searching blindly for something to grasp as ecstasy ripped through my core.

I reached for him, but Aric refused to relinquish control. He flipped me over and placed me on my hands and knees. Even after all the times we’d made love, he still had trouble penetrating. His moans of pleasure resonated over mine as he pushed his way inside me. His rhythm was slow at first, but then became quick and needy. I turned my head to see the perfect outlines of our shadows against the wall. Watching made the moment sexier. I rocked my hips, driving him crazy. He thrust faster and faster until we reached a very loud and enjoyable end.

Aric and I collapsed in a sweating mess on our sides. He pulled me close, nuzzling my neck.
“Celia,”
he moaned before I succumbed to sleep.

—

I’m not sure how late I slept the next day. A strange scent forced me to open my eyes. Aric had gone grocery shopping in the woods. Under one arm, he carried about five dead pheasants. In the other, he held a large pot from the kitchen shelf. I peeked inside. Mushrooms, chives, and dandelions lined the entire bottom. In his teeth, he carried a mouthful of cattails by the stems. He grinned, thoroughly impressed with himself. His good humor abandoned his strong features when I ran to the sink and proceeded to vomit.

I leaned against the edge.
Freaking morning sickness.

Aric dropped everything and alternated between pacing and nudging me with his head—just as he’d done as a wolf, this time appearing more distressed. Crap. You’d think he’d be used to it by now.

“It’s okay, love…don’t be scared. I’m all right.”

He didn’t believe me, but why should he? Sweat dripped over my cold and clammy skin.

I brushed my teeth and rinsed my face. I turned to meet Aric’s deep furrowed brows. His hands touched my face, demonstrating the same adoration he’d shown me last night. I kissed his palms. “I’m fine, baby. Just tired.”

Aric cocked his head. Even in his state of mind, he knew I was lying. But now wasn’t the time to tell him about our baby. His demeanor softened the more I stared. He linked our hands and led me back to bed. I wouldn’t release him. “Stay with me.”

Aric smiled and joined me in bed, covering us with the blanket. I closed my eyes, content in having him so close to me. Initially I thought I’d rest until my nausea faded. Instead I once more drifted to sleep.

Hard knuckles lightly stroked my cheek. I opened my eyes to find Aric spread out beside me.

“Hello, wolf,” I whispered.

He lowered his lids and rubbed my nose with his, then sat me up and presented the feast he’d prepared. He’d roasted all but one of the pheasants using the fire poker. With the remaining bird, he’d made me soup. He placed the pot between us and tore pieces of pheasant to feed to me. In turn, I fed him the mushrooms, chives, dandelions, and what remained of the cattails with a wooden spoon. The pheasant was the best I’d ever enjoyed and the soup, while bitter and minty, completely settled my stomach.

As physically healthy as Aric seemed, I was still worried. He seemed better in many ways, but in others, he remained more like his inner wolf.

Could this be permanent?

We ate everything; our empty stomachs made us ravenous. I escorted him to the sink and washed our hands and faces. He rubbed his wet beard against me, making me laugh. I was still giggling when he pulled me to him and led me outside.

Aric
changed
the moment we left the shadows of the house. He pulled a Lassie on me and proceeded to whine, gesturing me to follow. When I tried, he
changed
back to human and then back to wolf again.

“What’s that, girl? Timmy fell in the well?”

He bared his teeth playfully and took off running as soon as I
changed
. I chased him through the woods and tackled him. We wrestled and then he darted off, making me chase him once more. Our play continued until we returned to the waterfall with the small pool.

Aric
changed
back to human and skidded to a halt near the water. I didn’t stop. I tackled him one last time as a tigress. He grinned as I lay on top of him, and yet even as a human he managed to flip my almost four-hundred-pound self onto my back.

I resumed my human form. Aric moved aside, helping me to stand. I leaned into him, offering my mouth. Rather than kissing my lips as I so wanted, he licked my face. I laughed, so he did it again. When he wouldn’t stop, I grabbed him by the shoulders and pressed my lips against his. I kissed him softly at first then pushed my tongue slowly to meet his.

I spent several minutes teaching Aric how to kiss, loving every moment and relishing feeling so close to him. Aric’s lips were soft and greedy. They left mine to whisper words against my neck and shoulder. I didn’t understand their meaning, nor did I care, choosing to welcome the affection I for so long was denied.

He caressed my back. The more he moaned, the more I knew he wanted more. Once again, he placed me on my hands and knees. And once again, we reached a very loud and enjoyable end.

When we managed to catch our breaths, Aric helped me to my feet and led me to the pool for a drink. I waded into the frigid water. He stayed fixed by the edge. I didn’t understand why until I finished quenching my thirst.

Aric stared at his reflection, running his fingers over his face and chest in stunned silence. He examined his arms and hands. For the first time, he realized his body had healed. He grabbed my hands when I hurried to his side and swept them over his face and body, focusing on the areas where the scarring had been the most severe. He pointed at the water then back to himself, unsure whether to believe what he was seeing.

I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. “I don’t understand what happened, Aric. I’m just glad you’re safe. It’s all I’ve wanted.”

We stayed by the falls for the remainder of the day, savoring the deep intimacy we shared in being alone. As the dim sun moved westward we made our way back to the little cabin.

Aric
changed
into a wolf and charged when he caught the scent of a large elk. I covered my face, unable to watch and cringing when I heard the elk’s neck snap. Pocahontas I wasn’t. Aric beckoned me forward, chortling in his wolf body when he found me with my eyes clamped shut.

“Yes, this whole thing is just hilarious,” I quipped. And yeah, he laughed harder yet.

I
changed
, knowing I needed to eat and hoping to keep down the meal. We’d finished half of the large animal when Aric resumed his human form and howled. His wolf song serenaded like a tender lullaby. I followed his lead and returned to human. He gathered me close, his arms anchored around my waist and his fingers caressing the small of my back. I lifted my head, to find him staring past me.

I followed the direction of his gaze. A small pack of wolves approached warily. I smiled. That explained the wolf song: Aric had invited company for dinner. They varied in shades of black and brown with three small pups trotting among them. I wanted to stay and watch them, but Aric lifted me and carried me away. At first, I thought he meant for the pack to eat in peace, but when he placed me on our bed upon our return to the cabin, I realized he desired to make up for our time apart.

—

Sunlight cascaded into the small cabin. Another day had arrived. Aric caressed my belly, now plump from where our child grew. I covered his hand with mine and faced him as his lips grazed across my jawline to meet mine. He smiled. “Good morning, sweetness.”

I bolted upright. He gently urged me back down. “Shhh. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

“Are you…all right?” I asked.

He took me in. “I am, but only because of you.”

“You remember,” I whispered.

Aric rubbed the healing fang marks on my shoulder, his expression riddled with sadness and guilt. “I wasn’t completely in control at times, but yes, I remember everything.”

I flung my arms around his neck, crying. Aric held me and smoothed my hair, his voice tight. “You still love me…despite how I’ve treated you and how badly I’ve hurt you.”

I spoke through my sobs. “I never stopped, Aric.”

He clutched me tighter. “I don’t deserve you or your love.” He kissed me, deeply and passionately. I pulled away, suddenly terrified Anara would reach us. In his illness, no one could connect with Aric except for me. Now that he was well, I wasn’t so sure.

“It’s too dangerous for us to be together,” I told him. “For the time being, we need to stay apart.”

Aric yanked me to him when I tried to stand. “
No
. I’m not abandoning you again.” He kissed his way down my neck, burying his face between my breasts.

I squirmed beneath him, my thick lashes fluttering. “Aric, stop.” I really didn’t want him to, but I feared Anara’s link to Aric remained.

“Sweetness, please. We made love when I was more wolf. Don’t deny me now that I’m more man.”

I gripped his shoulders. “You don’t understand. Anara will find us, and when he does, I’ll watch you die.”

Aric’s hatred fired his light brown irises. “Anara has been stripped of his power. He can’t hurt me and he sure as hell won’t touch you.”

Something in Aric’s words, be it rage or brute strength, made me believe him and expunged my fear. As I relaxed, he dipped his head and pulled my nipple into his mouth. My heart pounded like a slew of angry fists. “Please, sweetness, please,” he murmured against my skin. “Let me make love to you.”

I responded with a moan and by pulling his lips to mine. Aric climbed on top of me, running his fingertips down my body and slipping them between my legs. My gasp broke our kiss. He returned his mouth to the tips of my breasts, latching and tugging with his teeth.

My arousal grew too much for him to manage. He pushed himself inside me, thrusting hard and groaning with increasing hunger. We climaxed quickly, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I rolled him on his back and began to move. His stare held mine, beseeching me with longing and need. He surged to life with each pass of my hips, his thick knuckles skimming and teasing my nipples, encouraging me to move faster. A sultry charge radiated from within me, electrifying my body and clenching it tightly around him.