Page 48 of Wolf's Prize

She stormed into her bedchamber and slammed the door so hard it shook on its hinges.

“Oh, deary me, Kathryn! Whatever is the matter?” Anne frowned. “Do I need to take that boy in hand?”

Kathryn flushed. “Are all men so difficult to understand?”

Anne chuckled as she stepped in to help her undress. “They can be at that.”

Kathryn groaned and slid into the waiting bath. She sighed, welcoming the hot scented water. It soothed her aching muscles, though it did nothing for her temper.

“Come now, love, tell old Anne. What has that boy done? I am sure it is nothing a good clip across the ears cannot solve.”

Kathryn’s lip curled in a snarl. “Aimon has done nothing.”

“Oh, I think he has done something to have you in such a mood.”

Kathryn’s shoulders slumped. “No, Anne. He has donenothing.” She pouted. “I kissed him. And he kissed me back. It was…” She touched her fingers to her lips. “Wonderful.” She dropped her hand back into the water. “Then he apologized and promised it would never happen again. As though he had done something wrong. As ifwehad done something wrong. Ever since then, he trains me and I learn. We talk werewolf things, and that is all.”

“Ah.” Anne stoked up the coals in the brazier.

“I thought he liked me and wanted to kiss me. Enjoyed kissing me. I was certain of it, but…” She rested her hands on the edge of the barrel, her chin on her hands. “Maybe he prefers the attentions of that servant girl. The one who sat next to him one night at the evening meal. You know, the blonde one who helps you in the kitchen.”

Anne snorted. “Cosette? She has as much chance of snaring Aimon’s affections as I have.”

“Then why? Is there something wrong with me?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. There is naught wrong with you, Kathryn. Now you get that idea out of your pretty, little head.”

Kathryn leaned back against the barrel and stared at the ceiling. “Ever since he kissed me, all I can think about is how much I want to kiss him again. That cannot be normal.”

“Oh, I think it is. At your age, if I had a handsome, young chevalier like Aimon Proulx parading around in front of me, I would think of naught but kissing him, too.”

“It is not only kissing him I think about.” She flushed. “It fills my every thought. So much so, I am struggling to keep my mind focused. I almost lost control of my form out there today. And I had yet to undress. A fine thing that would have been. Could you imagine it? Me walking through the bailey half naked. The servants would gossip about it for months.”

Anne chuckled. “The staff would have paid you no mind. You would not have been the first to struggle with that predicament.”

“Really?”

“When Elise trained with Jacques, not long after her turning, she had many a mishap with her dresses. I cannot say Jacques seemed to mind too much. And the servants knew better than to say a word.”

“Humph.”

“Never you mind what the staff think. You are not the first werewolf to struggle with those urges. It is all the more difficult for you to resist them because your kind feels them much stronger than any of us mere humans do.”

“We do?” asked Kathryn as she stepped out of the bath and took the proffered cloth from Anne to dry herself.

“Yes, dear. Jacques, Elise, Gaharet. YouandAimon. If you are finding it difficult, do you not think it would be the same for him?”

Kathryn scowled. “He seems to have no difficulty controlling his form.”

“Of course not, child. He has had lots of practice. Besides, I would imagine the moonlit runs he takes at night help him a bit.”

Kathryn spun to stare at Anne. “He doeswhat?”

Anne’s smile was sly. “You did not hear it from me, child. I cannot have those boys thinking I tell tales about them, or they will never trust old Anne again. But yes, Aimon goes for a run every night once you are soundly sleeping. Gaharet did much the same with Erin. It takes the edge off.”

“That is not fair.”

Anne guided Kathryn to the chair. “Whatever made you think life was fair, child?”

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