Page 18 of Wolf Marked

A piercing whistle sliced through the silence, and a breath of air teased Erec’s hair, followed by a loud thud. He peered up to see the spear sticking out of the trunk just above his head with a fist-sized pomple fruit pierced by the tip. A drop of purple juice fell on the tip of his nose.

He whirled around. Astrid had her hands on her hips with an amused expression on her face.

When Erec gazed up again, he noticed the tree he’d been leaning on was full of the ripe winter fruit. They hung low on the snow-covered branches. Had she really thrown the spear, snagged one of the pomples, and with perfect aim and accuracy, nailed the tree just above his head?

“That’s a little too close for my taste,” Erec said, glancing back at the spear.

“I wouldn’t hit you,” she said, stalking toward him in such a confident, predatory way that his groin tightened. He swallowed roughly.

Astrid jumped, grabbed the spear’s shaft with both hands, and yanked it free. Erec stared at her in silence. Heat spread across every inch of his skin as the urge to grab her and crush her against him threatened to take over.

She drew closer, one eyebrow arched. Was she teasing him on purpose? Becauseshe was doing one hell of a job. With their bodies so close, just inches away from each other, it took everything he had not to reach out and touch her.

Then, with her fiery stare locked on him, she reached up and ran a finger along the bridge of his nose. She pulled it back, revealing the slick purple liquid, before bringing it to her lips. The finger disappeared into her mouth for only a second and came back completely clean.

Unable to take it anymore, Erec snatched her wrist and pulled her against him. She gasped, just as he hoped she would, and he took the opportunity to capture her mouth for a hungry kiss. His tongue pushed past her lips, tasting the sweet and tangy pomple juice. Astrid’s body arched into him, and even though his wolf senses were gone during the daylight, he could feel her body calling to him. A tingling buzz passed between them, everywhere they touched. It silenced the voice of reason pecking at the back of his mind, telling him to go further. That she wanted him, too.

He spun her around and pressed her back against the tree, never breaking the kiss. She didn’t stop him, either, not even when his hands slid up her body. One rested on her waist to hold her firmly in place, while the other traveled up under her shirt and vest. Her creamy skin under his fingertips was flush with heat, and when he reached the swoop of her right breast, she moaned.

His manhood stiffened to the point of pain at the sound. Deepening the kiss, their tongues wrestling with such need, Erec cupped her breast in his hand and squeezed. Because of all the layers she wore, the size of her chest surprised him. She wasn’t as small and as delicate as he’d originally imagined. Not in the least. Then he broke the kiss and stared down at her for a moment.

With her eyes closed, her lips swollen and pink, and her cheeks flushed, she had never been more beautiful than she was right now. He wanted to give her everything—all the pleasure she could stand, and then some more, until she was screaming his name and begging him to let her catch her breath.

Erec continued to play with her breasts, taking his time squeezing and lightly pinching her nipples. When he leaned forward, so she could feel his full erection bound by his pants, her eyes flew open in shock. Instead of shying away, she dropped the spear, and her hands snaked up his back. She brought him in for another kiss. Her pelvis began to grind against his.

He withdrew and pressed his slick forehead against hers, breaths short. He was still hard and ready for her, agonizingly so, but as the seconds ticked by, the weight of what hehad just done crushed him, shattering his few moments of bliss.

What had come over him? Had he lost his mind? He had to get away from Astrid—and fast. Being around her was fogging his reasoning and common sense. Erec pushed himself off the tree and marched away. He’d made a mistake. Not only was he not the right mate for her, but they were yards away from Jerrick’s camp. His stupidity could ruin everything they were risking their lives for.

“Erec…” The pain in Astrid’s voice was like an arrow to his chest, bringing him to a stop. “Wait, can we talk about this?”

Erec closed his eyes.You’re meant to be alone, Erec. Leave. You can’t have her. You know that. Don’t play with her heart.His conscience was right. He was getting in the way of Astrid finding her true mate. He couldn’t do that to her.

And then there was the matter of the survivors and Jerrick’s men that they still had to deal with. His fear about her getting hurt smacked into him even stronger than before. He shouldn’t protect her, but how could he not when the thought of losing her made his blood run cold?

She was worth protecting.

He had to do something.

“Erec, please. You don’t have to leave. It was a kiss. A harmless kiss.”

But it wasn’t harmless, was it? If he had let it go even a second longer, how far would he have taken it? When her footsteps sounded behind him, he turned. Astrid’s wounded expression was enough to still his heart and make him rethink everything. But he couldn’t allow her to be part of this mission and risk her life, no matter what she or Filip had said. Even with the Blue Moon’s curse looming closer every minute. A woman like her—she still had a chance to find her true mate. He may have accepted his fate, but for her, life beyond the curse was still possible. He couldn’t let her miss out on that chance.

He sighed. “I have to figure out our next step with rescuing the prisoners, but why don’t you go into the cave and rest for a while? It should be warmer in there, and I made a pretty comfortable bed inside, I think.”

Anger flashed across her face, and her body was rigid.

Dammit. He’d offended her. He stumbled for rescuing words but only found a lie. “I’ll meet you in there as soon as I can. I have to make sure the others get settled in and—”

Astrid snatched up her spear with the fruit still on the end and marched over to her other things on the ground. She slung her coat and bag over her shoulder.

“Don’t, Erec,” she warned, throwing him a harsh glare. “Let’s just leave it alone.”

She walked away, back toward the face of the cliff, leaving Erec alone with his thoughts.

He ran a hand over the scratchy stubble along his jaw. Now he just needed to figure out a way to keep Astrid behind and safe while he went to release Henrick and the others. She was going to hate him for this, but whatever it took to keep her alive, he’d do it.

Chapter Seven

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