Lycan's Promise: Book 3 (4 page)

Garrett replied, “I’m not giving up on him.
It’s,” he stopped. Garrett threw the remainder of his food back
onto the plate, and rubbed the heel of his palms against his eyes.
“Building trust again is so frustrating.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We’ve already had that discussion,” Garrett
snapped. He let his hands fall to his lap, paying attention once
more to the deer.

“It‘s in the past. You couldn‘t control the
circumstances of your first change anymore,” Garrett stopped again.
He pondered his unfinished sentence, then flapped his arms once.
“Anymore than I can fly.”

Sanda giggled and was relieved to see Garrett
laughing with her over the mental image of Garrett flapping his
arms in an attempt to take flight.

“You’re right,” Sanda said. She needed to let
go and move forward as Garrett had. He didn’t blame her for the
incident in Ekras, though he could have and she would understand.
He remained true to his mate, even in rejection. He wasn’t going to
give up on the man. He didn’t care about the past. He only wanted
to move on to something better. Sanda had seen that in Beryx. From
the very first moment, he’d wanted to show her what he found
wonderful about their new existence and she kept pushing him
away.

Sanda needed to talk to Beryx.

She helped Garrett clean up and offered once
more to help him when needed, then slipped out of the cottage to
head home again. She’d drop off her basket and go find her mate,
his work for the Alpha could wait until the next day.

She got to the cottage only to be met by her
mate’s scent at the door. He was already home. Steeling her nerves,
Sanda went inside. The fire crackled cozily. Beryx’s scent filled
the air around her. His cloak hung by the door, but he was nowhere
to be seen. Sanda hung her cloak, put the basket on the table, and
checked the bedroom they shared only to find it empty. Sanda
stopped using her eyes and focused again on her mate’s scent,
following her instincts she headed out the backdoor.

He stood in front of the stacks of wood piled
up by the cottage wiping his brow with a forearm. He’d rolled up
his sleeves for the work of shifting the wood stacks to expose
still green wood to the open air. Cool mountain sunlight struck him
at an angle, highlighting the lean V of his chest and stomach.
Sanda was caught off guard by the sight.

She emitted a soft squeak of surprise. Sanda
thought she’d gotten used to his masculine form; a taught mix of
strength and pure sex appeal. Sanda was lucky to find someone like
him, patient, sweet, and very, very male.

“You still need to practice those sneak
attacks,” Beryx turned his head to the side to speak to her, a
smirk plain to see.

Sanda cleared her throat, feeling a flush
rise on her cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.”

“No,” Beryx turned completely from his work
and came to her. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he swooped in
for a soft closed mouthed kiss in greeting. The kiss was entirely
too short for Sanda’s liking, but she reined in her libido. It was
time to clear up a few things with her mate.

“What were you doing?”

“I came out to find you,” Sanda said. She
allowed herself the opportunity of wrapping arms around his waist.
She would never tire of feeling those firm back muscles tense and
relax under her hands.

“Now you have me.”

“Yes,” she murmured. Sanda pressed her face
against his chest, reveling in the presence of her mate. His arms
slid down her back, hands stroking down her spine with skillfully
controlled fingertips. The world faded away. Beryx made her feel so
secure, so safe. She sighed. She couldn’t stay there and hide
forever.

“Beryx,” Sanda said, pushing away slightly so
that she could look into his warm eyes. “You’ve been so wonderful
to me these past few months. I don’t think I could have adjusted
without you.”

“That isn’t true,” Beryx started to say.

“If you hadn’t been the one to meet me at the
clearing,” Sanda interrupted, “I would have died trying to get away
from the dangerous werewolves. I thought I was strong,” she
said.

“You were.”

“I was frightened. Beryx, you helped me
through that fear, showed me that Lycans weren’t the bloodthirsty
monsters of legend.”

“My motives weren’t that honorable,” Beryx
muttered, looking at the ground. “I wanted you, Sanda, more than
anything I’ve ever wanted.”

“I see that,” Sanda said, “I don‘t want
anything but you, Beryx.”

They kissed, quickly moving from lips to
teeth and tongue swirling around one another. Beryx tried to keep
the kiss soft, but Sanda pulled him close, using her body to show
how much she loved him, how much she wanted him too. Intense
pleasure hummed between them. Sanda felt at once completely happy,
unhindered by fear of the unknown. She’d faced death and loss and
found she could handle both with Beryx. With his help, she’d face
the unknown too.

“Beryx, show me that place on the mountain
top,” Sanda broke of the kiss to whisper in his ear. “Where you can
see the stars.”

He stepped back to look at her. His eyes wide
as dinner plates, pleasure and hope showing in them. “Really?” He
asked, as if he’d heard her wrong and wanted to double check his
own hearing.

Sanda simply nodded.

“We’ll need to change.”

“I know.”

Beryx kissed her. They quickly undressed,
setting clothes on the stacked firewood. The chilly night air
goosepimpled Sanda’s skin. She pressed close to Beryx to capture
some of his warmth.

“Chilly?”

She nodded, feeling tongue tied. It felt
strangely exhilarating to be naked here behind the cottage where
they lived, right in the center of their small community. Nudity
was an accepted thing, but she still felt the lingering pull of
growing up with the taboo.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait, I, I,” Sanda stopped him. Even if she
wanted to go with Beryx, Sanda had a little issue with her plan.
Beryx took her hand in his, turning it up to rub the center of her
palm. She remembered the way he calmed her when she first woke in
his bed by massaging her hands. “I’m not sure how.”

“Oh.” He laughed, then pulled her close
again. “How did you feel during your first change?” Sanda groaned
tucking her head into his shoulder. She didn’t want to think about
her past actions.

“Come on,” He said, squeezing her to himself
briefly. “How did it feel?”

“Horrifying.”

Beryx grimaced. “After that.”

“Um.”

“Don’t think about how you feel now. What was
it like then?”

“Is this really necessary?”

“It is.”

Sanda took a deep breath, staring out at the
woods behind their cottage. The tall pine trees still carried their
thick, green needles, flaunting them in the face of winter.

“It was powerful, freeing.”

“Good,” Beryx said, sounding a little
relieved. He pressed his mouth to the top of her hair. “Think about
that. Focus on how you felt.”

“Very well.”

“Are you thinking about it?”

“Yes,” Sanda said.

“Keep it firmly in your mind.” Beryx let go
of her, moving a few feet away. “Don’t let that feeling go.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now follow me.” Beryx took off, racing
into the woods, transforming before her eyes into his Lycan
form.

Instinct told Sanda to go after him. She tore
into the trees after him, pumping her legs as fast as she could,
sucking in clear, crisp air, but he far outstretched her. She
couldn’t go fast enough. Sanda needed to move faster.

She fell forward on all fours jumping forward
with great leaps, feeling her legs lengthen and grow with each
bound. The air whistled over her furred skin and down the length of
her tail. She had a tail. Sanda barked with glee.

The distance between herself and her mate
wasn’t so great now. He slowed down, allowing her to catch up.
Sanda was running up the mountain with her werewolf lover. Nothing
blocked their path. The world quickly fell behind them. She
wondered how she could ever have been afraid of this feeling, this
experience. Sanda bumped into Beryx playfully only to have him turn
and chase her through the underbrush. When he tackled her along the
bank of the river, he licked underneath her chin, nuzzling her
before taking off, with a yip, across the water to the woods on the
other side of the bank.

They chased each other through the woods.
Sanda catching up to Beryx only to turn tail and run from him, only
to double back and crowd him as he led her gradually up the
mountainside where she’d never been before. They reached the tree
line as the sun started to set in the west, its dying rays a
magnificent backdrop for their play.

Rocks and large boulders became their road.
Sanda could see why the way was only traversable in Lycan form.
They grew less focused on chase and more intent on the effort of
climbing the mountain, jumping up tall cliffs and over gaps that
would have left her human form quaking in fear. As a Lycan, they
were much less threatening.

Still Sanda was panting heavily by the time
they reached a wide plateau. She collapsed next to Beryx, slipping
into human form. It was comfortable to lean against him while he
rested, threading her fingers through his golden fur. He looked up
at her with large golden eyes.

After getting her breath back, Sanda rolled
over onto the ground to look up at the darkening sky. She scanned
it for the first star of the night, eyes landing on a weak twinkle
to the North. Beside her Beryx changed into human form, throwing an
arm over her. She cuddled close to him.

“Was it good for you?”

She laughed, pushing at his shoulder. Beryx
grabbed her hand, palm covered with dirt from their run up the
mountain. He brushed his lips over the knuckles, sending a trail of
heat straight to the pit of her belly.

“Better than I ever imagined.” Sanda
whispered. It was natural to lean into him for a kiss, claiming his
lips for her own.

Beryx covered her with his body, warm skin
blocking out the cold mountain air. Sanda shifted closer to her
mate, sliding a leg over his hips. Already his arousal jutted
against her pelvis with throbbing heat. Beryx cupped one of her
breasts and they kissed. They ground body against body while their
tongues and hands drifted over one another. Sanda wrapped her legs
around Beryx’s lean hips to urge him closer. She was excited. Her
body slicked with wetness for him.

Beryx shifted up onto his forearms caging her
between them. His pupils were dilated. His mouth parted. Sanda
wanted to kiss him again, but she wanted him inside of her more.
She reached down to guide his sex along the crevice of her buttocks
into her entrance. He came into her with one long, slow thrust that
had Sanda clenching around him possessively. Beryx set the rhythm
of their mating, dragging his sex into and out of her with slow,
firm thrusts. She stared up into his face, never breaking eye
contact, pushing her hips up to meet each thrust with anticipation.
She clamped onto him each time, doing her best to keep him locked
inside of her, fighting the backwards pull of his retreat only to
have him invade again.

The pace increased as the tension inside
their bodies built up. Thrusts grew short. Their bodies moved with
frantic speed. Sanda clung to him. She refused to break eye
contact. Sanda wanted to see his release. The pleasure became
almost unbearable. Her body clamped around Beryx with fierce
tenacity. Their gasping cries mingled with the wind as Sanda felt
Beryx pulse and studder inside of her body. It was the most erotic
thing she’d ever felt. Something like agony lit up her lover’s face
before he squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in her neck.
Sanda came after him, convulsing around his still hard sex until it
hurt. It felt too wonderful to fight. She allowed it to happen,
letting her body carry her over a wave of intense release.

Their sweat quickly evaporated at the higher
altitude. Sanda and Beryx remained wrapped around each other for
warmth.

“Never leave me,” Beryx muttered into her
ear, “I couldn’t survive it.”

“Never love,” Sanda whispered back, “I’ll
never leave you.”

Stars bejeweled the ceiling above in vast
numbers. Far off, a pale pink slit on the horizon was all that
remained of the day. Sanda couldn’t think of any better place to
cement their bond.

Sanda stood in front of the fireplace
watching the last embers of a dying fire. Jurisa hadn’t bothered to
put more wood on the flames during the course of the several
meetings she had that day and the fire was almost out.

First, Cami had been summoned to the Alpha’s
cottage to receive punishment for participating in the crazy trek
down to Ekras. Sanda peeked out the window from the kitchen to
watch the woman walk down the street escorted by Dragos. She
entered the building with her nose in the air and her shoulders
back, and left after a very short period of time looking quite
smug. Sanda supposed that she’d used her pregnancy as leverage to
get a better outcome.

Next came Garrett, slinking into and out of
the cottage, worn and tired both ways. Then, came Mouse, small and
hurried as she kept up with the much taller Dragos.

After their wonderful run up the mountain,
Sanda and Beryx talked, and he’d alerted her to be prepared for a
summons that day. She was tense the whole morning. At least, it
didn’t look like the others were being sent away from the
community.  Beryx would not have let her go into that
unprepared.

Now, she waited for Jurisa to pass judgment
on her actions, certainly the most rash and dangerous of the four
of them.

“We understand going after your mate,” Jurisa
said. The leader shared a glance with her own mate before
continuing. “I would do the same. I was prepared to do the same for
Beryx. However,” Jurisa said. She turned to face Sanda, walking
slowly forward.