Page 51 of Destined to the Lycan
As soon as we reached the road, we set a hard pace. We barely spoke at all, only indulging in brief chats whenever we would slow down to let the horses rest. None of the spirits pestered us for the remainder of the journey through the haunted woods. Once more, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was due to some form of intervention on Lyall’s part, or if he was following us, lurking in the shadows. I didn’t doubt that his mere presence sufficed to send all the lesser creatures running for cover.
Just like when we entered the Haunted Woods, no clear sign indicated the moment we exited it. And yet an undeniable shift occurred. The air felt cleaner and lighter, as if a boulder had been lifted off my shoulders. The colors looked brighter, and even the exhaustion I felt significantly dampened. I realized then how that accursed place had weighed on me both physically and mentally.
We finally reached the inn an hour after sundown. The place was packed. It felt awkward walking in with so many eyes studying us as if we were some sort of anomaly. In that instant, I realized that word of our mission had spread here as well. No wonder Lyall heard about it. I still didn’t understand why it drove him to seek us out. Even if we had meant to kill Ranael, why would he care?
Ignoring the borderline rude stares of the customers, Remus made a beeline for the counter manned by a portly innkeeper. As much as I enjoyed my privacy, having so much attention on me left me mostly indifferent. So long as no one directly pestered me, they were free to ogle all they wanted. But the less-than-friendly glances leveled at my mate angered me. It whipped the protective mama bear I didn’t know lurked deep within me into a frenzy. It took every ounce of my willpower not to give them a tongue lashing.
At least, Remus seemed totally unfazed, having likely grown used to it after a lifetime of such treatment. I leaned against the counter as he began to speak to the innkeeper. The man in his early fifties had a jovial demeanor and appeared to frequently indulge in his own famous warm mead. He invited us to sit at one of the few remaining free tables while he had our room prepared as well as a hot bath drawn for us.
After a hearty meal—that my man all but inhaled—we headed upstairs to our room. The soundproofing was extremely good. Considering the substantial crowd loudly chatting and the smallband playing live music, I expected the noise to make it difficult for anyone to enjoy some peace and quiet. The innkeeper probably had some witch or sorcerer cast a silence spell on the rooms.
It was pleasantly spacious. Inns tended to have smaller rooms to maximize the number of guests they could accommodate at any given time. This one had a massive bed and a small nook with a clawfoot tub. A dresser sat on the left side, across from a seating area consisting of two cushioned chairs and a coffee table next to a large window that gave a pleasant view onto the silhouette of the highest peaks of the mountain in the distance.
A familiar rune glowed on the side of the tub. A basic spell kept the water warm inside it. Remus discarded our bags on the dresser and immediately began to undress. Like me, he was casting an approving glance at our surroundings. None of the furniture spelled luxury, but it was sturdy and clean. Above all, it beat sleeping on the floor of a cave in the middle of a cursed forest.
I was halfway through removing my clothes when Remus gently batted my hand away so that he could do it himself. Once more, I melted looking at my beast of a man. He was so big, tall, and muscular, you’d never think he could handle anything or anyone with such care. But above all, it was the constant air of wonder filled with infinite tenderness in his eyes that messed me up.
If he looked at me like this when he hadn’t fallen in love with me yet, I could only imagine what it would be like once he did. No one—and especially no man—had ever made me feel so treasured. He stripped me out of my clothes and absentmindedly discarded them onto one of the two chairs by the window. He then picked me up effortlessly and carried me to the tub.
A shiver coursed through me at the intense heat of his bare skin against mine. A part of me mourned the fact that once we were fully bonded, he would likely stop going into heat whenever he was in my presence. I selfishly loved how warm and toasty he felt when I snuggled with him.
He settled me in the water before joining me. It surprised me that we both fit rather comfortably. At a glance, the tub appeared much smaller than it truly was. Remus took his sweet time washing me, just like he had done in the river by the Hunters Lodge. But this time, he didn’t keep his touch clinical.
His gaze followed the movement of his hands as they freely roamed over me. They lingered on my breasts, his thumbs tracing the areolas and flicking the nipples until they hardened. My breath felt shallow as I watched him explore every inch of my body. His palms pursued their journey down over my stomach and further south.
To my dismay, he didn’t venture towards my throbbing core but went on to wash each of my legs with slow and sensuous movements. My abdominal muscles contracted as he lifted my right foot, forcing me to lean back in the tub. He massaged my foot before gently kissing it. A shiver coursed through me as his lips brushed over the length of my calf, only pausing long enough for him to gently nip at the fleshy part, just below my knee. He continued to move forward, his face partially sinking underwater to pay the same attention to my inner thigh.
He lifted his head to take a breath. A bolt of lust exploded in the pit of my stomach when I locked eyes with him. His sclera was pitch black again, and his golden eyes glowed as he bared his fangs at me. I gasped when the tip of his finger began probing my slit. I’d been so hypnotized by his mesmerizing gaze that I hadn’t even noticed the movement of his hands on me.
I inhaled sharply when he inserted a second one, moving them slowly in and out of me while his thumb massaged my clit.He just knelt there, his chin still touching the water while his gaze bore into mine. All I could hear was my labored breathing, the water splashing from his movement, and a low, almost menacing growl vibrating from his chest in a steady flow.
My hands clenched each side of the tub as he accelerated the movement. Pleasure steadily grew inside me. It took me a moment to realize that the water splashing around us wasn’t solely due to my man’s ministration, but also to my own hips that had begun gyrating as I ground my core against his hand for greater friction.
Intense pleasure struck me like lightning when he crooked his fingers to graze my sweet spot. I emitted a sharp cry, closed my eyes, and threw my head back.
“No!” Remus growled, startling me.
He slipped his free hand behind my nape, forcing me to look back down at him with an almost savage expression on his face. I gaped at him, stunned.
“I will see your pleasure. It is mine to feast my eyes on,” he said menacingly.
Cue exploding ovaries.
I closed my right hand around his wrist still holding my nape. My nails dug into his flesh as I began to crest again. The urge to close my eyes again clawed at me, but I couldn’t look away from him. He was both magnificent and terrifying with his fangs bared in a snarling grin.
My orgasm swept me away so abruptly, I likely would have sunk underwater had he not been holding me up. A drawn-out moan followed my blissful shout as my mate rubbed my clit with even more intensity to keep me flying high. It wasn’t before I felt the rough texture of his tongue on my nipple that I realized I’d broken eye contact with him. He greedily sucked on my hard little nub while still fucking me with his hand.
His mouth kissed a path back up to my own, and he passionately claimed my lips, swallowing each of my moans. Remus relented at last and lifted his head to study my face with a smug expression. I wanted to smack him, but his arrogance was justified.
He didn’t resist when I slightly pushed back on him so that I could return the favor. Once again, his gaze remained locked on my face while I touched every inch of his perfect body. I shamelessly half-washed but mostly groped him. It was surprising how soft and comfortable I felt in his arms considering he was likely the leanest person I had ever seen. Every muscle was well-defined, but not in a disturbingly bulgy fashion.
Every time I would lean forward to kiss or lick his chest or nipples, Remus would cup my nape with his hand, but never in a restraining fashion. He would gently scrape the base of my skull with his nails. For the strangest reason, each motion resonated directly in my clit. Only once I closed my hand around his shaft did he hiss and fist his hand a bit more forcefully in my hair.
He still didn’t try to control my movements, but his abdominal muscles constricted, and he clenched his teeth as if in an effort to keep control. I gently stroked him. With each movement of my hand, Remus appeared to straighten more and more in the tub, eventually starting to lean forward. It felt like watching a feline slowly and quietly closing in on an unsuspecting prey before leaping for the kill.
My nipples ached, and my inner walls contracted spasmodically with the thrill of anticipation. I wanted to be caught, subdued, and ravaged by my man.
It happened faster and much sooner than I expected.
