Page 13 of A Kiss From a Wolfman
A fresh blush dances across my cheeks as I nod. Ciaryn’s eyes droop, and I help him from the chair towards the bed. Once we reach it, he falls backward onto the covers. The wooden framecreaks but holds firm. It’s not long before his eyes fall shut, and his breathing turns deep and even.
With a sigh, I turn back towards the kitchen and wash the blood from my hands. My dress is stained, and I don’t have the energy to do much more than unlace it and discard it with my boots. Dressed only in my cotton shift, I find an old blanket draped along the arm of the couch and settle onto the worn cushions.
It’s not too uncomfortable. My neck will be stiff in the morning, but it’s only for one night. I should feel uneasy at the creature occupying my bed, but I feel entirely safe. It’s an odd realization but not an unpleasant one.
With exhaustion weighing me down, I let the darkness pull me into a deep, dreamless sleep.
4
CIARYN
This human is different.
She is kind—something I’ve never experienced from her kind. While she had every reason to fear me, she treated me with compassion. With my advanced healing, the wounds along my chest and hip are nearly healed. The skin of my calf has knitted back together, and my muscles are strong again.
Stella is brave for such a small thing—not many humans would risk freeing a beast like me from their shackles and rendering aid.
Her strength steals my breath. Curled up on her small couch, she looks impossibly fragile. The dark, golden strands of her hair fan across the pale cushions. Her freckled cheeks are dusted with pink. Delicate snores whistle from her tiny nose. The sun begins to rise and paints her in its warm light. The first rays of dawn had stirred me from the sedative she administered.
I haven’t slept that well in a long time. There is comfort in her presence, not to mention her delicious scent, which coats everything inside this small cottage. Stella smells of honey and wildflowers.
Now, I realize it had been her scent that brought me to this village. I had caught a whiff of it on the wind while running. It stopped me dead in my tracks and tugged me closer to this settlement. The scent had consumed me in a way I didn’t understand. I was so enthralled in finding its source that I hadn’t noticed the hunters had spotted my trail.
If I hadn’t been distracted, they never would’ve captured me. I have half a mind to track them down this morning and to gut them for what they did.
But more than anything, I wish to find the one called Timson and shred him alive for daring to covet Stella as his bride. I understand the male’s desire for her—I feel it now as I stare down at her. Her beauty is otherworldly.
Even though I shouldn’t disturb her, I can’t help but run a claw over her round cheek. Her smooth skin is warm—softer than the petals of a rose. I wonder if she is this soft everywhere. Before I do something foolish, I pull my hand back. I need to leave before I bring any trouble to her door, not to mention the obligations I must return to.
The familiar ache yawns open in my chest.
Damn my father for leaving me. Damn the hunters who killed my mother and severed whatever long life she and my father would have shared. After she was gone, he was never the same—each day without her was agony. Now that he has passed, I hope their reunion was all he dreamed it would be.
I am not fit to be alpha. What kind of leader abandons their pack the way I have? I have to face them before too much more time passes. Still, my blood heats at the idea of revenge. The hunters who killed my mother were dealt with long ago, and my mouth waters at the thought of eradicating even more.
As I stare down at Stella, I realize I must leave. Despite a part of me wanting to remain for another night, the longer I linger here, the more likely I’ll be found out. I must get as far awayfrom here as possible. It’s the only way to keep her safe. For her kindness, I’ll leave her village in peace.
Still, I continue to watch her slumber. I can’t take my eyes off of her. I drink her in, letting her sweet scent fill my lungs. I don’t understand this pull I feel towards her—at least, that’s what I tell myself. Considering what it means would make this situation all the more dire. I cannot allow myself to be overcome by the rampant desire pounding in my veins.
Stella has her secrets—ones I wish I could stay to uncover. Without a chance to reconsider, I heft her into my arms. Her warm body curls against my chest, her hand twisting into my fur trustingly. My heart pounds harder as I walk her over to her bed. I settle her atop the sheets and gently pull the quilt over her.
The scent of her clings to my fur and drives me wild.
Sleepy blue eyes blink open at me. We merely stare at each other for a moment, and I take the chance to commit every detail of her to memory.
“Are you leaving?” she asks, voice thick with sleep.
I nod, not trusting my voice.
A look of sadness dances in her eyes as she begins to rise.
“I need to get you some medicine before you go.”
Shaking my head, I pull back the binding on my chest and show her the healed skin.
“Oh,” she says. “That’s handy.”
We stare at each other, the air around us becoming thicker. A part of me senses she doesn’t want me to leave. That same voice urges me to stay, but I cannot. I have responsibilities to attend to. Once the matters at home are settled, perhaps I can return and?—
