Page 37 of Oath of Revenge

Desperate, she pulled her shirt over her head and pushed down her underwear and pants.

Pacing naked, her tail swished, tickling the back of her thigh and lower back. She shivered at the light touch, and she grew hotter. It was like her brain was still floating through the clouds, her body the only thing she could focus on. Her nipples pebbled in the open air, heavy and aching.

Wulfric’s big, rough hands would feel good on her breasts. She gasped, shaking her head and turning away from the door. No, absolutely not.

She’d thought taking her pants and underwear off would ease the pressure on her clit, but it just made things worse. Her core ached with every step, torturing her to find relief.

Relief that she would find across the hall with Wulfric.

His name echoed in her head now with every step. The way he’d prowled toward her with singular focus, as if she held the answers to life and was the most important thing in his world.

Not like she was a freak. Not like he wanted to avoid her which was what all the people she’d met in the past six months did. Not like she was a disease and could pass her curses to someone else just by being in the same fucking room.

No, he’d looked at her like he wanted to devour her. He’d talked so openly about what he wanted to do to her.

Fucking hells, was she getting hotter? She wiped sweat from her forehead with a wet cloth, then dipped it into the cold pitcher of water under the window. The coolness of it should have made her calm the fuck down.

But the scrape of the cloth along her skin made her core clench and her nipples pebble.

Damn it. She threw the cloth to the pitcher, making it wobble. She jumped, stabilizing it before it fell. Her hands were shaking, and now she was both sweating and had goosebumps.

She held her head and scratched the hollow behind her ears. Maybe she could bring herself relief? She slid her hands down her breasts and pinched the hard nubs.

Her head fell back with a gasp, and her eyes fluttered. She slid a hand down to her folds. Fuck, she was so wet. Wulfric would howl to see it, smell it, taste it. She shuddered in anticipation as she circled her clit and pressed firmly, making her hips buck.

Then she eased off. One hand on her breast, one on her clit, she set up a steady rhythm. The heat grew higher between her legs, threatening to combust.

But then the wave faded. She’d done this more times than she’d slept with actual men, so why wasn’t it working?

The mate bond.

She spun on her heels and went back to pacing. The damn Growler had ruined it. All she wanted was to throw open the door and mount him.

Would he let her? Could she sleep with him without accepting the mate bond? Scratch the itch that was crawling under her skin?

She paced. No, that was ridiculous. There was no telling what the mate bond even entailed. But this burning heat in her body that screamed at her to go to him was proof that the mate bond did exist. It explained how she was feeling.

That, or an infection.

Of course, she could ask him if this was normal for mates. Her steps faltered near the door. She could ask him if there was a way to ease the burning need without completing the mate bond too. Sex could just be sex, right?

Her mind latched onto the idea like a drowning woman grabbing a life rope.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. With a creak, the door to her old room opened, and she slid inside.

Light from the moon spilled through the windows and across the floor. It fell on his face, relaxed in sleep. But the moment she took a step into the room, his golden eyes flew open.

He didn’t move, just watched her shut the door behind her and stand stiffly along the wall. Fuck, what was she doing? She was still naked. Her breasts ached for his touch; her pussy was on fire. This was a bad idea.

She tilted her head up and tried to slow her breathing, but it was damn hard to do when his scent filled the room. The smell of grass and pine filled her, calming her even as it drove her desire up.

She wasn’t going to back down. She couldn’t. Her body would revolt, and she’d get no sleep.

He sat up but didn’t say a word. The blanket pooled at his waist, and she could almost see the imperceptible lengthening of his mouth and chin.

It sent a thrill of awareness through her, and her sex began to weep with need down her legs. She could almost feel the phantom movement of his cock inside her, and it made her gasp.

He jerked at the sound, and her eyes widened at the tenting of the blanket. He sniffed, and his golden eyes began to glow.

---