"So, you're shacking up with Damien now?" asked Haldir as Gretchen sat down beside him.
Gretchen's eyes widened and she curled her lips under as Jason looked up to her and smirked before returning to his food.
Haldir laughed and straightened his beard. "Relax, I'm just messing with you, Gretch. Not like you to be so uptight."
Gretchen bit her lip and pushed her food around on her plate. "You don't approve of it? Weren't you the one who dragged me here so we could make up?"
Haldir took a drink from his cup then said, "Don't be silly. Damien's a good man. I'm happy for you both, Gretch. About time something good came along for you." Then he looked across the hall to Eason and shook his head. He should probably tell him that Gretchen's off the market permanently before he gets smashed under Damien's boot heel.
"Gretchen Mason! Just the fucking wolf we wanted to see," Rhett sai
"So tonights the night, is it?" asked Hazel as she lay on Gretchen's bed watching her go through her clothing in search of the perfect outfit for tonight.Gretchen looked in the mirror and shook her head. "Jesus, I'll never get used to you people being in my mind like this.""You're avoiding the question, deary."Gretchen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yes. Are you happy? Do you really want to hear about how I'm going to be riding your uncle's dick later?"Hazel chuckled to herself and looked over to Gretchen. "Now we're talking. You're so nervous though. Why?"Gretchen turned around and said, "I don't know."Hazel smirked because she knew the truth, even if Gretchen wasn't ready to admit it to herself. Gretchen breathed in deeply through her nose then said, "It's the full moon, I guess. My senses are all crazy, it's like I'm on full alert and just wait
As Damien walked out of the forest with the deer around his shoulders, Gretchen ran along beside him. He put the deer down on the ground by the fire and the soldiers carried it off to quickly butcher."Congratulations, Gretchen. That's quite a big stag you nabbed yourself." Hazel patted her leg and picked up Gretchen's bag from the ground. Gretchen took the strap in her teeth. "Now run along and get dressed. I want to hear all about it.""Gretchen!" She turned around to see Damien waiting for her. He nodded towards the smith's shop. "Come on."Gretchen followed Damien to the building and he waited outside while she changed into her clothing. As she sat on the table putting on her boots, Damien came in and shut the door behind him. "You did well out there, my love."Gretchen looked up from her boot as she zipped up the side. "It's not my first hunt."He fisted his trembling hands
"I'm not complaining, baby, but can we go inside now?"Gretchen closed her eyes and savored the feeling of Damien's soft, wet lips against her neck. His hot breath on her skin made goosebumps erupt all over and her weak knees buckled as her senses faltered with each agonizing touch. Damien held her tightly in one arm as he braced them against the wall and sucked on the crook of her neck while she combed through his hair with her fingers. He slowly placed kisses up her neck and jawline until his eyes met hers. "I've dreamed of this night a million times." Damien shook his head. "I can't believe this is actually happening."Gretchen softly pushed the hair back off his face with her hands then slid her fingers down his cheeks. "You're making me a little nervous. I don't want to disappoint you."Damien kissed her lips gently and said, "You won't. I'm the one who has the burden tonight, I'm afraid."
With the taste of blood still fresh on her tongue, Gretchen lazily opened her eyes and released her bite while her senses slowly returned to her. A smile came to her lips as she saw Damien laying underneath her until she realized what she had done.Gretchen slapped Damien's face and shook his shoulders as she tried to wake him, then she saw the wound the frenzied wolf who took her over created. “Oh God, what did I do? Damien!”She quickly pulled away from him and slid to the floor, then scrambled to put on her clothing. Gretchen knew that one of those psychics would know what she did and she didn't want to be stark naked when they showed up.“Oh, no! No! What did I do? Please be alright.” Gretchen frantically ran her hands through her hair as panic set in. Damien already had one bite, what would this do to him? She knew Tessa had two bites, but that was different. They were her both he
Gretchen's heart pounded against her chest as she heard Damien's door open and footsteps coming towards her room. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed Daniel hadn't changed his mind about killing her. Given the way he looked as he laid there bruised and naked, Gretchen thought he let her off easy.When her door opened she caught the smell of lemon and sage and her eyelids instantly parted. "Jesus, Damien," Gretchen said as she ran into his open arms. "Oh God, I thought I killed you. Are you alright, baby?"He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into the top of her head as he smelled her hair. "I'm alright. It'll take more than a little love bite to end me, my love.""I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it, my wolf just took over and I couldn't control it." Damien smiled as he huffed through his nose, then he pulled away and looked down in Gretchen's face."I need to show you something, Gretchen. Y
Rosemary paced the hall frantically as she waited for Damien. When he pulled the bedroom door shut behind him, Rosemary sighed and came to him. "How is she doing?"He nodded towards the foyer and they started to walk down the hall. "She's sleeping finally. She remembers everything now."Rosemary clutched her chest. "That poor woman. Are you certain you should be leaving her alone right now?""There's no safer place for her in all the world, mother. Besides, I hardly have a choice. There are invaders at two borders."Daniel waited in the foyer and was putting on his cloak as they exited the hall. "I'm leaving Jason and Eason behind as Watch. How's Gretchen?"Damien shook his head from side to side. "She's seen better days."Daniel gave him a sympathetic smile and patted his shoulder. "You can take Rhett and the brigade to th
"You're so stupid, Gretchen. Why do you keep getting sucked back into their stupid goddamn mind games?"She paced the room as her embarrassment over being repeatedly mislead escalated into a fury that was quickly consuming her. "I can't believe I've been so fucking stupid. Rhett was right, I must be the most hardheaded woman on the goddamn planet. I must be pretty entertaining to you all." She walked to the bookshelf and grabbed a row of books then screamed as she threw them to the floor making Jason startle. "You mother fuckers are always telling me I need to remember and see the truth then you keep shit from me all the goddamn time." She pointed at Jason. "Every fucking one of you. Is this some kind of sick fucking game, Jason?"Jason shook his head. He grew up right beside Tessa and her husbands and was more than familiar with their family's poor tempers and tendency to act irrationally. He had warned Damien more than once that
As the burn of the cool air hit her lungs, Gretchen slowed to a walk as she traveled the path South through the forest. She stopped and bent over with her hands on her knees as she breathed in though her nose and out through her mouth.She took her bag of holding from her back then sat on a fallen log as she rummaged through the brown leather bag. After feeling around the inside, she found a whiskey bottle of Haldir's that she had cleaned out and put water in. While she sipped from the bottle, she thought back about the library.Having her other lives revealed to her had not had the effect that Damien thought it would. Gretchen didn't feel like she understood anything better than she did before, but she knew one thing to be true...Her father needed her now. She felt it in her bones when he looked into her eyes from the back of that horse in her vision.Being faced with the reality of her existence and having the final barrier to her mem
Leaning against the windowsill, Damien looked down over his newborn son bathed in the glorious light of a new morning. Holding him close to his chest, Damien leaned in and kissed his head covered with short, soft dark hair. He inhaled the smell of jasmine and the comfort of it washed through his chest. "I have been waiting so very long to hold you again, Drago. I swear to you that, this time, there will be no safer place for you. There will be no creature strong enough to take you from my arms again."As he turned and brought Drago up to his shoulder, Damien softly rubbed his cheek against his fuzzy head. "You know, I had a vision of your future just right before you were born. She won't give you quite the trouble that your mother gave me, but these women aren't ever simple, are they? No, they aren't and that's what makes them so exciting, isn't it? But, not to worry, my son. She is a fine woman just the same."With his soft, plump cheeks re
The Great Hall was decorated in everything still left green this time of year in the Drake Kingdom. Holly and Ivy was tucked away along with white and gold bunting along the rafters while bouquets of rosemary encircled the gold candlesticks on the long rows of dining tables.When Damien and Gretchen entered the wreath hung wooden doors of the hall, the warm glow of the firelight made Gretchen shine like the sun as it caught her crown and the gold stitching of her dress. As all their family and subjects rose to greet them, Damien kissed Gretchen's hand then led her to their place at their family's table. As the smell of the dueling aromas of food hit Gretchen's nose, she closed her eyes tightly and groaned. Damien smiled sympathetically and rubbed her knee. "Do you think you can make it through the dinner?"She blew out a nauseated breath and reached for her glass. "I'll try. Of all the days for this. Christmas dinner is magical, I can'
Standing in front of the full length mirror, Gretchen shook out her fingers and blew out through her mouth. "I can't believe I'm so nervous."Appearing behind her in her reflection, Teddy put his hands on her arms and looked Gretchen over. "I believe it's quite common for women to be full of nerves on their wedding day, honey. Of course, I suppose it's not everyday that bride also becomes a princess."Gretchen crossed her arms and rubbed his hands. "Despite how this all came about, I'm so happy that you're both here." As she looked over her dress she asked, "So, how do I look? I clean up good, don't I?"Teddy twisted his lips to the side and furrowed his brows as he inspected the dress in the mirror. He had tasked Hazel with planning the dress with the kingdom's seamstresses, and she did not disappoint. The off white trumpeted gown had delicate scallop lace trim and flutter sleeves and a chapel train. The master seamstre
As the sky outside swirled an orange brown on the horizon, Teddy looked out the window as he rested against his hand with his elbow on the table. As Daniel received an update in his mind, he glanced to his new family members and cleared his throat.Turning his attention back to his King, Teddy sat up straight and nodded his acknowledgement.Damien turned to Teddy and Gretchen then took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I must apologize. I told you there'd be no more secrets, but I have one last surprise for you."Gretchen pulled down her brows and turned her face slightly to the side. "It better not end in me crying again, Damien."He smirked to himself and said, "I can't promise that, but I can promise you'll both like it." As Daniel rose from his seat, Damien nodded towards the door. "Come on. We have a bit of an early gift for you. It just couldn't wait."Walkin
"That's a mighty big goddamn tree!" Teddy scratched his dark chin stubble while he looked over the tall pine tree that brushed the roof of the foyer. "You're going to need to cut off a good foot or so though."Rhett took a few steps back to Teddy and crossed his arms as he proudly took in the tree he picked out. "No way, that things perfect. I told Gretchen I'd get her a tree she wouldn't even believe. Look at it. It's like the king of all the Christmas trees. It took nearly every soldier to drag that thing in here and get it in place."Teddy looked over to him and raised his brow. "It is a wonderous pretty tree, but just how do you expect to fit the star on the top, young man?"Rhett pushed out his lips and clicked his tongue a few times as he pointed at the tree. "I...was...not...thinking about that. Maybe we...""Mmm-hmm," hummed Teddy. "Amateur mistake. See, what you do when y
"Baby, keep doing that. That feels so good." As Damien's big rough hands, massaged their way down Gretchen's back, she giggled and moaned into the pillow. "Mmm! Damn! You can keep doing that all night if you want. I don't know much about magic Damien, but those hands of yours...Mmm! Remind me to thank your parents for them." Damien leaned down and placed a kiss on her shoulder, then went back to rubbing her. "I'll pamper you anyway you wish if it will make you behave yourself. You need to be getting to sleep now. You shouldn't even be out of the infirmary yet, Gretchen."As her eyes fluttered closed and she bit her lip in ecstasy, Gretchen's hips lifted from the bed and Damien leaned over and kissed her ass cheek. Gretchen smiled as he returned to her then said, "Imara checked me over as soon as we got here, I'm fine. She told me I just need to rest."Damien slapped her bottom playfully, then laid down beside her and pulled
While the autumn leaves fell around them, the torches lit up the dining hall where the Hexom's sat as a family for dinner. Gretchen curled her lips under as she lifted her chin and scanned the room for Damien. Not seeing him, she sighed then went back to her food. Her stomach danced inside her as she nervously picked at the chicken on her plate. Teddy bumped his shoulder against hers to get her attention. "Not eating isn't going to get him here any faster. You got someone depending on you now, Gretch."She smiled as the reality of his words reached her heart. "You're right."As she was finishing the last of her meal, she smelled Damien's scent coming closer and her heart began to thump against her chest. She blew out through her mouth and shook out her fingers as the coldness of fear took her hands over. When he rounded the corner of the stone wall, Gretchen held her breath as his eyes met hers. He licked his lips then slowly headed towards
Damien shoved his clothing in his bag as he cursed himself for his carelessness over the last few months. Seeing Gretchen writhing in pain and gasping for air as blood dripped from her wounds was a wake up call for Damien. No matter how hard he tried to hold onto her, he kept hurting her and pushing her away.As he watched Damien struggle with his conscience, Daniel crossed his arms and thought about what to say. "It's time for a different approach, Damien," Daniel said from the doorway.Damien glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "I know."Daniel shifted on his feet as he looked around at the dark heavy aura of regret and loneliness that blanketed the room. "So, what's the plan then?"Damien sighed and shook his head as his doubts whispered to him that he was fighting a losing battle and that he'd spend yet another lifetime without his mate. "I have no idea. Do you have any suggestions?
"Whoo, damn," Gretchen groaned as she braced her hand against the wound on her chest while she limped back to her bedroom. The further she walked, the weaker she felt and when she reached her room she was panting for air.Feeling her discomfort, Damien opened his door and saw her pushing her's open. "Gretchen, what are you doing? Why aren't you in bed?" He grabbed her arm and helped her to sit down on her bed.As she pushed him away, she said, "I'm fine. You can leave now."Damien pulled the chair in front of her and sat down. "Can you just put your stubborness aside for just one moment and look at yourself? You can scarcely breathe. Why are you even out of the infirmary anyway?"Gretchen looked him in the eyes and said, "I'm getting my things. I'm not going to spend one more night in this castle with you people."Damien wiped his mouth with his hand and shook his hea