Huntress Within

LUCIAN

I howl loud enough that my whole body vibrates when her scent is suddenly masked. She must have covered it with something; it’s getting fainter by the second. I have to move quicker.

After plodding along for so long, I now start tearing up the ground as I charge toward the last traces of that sweet scent. I slide to a halt near the river’s edge and breathe in as deeply as I can, but I can’t find her smell. I need to think more like my little wolf princess.

My eyes naturally drift toward the water but I know she hasn’t crossed it. She wouldn’t leave our lands. Just before I look away, in a strip of crisp moonlight, I see a pawprint. I smile as I examine the ground more closely. It’s obvious that she rolled around in the mud right here.

~“Clever girl,”~ I link her just so she knows I’m onto her. She doesn’t respond but I didn’t expect her to, and that makes me smile again. I look around some more, but there are no paw prints leading away from the riverbank.

~She is a clever one.~

I let out a small, needy whine to try and lure her wolf out of hiding. I know how badly she needs “taming” right now and it might just work.

I can feel her presence nearby but she must be fighting herself to remain quiet.

~Hmm. Plan B.~

Padding along silently, I let my jaw hang open, allowing my venom to drip from my mouth and into the earth. She’ll pick up on the sweet smell and it will be almost irresistible. She is a part of me now, and a part of her craves it.

A small whine penetrates the silence, and I smile internally.

~I’ve caught you now, pup.~

I creep carefully toward the bank’s edge, where the whine came from. Looking down over the edge, I glimpse a little tuft of tail hair and growl softly. She whines in defeat before leaping out. Like a puppy, she zooms up the bank and crashes into my body, nipping and licking at me.

~“I will never not find you, my beautiful queen.”~ She tilts her head to one side, and her ears do an adorable little flop. ~“I do believe I owe you something. That was indeed a good hiding spot.”~

Bounding off me, she leaps around excitedly for a minute before she shifts into human form to stand before me in all her glory.

Goddess, she sends shivers down my spine.

I shift and stand up from the floor, pulling her warmth to me, not caring about the dirt. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how soft she is, so damn smooth against my skin that it sends little zaps that tingle all through our bodies whenever I hold her.

As I stroke my fingers gently up and down her spine, what once was intense now feels soft and calm. It’s getting me hard already.

“Mmm, you feel so good,” I groan, giving her those soft squeezes that I love so much.

Those little emeralds look up into mine with a sparkle from the bright moonlight, and a shiver passes over my skin as I bring my lips down to hers and let the feeling take over.

***

LIANA

I stretch out my aching but satisfied body across the dirt with a smile and roll closer to the warmth that Lucian exudes, chuckling to myself quietly.

“Mmm, good morning, my queen,” he grumbles, and tightens his hold around me before chuckling himself.

“What’s so funny?” I laugh and prop myself up to look down at him. His smile gets broader. Then, with one lazy hand, he threads his fingers in my hair and pulls out a few trapped leaves.

“Half the forest ended up all over you last night,” he teases and I mock-frown at him, slapping a hand on his chest playfully.

Twisting to look over my shoulder, I watch the steady rolling of the river. “Morning swim?”

“Mmm, you read my mind.”

As he scrambles from the dirt, Lucian’s hands are already reaching out to grab at me playfully. We both run straight into the water, not even feeling the cold, just the relief of being able to clean up. We laugh like teenagers while splashing at each other.

I swim over to him and cling to his body. Securing me to him with a hand around my back, he slowly wades into the deeper water, being sure to hold me above the surface.

Linking my legs around his back, I let my body lie back and float along the water while keeping myself anchored to him. He skims his hands across my torso and washes away the smears of dirt and mud from my skin.

“Mmm, much better. I can smell you again.”

I giggle and bring myself closer to him again. A movement in the tree line catches my eye, and I freeze. Lucian’s eyes follow mine to land on the deer that has approached the edge in search of water. The animal in me instantly comes out. I usually just admire wildlife from afar, but now I want to shift and attack.

Lucian looks back over me with a small frown, but doesn’t give much away.

~“You want to hunt, Princess?”~ he silently asks. I nod quickly and look back to the prey that is slowly retreating back into the forest.

Wading back silently, he places me down on all fours and I instantly start to shift. His facial expression seems confused but he says nothing as I stalk toward the tree line, keeping my body low and slow as I make up ground.

Lucian follows behind, ensuring he keeps pace with me and stays hidden. I lift up my nose slightly to sniff at the air. Picking up its scent, I follow the deer’s tracks through the undergrowth.

I snap my eyes to a soft rustle in the leaves and lock on to my target.

Lucian drops down into the dirt and stays put just behind me.

~“You go, my love,”~ his voice says in my head. I give a quick nod before refocusing on the deer ahead of me. Slowly, I creep through the brush, homing in on my target before I attack.

I launch myself out of my cover and latch onto the deer’s neck with impressive skill, if I say so myself. With a quick couple of shakes, I snap its neck and it drops limp in my jaw.

I don’t waste any time before tucking into my kill, lying down in the dirt and eating my fill.

***

I briefly forgot that Lucian was with me and I look up, licking my mouth clean of any blood, and meet Lucian’s gaze as he looks me over inquisitively.

~“What?”~ I ask, confused, but he shakes his head.

~“Nothing. You just look so beautiful.”~

Somehow, I’m not fully convinced that this is all he is thinking, but let it slide anyway.

Looking back down at the carcass, I frown internally. I’ve practically licked all the bones clean. ~“Sorry… I got carried away,”~ I say through the link with a chuckle and feel his answering smile.

~“Ready to go, beautiful?”~ he asks, and I nod. We slowly make our way back to the palace.