Blood Oath (17 page)

“I’ve
studied the technique.” He grasped her thighs and pulled her higher onto his
lap.

“I’ve
thought about it, but I’ve never done it before,” she said in a wobbly voice.
Her smile felt a little jittery, but she clung to it as Demi parted her pussy
and covered his fingers with her natural lubrication. She held her breath as he
trailed his finger down to her anus and rubbed gently against the opening.

His
caresses were soft and slow, and he paused frequently to wet his fingers. Anca
relaxed under the gentle massage and barely felt anything when his finger
entered her anus. He wiggled his finger gently, and she stiffened when she felt
a flash of pain, accompanied by a stir of pleasure.

He
must have sensed when her muscles relaxed again, because he eased a second
finger inside her after sliding it in her pussy to moisten it. He thrust his
fingers carefully, and Anca squirmed. There was a twinge of discomfort, but
enjoyment of the sensation outweighed it. Was it pleasure from the physical
sensation, or more from the implied taboo of doing such a thing? She didn’t
care to analyze it.

When
Demi withdrew his fingers as his other hand probed her pussy, she knew he was
about to enter her. She struggled to relax, knowing it would make the process
easier. He teased her clit for too brief a moment, causing her to writhe
upwards against his hand.

A few
seconds passed when he didn’t touch her, and she resisted the urge to lift her
head to watch him prepare. She focused on her breathing and recapturing the
thrill of experimentation. Despite her resolve, she stiffened when he adjusted
their position and his cock head rested against her anus.

“It
isn’t too late to change your mind.” His tone was soothing, and he stopped
moving.

“No, I
want to.”

“Relax
then,
meu dragostia
.” Demi’s finger slid over her clit in soothing
circles as his cock pressed into her back passage. His other hand guided his
cock into her, and he continued to stroke her clit as he moved past her
resistance and entered her a few inches.

His
cock was definitely different from his fingers, she thought with a pained
grimace. There was more pain and a sense of almost uncomfortable fullness. If
her pussy hadn’t started spasming from his tender ministrations, she might have
told him to stop right then.

“Tell
me when to move,” Demi whispered. “You’re in complete control. If you want me
to withdraw, I will immediately.”

She
nodded, squeezing her lids tightly closed. Anca waited for the pain to pass,
and it did a short time later. The sense of fullness remained, but it was
starting to feel good. Coupled with the way he rubbed her clit, the sensation
intensified her arousal. “You could try thrusting.”

His
movements were slow and careful, and he continued to massage her pussy. The
first thrust hurt worse than his initial penetration, but each subsequent
thrust brought more pleasure than pain. As he maintained his slow pace and
rubbed her clit, he spoke soothing words to her in Corsovan.

Anca
was soon squirming with pleasure, thrusting upward against his fingers as she
clenched her buttocks. Each time she did so, she heard him grunt. When she opened
her eyes, she saw sweat beaded his forehead, and his face appeared flushed in
the moonlight. It was obvious his control was tenuous, as was hers.

She
cupped her neglected breasts and rubbed the aching nipples. He seemed to sense
her urgency, because his thrusts got deeper and faster, and he applied a hint
of pressure to her clitoris as he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger.

His
orgasm came scant seconds before hers, causing his body to stiffen as his cock
spasmed. When he cried out, his voiced pleasure intensified hers. Anca arched
her hips up at a sharp angle as she came. He followed the movements of her
body, burying his cock inside her and spurting the last traces of his
satisfaction. He continued to stroke her clit, but his pace had slowed as her
juices made his fingers slick again.

The
spasms racking her lower body faded, and she felt his cock soften inside her
anus. She winced as he withdrew carefully, surprised by a bit of pain after all
the pleasure. “I never expected that,” she confessed. “I didn’t think it would
feel so good.”

Demi
nodded as he rolled onto his side and settled beside her. He put his arm across
her waist. “Neither did I. I’ve heard unpleasant things about making love like
this. Yet, now I wonder how one can’t find pleasure in doing this. You were so
tight around my cock. I never imagined…” He trailed off with a sigh. “I find
myself needing to rest before we return to the castle. You have exhausted me
with your wanton ways.”

Her
grin disappeared behind a yawn. When it passed, Anca bit her lip. “If I’m
dreaming, none of this happened.”

“If
you aren’t, it all happened,” he countered in a sleepy tone.

Anca
sighed. “I don’t know how I feel about that.” She laid her head on his chest
and curved her body against his. “I don’t want to undo anything between us, but
if this happened, that means it all did. It’s all real.”

“Yes.”
His voice was fuzzy and distant, indicating he was almost asleep. “All real,”
he repeated.

Anca
swallowed a lump in her throat. It must all be a dream, she decided. After all,
she had never had the courage to admit to her secret curiosity before. No
doubt, she would awaken tomorrow morning in the castle and discover none of
this had happened. “No doubt,” she said softly, struggling to keep her
whispered tone firm. She ignored the dart of doubt accompanying the thought and
allowed sleep to claim her.

Chapter 10

“It’s
not a dream.” Anca groaned as she sat up, noticing the sky had lightened,
though the sun had yet to rise. She was still beside Demi on the ground,
completely nude, and aching as though she had been thoroughly made love to
after running a marathon—which was pretty much what had happened to her last
night.

Demi
propped his chin on his hand and gave her a small smile. “No, not a dream.”

She
shook her head, refusing to believe everything that had happened yesterday. Her
shock deepened when Demi transformed to a large, silvery-white wolf.

Hurry
and change so we can make it back to the castle. Ylenia has much to discuss
with you.

Last
night, she hadn’t paid much attention to the mechanics of Demi speaking inside
her mind, but this morning she was aware of the low buzzing in her head. It was
more of a vibration than a sound.

How
could it be? Demi was a werewolf? She was a werewolf? Anca shook her head
again, attempting to dismiss the fantastical notion. She must still be
dreaming.

His
chuckle emerged as a pleasant growl.
We aren’t werewolves. We’ve formed an
alliance with their kind. Don’t you remember what I told you last night?

A wave
of nausea accompanied Anca’s reluctant nod as their conversation came back to
her. “What are we then?” she asked the question mechanically, still not able to
believe what had happened. She must still be feeling the effects of the wolf
biting her. Right now, she was probably raving in a fevered state. Wasn’t she?
How could it be otherwise?

Demi
shook his massive, furry head.
It falls to your father or Ylenia to explain.

Please
tell me!
she responded with thought as naturally as she would have spoken
to anyone else. The realization brought her up short, making her question her
assumption that she was still dreaming

He
shook his head again.
Transform, dragostia. Time is short.

Anca
closed her eyes and concentrated on becoming a wolf. Last night’s
transformation was a hazy recollection, and she couldn’t remember how she had
done it. How could she even attempt to do it, unless she believed even a
smidgeon of what her eyes had shown her and Demi told her. With a sense of
discomfort at the attempt, she struggled to complete the process, more than
half-convinced she would never be able to.

Her
skin felt stretched thin, and every nerve in her body ached, but that was the
only side effect she noticed of her attempt to transform. It was nothing like
the pain she had experienced last night. She sighed at the futility of the
attempt and opened her eyes to tell Demi she couldn’t do it.

She
looked down and saw her muzzle. Anca blinked, closed her eyes, waited a few
seconds, and opened them again. She craned her neck and saw she had transformed.
The reality of the situation crashed on her, and she knew she couldn’t deny
what was happening to her—what had happened. Somehow, she had the ability to
become a wolf. If that was real, then everything was real. If she accepted
this, she had to accept it was all true. Could she do that?

Her
mind
shied away from her heavy thoughts to concentrate on something more
mundane.
Why didn’t it hurt like last night?

Your
body has accepted the change. You’ll never experience more than mild discomfort
again. In time, that too will fade, as transforming becomes second nature.

How
long will that take?

Years,
maybe.

He
padded away from her, leaving Anca little choice but to follow. She didn’t want
to be lost again. He set an easy pace, and her tight muscles loosened as they
ran through the trees and fields.

As she
ran beside Demi, she couldn’t deny what had happened any longer. Her life had
taken an unexpected turn, and that was putting it mildly. Believing everything
Demi had told her was one thing. Accepting it was quite another.

* * * * *

When
they arrived back at the castle, Anca was surprised when Demi didn’t slip back
into his human form. She stopped abruptly, cocking her head.
Shouldn’t we go
back to…us?

Why?

What
if someone sees us like this?

Demi’s
ears flickered in the early morning breeze.
They will think nothing of it.
However, the future queen and her lifemate strolling nude into Castle
Draganescu might raise a few eyebrows.

One
advantage to being a wolf was her blush didn’t show. Anca settled for nodding
her head, disconcerted by the way her skin rolled when she did so. Her tongue
emerged to pant, and she drew it back in her mouth quickly. As she did so, she
raked it across her fangs, a vivid reminder of the physical changes
accompanying her new ability.

She
followed Demi in through the kitchen. No one gave them a second look. She found
herself sniffing as she walked past the oven, and was again disconcerted by the
way her tail started wagging as if on autopilot. Anca hoped she wouldn’t retain
any wolf traits when she returned to her true form.

Demi
escorted her to her chambers and followed her inside. As soon as the door
closed behind them, he slipped back into his human form. Anca did the same,
once again taking a moment to concentrate on the act.

He
leaned forward and kissed her quickly. “Dress and be prepared for Ylenia’s
summons. She’ll send someone to escort you to her. It will probably be soon, as
she rises early.”

Anca
nodded, resisting the urge to wind her arms around Demi’s neck and hold him
close to her. She longed for a means of escaping her fear, but didn’t think she
would find it with him. The only way to reject the changes was to return to New
York and not look back. A pang in her chest dismissed the notion. She couldn’t
stand the thought of leaving Demi without things resolved between them.
Moreover, she still hadn’t gotten to know her father.

He
stroked her cheek. “I love you. If it was possible, I would be there for your
meeting with Ylenia.”

“Please
come,” she whispered.

“I
can’t. Your father will surely wish to speak to me about what happened to you
yesterday, and Ylenia will prefer privacy.” He kissed her again before stepping
away and assuming wolf-form. He padded to the door and touched it lightly with
his paw.

It
took her a few seconds to realize he wanted the door opened. It had closed
tightly, and he wasn’t able to pry it open with his paw. She opened it for him,
shielding herself behind the door to hide her state of undress. As the door
closed behind him, a heavy sense of pressure filled her, and she ran to the
bathroom to vomit.

Once
she had emptied her stomach of its meager contents, Anca dropped to the cool
stone floor and curled into a ball. So many thoughts whirled in her mind that
she couldn’t concentrate on any of them for long—even the most life-altering
events, like now having increased psychic powers and the ability to transform
into a wolf at will.

Anca
pushed herself off the floor and turned on the faucets to fill the large tub.
She tried clearing her mind of all the confusing thoughts and simply getting
through the morning. Without being told, she knew the meeting with Ylenia would
hold more revelations, and faced the prospect with dread, knowing she couldn’t
escape learning the truth, even if she wanted to. As she had heard several
times, it was her destiny.

* * * * *

A
young woman with light-brown hair came for her an hour later. The girl
curtsied, causing the hem of her white robe to fan out across the floor. “Your
Highness, I’m here to bring you to Ylenia.”

Anca
nodded, feeling incapable of speech. She followed the silent girl from her room
and through the castle. Today, she remembered where some of the halls led and
knew they were going into the tapestry room before the girl opened the door.

A tea
tray rested on the small table in the corner. Two empty chairs faced each other
across the table. No one was in the room, except them.

The
girl curtsied again. “Ylenia will arrive shortly.” She turned to leave, and
then spun around quickly. “I’m sorry, m’lady.”