John led them ever deeper into the caverns, their way lit by a string of spotlights and chemical glow sticks. Beth extinguished them as they moved ever forward leaving their back trail dark as night. When they finally stopped, Elsa was shaking with exhaustion. How the men had managed to carry the still unconscious Jorak all this way she’d never know. The way had been filled with narrow passes and low ceilings. They’d been able to drag the litter some of the way, but lifting him over obstacles had to have been difficult. Elsa had carried one little girl most of the way, the child clinging to her like a lifeline with skinny arms.
“We camp here,” John finally said. They’d stopped in a moderate-sized room. Again, there was an area set up with those UV lamps with pallets underneath them. Elsa shouldn’t have been surprised by how prepared John and Beth were, but it seemed like they were ready for anything. There were weapons in one corner, explosives in another, as well as all kinds of food and water provisions. They could stay here for several days and defend their position if necessary.
John fired up the UV lamps, their eerie blue glow providing plenty of illumination. The children all congregated around her, the youngest leaning their heads against her body while wrapping arms around her legs. Still none of them made a sound though the two youngest still had tears streaming down their cheeks.
“Get your people situated for the night,” John said. “Is there anything you need that you don’t have? There are more supplies farther into the cavern I can retrieve if you do.”
“Just get us some blankets and water to clean our wounds. We’ll all be fine.” Leif knelt to check the wound on Jorak’s chest. Two more of Leif’s men set about making their camp, tending the other wounded men until they finally came for the children.
“Come, little one. I’m Alvik. You remember me, do you not?” The little girl nodded, but still clung to Elsa. The eldest girl took the hand of the younger one, urging the others into the blue light with the adults. As she left, the elder girl glanced back over her shoulder at Elsa for reassurance. Elsa nodded, encouraging her to go where the adult wolves led. When she would have followed, Leif seized her arms once again, binding her hands behind her back.
“You stay with me,” he growled, moving them off to the main area into a side room. “There are things to…discuss. And I’d prefer not to have an audience.”
Why did a spike of heat shoot through Elsa when he so obviously intended for her to feel dread? Nothing about Leif was as it should be. Hadn’t been from the very beginning. The unrelenting attraction was getting to her, muddling her wits. Even now as he dragged her away from the relative safety of the others, she got a perverse thrill, a sense of anticipation that rocked her usually steady world.
When he’d moved far enough into the rocky alcove, Leif tossed a few chemical glow sticks into the corner for illumination, then mashed her against the rock facing, finding her mouth with his. The brutality of the kiss should have terrified Elsa, or at the very least caused self-preservation to kick in enough for her to fight him. Instead, she welcomed his attentions, opening her mouth for his taking.
Leif sounded nearly animalistic as his kiss went on and on. Growls and grunts escaped him as he snarled into the kiss. Rough palms found the skin of her torso as he slipped them under her tunic. Elsa was dimly aware of the hard rock at her back, of the fact that it gouged into her back and arms in a couple of places, but the discomfort was secondary to the heady pleasure overtaking her. Voices echoed through the cavern as the others readied the lighting for those still injured to heal and for the other shifters to regain their strength. She and Leif were only yards away from them. Could be discovered by any of them.
“You’re mine.” Leif’s lips skimmed over her neck before he bit the spot between her neck and shoulder, sucking hard. Marking her. “I might not be able to claim you completely before we get to Denwulf, but I will fuck you,” he snarled. “I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted but was too…respectful to demand from other women in the past.” He pushed away from her slightly to snare her gaze. “I won’t be with you. Not now.”
“What do you want me to do?” Elsa breathed.
“
Everything
.” He sneered.
***
Leif pulled her deeper into the alcove, needing to be away from the others. It was only a matter of time before someone came looking for them, and he needed Elsa. Now. Claiming her fully still wasn’t a possibility, but he was tempted to say fuck tradition, then fuck
her
. Hell, he wasn’t even certain why he held back. She didn’t deserve the respect he afforded her now. True, it was as much about her station as his wife as it was for Elsa, but it just felt…wrong. No matter. He would take his pleasure from her in other ways. Perhaps it was time to show her what her new life would truly be like.
Placing himself between her and the tunnel’s entrance, her back near the rock wall, Leif pushed her down in front of him, unfastening his breeches so that his stiffening cock sprang free. “What I say. When I say. How I say,” he repeated. “With your mouth. Right now. On your knees.”
Grabbing a fistful of her hair, Leif guided her toward his groin. When she parted her lips, he let his member bounce against her face several times but didn’t allow her to take it into her mouth.
“Look at me!” he commanded her, needing to look into her eyes as he did this. He hadn’t been able to when she’d climaxed, but he would take his due now as he fucked her mouth. “Do not part your gaze from mine. I want to watch as you take my cock between those pretty lips.”
She nodded, never closing her mouth, even darting her tongue out to dab at his swollen flesh. Leif tightened his hold on her hair, trying not to care if he hurt her. It was no more than she deserved and far less than she’d hurt him.
With a shaking fist, Leif guided his cock between her lips. Just the head. He was large, and while he wanted this worse than he’d ever wanted anything, part of him knew he had to take it slow. The need to punish her was completely overwhelmed by the need for her to enjoy this. Gods, he wanted her to enjoy it! Which baffled him to no end.
The fist in her hair tightened, but he didn’t force her forward. Instead, he let her set her own pace. Tentatively, she let her lips slide along his length before retreating. Then again, farther this time so she was taking nearly half of him. She didn’t close her eyes, but kept them firmly trained on his.
Kneeling before him, her hands bound, his fist in her hair, she looked more tempting than any female, any sight Leif had ever beheld. Even when she gagged slightly as he hit the back of her throat, she never broke her stare. Leif pulled back a bit, but she only lunged forward more, seemingly eager to take him deeper. The bliss was heady. The sight erotic as hell.
“Gods, woman,” he grated. “Suck me hard.”
When she moaned around his shaft, Leif’s knees nearly buckled, and a light tingling sensation shot through his cock straight to his balls.
Sliding. Hot, moist heat
.
Leif gritted his teeth, determined not to spill, to make this last as long as possible. But the vision of his shaft disappearing between plump, dark lips was maddening! The pressure building!
Never had a woman willingly done this for him. A few had over the years because he’d asked, but never because they’d wanted to. Now, looking into her cinnamon-colored eyes, Leif could almost convince himself Elsa wanted to. When he’d eased himself back so as not to gag her, a little crease between her brows had formed as she lunged forward again, taking more of him until he hit the back of her throat. Now she worked him on her own. His fingers still tangled in her hair, but he didn’t force her forward, nor did he hold her back. And still she worked her lips around his cock as if she loved it.
But how could she not? Her hands were tied. He’d all but forced her to her knees in front of him. Her very life depended on his good will.
What I say. When I say. How I say.
With a groan of despair, Leif pushed her away, tugging her to her feet. “I could hate you for what you’ve done to me,” he whispered as he turned her around, untying her hands before letting her go completely. “And still I can’t hurt you any more than I already have.”
Once freed, Elsa turned to face him. “You haven’t hurt me, Leif. And your anger toward me is understandable. I might as well have had you tortured myself.”
Her words were like a dagger to his heart, the pain as real as if she’d actually plunged a blade between his ribs. Leif needed to ask her why, to believe she’d had a good reason for what she’d done. He was almost ready to hear it. Almost ready to try to forgive her if the reasoning was good enough. But there was still an angry lust boiling inside him, his baser needs overwhelming his good sense.
“Go,” he grated. “I can’t be with you like this.”
“No,” she said simply, sliding her hands under his shirt. His pants were still open, his shaft still bobbing with every movement he made. “You need me. I will provide.”
“Elsa, I—” His words died, his throat working though no sound came out when Elsa simply sank gracefully to her knees, her hands sliding down his body to settle on his thighs. He swallowed.
With one hand, Elsa took the base of cock and guided it to her lips, her eyes open and looking straight into his. Leif forgot to breathe as she sucked his length down halfway, her little fist pumping the remainder. Over and over he watched as his cock disappeared between her lips. Into her mouth. The hot cavern wet and maddening around him.
“Ah, gods! Elsa!” Leif threw his head back, the pleasure unlike any he’d ever experienced from this act. Her hands slid around to his ass, her nails digging into his skin. The bite of pain only intensified the erotic feel of the moment. She continued to moan around him, the vibration building his pleasure. Building.
There was nothing he could do to fight this. Leif finally gave up trying. Threading his fingers through her hair, he pumped his hips, surging forward as far as he could. She didn’t push him away or try to stop his movements. Instead she gripped him harder as if afraid he’d try to pull away from her again. It was obvious she fought her gag reflex, fought to take him as deep as she could. Tears streamed down her face from the effort, but still she urged him forward, to fuck her mouth as he might her cunt.
Pressure built in his cock, tightening his balls. The base of his spine tingled with the impending eruption—one he had no hope of stopping.
“I’m going to come, Elsa. Let me go so I can.”
That crease between her brows increased, her hold on his ass tightening. Her nails dug into his skin painfully now, so much so he was certain she’d broken the skin.
“Ah, fuck,” he muttered. “Fuck!”
He tried to pull away from her once more to no avail. Then it was over. With a roar, Leif came in a rush. His bellow echoed off the walls, down the cavern and back, his seed spilling into Elsa’s mouth with mind-numbing spasms. His cock jerked between her lips in what seemed like a never-ending orgasm. Always, Elsa pulled with her mouth, a sweet suction that promised to drive him insane.
Finally, when the last of his seed had been drained, Leif pulled away from Elsa’s hot mouth. He sank to the ground, pulling her into his arms. Holding her against his chest, Leif murmured to her in his own language knowing she couldn’t understand him. Which was just as well because if she knew the depth of his feelings for her she’d likely use it against him. Instead, he simply rocked her, resting his chin on the top of her head.
I am lost for her
, he thought as one hot tear slid down his cheek to land in her silky hair.
Voices down the cavern reminded Elsa they weren’t alone. Likely everyone had heard Leif’s bellow of pleasure, but might have interpreted it as anger. She actually wasn’t certain what she was hoping for at this moment. Their thinking it was anger might bring someone to make certain she was all right. The other would embarrass her later. It was a small price to pay if he was working off his anger.
Surprisingly, he held her tenderly now. Afraid to break the uneasy truce, Elsa simply sat there, enjoying the moment. Giving a blowjob had never been one of her favorite things, but what she’d done with Leif had been fulfilling in ways she couldn’t begin to describe. He’d needed what she’d done. Elsa knew it in her bones. His body still quivered around her even as his cock stayed rock hard, mashed against her hip.
“Everything all right in here?” John didn’t fully enter the cavern, but Leif growled in response.
“Leave us,” he snapped.
“As you wish. Just thought you should know Jorak is awake and asking for you. He’s weak but healing.” John paused before saying, “He tried to find you himself, calling for you not to harm his queen, but he’s still too weak to rise.”
Leif stilled, tightening his arms around Elsa. “Tell him I’m on my way.”
As John turned to leave, Leif sighed. He urged her to her feet as he stood and fastened his pants. “Stay here. I’ll talk to Jorak and send Beth back to you with a bedroll.”
“I—don’t you want to sleep under the lights? Or did you mean for me to stay here alone?”
He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “No. I’m staying in here with you.” He met her gaze with a fierce expression. “I’m not done with you,
kona
.”
Leif stalked back to the group, stunned by what had just happened. Exquisite oral sex aside, he was going to give Elsa the benefit of the doubt. He’d known it the second she dug her nails into his ass instead of pulling away from him. She might still be guilty, but he was no longer convinced she was as guilty as he’d first thought.
When he neared Jorak, the other wolf rose up on one elbow, reaching for Leif with his other hand. “D-don’t…hurt Elsa,” he forced out, his voice rough, thick. He sounded like he was barely conscious.
“I won’t, brother,” Leif assured as he sat next to Jorak, gripping his hand briefly. “Now, what’s so important you felt the need to send for me instead of getting yourself well?”
“The queen…”
“She’s not your queen yet, brother.”
“Leif, it wasn’t her fault.”
“She said it was. That she willingly turned me over to the chancellor’s men. Did she lie?”
Jorak looked so distressed Leif placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. “She had no choice, your majesty.”
“She said the chancellor’s men had her children. But she said they were in danger from them before.”
Jorak nodded vigorously before closing his eyes as if to fight off dizziness. “It was the reason she told you she’d go with you to Denwulf. To be your mate.”
Leif stilled. “How did you know that?”
“When I came to bring her to you that day, she asked me to stay with her children. To watch over them.”
“I remember. I had a bad feeling something was wrong and sent Aldar to stay with you.”
“Astrid met us there. Told us you had ordered us to return, but something seemed off to me. If we’d left, the children would have been all alone. I knew you wouldn’t want that, no matter if they were your heirs or not.” He paused, taking a pained breath and wincing for his effort. “Aldar is young, used to obeying his elders. Astrid…”
“No need to explain, brother.” Leif could well imagine her persuasiveness. Brandwulfr had cautioned him to be watchful, though he hadn’t mentioned Astrid specifically. Well, Leif intended to remedy that problem at the earliest opportunity.
“But there is.” Leif coughed several times, taking a deep breath. Then coughed some more as he held his ribs. “Fucking madmen,” he muttered. “Sadistic bastards.”
“They all died, you know.”
Jorak met his eyes. “Horribly?”
Leif shrugged. “Some of them. I was interested in quick.” Waiting until Jorak had his breath again, Leif sat patiently.
“I stayed with her children. Outside their dwelling in the hall. When Astrid realized I wasn’t leaving, she attacked. I could have killed her, but I just…she’s a warrior before she’s a woman, but I still see the woman.”
“I can put it together from here. No need to explain further.” Leif hesitated a moment. “I would like to know one thing though. When we first got out of that compound, you were trying to tell me something about the children. We got five out. Did we get them all?”
“That sounds right.” He shook his head then. “What I was trying to tell you was that it wasn’t Elsa’s fault what happened. She was forced into that situation as much as the rest of us because her own children were threatened.”
“You didn’t want me to take out my wrath on her.” He made it a statement.
Jorak nodded. “I knew your sense of justice would demand blood for blood. Not on your behalf, but that of the people. She’d taken our leader, the only person capable or interested in keeping our kind out of a bloody war, and given him over to our enemy. I knew you’d see that as a betrayal of the worst sort.”
“Save your strength, brother. Rest.”
“Just give Elsa a chance to explain, Leif. Use that cunning you’re known for to filter out the truth. I truly don’t believe she had malice in her heart. She was just a mother trying her best to protect her children. Besides, what mother wouldn’t protect her children with her last breath, no matter the cost?”
This certainly put a new light on things. “I’ll consider your account, Jorak. But the fact remains she
did
betray me, nearly costing me my life. The warriors know this. Keeping her as queen will be…difficult.”
“No more difficult than when Brandwulfr took his mate. Just reserve judgment until we get back to Denwulf. Listen to the accounts of everyone involved. The children most especially.” Jorak waved a hand toward the group headed into the cavern where he’d told Elsa to stay. “Even now they seek her out. How could someone the children trust so readily be anything but kindhearted?”
“Point taken. I’ll do nothing unforgivable. And reserve judgment.” He smiled at Jorak. “Now, rest, brother. We stay here for one cycle. Tomorrow, though, I’ll expect you to be up and on your feet. You can’t do that conversing with me.”
Jorak gave a weak smile. “Well, someone had to protect the queen.”
“From me?”
His friend snorted. “You’re not exactly known to take betrayal well. No king would.”
“Rest easy then. Elsa and I have issues to work out, but I value your account and thank you for it.” He glanced toward his hideaway. Where Elsa awaited him. All of the children in their group were currently sneaking inside. And unless he missed his guess, Elsa’s own children had joined them. With a grin, Leif said, “Just now, I have to go run off some squatters.”