Chapter 4
HEKLA
I woke to the sound of my name, followed by the scent of lemon trees and summer storms. When I blinked my eyes open, I found Belenus at the entrance to the bathing room. It was odd to see him there, like some invisible barrier kept him from coming to my side.
I sat up and gestured with a hand. “You can come closer to talk, Belenus. I won’t bite,” I said calmly. I left out my usual joke with him, which was to add an “until you’re ready” to that sentence. It wasn’t funny anymore.
“I… uh,” he began, seeming to have a hard time looking me in the eye. I frowned and checked myself to find that one of my nightgown straps had slipped down an arm, giving him quite the view of my left breast. My nipple wasn’t even exposed and yet my body was still able to break Belenus’s brain.
Sensing this was the only power I had at the moment, I chose not to fix it. I simply stared at him and waited patiently for his wits to return. I had nothing else to do .
He cleared his throat and tried to be subtle about adjusting his pants beneath his belted tunic. “I, uh…” he said one more time. “I was going to dinner and thought I’d check on you,” he said, pointing back toward the door. “You left your door unlocked, by the way.”
“Why would I lock my mate out?” I asked, confused.
He hesitated, then finally replied, “We all lock our doors… it’s just a safety precaution. Like how one locks their house, yes?”
I nodded, understanding but not liking that.
He then patted his pocket and added, “I have a key, though! Not that I plan on abusing it, I mean. It’s… for safety.”
“Abusing it?” I inquired, knotting my brow and rubbing my forehead with a palm. I knew what he meant, but honestly, why did he pretend that I cared about his sense of propriety? “Belenus, you can come in whenever you want. You’re my fated mate. Stop talking like this,” I growled softly. “In my culture we’d be ‘married’ by now, so your sense of what is proper only means something to you.”
“Of course,” he replied, just as softly. “I’ll be more mindful of my words...” He glanced away and took a deep breath. “What I came here to say… I know you’re not up for dinner, so I’ll bring something back for you before I let you be. Any requests?”
That’s sweet! Eventide chirped with excessive enthusiasm. Ask for fish!
I laughed into my hand, confusing poor Belenus. His lips twitched into a smile, but he obviously had no idea why I’d reacted the way I had. He had a lot to learn about wolves. I wondered if he’d be able to hear Eventide when we eventually marked each other.
“My wolf said she’d like fish. That’s why I laughed, Belenus,” I explained, unwinding after the last chuckle.
“Then the fair lady will get our finest fish!” he said with a playful, sweeping bow, also relaxing enough to send me a flirty grin. I nodded quickly to get him to go away, because his brilliant smile had sent heat straight to my core. When I heard the door shut, I groaned and curled into a ball. All I could do was squeeze my thighs together and press my hands against the ache, as though it could be pushed away and forgotten. Carnal needs were, unfortunately, impossible to ignore.
Oh great Moon Goddess, get me through this month!
By the time he returned, I’d gotten my body to calm. It took a lot of cold water, and there might’ve been a tantrum involved.
“A fancy, fishy feast for my dear lady, Hekla, and my favorite wolf… whom I have yet to properly meet, I just realized,” Belenus announced, turning thoughtful while placing the tray of food on my small dining table.
“Thank you.” I sat to eat, ravenous from my bout of sexual frustration.
“I will take my leave… I’ll see y—”
“If you wish to meet Eventide, return at five to midnight, Belenus,” I said while I cut my food.
“That is… rather late…” he uttered, looking away as though torn on his answer.
“It is a late hour,” I agreed, stilling with a forkful of fish as I waited.
“I mean… late to call upon…” He stopped himself short and sighed. “I will be here at five to midnight.”
My brows shot up in surprise, and I nodded in approval. “I will see you then, Belenus.”
BELENUS
I paced my room from about eleven fifteen to eleven fifty in the evening, then walked down the halls until I reached Hekla’s room. My heart pounded, like it usually did when I was about to see her, and I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. Why was I doing this to myself? Why was I at the door of my betrothed at this hour? A female who had enchanted my cock to salute her regularly like she was the general…
The door opened sooner than anticipated, and Hekla gestured me into her suite… still wearing that delicate nightgown.
“I-I was going to knock when it was time,” I explained quietly after she’d closed the door behind me.
“No point hiding,” she remarked with a small, wry smile. “I could smell you from miles away.”
I tapped my nostril and grinned. “Your nose is that good, eh?”
She shook her head and chuckled as she opened the door to the balcony. “No, you just smell that good,” she said, smiling over her shoulder at me, and moved to open the other door. I swallowed heavily. That was quite the compliment.
“And what do I smell like?” I inquired, forcing a confident grin onto my face. I licked my lips when the drawn curtains allowed the moonlight to shine through her nightgown. Great Sun God, I knew from her past teasing what she looked like naked, but her curves always stunned me like a blow to the head. I worked feverishly to keep my eyes on her face when she turned.
“You smell like my mate,” she answered, leaning her head against one of the bedposts. The sight of my divine betrothed with the moonlight on her back had fire razing my insides. I must have been staring too long because she decided to expound. “Our noses help us determine things about our mates. They help us identify them and help males determine a female’s readiness. I imagine the fae do not have this,” she added quietly.
“We may be more known for our eyes and ears than our noses.” I tilted my head. “It’s not so hard to tell when a woman or a female is wanting.”
“Is that so?” she asked curiously.
I stood and considered her. “Perhaps I can’t smell what’s happening between a female’s legs, but I can see if her pupils are dilated,” I answered softly, tilting my head in the other direction to stare into her sharp, entrancing eyes. I knew what I’d see there. What was I doing? I took a step forward. Why had I done that ?
“I can also see if she’s biting or licking her lips,” I continued, gesturing to her sensual mouth. As though I’d commanded it, she licked her full lips nervously.
I took another step toward her. “Perhaps I’d notice a change in what’s holding up her clothes.” I gestured to how her hardened nipples made peaks in the nightgown. My desire to wet them with my mouth made something else harder.
One last step brought me close enough to feel her warm breath through my tunic. My eyes roved from her blooming cheeks to the curve of her hips. “I can see if a female’s skin is flushed… as her flesh might be swollen elsewhere...” I brushed the back of my fingers down the loose fabric—careful not to press into her skin—and let my hand hover suggestively where her abdomen met her thighs.
I rested my arm against the bedpost, just above her head. “And it’s easy enough to tell if her pulse and breathing accelerate.” I placed my palm on her chest, just above her breasts, to feel her heart hammer into my calloused flesh. What was I doing? What was I thinking? I just touched her chest without warning.
I leaned over her like that for a moment, knowing her panties must be positively drenched. And me? My cock throbbed and strained for release, needing to get at my fated mate. Oh, it wanted her. She was so close. She was so ready. We both were. How was I going to survive a month? If it was bad for me, how bad was it for her? Did she suffer more? This was only the first day!
It had been a mistake to come here this late. It was too tempting. I wanted to bed her too badly. I’d already had to masturbate twice today, and it still hadn’t been enough.
I needed to leave before this escalated. When I opened my mouth to excuse myself, she stepped back and checked the little magic clock I’d left on her nightstand.
“It’s almost midnight…” she observed and backed farther from me. I immediately missed the tingling sensation of her skin under my palm. The mate touch was a phenomenal force of nature, both comforting and thrilling at the same time. I wa nted more… I wanted so much more—on my cock, beneath my fingers, pressed against my mouth.
Hekla made sure the balcony doors were open wide, and in a move that had my jaw dropping, she shrugged off her gown straps, naked in less than a second as the silky fabric hit the floor. I was wrong earlier. She hadn’t been wearing panties. My cock lurched, my fist tightened around the bedpost, and the small snapping of wood hit my ears.
“My sub-pack told me to join them at midnight tonight…” she informed in a low voice, studying my face. I’d lost the battle; my eyes were glued to her luscious breasts. “Meet Eventide,” she introduced with a sad smile and shifted. It was a lot quicker than I expected, and I wished I’d been paying more attention.
In a blink, a massive black wolf appeared and walked up to greet me, wagging her tail excitedly. I squatted and patted her head, able to finally get a good look. The canine’s eyes shimmered silver, and her fur was soft to the touch—a fine beast, indeed, and much larger than the wild variety.
“Hello, Eventide. You are a beauty, aren’t you?” I complimented gently and scratched under her chin. I paused for a moment, wondering if this was appropriate. Eventide was also technically my mate, but I wasn’t expected to be intimate with this form. Were head pats ok, or was she just like any other canine I’d met and lived for table scraps and belly rubs? Confusion hit me now more than ever.
I sighed and accepted some lupine kisses from Eventide before she went out onto the balcony, claws clicking on hard tiles.There went our first kiss…
I followed and watched the stars with her. Another clear night in the Summer Court graced our skygazing—one not too hot and not too cold. Simply a perfect evening for my intended to do what she willed. Something about joining her friends at midnight?
I had a feeling it was about to get noisy in a second. Eventide hastily retreated into the room and ran back out howling. She must have gone to check the time, and I grinned, finding that very cute for some reason. But great gods, Eventide had quite a pair of lungs on her! One could probably hear her all the way out to the Unseelie Court!
I chuckled quietly as I watched her howl at the twinkling stars and the passing moon. The wolf was excited, like she was truly connecting with her friends in the other realm. It was a nice gesture for them to plan this. It wouldn’t keep Hekla from being lonely, though… I had to figure something out, but I still couldn’t think of anything outside of what I already had planned. I had to introduce her to people slowly and to those I trusted the most. Strategizing in general was a long game and painful for those not used to patience.
Eventide eventually ceased her howling and trudged back into the room, visibly depressed. Then she jumped on the bed and shifted back into my Hekla. I held back a groan and forced my gaze from her starlit skin. She was too tempting, and I was going to lose control. Already my abdomen cramped and crackled with electricity. I pumped my fists in agitation, reminding myself I wasn’t to touch her again tonight.
“It was good to meet her,” I said, running a shaking hand through my hair. “She’s as beautiful a wolf as you are a w—female.” I grimaced, almost calling her a woman again on accident.
She nodded and rose from the bed. Was she going to try to seduce me again? I didn’t know if I could take it. But all she did was pass me to enter the bathing room and crawl into her hidden nest.
“Good night, Belenus,” she murmured, knowing I could easily hear her. “Lemon trees and summer storms.”
“What?” I asked, leaning against the doorframe, not understanding.
“It’s what you smell like… lemon trees and summer storms,” she clarified, then yawned and curled into one of the pelts. I stared at her for a long while after that, watching her breathing slow until I was certain she’d fallen asleep. I wasn’t sure what possessed me to do it, but I didn’t want her to be alone until th en.
HEKLA
The next time I woke, it was from a tapping noise. Sitting up slowly and feeling a touch disoriented, I rubbed my eyes to clear them. I’d dreamt of crisp air in my lungs and autumn leaves under Eventide’s paws, which made me forget for a second that I was in the fae realm. The reality hit like cold water, but after a couple deep breaths, I shook it off, stretched, and went to find the source of the noise. It definitely wasn’t a fist on a wooden door, and when I realized the sound was coming from the balcony door, I hesitated. Was someone out there? How? They didn’t have dragon-shifters here, did they?
I rushed to slip on the nightgown I’d left abandoned on the floor and peeked through the curtains. Behind the glass hopped a colorful bird whose eyes simply begged to be let inside my suite. What a delight to wake to! I swung the double doors open and allowed the bird entrance, smiling as it flew about and landed on the bed.
“Look at you! Good morning, little bird. Are you here to wake me for the day?” I chuckled. It was a lovely little thing, like a wren with a long train of rainbow feathers. It hopped forward and tilted its head, seeming as curious of me as I was of it.
A swirl of what could only be described as a ribbon of light rippled about it, and a fully dressed woman appeared. The bird was gone, and it didn’t take long to make the connection. I yelped in surprise and retreated a step, my skin prickling with every hair that stood on end.
That’s no shifter! She’s wearing clothes! Eventide gasped.
“Wh—” I began, startled; however, rage quickly quashed fear. My territory had been invaded—by a woman, no less!
“First rule,” the beautiful strawberry blonde fae said, “is don’t trust animals! Any one of them could be a fae in disguise!” She shook her head and tutted. “That’s how assassins get to you! ”
“Are you an assassin?” I growled and bared my teeth, letting her see my lengthened canines. I also raised a hand to make sure she knew that I had claws just as sharp. Eventide raged in my head, just as offended and ready to shift.
“Ooh! I like you!” She grinned, leaned forward, and rested her chin on her hands. Then, as if she’d just sipped on a fine tea, she scrunched her freckled nose in delight and hummed.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said flatly. “Not that I have a reason to trust your answer. Get out, fae!” I pointed back to the balcony and took an assertive step toward her. I didn’t care if she had magic; this was my territory! I would not stand for this!
“Maybe you’ll survive court after all,” she said thoughtfully, staring at me. She tilted her head and frowned. “Or that aggressiveness could get you killed.”
I flared my nostrils and snorted. If she wasn’t going to answer my questions, then there was no reason to ask more. My patience, already stretched thin, evaporated.
Bringing myself within a hair’s breadth of her, I yelled, “I was forced to move away from my realm, I am utterly alone here with a disinterested mate, and suddenly, I have people invading my territory! The one place I have to myself! I won’t tolerate further insult!” I grabbed her wrist to drag her out of my suite, digging my claws into her arm and not caring one bit if I cut her or not.
“Wow!” She gasped and whimpered in pain, allowing me to tug her along. The lock on the door jiggled before I could reach it, and Belenus stormed in, furious. He glared at the woman, cheeks flushed as he caught his breath. Had he run down here?
“Emer! I told you! I strictly told you not to do this!” he yelled, slamming the door behind him.
“Greetings, brother,” she said with a pained grin, looking up at me to make sure I realized she was his sister.
Oh, we so do not care! Eventide barked.
“Adopted,” he said through his teeth, making the muscles in his jaw knot.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to find myself again. Had I been too violent? I was on edge.
Maybe more than usual, Eventide noted. Best let her go. Make sure Belenus deals with her.
I opened my eyes to find them both staring at me, and I promptly released Emer, who examined the cuts on her arm. “Your bitch is incredible! Look at this! I’d say it’s quite refreshing to see someone so honest.”
I growled at her, which made Belenus start. He then rounded on Emer, scowled, and hissed, “Do not call her that! I’ve never raised a hand against you, but don’t tempt me, Emer!”
“But it’s what one calls a female dog… Oh, alright!” She smiled up at me. “I do enjoy bending rules, but I’ll try to behave. It’s a good thing I like you. Belenus is poor at picking bed partners.”
That was a jab to my heart, and for a split second, I wanted to kill her. I knew many didn’t wait for their destined mates, and that was fine, but I didn’t like hearing about his previous women. I seethed, slowly and coldly, “Then it’s a good thing we’re not.” In an agonizing amount of emotional pain, I dug my claws into my palms until they pricked skin—a bad habit among my kind. My chest had been squeezed by a vise, and my skin ignited. Eventide whined within me in solidarity.
“I figured,” she said with a sigh and looked up at her brother, shaking her head.
This had gone on for far too long. “You are testing me on my territory. Get out. Immediately!” I yelled at her, then glared at Belenus. Lividity shook him, but he seemed frozen, like he didn’t know what to do with himself. I wanted to order him out as well, but he didn’t do anything wrong.
Finally, Emer brushed off her red skirts and left through the door without a word. I paced restlessly, squeezing my fists while trying to calm myself. Blood pounded and rushed in my ears, an annoyingly loud thunderstorm in my head .
Belenus explained quietly, and I strained to listen over my fading ire. “Once she found out you’d arrived, she wanted to see you straightaway. I told her no, but you can see she’s great at talking… not so much at listening.” He walked slowly toward me, hesitantly, as though I were about to attack him.
I had so many angry, immature, spiteful things I wanted to say, but none of it was like me, so I held my tongue. I just needed to calm down and think rationally. This place was poking at all my sore spots, but I couldn’t forget who I was. What would Hekla do? That was what Ragna told me to think. I needed to hang on to that and remember how my friends saw me.
“Belenus, I will not attack you. I would rather chew off my arm than attack you. You seem wary,” I said, watching him out of the corner of my eye. “Yes, I am furious. My territory was invaded. I’m packless now, and I feel vulnerable. I need to feel safe in my own living space if I’m without a pack or a mate.” I looked down at my hands, seeing the bloody damage I’d caused in my own anger. Though I’d heal just fine, I took this as a warning. I needed to fight to stay in control, and I feared I was slowly losing that battle. Fire scalded my skin, and my muscles ached. My heart hurt.
While I stared at my hands, Belenus moved silently, standing in front of me before I realized it. He reached out, grabbed them, and rubbed his thumbs gently across my palms. The mate touch soothed me so potently, so immediately, that I let out a colossal exhale. Warmth spread into my hands, a different heat than the injury’s inflammation, but it was the sight of skin knitting back together that surprised me. Not even Eventide could heal me that fast!
“Fae magic… now that I’m back in my realm,” he explained softly. “It’s stronger here.”
“Thank you,” I said, just as quietly. I stared blankly at where the cuts used to be. Now only red remained. Even so, I still felt like I was bleeding .
“I’m so sorry, Hekla. I’m sorry for everything,” he apologized in a thick voice, and I could tell he spoke the truth. I nodded slowly, letting him know I heard him. He pulled my hands up and kissed them both. “You feel warm, Hekla. Are you feeling alright?” He placed a wrist over my forehead in concern.
“I think my body’s still upset by some of the things she said. She-wolves are very territorial, Belenus,” I said, looking away from him. Surprisingly, his hands slid down my arms and around my back to pull me into a hug. I went wide-eyed and froze as he pressed me close against his hard body. In my shock, I didn’t know what to do, but I let my stained hands hang limply at my side, not wanting to get blood on his nice clothes.
He murmured into my ear, his hot breath stroking my skin, “Since the moment I met you, you became the only female I wanted to touch for the remainder of my life, Hekla. No shifter, woman, or fae woman interests or would ever interest me in the slightest. All I can see is you. Perhaps if tradition wasn’t so strict, I’d have had you the night I met you.”
His words and breath had me shivering, but the claim irritated me. “You offered yourself to Ragna when she was here,” I accused without thinking and winced. I sounded like a jealous pup. Why had I said that? I should have let that go a long time ago.
Belenus sighed, and I thought he’d back away, but he just dug his fingers into my back. “I was desperate, Hekla. My time was running out. My mother was about to marry me off to a nightmare of a woman, and I saw Ragna as my only way out—if I could win her over, that is.
“I would have tried to claim her as my mate if we weren’t fated. Being the Sky-Blessed might have been enough to change my mother’s mind. Practically anyone was better than that fae, Hekla. Yes, Ragna was beautiful, and I pursued her so recklessly I came across as a bit of a bastard.” He chuckled briefly and sobered. He laid his chin upon the top of my head and sighed, pressing his ribs into my breasts .
“But apparently she-wolves are beautiful in general,” he said in a bored tone. “When I saw you, though,” he continued, his voice warming with nostalgia, “you were so beyond beautiful that you rendered me speechless. I couldn’t appreciate anyone after that. You made me want to risk my life on the raid that King Zorian was leading on Eysteinn’s cult. That’s how much I wanted to see you again. I wanted to stick around and see who you were. It was well worth getting stabbed, I’d say. I didn’t even know you were my fated mate.”
I jerked my head up to look at him. I had no idea! I hadn’t known about any of that! He grinned down at me. “What?” he asked, feigning incredulity. “Never had anyone take a sword to get a chance with you? I find that hard to believe.”
I simply gaped. “Certainly not. But you were scared to death of me!” I argued.
“And I still am,” he said, his amber eyes penetrating me.
“Why, though?”
“Because you, of all the females and women in the world, not only make me feel like I’m going to lose control… you make me wish I could.”