Intricate Dance

LUCIAN

~“She is coming, sir.”~

I nod subtly to Kia beside me. I can smell her anyway, that intoxicating scent, so strong, so powerful, it makes my hairs stand on end.

“Ready?” she asks when she’s in front of me. My brow creases a little and she chuckles. “For your tour, My king.”

I smile and nod.

Holding out my hand, I give her the chance to take it. After a moment, she does, and interlocks our fingers together. Damn, it feels good to have her by my side—but not only that, she will help guide me. Not that she knows that part.

~“Stay in my head but remain quiet unless I need you,”~ I tell Kia.

~“Of course, sir.”~

I follow her lead outside into the afternoon air. Gently tugging at my hand, she takes me down a dirt track toward her pack house. The track itself is under the cover of trees. Thankfully, the shade relieves some of the heat I feel from being so close to my mate.

The birds twittering high above calm my center as they go about their busy days. This would be a beautiful place to shift…and in wolf form, I could see her, really see her. I wonder if she would agree to it. I know that, for even an unmated pair, shifting together is quite an intimate experience.

“Do you come down here often?”

“I do. My friend lives at the pack house. You’d probably like her…” she adds quietly.

“What makes you think that?” I ask with a chuckle.

“She’s very…beautiful,” she says, and I can tell she is slightly holding back. I wonder what she’s thinking. Oh, if we only had the mate bond right now, I could find out.

“What makes you believe that beauty is the only thing that takes my interest?” I ask, genuinely curious, and she laughs.

“Have you looked in a mirror?” ~No, as a matter of fact, I haven’t~… “You are the very definition.”

That does make me smile. “I am?” I answer obtusely, and she laughs again.

“Do you play dumb often?” she teases, and I make a mockingly stern face.

“What a charming princess you are,” I tease right back.

“Pft. Yep, that’s me. Princess Charming.”

“So, how do you usually come down here?” I ask, and I guess she frowns.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you shift often? I don’t mean to pry, but I can’t scent your wolf on your skin…”

She pauses a moment and I turn to face her.

“I’m sure you can guess why I don’t shift that much,” she says, looking down.

Now it’s my turn to frown. “I can’t see why you wouldn’t,” I answer honestly, and she chuckles a little in disbelief.

“I am fat, Your Majesty. No one would appreciate the sight of me unclothed,” she says with distaste—and I don’t know what my face does in response to that.

I move my hand over the curve of her body, feeling its edges.

“You are not fat. You’re perfect, in every way.”

“I guess you have to say that, being my mate.”

“If I did not like you, you would know it,” I answer honestly. Mate or not, ~if~ I didn’t like her, I would be sure she knew it.

“What are you really asking, Lucian?”

It makes me smile that she saw through me so easily.

“Shift with me,” I tell her.

She stays quiet for a moment, thinking about it. I squeeze her hip slightly and take a step closer, bringing my lips to her ear. “Shift for me… Let me see you, little one…”

I hear her suck in a breath and feel her shiver. I move away, sensing that she is looking around, surveying the area. Kia is hanging back, but he is still nearby.

“You’re sure?” she asks quietly and I nod.

“Very.”

She takes a deep breath. “Okay,” she whispers. “Umm, give me a second, I’ll just…”

“No. Don’t hide from me, let me see you.”

~“Turn around,”~ I tell Kia, and I assume he does. Liana stands still, and I guess that she’s peering around again, making sure the coast is clear.

I can feel her anxiety so I take the first move. I pull my T-shirt off over my head, then drop it to the gravel.

“Holy…” She stops herself from whispering the rest, and I chuckle. I can feel her eyes on me and, oh Goddess, it feels so hot. I pull at my belt and it slips out of the loops in one tug. I ditch it on the floor beside my shirt. Popping the buttons of my jeans, I fold them open and breathe deeply.

“Don’t be afraid, okay?” Blurrily, I see movement and I think she’s nodding. Holding my breath, I let myself shift. It doesn’t take me long—it shouldn’t, not after more than three hundred years of practice. Everything grows and reshapes amazingly quickly.

When it’s over, I open my eyes and everything is crystal clear. I sigh in relief. Looking up to the treetops, I can see every small detail. It’s as beautiful as I thought it would be.

A small breeze wafts her scent up to me and I look down, way down, to the small human form in front of me. I quickly drop onto all fours, utterly crippled by her beauty. I let myself take a full wolf form to help her feel more comfortable. Then I look her over again.

Holy fucking Goddess… She’s perfect.

Such long, luscious hair, so raven-black, it’s almost blue. Thick, black lashes surrounding emerald-green eyes, and the softest, most beautiful features I’ve ever laid my eyes on. And her body! Oh holy mother, her body!

Thick, delicious thighs hug each other, beautifully covered in soft, sun-kissed skin. Rounded, full, to-die-for hips move up into an hourglass figure leading to the fattest, most bitable tits ever put before me. They honestly make me shiver.

Her small, round shoulders slow their heaving and I crouch down further, practically bowing before the unearthly beauty that is my mate. Mine. All mine. My queen-to-be.

After a few minutes, she releases the breath she was holding and her shoulders relax. Cautiously, she steps closer and raises a hand. I lower my head and her fingers stroke through my fur curiously.

Oh fuck! What that does to me…!

I look into those mesmerizing eyes, committing every detail of her deep into my memory.

I want to bite her. Badly. So badly my teeth tingle and I can taste my own venom.

“My turn, I guess,” she whispers. Stepping back, she takes a determined breath and nods once.

Her fingers move to the button of her shorts and I try to keep my gaze low for her comfort—but, damn, it’s hard, especially when the shorts drop to her feet. I resist as long as I can, until her T-shirt joins the shorts—and then I risk a glance.

Fuck! I shouldn’t have looked! Why did I look?! My heart thunders so loudly in my chest that I have no doubt she’ll hear it.

Oh Goddess, look at those juicy curves. I’m surprised by her lack of hair anywhere other than her head, and realize suddenly that she may not be a virgin. The thought doesn’t bother me, though. It’s not like I’ve kept my dick to myself over the years. As long as I am the best she’s ever had, that’s all that matters. I sure as hell know I can take better care of her than that wolf I could smell in her room. Is he the one she’s been with? I shake off the thought.

Quickly, I force my head down, panting a little, using every ounce of restraint I possess to hold myself in place and not completely attack her in every filthy way that is going through my mind.

I hear her bones starting to crack, and I wince.

When the cracking stops, I look at the beautiful little wolf before me. Fur so black, eyes so green. Oh, she’s magnificent.