Wulf
I stand wearing a cloak a short distance from Verena. She is veiled beneath her crown, chatting happily with Princess Snow White.
We wait at the foot of the largest hill north of Isenhold, whereupon Isenmere Castle rises high. A slow dawn breaks over the eastern mountains, setting aglow the early morning mists drifting across the spring-kissed landscape below.
Three large carriages are nearly prepared to carry us to Aurefeld. I offered my witch stone to Verena to greatly shorten this trip, but she did not want the princess or the others traveling alone, even with the Isenmerian guards and knights escorting them.
She has also made many valuable masquerade dresses to transport, which would be difficult to do through shrine passage.
It will take three and a half days to reach Aurefeld by coach. I loathe long carriage rides and much prefer traveling through shrines, or on horseback.
But although I have a steed prepared for this trip, I intend to first join Verena in the queen's coach.
So we can be in close quarters. Alone.
Whatever interest she has in my body, I doubt it is as ferocious as my constant want for her.
Still, I am determined to show her how safe and comfortable she can be in this world. I will prove that I can fill any desire she has, if she stays.
Not merely because of my pledge, but because she is my vantaei.
Verena laughs at something the princess says, again lifting her veil to wipe at her forehead. My gaze follows the motion before dropping to the dark gown fortunate enough to cling to her lithe body.
I am accustomed to the great cold of Nordhjem, and the princess is wrapped in a wool cloak to fend off the chill left by the dying night, but Verena is clearly overheated.
Feverish.
"She needs blood," Eris murmurs.
As usual, he appears in the reflection of the axe hanging near my hip. We are just far away enough that Verena will not overhear.
"She will have mine, after I fulfill her other needs."
He already knows the nature of my determination.
After all, it is he who told me she has covered all reflections in the queen's room once or twice in the last week to pleasure herself in private.
Yet she continues to mention metaphorically ovulating, which Eris thinks must be an otherworldly term for great arousal.
We're in agreement that Verena's arousal must be satisfied.
If she'll allow me.
Matron on high, please let her allow me.
"Lucky bastard," Eris grumbles at me.
"To watch is lucky enough."
"True, and I'll take what I can get for now," he sighs before becoming insistent.
"Anyway, spiking the queen's enchanted wine with your blood isn't a true solution.
Especially not if we want her to stay here permanently.
Verena far underplays how much thirst torments her.
She should be feeding far more often, and from more people. "
More people?
I frown at the thought of her fangs sinking into someone unworthy of her. What if while feeding, her erotic bite becomes too much and they harm her in their lust-clouded state?
Beastly as my desire for her may be, at least I would sooner die than harm her again.
I shake my head. "She can drink as much as she needs from me."
"If only your stubborn valiance would make that enough. You would be dead long before sating her fully. Even Reinhilde, with all her practice, occasionally drained some of her Favored dry when she lost control of her voracious thirst."
Knowing that same hellish need taunts Verena now, I look over at her again.
Despite the fever bothering her, she dotes on the girl as usual. They do not realize how keen my hearing is and speak as if I am too far to catch their words.
"I cannot believe I am allowed to go to the festival!" Princess Snow White is in the midst of raving. "In all my life, I have never been this excited for anything."
Verena wipes her brow beneath the veil again. "Just remember: we're there to have fun, not get you married off."
The princess wrinkles her nose. "After that very blunt talk you gave me, I am not certain I shall ever want to marry. How strange and sordid the full truth of romantic relations seems to me now."
"Yeah, the birds and the bees sounds like a bad joke to everyone the first time they hear about it. Then when you meet someone sexy later on, and chemistry kicks in, you realize it's sordid but fun."
"And…have you and the Huntsman had that kind of fun together, Vera?" Snow White asks, bouncing her eyebrows.
As always, the girl is far more confident around Verena, especially with her teasing.
"Wouldn't you like to know? A lady doesn't kiss and tell. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. You'll find sex way less weird one day, but like I told you, now is the time—"
"For me to discover myself, and love will come later," the princess finishes Verena's sentence. She nods earnestly, but fidgets. "Um, but if I do meet someone sweet and kind, and I start to get those butterflies you mentioned…what then?"
Verena sounds as if she's grinning beneath the veil. "Then I guess you keep sneaking treats to that someone in between all his squire training."
The princess gasps and shoots a suspicious look at me. She must think I told Verena of the many times we've crossed paths when I went to visit Hagen during his squire training and found her there, distracting him with treats and shy smiles.
Thanks to Verena's and Merrick's stern efforts with the captain of Isenmere's knights, Gunar's son has begun training to become a knight one day.
I wonder if Hagen yet realizes how fortunate he is that Verena is here, for the true Reinhilde surely would have put an end to any flirtation with the kingdom's heir at once.
Instead, Verena seems to find the youths' budding romance adorable.
"Don't blame Wulf," my vantaei laughs. "He didn't say a thing. He didn't need to, when you keep blushing and twirling and writing Hagen's name all over in your diary with a bunch of hearts."
"I have done no such thing!"
Verena goes on teasing. "I can picture you now, drooling over Hagen while he trains, hiding whenever he looks in your direction. You probably swoon whenever you daydream about the two of you sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N—"
"Stop," the princess hisses, trying to cover Verena's mouth through the veil.
Their banter makes Merrick laugh as he approaches. He gestures down the hill.
"The coaches are ready. Ingrid is already waiting to journey with you, my dear Snow White."
The princess thanks Merrick, embraces him, straightens the ribbon in her black hair, and hurries off to join her lady's maid. I move closer to Verena's side, adjusting the travel bag slung over my shoulder.
Merrick smiles at us. "Your coach is in the middle, with the Bellevyrs leading the convoy and the princess and Ingrid behind you. Normally royalty rides in the back, but the princess was quite insistent that you be able to ride with the Huntsman."
Verena sounds amused. "Why am I not surprised? That's fine."
"Of course, many other nobles will be traveling Thornpass Road—but we have procured the swiftest horses, so your convoy will arrive before everyone else and you may have time to greet the king and queen of Aurefeld.
It's always safer to travel in groups along the Thornpass, as dangerous highwaymen and bandits often ambush travelers.
And that's not even to mention what horrors may have wandered out of the Loomdark, which you shall be quite near at times. Ogres and wights and goblins…"
"And lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Verena says lyrically, playfully elbowing me on the word bears.
"Elbow her back for using another reference we don't get," Eris suggests.
I ignore him. Sooner or later, he'll come to terms with her penchant for otherworldly references.
Merrick glances up at me. "Please promise you shall protect her, Huntsman."
"With my life, always."
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Verena asks the chamberlain. "Just think of all the gorgeous outfits at the masquerade."
He smiles. "You shall regale me with their descriptions when you return. Alas, it is the job of a chamberlain to keep the castle running perfectly while its royals are away. And besides, someone must keep Ida from scaring all the servants away."
"True. I aspire to give as few fucks as she does one day."
With a final goodbye to the chamberlain, Verena and I walk to the queen's transport waiting with its two coach drivers and six horses. She accepts my hand for support as she gets in, removing her veil and crown at once.
The coach sways as I step up after her.
"Holy shit!" she yelps, gripping her seat. Then she laughs. "I guess these things weren't built for hunks of your caliber. Careful not to bump your head, Thor."
I don't know why she calls me that, but it does not matter when all I can think of is making my vantaei moan once more.
Just thinking of my fingers dripping with her desire as she trembles with release has me striving not to drool like the smitten lecher I'm becoming.
Pulling the door shut so we are alone, I watch her marvel at the interior of this transport.
It is spacious for a carriage, yet still not ideal for one of my stature.
Its walls and ceiling are painted a strange, highly reflective silver which makes it seem as if we are traveling within a box-shaped mirror.
Opposite the door is a wide window to let in light, draped in dark blue lace for privacy.
"What's the word for the mirror kink again?" Verena wonders aloud.
Eris appears in the reflective surface beside her, tipping his head. "Mirror kink?"
"Damn it, I miss Google. Well, whatever it is, the queen clearly had that."
"As I've said, Reinhilde was always looking at herself. It doesn't mean she did anything sexual in this coach—though I admit I don't know, as she never summoned me here."
She gestures all around us before looking pointedly up at the reflective ceiling. "Come on. If this thing wasn't designed for hot voyeuristic carriage sex, I'm a monkey's uncle."
The clopping of shod horses meets my ears as the carriage begins to roll forward.
Deciding now is as good a time as any to tempt her, I remove my cloak, dropping it on the ground of the coach along with the bag.
That motion alone has her gaze lingering on my arms, which are left bare by my tunic. I pretend not to notice as I lean back in my seat.
As I begin to adjust the bindings on one of my arms, I let my gaze slide back to Verena. The humor sparkling in her dark blue gaze darkens into something titillating as she sees the expression I wear.
"Watch where you point that smolder, big guy. And don't you dare take off those bandages—you've already been giving me too much Kool-Aid every day. I'm worried I'm making you severely anemic."
"I'm only adjusting them. Unless you are in need of blood…or anything else," I smirk.
She blinks. "Sorry, what did you say? I think my ears cut out because you're making the face."
"What face?"
"I don't know, the sexy face hot action hero guys make. Where is this panty-melting smirk coming from? I've never even seen you smile before, and now you hit me with this? Have some mercy. But seriously, I'm not thirsty, and I'm not going to feed on you."
"Not yet," I agree. "That will come after."
"After? What are you—"
Her voice drops off when I begin to loosen the ties at the top of my tunic, baring my neck to the cool air within the carriage.
It could easily be seen as getting comfortable, but Verena gasps, pointing a finger at me.
"J'Accuse! You're trying to thirst trap me!"
"But you just said you're not thirsty," Eris teases from the reflective coach. "I suppose we must both be imagining your fever."
She raises a middle finger at him before narrowing her eyes at me. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm only human?"
"How many times must I tell you, I am yours?" I counter, moving to kneel on the floor of the coach, at her feet so we are eye level. "Give me no orders. Let me prove you are forcing nothing. Do not feed on me, yet—but allow me to satisfy you."
Verena's dark blue gaze trails over my face, lingering for a moment on my lips. She wipes at her feverish forehead once more.
"This is really starting to feel like a wet dream again, which is ridiculous because I was already so fucking horny. How am I supposed to resist?"
"You're not," Eris says gently.
She swallows hard, her eyes returning to mine. "We could just…fool around. Not full-on fucking, just hand stuff. Something to take the edge off."
Already, I am allowing my right hand to move under her skirts to gently grip her calf—but my gaze stays on hers.
"Yes?" I check, kissing her knee. "You will allow me to please you?"
She makes a small sound in her throat before nodding hard. "Mm-hmm. Yes."
When my hand slides up to her smooth thigh beneath her skirt, she jolts a little.
I pause. "If I do something you dislike, tell me to stop. Or if I am frightening you again—"
"Oh my god, will you stop being so hot and just kiss me already?" she groans impatiently before leaning forward to capture my lips.