Hearts Aflame Collection III: 4-Book Bundle (13 page)

She thought she would burst or faint, but she did neither. Instead, she shook and shook, wanting more but barely understanding what was happening to her.

“Let go, sweetheart,” Rordan murmured. “Let go, and let me keep you safe.”

That was what she had needed because her body tightened and then it was like everything inside her was lit on fire. Pleasure coursed through every part of her, making her arch her body into a bow. Her ragged scream echoed through the trees, and Rordan responded by pushing into her one last time, shaking with his own release.

They lay still, letting the tremors of their pleasure fade. Gently, Rordan drew out of her. Instead of moving away as she expected, he rolled them to their sides and gathered her against him. He reached over her for his dry cloak and pulled it over both of them.

“
Sleep,” he said firmly.

Completely exhausted, she did as he commanded.

***

Riona awoke to the startling realization that she was cuddled up next to a very large, very warm person. Startled, she moved away, rolling over the edge of the pine bough pile that she was sleeping on, and stared at the long and naked length of werewolf beside her.

In the dawn light she could see the dark circles under his eyes, and the slow even rise of his chest. It occurred to her that he was exhausted, and as if in confirmation, he grunted in his sleep, rolling over and pulling the cloak more firmly around his body.

Riona glanced around and picked up her clothes, still a little damp, but no worse for the wear after her adventure in the river. He stayed still and, dressed and shod, she backed away from their campsite. Her body was a little sore, but the pleasure that he had given her was like the ghost of flames on her skin, warming her and making her crave more. Firmly, she shook them off, and when she came to the edge of the clearing, she knew she could walk free.

She glanced back at him, where he slept as sound as a wolf cub curled up in the pine boughs. A part of her wavered, but a greater part of her was confused, both over her intense reactions to this bandit and the sense of rightness that threatened to overwhelm her.

Riona shook her head hard and started her trek to the river. By the light of the dawn, she could easily avoid the ledges that had been so treacherous the night before. On a sudden impulse, she took her shoes in hand and hiked up her skirt, wading into the shallows. She knew that walking in the river would throw off hounds, so why not wolves?

She walked fast, leaving the river sometime later. The sun was fully risen, and her belly rumbled, reminding her that she had not eaten for quite some time. Still she kept walking, moving against the river's flow as the sun climbed higher. She kept her mind steadfastly on the path ahead of her and did her best not to think about the man she had left sleeping so trustfully.

It was close to midday when she found the bush of withered blueberries, somehow left untouched by birds and beasts. She fell on them with a glad cry, their sweetness easing some of the hunger cramps in her belly.

She was just finishing off the last bite when she heard the howl, and when she stood up to run, she could already see that she was too late. Wolves circled her, their heads lowered and their teeth bared, and Riona felt a chill up her spine.

“
You cannot hold me,” she said as defiantly as she could. “You cannot make me your prisoner.”

There was not even a branch for her to use to defend herself, but she squared herself up, ready to fight, as the biggest wolf, ruddy brown and bigger than a mastiff, stalked up to her. Despite her resolve, a part of her trembled at his approach, remembering what had passed between them.

She started to say his name, and then she realized that the eyes that glared from the wolf's face were not amber. Instead, they were a livid, maddened green, and she knew to the bottom of her soul that this was not Rordan.

She faced the wolf with nothing in her hands, and as it stalked closer, she thought of the man she had left sleeping.

Oh, Rordan, I'm sorry...

Do you like this book? Be sure to check other books in this series

The Black Wolf and the Red - Volume 2

The Truth of Blood - Volume 3

Following the Wolf (Trilogy Bundle)