Page 8 of Wulver's Flame
Reality seeped into me. Without my dagger, I was helpless against his bulky body. He was larger than my da.
“O-nei,” I whispered in the enemy tongue.
“Já, he murmured.
I blinked.
He leapt for me.
I screamed, struggling to get him off me, but he sat on my chest.
Snap.
He locked the cold iron collar around my neck. I shook my head, but he let his weight crush my chest until he locked the collar around me. I gasped for breath, trying to scratch any part of him that I could reach, but it was futile.
When he stood up, my insides ached for air. I took deep breaths. He looped the chain around the thick wooden beam above the bed while I stared at the horror unfolding before me. His mind was addled.
What kind of monster would do this to a woman?
He stepped off the bed and picked up my bags, rifling through them. I winced, knowing he would find a number of plants and herbs to kill him. He unravelled the woollen cloak to remove my other dagger.
How could I slit his throat without my dagger?
I glanced around the room, but there were no weapons. I edged off the bed, but the chains clinked together and his head snapped over his shoulder.
“Oh, I wouldn't move,minn drengr,” he said with a flash of teeth.My warrior.
I swallowed and remained still, watching him toss my carefully prepared plants into the fire. He placed my dagger into the chest and slammed it shut.
When he turned to face me, he had a small blade in his hand.
“I traded a great deal to acquire you in peace. Do you want me to void the contract?” he said, stalking across the room.
I shook my head.
But only after a long moment. Long enough for the blade to tap against his palm. Long enough for me to wonder if voiding the contract meant my body on the floor.
“You're mine now, Liùsaidh. It’s time to show you what that means,” he murmured, placing the blade against my neck.
I moved back, but he continued to press forward until I lay on my back. The cold blade ran down my throat, and he pulled my neckline up before piercing the dress.
The linen was destroyed within the blink of an eye. He threw the knife on the wooden chest and ripped my dress down the middle. He tugged my arms out of it and tossed it to the floor, leaving me naked.
“Such a pretty pink,” he said, touching my hot cheek. “Your neck and chest are glowing as brightly as your face. Or should I say as red as your hair?”
He stood up and tore off his tunic, ripping it over his head. The laces and pants followed. We painted our bodies, but his markings were unusual. My eyes dropped to his manhood. The markings were forgotten. Beneath wasn't a sack but a red-purple angry globe of some kind.
This was no man’s body.
By the Gods, this was unnatural.
“You’re touched by a beast,” I cried, scrambling up the bed and yanking a thick pelt over my bare skin.
“A wolf,” he said, full of pride.
He turned, and I saw it.
A great wolf’s face was marked into his back, runes snarling around it like fangs. His markings were nothing like ours.
