Designs on a Warrior

Chapter Ten

Cydney came awake with a start. She sat up and looked around the room, her gaze latching onto the man who sat on the floor with his back against the wall a short distance from the bed. She then looked at the spot next to her and found it empty.

“Where’s Maggie?” she asked.

Wulfric stood, crossed over to her and sat on the bed. “She’s with Lexi, Kamryn and Nika. She’s fine. They’ve gotten her calmed down finally, though they had to send Dolf away to manage it. They’re also explaining everything to Maggie.”

“Oh, good. What about her parents? Did anyone call them to let them know we found her?”

“Raed did, shortly after we arrived at the manor. I think he gave them some excuse about car trouble and Maggie running into an old friend she hadn’t seen in a while, or something like that. Whatever he told them, they accepted, and that you and Maggie would be sleeping here.”

“I’m glad. Other than a split lip, is Maggie physically fine?”

Wulfric nodded. “Apparently, Stephen—it was the pack leader who’d taken her—had wanted to wait until the rest of the pack had returned before he had his ‘fun’ with her. He told her if she didn’t cooperate he’d throw her to the wolves, literally. If we’d shown up later, I don’t know what we would have found.”

Cydney didn’t want to think about it. “Does Maggie know about her being Dolf’s mate?”

“That’s one of the things the women are explaining to her. I have a feeling she’s not going to take the news well. After what she went through, she’s still terrified of him, of us. Every time Dolf tries to go near her, she almost has a panic attack. Only with the women does she settle.”

“I should go to her.” Cydney shifted as if to get off the bed, but Wulfric stopped her by placing his hand on her arm.

“She’s fine. You and I have things to work out ourselves.”

“Then talk.”

“You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?” Wulfric let go of her arm and ran his fingers through his hair. “You now know what I am.”

“But I don’t know how you got to be that.”

“Okay, I’ll start from the beginning. I was born in 583 A.D., here in East Anglia. I was a warrior who served under my king, Raedwald—Raed. After Tiw, the Sky Father, came to him and chose him to protect mortals from those werewolves sired by Fenris the wolf, we, his highest ranking warriors, agreed to take up the cause with him.

“Who is Fenris?”

“I’ll give you the short version. Fenris is the eldest child of the god Loki and a giantess. Even though he had been born as a wolf, unable to shift to human form, he’s no ordinary wolf. He had grown so large, the other gods of Asgard had worried he would turn on them. To protect themselves, they bound Fenris. The one time he managed to free himself, he'd escaped to the mortal realm, to East Anglia, where the very first werewolf was sired. Tiw had managed to capture Fenris, but the damage had already been done. A single bite from one of Fenris' get is all it takes to turn a mortal into a werewolf. So this is where we come in. We’re charged to bring down the beasts to stop the spread. It’s an on-going battle we’ve fought for centuries.”

“Okay,” Cydney said a little shakily. “I slept with an immortal warrior who can shape shift and has lived for over a thousand years. And you think I’m your mate.”

“I don’t think. You are. While you slept, I checked your back. Tiw’s mark has fully appeared.”

Cydney shot off the bed and rushed to the en suite bathroom. After flipping on the light, she turned her back to the mirror and pulled off her shirt. Looking over her shoulder, she saw in the reflection a black tattoo-like mark on her skin, the design of a stylized man between two wolves, the same as what Wulfric had on his shoulder.

She turned to look at Wulfric who had followed her in. “So what does this mean?

That we’re mated now?”

“It means I’ve claimed you, and that you’ve accepted. We won’t be true mates until Tiw grants you immortality.”

“And if I don’t want it—or you?”

Wulfric’s eyes turned bleak. “I’ll let you go. It’ll hurt like hell, since I already love you. But I would never bind you to me if that weren’t what you wished.”

Hearing Wulfric tell her he loved her sent a wave of panic through her. She could admit to herself she had strong feelings for him, but being tied to him for all eternity, she just didn’t know. She didn’t want a marriage like what her parents had had. And Wulfric asked to have forever with her. What would happen if her feelings changed, or his?

“You have to give me some time,” she said.

Wulfric nodded. “All right, but I’m not going to let you return to Canada without getting an answer from you.” He came closer and cupped her chin in his hand as he kissed her lightly. “I don’t want to lose you, Cydney.”

She nodded. A part of her wanted to throw herself into his strong arms and never let go, but the scared part held her in place. “I promise to give you my answer before I’m scheduled to leave.”

Wulfric stepped back. “I’ll hold you to it. And all things considered, I think it best Kamryn drives you and Maggie back to her parents’ place.”

“Thanks. I’m sure Maggie will appreciate that.”

He ran his gaze over her face one last time, then walked out of the room.

It was the night of the full moon and Wulfric’s heart wasn’t into the hunt as it usually was during this time. For one thing, Dolf wasn’t into it, either. The first time in over a thousand years they weren’t competing to see who could take down the most werewolves. The thrill just wasn’t there.

Almost a week had gone by since Wulfric had last seen Cydney. And it was hell being apart from her. He thought about her constantly. Only to himself did he admit he was more than a little scared he’d lose her. That she’d turn him down, get on a plane to Canada and never come back. Every time he thought about it, he broke into a cold sweat. He loved her with all of his heart, and no one would ever take her place. If she rejected him, he had an eternity of being alone to look forward to.

The only one who was in worse shape than Wulfric was Dolf. The warrior moped around the manor much as he did. Wulfric felt sorry for his friend. Dolf’s situation was even worse than his. His fellow warrior had attempted to see Maggie again, but she still wouldn’t have anything to do with him. She’d taken one look at him standing in her doorway and had slammed the door in his face. But not before Dolf had seen the absolute terror on her face first.

Finally, when the night drew to a close, Wulfric returned to the manor. He dreaded the thought of having to get into his cold, empty bed. The one night he’d spent with Cydney had him craving her presence. It had felt more than right to fall asleep with her in his arms and wake up with her still there.

Dragging his feet, Wulfric slowly walked up the steps to the upper floor.

Reaching the top, a scent tickled his nose. He took a deep breath, detecting the strong scent of drying paint. That couldn’t be right. Cydney had finished the first coat on his room a week ago, and nothing else had been done since.

The closer he got to his bedroom he was able to pick up another scent, one he thought he might never get to smell again. Seeing a light under his door, he pushed it open and quickly scanned the room with his gaze. It froze on the figure of Cydney standing by one wall, a paint roller in her hand as she stared at him.

“About damn time you got back,” she said. “Since I started so late I thought maybe I could hit you up to help me. But you can’t. I just finished.”

All he could do was stand there and stare at her. He found it hard to believe she was actually there.

Cydney put the roller on the paint tray at her feet and crossed to where he stood.

She put her hand on the left side of his chest. “Your heart is beating so fast.” She lifted her gaze to his, and said softly, “I decided, Wulfric. I want you.” He opened his mouth to talk, but she stopped him by placing a finger against his lips. “Don’t say anything. I need to get this out first. I’ve given us, and the feelings I have for you, a lot of thought these past days. And I found I can’t just walk away. The time away from you has shown me that I do love you, which I’m going to say scares the ever-living-hell out of me.

Seeing the kind of marriage my parents had—my mom showing my dad all the love she had for him, and him never being able to reciprocate the way she wanted—I promised myself I wouldn’t end up in that kind of relationship. I didn’t think I was made to make that strong of a commitment to anyone. You proved me wrong.”

Wulfric pulled her finger away and kissed the tip. “I’m not your father, Cydney.

I cherish what is mine, and you are mine. I promise to do everything in my power to show you each and every day that I’ll always love you, and that you own my heart.”

Cydney blinked and a sheen of tears appeared in her eyes. “And I’ll do my best to do the same.”

Unable to keep his hands off her any longer, Wulfric pulled her against him and held her tight. Cydney clung to him just as tightly. After a few seconds more, he tipped her head up and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her slowly, putting all the love he felt for her into it. As it became more demanding, a familiar voice filled his head.

Before you two go any further, I’m going to ask Cydney if she’s ready to become your true mate, Tiw said.

Cydney jerked away from his mouth, and said, “Who was that?”

“That was Tiw.”

“The Anglo-Saxon god?”

The one and the same, Tiw said with a laugh. What will your answer be, Cydney?

She locked gazes with Wulfric when she answered. “My answer is yes. I want to make sure Wulfric will be stuck with me forever.

The god’s laughter filled Wulfric’s head. Then so it shall be.

Cydney stiffened in his arms, then relaxed after a few seconds had passed. “Holy crap. That felt as if I just got shot with a huge surge of energy.”

You’re now as immortal as Wulfric. Now I’ll leave the two of you alone to celebrate in your own way.

Wulfric felt Tiw’s presence fade. He took hold of the collar of Cydney’s t-shirt, and using a clawed finger, cut the material completely down the front. He pushed it off her shoulders to drop on the floor.

“Impatient, are we? What am I supposed to wear tomorrow?”

“You can wear one of mine.” He went to slice through the front of her bra, but Cydney batted his hand away.

“Your bedroom door is wide open. I’m not putting on a peep show for the others. Plus I need a shower. I’m sure I have paint all over me.”

Wulfric let her go, shut the door and returned to stand before her. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. “A shower it is.”

Once inside the en suite, they were quick to strip out of their clothes. Wulfric started the shower, and when he had it the right temperature, he carried Cydney inside.

He angled her under the spray of water. As it cascaded down her chest, drops of it collecting on the ends of her nipples, he bent and licked it off. Cydney moaned.

They washed each other, sharing the single bar of soap. Wulfric thought he’d lose it there and then as Cydney’s soapy hand closed around his cock, sliding up and down its full length.

When it became almost too much, he pulled her hand away. “No more. I have to be inside you. Now.”

The bar of soap dropped to the bottom of the bathtub as Cydney pulled his head down to hers and kissed him hungrily. She didn’t pull away until they were both panting. She looked into his eyes. “I can see your wolf.”

“Then put us both out of our misery.”

He lifted her, positioned his cock as she wrapped her legs around his waist and surged deep inside her with one stroke. Locking her ankles at his back, Cydney used her leg muscles to help him as he held onto her ass and stroked in and out of her pussy.

Her cries of pleasure had his cock growing even harder. He’d thought he’d never be with her like this again. Unable to go slow, he took her fast and hard, quickly sending her into her release.

With a growl, he lifted her on and off his cock faster until his shaft swelled, locking them together. He let loose with a howl as his orgasm overtook him and filled her with is cum.

He lowered himself to sit on the bottom of the tub with Cydney cradled against his chest while he continued to come. Shaking with the love he felt for her, he kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Cydney.”

She sat up on his lap, moaning as his cock pulsed inside her. “I love you, Wulfric.”

Clutching her close once again, Wulfric felt a contentment he hadn’t felt in a week wash over him. Everything was as it should be. He sat there holding his mate until the water turned cold, then bundled them both up in towels before he carried her to the guest room. Dawn’s light filtered through the only window, marking the first day of the new eternal life he’d share with the woman who would forever hold his heart.