“I made a new Den,” Jesse whispered, her hands over her mouth, staring up at me—those beautiful eyes wide, but also a little fearful. “I know it’s not the same, but I got Ghere to help me because he remembered what things you’d had before and… I hope you like it.”
Like it? Was she serious?
My heart was slamming against my ribs, and I was having trouble breathing.
The room seemed smaller than I remembered because the walls were painted a dull black. But the tighter space than what I’d had down next to the Den just made it feel more intimate.
There were two lamps, one on each end, and a chandelier high above. Candles everywhere, though she hadn’t lit mo
~ CASIMIR ~I was pretty sure if I didn’t get inside her, I was going to eat her alive.Scooting with her in my lap, still straddling me, I got her so both my knees and her back were flat against the wall. Then I flipped open the wide, leather cuffs that had been secured directly to the wall and first lifted one of her hands, to strap it in so her hand was levered above her shoulder, but with her arm comfortably bent so she could relax. Then I did the same with her other hand on the other side.So I straddled the banana-seat, while she straddled me and her hands were secured to the wall behind her.Her breasts rose and fell with her heavy breathing, and her eyes were bright with desire.Overwhelmed again with how much thought she’d put into this, for a moment I just took her face in my hands and kissed her. But that drew us together—my cock pressing against her, and I couldn’t resist rolling my hips, teasing
“Beware those who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” - Gospel of Matthew 7:15 ***** ~ JESSE ~ The guards tipped us out into the room like puppies out of a bag. I landed heavily on rough stone, scraping my knees and palms, hissing against the pain. But they'd freed my hands and ankles before they shoved me in here, so, with my heart thudding in my chest, I scrabbled to pull down the blindfold that was over my eyes and get my bearings quickly. Dark room. Stone walls and ceiling. Warm lights. Cold air. Damp. Shadows my eyes couldn’t penetrate—and more shadows behind us I wished they couldn’t. Left and right, women shrieked and sobbed, hitting the floor, some rolling, one planting face-first into the rock and laying there, unmoving. Behind me, a cluster of guards filled the doorway, with more spreading out along the wall. They didn't carry weapons, but they didn't need to. They were all well over six foot and huge with it. Strong and rugged… feral. B
~ CASIMIR ~I was horrified.When I’d told Ghere to order the Reapers to find women from the poorer side of the human city, I had imagined the wicked types. The women who embraced their fate and it made them bold. Instead I’d been sent a box of poorly bred puppies suitable only for drowning?What the actual fuck?“God help us,” one of them murmured.I snorted.“I assure you, God abandoned this place long ago,” I drawled.The woman looked at me, shocked. It was the one at the center who’d stayed on her feet. She’d been staring around the chamber in horror, murmuring to herself, clearly forgetting that we wolves enjoyed heightened senses.She remembered now.The guards laughed, but the women’s eyes snapped down to her feet. She dropped her chin. Her hair, a rich mahogany brown, the kind that would spark red in sunlight, fell around her face in long waves, though it was messy and matted now.She was a thin little thing, though there was evidence of muscle under those terribly fitting clot
~ JESSE ~As I’d listened to the King’s pompous tirade, it had become clearer and clearer to me that it was not just bad luck that I was here.The question was, would I step out of the flames of one man’s making, and straight into another? Or was this truly an opportunity for escape?“I will be your mate… if you’ll have me.”The King’s eyes narrowed.His servant’s brows rose and he raised his hands. “Oh, I don’t think you understood—”“Why?” the King asked, his voice deep and skeptical. But I didn’t miss the glimmer in his eyes. I’d surprised him.I swallowed hard and prayed I’d understood all of this correctly. “I think… I know, I can give you what you want. And in exchange, you can give me what I need.”The King’s brows rose then. “How very presumptuous of you. But I will take the bait: What is it that you want?”“I propose… an exchange.”“Of what?”“You take me as your mate and you keep me safe like you promised. Away from my world and… and anyone I knew. When I bear you an heir, yo
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mark 10:9) ***** ~ JESSE ~ I stood there, stunned, while the guards cleared the room. The King spoke briefly with the man who’d been at his side this entire time, then he gestured to me. “We have a short time before the Cleric arrives. You should bathe.” The words seemed so alien in the middle of this surreal and terrifying day, for a moment I just stared at him. But he either didn’t notice my stunned silence, or didn’t care. Because he and the man turned and started toward the end of the room from which he’d first arrived. A moment later, realizing I had no choice, I stumbled after them. The two men never spoke to me, though the King looked over his shoulder a few times to make sure I was following, and his servant tried to give me an encouraging smile that was just more terrifying than when they weren’t looking at me. At the end of the room we’d been in there was a door that led into a wide corridor—much more obv
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. - Psalms 51:5 ***** ~ CASIMIR (Pronounced “CAZZ-uh-MEER”) ~ I desperately needed to piss. As I stalked into my room, Ghere scuttling in my wake, I took a few seconds to pry my boots off, then made straight for the adjoining bathing room, undressing as I walked because when I returned to the festivities it would be in wedding garb. Fuck. I sighed as I passed my huge bed, a stone platform long and wide enough that even the tallest wolf would have plenty of room to sprawl…with friends. The thick mattress was covered in furs and plush pillows. And my toys. My stomach began to thrum and I smiled, diverting my path to trail a finger along the lush body of the first—the brunette who was still fast asleep. She lay on her back, bare to the waist, her full breasts rising and falling slowly with her breath. A few strands of her dark hair lay over her face and fluttered as she snored quietly. I let my finger
~ JESSE ~When Casimir had used the word “Cleric” I’d imagined some stuffy old man in a suit with a black collar—like a priest.Instead, the man—wolf—who showed up was young, handsome, and vital. I couldn’t have picked him out of the guards if they’d lined up.Maybe all the wolves were like that? Big, strong, hot?I’d heard the legends about women having wolf-lovers before, but again, it was always a whispered story at a sleepover, or someone’s fantasy fiction. A naughty, forbidden kind of story. Never something I’d taken seriously.But after I’d hurriedly bathed, surprised by the pleasant smell of the soap that felt different in my hands to what I was used to, and twisted up my hair as best I could with only a small mirror and dim light, and put on the strange-but-beautiful dress that Ghere handed me through the door. When Ghere led me back to the first chamber where Casimir had appeared, it occurred to me that, perhaps, all these stories I’d heard weren’t fiction at all.I couldn’t
~ JESSE ~Behind Casimir, Ghere relaxed, like he’d been holding his breath.The Cleric’s jaw flexed.Several wolves who’d been watching, chuckled or grunted.But then it hit me: It was done. I’d done it. I’d vowed myself to him until the day of my death.Nerves trilled in my chest. Should I be glad, or would I soon want to hurry eternity along?Only time would tell.I was in a fog, barely hearing as the Cleric led Casimir in a vow of protection of my person and my throne, promising to use his power to uphold me as Alpha Female, and to give me the heir.And then…“…And will you give yourself to her as a vessel, your body for hers, serving her pleasure?”Casimir’s eyes narrowed and blazed. “I will.”The Cleric raised his voice slightly. “And do the Witnesses agree and let the vows bind? Do you accept her as his mate? Do you bow to her as your Queen?”“We do,” they growled in unison.And something in my chest flared.I sucked in a breath, swaying forward as something came alive inside me