Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Fawn
“ D o you want to?” I ask.
“Want to what?” he replies, gazing into my eyes.
“You know…”
I take back everything I said about Gideon not being polite, gallant, and a little bit shy. As I nestle on his lap, he is all those things and more.
If this were Nox, I might have assumed he was trying to make me use the naughty words, but Gideon is merely clueless.
I slip my hand down between us and squeeze his cock through his pants.
“Oh.” He grins.
A knock sounds on the door. Before we can say a word, the door swings open to admit Persa and Estelle.
“So happy to see you two getting along,” Estelle says, smiling brightly.
“I hope we’re not interrupting?” Persa says.
Gideon jumps to his feet, sending me tumbling to the floor.
“My lady!” He drags me up again. “I am so sorry!”
“It’s fine,” I say. “My bottom has plenty of padding.”
He blushes.
I am also blushing.
Seven’s sisters are already calling servants to organize afternoon tea.
He takes my hand and brings it to his lips. “I will help with the tea.”
I watch him go, promising myself I will have alone time with him later.
I don’t end up getting any time alone with Gideon. Seven’s sisters commandeer all my afternoon.
“I have a present for you,” Persa says, sliding a book across the table. “Thought you might be close to finishing the last book.”
My gaze snaps toward Gideon, who stands attentively at the side of the table. He doesn’t look at me, but his lips curve in a tiny smile.
I fully expect that the mate code, as Nox referred to it, will come into play later.
“Thank you,” I squeak.
I glance down at the cover.
Shared and Rutted by the Wolf Pack.
My eyes feel like they are on stalks. Where does she even find these stories?! I quickly flip it face down and put my napkin over it like that might erase what I’ve just seen.
Time passes pleasantly.
No sooner do they leave than Eiden arrives to take me for my afternoon shift.
“The constable asked if you would take Jude on a tour of the guard posts,” Eiden says. “I’ll take Fawn to the forest for her run.”
“Of course,” Gideon says. “By the way, she has another book.”
“Book?” Eiden looks confused. “On culture?”
Gideon snorts.
“Gideon,” I hiss.
He winks at Eiden. “I’ll explain about it later,” he says. Whistling Blue to accompany him, he strides out the door.
“What was that about?” Eiden asks.
“Nothing,” I say, feigning innocence. “I’m ready for my run.”
I am not, in fact, ready for my run. I would rather everybody go away and leave me alone with Gideon, but he has already left to show Jude the guard posts, of all things.
Fine, I also love to shift and play. It is officially my favorite part of the day when one or several of my mates accompany me for my afternoon run. Just thinking about shifting makes my body tingle with energy and happiness, and I can feel it building inside me.
I just want to run…
The air whooshes in my ears. When I glance down, I see my dress, underthings, and shoes in a little heap on the floor.
My doe immediately wags her tail at Eiden, who is still in human form.
And then he shifts, too. He is a beautiful stag. His coat is a deep russet, dappled with lighter spots across his back. The thick ruffle of fur on his throat is luxurious looking. His antlers are huge and regal—he is handsome, no matter his form.
I trot ahead of him, down the steps and out into the garden, feeling joyful. The sun is warm and pierces the woodland canopy to warm my coat.
He lets me run, following attentively close.
I have been thinking increasingly of him taking me in this form, of him mounting my doe.
He snorts, and I glance back to see him bearing down on me fast.
My back legs kick out, excitement rips through me, and I dash left around a tree, running as fast as I can.
His hooves thunder as he chases me down. But I am fast and nimble, darting left and right around trees. He cannot catch me. I am too quick. The air seems to crackle with electricity like it does before a storm. I can feel something rising inside me—a primal urgency.
I like being chased. I like it very much. I dart between the trees, trying to lose him—testing him.
I want him to catch me, but also, I do not.
My wild race ends as I emerge on the side of the lake, where I come to a skittering stop.
Ahead, gardeners are cutting down a giant weeping willow that lines the far side of the lake.
I shift to human. Eiden does likewise.
“Why are they cutting a tree down?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says, frowning.
The very first day I came here, all the gardeners were told to keep away. But I have come to recognize most of them now. The grounds are locked at night, but they are busy at work during the day, entering via a sturdy wooden gate in the outer wall to the south.
“I don’t recognize the gardeners,” I say, a prickling sense of unease at the back of my neck. “I guess we shall not be playing in the lake today.”
“No,” Eiden says slowly.
Something is wrong. The sense of malaise rises the longer I stare at the gardeners.
“We should go back,” I say, but before I turn away, my eyes land on the woman among the gardeners. “What is Marigold doing working in the garden?”
“Run!” Eiden suddenly snarls.
The command in that word cracks like a whip. The sense of malaise reaches fever pitch.
My body explodes into my doe form, and I kick off.
Only to stumble as a huge net smothers me, tangling my hooves. I hit the ground hard, panic slamming me as I kick frantically to get free.
Eiden’s stag roars, a wild, beastly sound that startles me out of doe and back to human.
Panting, I claw at the net, trying to break free. “Eiden!”
Another roar, this one filled with agony. It floods my veins with ice-cold terror.
A leering face comes down over me, a rough hand closes over my shoulder, pinning me to the ground before a noxious rag is pressed over my nose.
The world turns to sparking dots.
Another roar—this one pitiful and human.
My world goes black.