“With my spilled blood, this curse
doth die,” he whispered.
Maralee sat up with a startled cry. A
hand touched her in the darkness and she
gasped.
“It’s me,” Nash said, sleepily.
“What’s wrong?”
She knew it had only been a dream,
but that didn’t stop her from collapsing
against him. She kissed him; missing his
mouth, her lips brushed his chin. She
kissed him again, higher this time, finding
his lips in the darkness. Her kiss was long
and deep, as she pressed her body up
against his and wrapped her arms around
him. She filled her hands with his warm
flesh to reassure herself he was alive. She
hadn’t killed him with her sword. He was
here with her now. He wasn’t dead. He
wasn’t.
Nash broke her desperate kiss. “You’d
better slow down,” he said. “I don’t think
you realize what you’re doing.”
“Oh, Nash,” she whispered, hugging
him closer. “I had a horrible dream.”
He gave into her need for comfort. He
wrapped his arms around her and stroked
her hair with one hand. “Do you want to
tell me about it?”
“No, it’s too terrible. I don’t want to
think about it.” She squeezed her eyes shut
and willed the horrific images to leave
her.
“It was just a dream,” he murmured
drowsily, planting a brotherly kiss on her
forehead. “Go back to sleep and have
pleasant dreams from now on.”
Her dreams were never just dreams.
They either reiterated her past or
prophesied her future. It had been that way
for as long as she could remember. Nash
hadn’t been there the night her family had
been murdered so maybe, just this once,
she’d had a dream not based in reality.
She hadn’t killed Nash. She wouldn’t. It
wasn’t as if he were a Wolf so she had no
reason to kill him.
Maralee could never fall back to sleep
after her ritualistic nightmares, but the
warmth of Nash’s body beside her and the
comfort of his hand in her hair soon had
her eyes blinking drowsily. “Thank you,”
she whispered to him before drifting back
to sleep.
CHAPTER 10
Shuddering pleasure pulled Maralee
from sleep early the following morning. It
took her several moments to realize the
source was Nash’s warm, wet tongue
against her bared breasts.
“Nash,” she gasped and lifted her
hands to touch him. He backed away
before she could find him in the darkness.
Disappointed, she dropped her hands
and he reappeared, licking first one
hardened nipple and then the other. Her
back arched and she sighed with pleasure.
“Oh,” she gasped, a throb between her
thighs making her squirm.
Unable to keep her hands to herself
any longer, she reached for him again, and
again he moved away.
“Why won’t you let me touch you?”
His response was to lick her thigh.
Her breath escaped in a rush. This
new
sensation
was
even
more
pleasurable. She needed him to help her.
Help her with what? She didn’t know, but
she needed it. Needed him.
He made his way up her thigh.
Maralee squirmed, anticipating him giving
her what she wanted, what she needed, but
skittishness got the better of her and she
rose up. She grabbed Nash’s shoulders to
stop his progress.
“I should not have done that without
your permission,” he murmured. “I
discovered that your scent increases as I
lick your breasts. I couldn’t resist.”
“My scent?”
His nose brushed the mound at the
juncture of her thighs. Warm breath bathed
the insides of both thighs and she gasped.
“It excites me,” he said. “Your scent…
excites…”
He nibbled the tender skin at the top of
her thigh and she collapsed back against
the soft furs of his pallet. “Nash,” she said
breathlessly.
He made a low sound in the back of
his throat—almost a growl. “I need…” he
panted. “I need…” He backed away
unexpectedly. “I have to leave for a
moment.”
She reached for him, but he had
already retreated through the door at her
feet. She groaned in protest. Why did he
keep leaving her in this state? The heated
flesh between her thighs felt swollen and
achy. She moved her hand to press against
her tormented mound.
The door creaked open and then
closed again, bathing her in absolute
darkness.
“Nash?” she whispered.
Deep, raspy inhalations came from
near her feet. Her knee. She opened her
legs for him and he whimpered.
Whimpered? Maralee grabbed him
and instead of earning a handful of firm
muscles and smooth flesh, her fingers sank
into dense fur.
A repulsive dog had been sniffing her!
The animal retreated to the door, where,
to Maralee’s astonishment, it pulled it
open with its mouth and dashed out of the
room. She caught a flash of black fur on a
thick tail before it vanished into the
hallway.
“Nash!” she yelled.
Maralee stumbled to her feet, pulling
the shirt that had served as her nightgown
over her still puckered nipples. She
rubbed them angrily with both hands.
Disgusted that her arousal had been
investigated by an animal.
“Nash!” She was working herself into
a rage. Where in the hell was he? She
heard the front door open and she
stumbled into the hallway.
“What are you screaming about?”
Nash asked, standing at the end of the
hallway in nothing but a pair of loose
fitting undershorts.
Maralee couldn’t stop herself from
giving him the once over before continuing
on her rampage. “There was a…an animal
in bed with me!”
Nash was the epitome of calm when he
replied, “Ah, yes. I just let him outside.
He sometimes sneaks into the house.”
“What?”
“He didn’t harm you, did he?” Nash
asked, looking her over carefully.
“I…no,” she admitted, blushing. How
could she tell him she’d opened her thighs
for a dog because she’d thought it was
him?
He smiled at her crookedly. “I think
you’d better get dressed,” he said. “You
still plan to stay with me for a few weeks,
don’t you?”
She was once again under the spell of
his gorgeous smile. “I…yes, I suppose.
But…”
“But?”
“You have to promise to keep that
horrible creature out of my bed.”
He lowered his eyes. “Horrible, was
he?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he is an animal. His greatest
motivation
would
be…instinct.”
He
looked at her again. There was something
sad about his expression and she was at
once reminded of the terrible dream she’d
had the night before. The man seemed to
have a strange attachment to canines, be
they Wolf or dog.
“I guess we’ll head to the village to
retrieve my things,” she said, wanting to
change the subject and erase the sadness
in his golden eyes. “Purchase some forks
and maybe a potato or two.”
He smiled. “It is rather early in our
acquaintance to expect so much from you.”
Maralee’s
brow
furrowed
with
confusion. “Where did that come from?”
His smile widened. “Did I say that out
loud?”
“You’re being funny strange again.”
“I apologize,” he said, ducking his
head. “I was on my way to the bathroom
when I heard you scream. If you’ll excuse
me.”
Maralee watched him step out of the
house into the cold, crisp winter morning
in nothing but his undershorts. The sun had
scarcely made an appearance and the
temperature was well below freezing. She
shivered just thinking about how cold he
must be. She peeked out the window over
the desk, hoping to catch a glimpse of him,
but the only living creature in sight was a
huge black dog, which she determined
wasn’t a dog after all, but a Wolf. It lifted
its leg on the corner of the porch and
disappeared around the side of the house.
She hoped Nash would be all right,
wandering around outside half-naked with
a Wolf in the area, be it a friendly Wolf or
not. She retreated to the bedroom and
dressed.
The house was chilly. Maralee went to
the living area to light a fire in the grate
while she waited for Nash to return. She
had just added the first log to the fire
when the door opened and Nash
reappeared, carrying young Carsha in the
crook of his arm. She was holding onto his
neck, hugging him with her eyes closed in
loving bliss. It would have been a
touching scene if Nash hadn’t been
entirely naked.
“Nash,” Maralee admonished. “You
can’t go around like that in front of a little
girl.”
Carsha opened her eyes and glared at
Maralee. “He can hug me if he wants to.”
“She means I’m without clothes,”
Nash told his niece, setting her down on
her feet.
“But Uncle Nash, you never wear
clothes when it’s warm outside.”
Maralee gasped. Perhaps she had
visited at the wrong time of the year.
Nash laughed nervously. “Go warm
yourself by the fire, Carsha,” he said. He
padded unconcernedly out of the room to
find his clothes. Maralee followed him
with her gaze until he was out of sight.
“Don’t you like to be without clothes
when it’s hot outside?” Carsha asked
Maralee, stepping closer to the fire and
extending her hands towards it.
“I only go without clothes when I
bathe,” Maralee said in a low voice. This
subject made her uncomfortable. What
kind of barbaric people went around
naked?
“I hate clothes,” Carsha said. “I only
wear them in winter because my mother
makes me.”
Wanting desperately to change the
subject, Maralee said, “We’re going to
Sarbough this morning. Would you like to
come along?”
“To the village where the humans
live?”
“Your mother will never let you come
with us,” Nash interrupted, tugging his
sweater over his head as he entered the
room.
“Mother took Lark and Lord out for a
hunt. They’ll be gone for days,” Carsha
said.
“Lark and Lord?” Maralee asked.
“Carsha’s older, twin brothers,” Nash
explained.
“I’m staying with Grandmother. She’ll
let me go if you make her,” Carsha said.
“That wouldn’t be—”
Carsha
interrupted.
“But
you’re
supposed to be leader. You just let her
take charge. You’re the alpha-ma—”
Nash interrupted her, sending her what
Maralee took as a look of warning.
“Carsha, you go ask her. If she says ‘yes’
then you can come. I’m not going to make
her do anything.”
“But—”
“If you don’t stop being so contrary,
you won’t be allowed to go at all.”
Carsha’s eyes filled with tears and she
stamped her foot angrily. When Nash
didn’t back down in the face of her fury,
she turned and headed for the door
dejectedly.
When she was gone, Maralee spoke.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have invited her.”
“It will be good for her to go,” Nash
“Perhaps our greatest folly is secluding
ourselves in the forest.”
Maralee sat down beside him. “I don’t
know. I find the two of you refreshingly
different.”
He didn’t look at her or comment on
her compliment. She decided she was
making him uncomfortable, so she changed
the subject with a falsely enthusiastic
smile. “The three of us could have
breakfast at the inn. My treat,” she said.
“The owner’s wife makes fantastic
griddlecakes.”
“I’m not used to exotic food.”
She laughed at his joke. “Now you’re
being funny ha-ha.”
He stared into the fire as if it held a
sudden fascination for him. A few
moments later, Carsha returned, letting
herself into the house.
“Grandma says I can go!”
“She did?” Nash looked surprised as
he glanced at the girl over his shoulder.
“She said I should be safe as long as
you’re with me, Uncle Nash.”
Nash smiled at her. “This should be an
adventure. Maralee says she will treat us
to breakfast at the inn.”
“I hope you like griddlecakes,”
Maralee said.
Carsha glanced at Nash uncertainly.
“What are those?”
“I have no idea,” Nash said, shrugging.
Maralee chuckled, grinning at the pair
&n
bsp; of them. “I guess a good sense of humor
runs in your family.”
Nash and Carsha exchanged glances.
Maralee’s face fell. “You don’t mean
you’ve actually never had griddlecakes?
You two are in for a treat.”
“Okay!” Carsha said enthusiastically,
as if she were conquering a great fear.
“Get your boots and cloak,” Nash said
to Maralee. He began smothering the fire,
which had just started to warm the room.
“I’ve got some furs and buckskin we can
trade for supplies. I’ll meet you on the
porch.”
“Can I go to the bathroom first?”
Maralee asked.
He nodded at her, before sliding his
feet into his boots and putting on his long
leather coat. He looked every bit a
dangerous outlaw.
“Can I help you, Uncle Nash?” Carsha
asked, following him to the door.
“Don’t you have some rabbit furs in
the store room?” he asked. “Maybe you’d
like to trade them for something at the
mercantile.”
“Can I really?” Carsha rushed out of
the house in front of him, waving her arms
excitedly.
Nash glanced over his shoulder and
gave Maralee a smile before closing the
door behind them. Maralee put on her
boots and cloak, slipped outside and
around the back of the house for a moment
of privacy, and then returned to the porch.
Nash and Carsha joined her within a few
minutes, Carsha carrying a small bundle of
rabbit furs and Nash a much larger batch
of hides and other furs.
“So is this how your village makes
money?” Maralee asked.
“We are fairly self-sufficient,” he
said. “We trade furs for the few things we
cannot find in the forest.”
“Like cigarettes?” she teased him.
“My one guilty pleasure,” he agreed.
“Are you ready?”
“I don’t suppose I could get my sword
back before we go?”
“Not yet,” he said. Carsha clung
fearfully to Nash’s leg. “You won’t need
it until the next full moon, right?”
Maralee avoided the child’s frightened
golden eyes. She would have insisted
upon the return of her sword if Carsha
hadn’t been so obviously terrified of it. “I
suppose.” She sighed. “I guess I’m ready
then.”
They headed in the direction of
Sarbough, Carsha staying protectively by
Nash’s side, while Maralee picked her
way through the dense underbrush a few
paces behind them. The sun was higher in
the sky now, and the frost was beginning
to melt from the bare branches of the trees