Page 11 of Curse of the Healer
The darkness of the hut sent a pitter-patter of fear down my spine. With shaking fingers, I left the door open to let in what little light it could and crept toward the pallet where the body of what was once Wilhelm the Woodcutter lay. There was blanket pulled over his bulky form and he lay still, so still I wondered if he still drew breath.
And then it came, slowly at first, another long drawn-out moan. A shiver of fear shook my body. Or was it the howl of a wolf-creature?
Tears pricked my eyes. "Wilhelm." I knelt by his side, uncaring whether he had transformed into a monster. "Dear Wilhelm, I'm here now. I have the gift, I can heal you."
A slight chill went through me. What if… but no. I pushed doubtful thoughts away. The Queen of the Wildwood had taken the curse of death. When I touched Wilhelm, instead of dying he would live. Evil whispers tried to steal my confidence away, but I shut out those thoughts and reached for him.
Perhaps it was good I could not see him clearly in the darkness, for his head was clammy with sweat. He tried to move away from my touch, but he was too weak. He moaned again, a wretched sound that brought tears to my eyes. Placing my hands on either side of his face, I squeezed my eyes shut and searched within myself, within my very being for the light. The healer’s touch I had inside me, the magic that made others healthy and hale.
A heat built in my core and with it came the light I had lost. At first it felt like the rushing of water and then like a basin overflowing, but it was pleasant. The magic tingled all the way down my body, flowing out of my hands into Wilhelm. As my magic surged, I had a vision of light filling a dark space, driving out all darkness and shadows which fled, shrieking to get away from the light. But the shadows were not fast enough. When the light touched them, they disappeared like a puff of smoke, leaving nothing but the light, blazing in all its glory.
Under me, Wilhelm shuddered and convulsed, first moaning, then growling until, finally, he lay still. My mouth went dry. Had I brought him back? I opened one eye and then both, my jaw dropping as I took in the room. Every candle was lit up as well as the lantern swinging from the branches above. Rex stood in the doorway, watching me. When our eyes met, he sat on his haunches, relieved he did not have to protect me from what might be within.
A hand squeezed mine, almost making me jump. When I turned, my eyes met Wilhelm's dark green ones. His hair was mattered and sweaty, but his eyes, although tired, were clear, grateful. He smiled at me. "I knew you'd return," he whispered. "I knew you'd find what was lost."
"Wilhelm," I whispered. Tears of relief rolled down my cheeks.
Chapter 14
He reached up to brush a tear off my cheek and I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes against the warmth of his hand.
“Talia,” he breathed. “I feel your magic within, consuming me. The darkness has gone, the pain from the bite, the dreams of madness. I am bewitched, not by the wildwood, but by you.”
My eyes came open at his words and a tingling sensation of desire began in my lower belly and then surged through me, sending goosebumps up my arms, although it was not cold. “Wilhelm.” I trembled under his touch. “The words you say…”
He sat up, leaning closer until our foreheads almost touched. “Are not meant to frighten you, Talia. I’ve loved you for a long time but thought no one could bear my secret. Most are fearful of the wildwood but it calls to me. Perhaps it was meant to bring us together.”
Love. There it was. The words I’d dreamed he’d say. I melted under the intensity of his gaze. In response, I kissed his palm. “I always thought there was someone else.”
“No one but you.” Tossing away the sweaty blankets, he leaned back against the solid oak and pulled me onto his lap.
His shirt was open to the waist, and shivers of delight twisted through me. One of my hands went to his bare chest and the other around his neck. There was something magical in that moment. A power, stronger than the healer’s touch, surged within me. Light and strength returned to Wilhelm’s body, along with the need, the desire for me, and only me. An ache began between my legs, and a longing consumed my voice.
When Wilhelm unbuttoned my cloak and tossed it away, my body trembled with anticipation.
“I love you,” I whispered, surprised at the surety of my words.
This was truth, pure and honest, almost too good to be true. Here I was, in his arms, after saving him. The fog between us had passed, leaving only strong clarity, a surety of love. Just as the festival of Yule symbolized rebirth, so had our love been reborn without secrets or strife or death.
“And I you,” Wilhelm responded and then his lips were on mine.
Fire licked through my veins at the tantalizing passion of his kiss. His arm tightened around my waist, pulled me against his chest while fingers twisted through my hair. Something deep and carnal awoke within me, and I moaned. My lips parted as I leaned into the kiss, responding as his tongue thrust into my mouth. I pushed up against his body, desperate for more, aching for the skin on skin contact to bind us together.
He broke the kiss and pulled back, his voice both husky with need and breathless with passion. “Talia.” Those eyes, those beautiful eyes were dark with desire. “I want you. All of you.”
I nodded, unsure if I were capable of speech. The years of waiting fused into one urgent moment, and my fingers traced the hard muscle of his arms, down to his chest. I kissed his jaw, then his neck as I worked my way down. A strangled cry came from his throat. He touched my cheek, drawing my lips up to his again. This time he kissed me gently, while his fingers explored. His hands rubbed my arms while his lips kissed my neck and dipped lower, to the bare skin around the neck of my dress. Fingers tugged, pulling my dress until it came up, over my head. For one breathless moment my arms were pinned in place by the fabric.
Wilhelm paused. The flickering candlelight allowed him to see the shape of my body through my sheer shift. Slowly he let the dress fall free, pooling the floor while his eyes glazed over with need.
The look in his eyes was worshipful, and I took advantage of his pause to tug his shirt off his broad chest, gasping at the bulge in his pants. No sooner than I reached out to touch his chest, he grabbed me around the waist and spun me until I lay on my back on the pallet. Slowly he lowered himself between my legs, gazing at me all the while. My shift rode up to my waist, and heat tinged my cheeks as I realized the view he had of my naked body.
“You have nothing to be ashamed about, you are beautiful and perfect in every way,” he murmured as he kissed my legs, moving slowly up my calf to my knee and then higher, holding my thighs achingly wide as he kissed and nibbled his way up.
I bucked underneath him, the heat in my body turning into an inferno under his caress. I wiggled under his touch, my back arched, shamelessly seeking more.
Fingers stroked my wetness, and a cry of pleasure burst from my lips. He spread my legs wider, and there a wicked glint in his eyes before he dipped his head. The flicker of his tongue caused a ragged cry to burst from my lips. My fingers dug into his shoulders as he teased me, licking gently, sucking, playing with me, bringing me so close to the height of my climax and then back down until I was practically screaming.
Finally he stopped, stepped out of his pants and lay by my side, so close I could hear his heart thudding. He buried his head in my neck and peppered me with kisses.
