Chapter Eighty-Six
Striding across the room, Nathaniel fetched another cloth from the empty basin, and I let my eyes linger on the tight musculature of his back, his strong thighs and toned ass as he turned around.
"See something you like?" Nathaniel rumbled, quirking a brow as he strode back across the room, drawing a small smile out of me in the process, "How untoward of you to stare, little female."
"You spend plenty of time staring at me," I said, "It is only fair."
"Stare all you like, darling," Nathaniel mused, "I am yours alone to enjoy—clothed or bared, everything I have is for you."
Nathaniel trailed his calloused fingers down my bared sternum, pressing a gentle kiss to my belly before bending down to press the cloth between my legs.
Gently cleaning the slick from my parted thighs, Nathaniel shifted me slightly to the side to remove the now wet blanket that had been lying beneath my hips.
I was too worn out to be embarrassed about it, and besides, Nathaniel regarded the task with an air of pride, a light in his gaze and a surety in each and every movement.
His touch, though different, was no less reverent than the one he gave me in moments of great desire; it seemed that every act of intimacy between us, no matter how small, was just as special to him and each carried the same weight of importance.
A thought struck me suddenly and without warning, lurching me up to sitting with a speed that made Nathaniel drop the blanket and come to my side at once.
"Is everything alright?" Nathaniel looked over every inch of my exposed body, searching for some invisible malady, "What is wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just, well—" My lost embarrassment was returning suddenly, and I fought the urge to cross my arms over my bare chest, "You did not, I mean—"
"Love." Nathaniel's curled a finger under my chin, tilting it up towards him, "Speak your mind. You apologize without even saying the words yet—what is it?"
"You finished inside of me." I darted a look around the room, as if someone might hear me, as foolish as it was.
"That I did," A haughty smirk covered Nathaniel's lips, "I can already notice it in your scent, it is delightful."
"But what about, you know...safety?"
"Safety?"
"Children, Nathaniel." I said, but Nathaniel seemed confused at this remark.
"You do not yet bear my mark, love," Nathaniel tilted his head to the side, regarding me carefully, "There is no danger."
"Oh." I blinked, nodding as I digested that new piece of information. I had not known that was the only way for a Wolf to bear children, although my education in matters of the flesh were rather lacking.
I did not ask any further questions, however, as I did not dare venture into that conversational territory. Taking things one step at a time was already almost too fast for me, and I did not want to panic and set us back.
So rather than doing what I always did, devolving into a mess of panic about what might happen and everything that could happen or would happen, I took a breath. I reminded myself that I was safe, and that I did not have to solve every problem at once, and I set the matter aside for another day.
Nathaniel gathered me in his arms, holding me close to his chest as he covered us with furs and blankets, a soft nest surrounding us in a cocoon of warmth. The heat radiating off of his body was its own kind of furnace, a fire burning at exactly the right temperature.
"You fit so perfectly in my arms," Nathaniel murmured into my hair, "Almost as perfectly as I fit inside of you."
"Nathaniel." I chided, snuggling closer into his chest, letting myself sink into his welcome warmth.
"Getting shy on me again, are you?" Nathaniel chuckled, "I thought that we were rather past that, not that I mind of course. You do turn such a lovely shade of pink when you get flustered."
"You do have a talent for it." I whispered.
"Getting you flustered?"
"Among other things." I could not help a small smile, hiding it against Nathaniel's bared chest.
"Is that so?" Nathaniel lengthened the words, a glint in his eye, "Be careful little mate—you need rest, but let it be known that my appetite for you is insatiable. I would happily take you for hours, devouring your pleasure like the finest meal."
"What was that you were saying about making me flustered?" My voice was muffled as I buried my face further into his chest, trying to escape from the heat crawling up my neck and the dark rumbling of Nathaniel's laughter.
He was right that I needed rest; a dull ache sat in my core that I assumed would result in a great deal of soreness come morning light. Still, it was not more than I could take, and only a result of this being my first claiming.
With time it would fade, as would that initial pain when Nathaniel entered me. That had only been the first time, after all.
Which meant—what, exactly?
That this would be the first of many nights spent beneath the Wolf Lord, trapped safely in his strong arms in the warmth of his chambers.
How odd it was, to crave such a thing, wisps of a remembered guilt fading in the back of my mind like a strange, foolish memory.
We had other worries now, far more important ones that came in the form of a Wolf that I knew we could not trust. One that would gladly use me to ruin Nathaniel or the other way round, whichever caused the most damage.
But I knew that I could trust Nathaniel, I knew it with a certainty that was as startling and frightening as it was comforting.
I knew truly for the first time that I was not alone, and that when the morning came, we would face it together.