Grizzly (6 page)

“Um, was it my imagination, or do you really shift into a...bear?” She hesitated before saying that last word.

The way he walked was more like stalking; one shift and he ate up the small space between them until he invaded all that was around her. Slowly, her gaze trailed up his heavily muscled chest until they were consumed with one another. The ground below their feet vibrated, and Sorscha could swear it shifted.

“Yes,” he growled.

She swallowed. Sorscha sort of loved when he sounded like a beast. She felt that rising heat again and she closed her eyes tight, got control and the vibrations under their feet stopped. Her lids flicked open and he still looked down at her. Only now he gripped her hips and yanked her in close.

“Um... okay...” she stuttered.

“I’m surprised you’re okay with this,” he whispered.

Bringing her hands up, she locked her grip on his biceps.

“Yeah, me too,” she confessed.

He grunted and ground his groin against her belly. The obvious evidence of his hard dick fogged her brain and the ground started to hum under her toes.

“Another thing, little rabbit─” He leaned in. His lips caressed her cheek, then the shell of her ear.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly with the beat of her heart. It rubbed hard nipples against the fabric of her bra and his chest. “Don’t ever hide your arousal for me like that. If you do, no matter where we are, I’ll shove my cock so hard and fast into that tight little cunny of yours, you won’t forget me.” His tongue, rough and languid, caressed the curve of her neck. “Ever.”

Sorscha realized her fingernails were digging into his flesh. She eased up slightly even as she trembled, out of control. Opening her lips to answer, she could only squeak out a reply. She cleared her throat, forcing her gaze from him. Pressing her palms against his chest, she tried to break his hold. It only brought one of those steel bands that he called arms around her, locking her in place. Sucking in a breath, she curled her fingers into his pecs.

“I can’t very well...go around...horny all the time,” she replied breathlessly.

She felt him tighten his hold. Sorscha stopped breathing as his lips brushed hers. Her tongue ran over them unconsciously and she tasted spice and man.

“You can, and you will,” he demanded.

As suddenly as his body had pressed against her, he was gone. Stumbling back she shot daggers his way. It was then she caught the smirk under his mountain-man beard. His eyes twinkled with lust and amusement.

“You...you’re enjoying this!” she sputtered.

“Perhaps,” he stated and moved towards the waiting Queen of ice.

The whole scene seemed to take place in slow motion. Sorscha’s gaze locked on the view before her and she was awestruck. The beauty of winter was painted before her as if Thomas Kincaid had slashed his brush over the spring landscape and brought winter to just this spot of paradise.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“I know, right!” Cassandra boasted.

Sorscha took a step forward. One step, and she felt snow tickle the tip of her nose. Lifting her hand, she watched as genuine snowflakes danced across her palm. The beauty of winter never escaped Sorscha, but she’d never been able to appreciate it on such a magical scale.

“Didn’t know I had this in me until hubby over there said, ‘Hey, make a castle.’ I laughed at first of course, then BAM! Castle.”

Cassandra walked next to her, William at her back. Cassandra’s hot-as-fuck elf husband was on the other side of her. Flurries danced past them and swept up the crystal stairs that led up to a castle that reflected shades of purple, blue, teal, and white against the radiant sun.

The castle was made of pure ice. Yet it shimmered like diamonds. The sharp towers reached and stabbed up into the sky. It opened up to the elements and circled around.

“I hope the cold doesn’t bother you. If so I have clothes for that,” Cassandra’s cool fingers wrapped around hers and yanked her up the stairs.

“Gods, it will be nice to have a girl here. All I have is stud muffin after stud muffin to look at, and really it’s not all that fantastic, especially when horny elf mojo doesn’t work on you.” She looked at Sorscha and smirked.

Sorscha gave her a light smile back. As they got to the top of the stairs, two men, just as beautiful and dangerous as Cassandra’s husband, stepped in their path. Instant waves of arousal snapped through her. Her knees buckled and she went to the ground. She started to claw at her panties before she heard a roar quake the entire castle around them.

“Will, please,” she begged.

She writhed on the floor, her fingers finding the little bud that seemed to throb between her now swollen labia.

The roar sliced through the room again, and just as quickly as the arousal started, it ended. Panting, with sweat beading her flesh she blinked rapidly and looked around. Cassandra and the huge grizzly she had come to discover was William, or rather Tethur, looked down on her. Cassandra had a pained smirk on her face.

“Sorry. Apparently horny-as-fuck mojo works on you. They shut it down, and if they know what’s good for them they will keep it off!” she scolded the two beautiful elf men.

Sorscha’s head lolled in their direction. They smiled down at her. All long slick hair, lean rippling muscles, and glowing flesh. They didn’t look at all sorry.

Tethur snarled and growled, crawling over her. She lifted a shaky hand and pressed it into his coarse fur.

“Shhh... I’m fine now. That’s enough roaring for today,” she whispered, still a bit nervous about how much these creatures had rendered her a sweeping puddle of fuck-me-now.

His head swung toward her and he nuzzled against her neck. Giggling, she dug her fingers into the warm fur.

“I’m fine now. Go man again, please.”

He took a step back and shook his head.

“He can’t. Well, he can, Mistress Sorscha, only he will be nude like after you came through the portal. When he shifts, his clothes tear away.” This came from Eridus, Cassandra’s fuck-me-now husband.

“Oh, well...can you get off me then?” she asked.

He seemed reluctant. Sniffing down her body, she felt the quick swipe of his tongue against her exposed belly before he prowled backwards off her. Sucking in a breath, she looked down at the very obvious wet smear. Puzzled, and slightly unnerved by this whole day’s events, she felt Cassandra’s cool grip on her upper arm as she got to her feet.

“Don’t worry, growling ball of hunk. I’ll take care of our girl. You need to go have a chat with the boys; I need to get your girl in clothes so we all don’t have to start playing dead due to pissing you off all the time.”

Cassandra linked her arm with Sorscha’s, and she followed the beautiful snow Queen on shaky feet.

“God, I feel like I stepped into the Lord of the Rings,” Sorscha murmured.

Cassandra snorted.

“And you haven’t even met the dragon yet.”

“Dragon...” There was a snarl behind her and Cassandra’s lyrical chuckle followed as she yanked her more quickly up the stairs.

––––––––

T
ethur waited until they were out of sight, then shifted back to his original state. For God knows how long, millennia after millennia the damn curse had taken its toll on him. For one thing, he hated being a bear. Only now with Sorscha coming to the realm had he even considered its presence to be a plus.

A tap on his shoulder stirred him back to reality. A cold breeze hit his naked body, and each muscle twinged with the sting of ice as he turned.

“This clothes situation, Tethur, is quite alarming.” Eridus stated.

“I know.”

“Can you cover that thing up? I’m getting unusual bodily reactions,” Eridor said.

“You’re aroused Eridor. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“We do not twist that way, not like you humans.”

“Then find me some clothes. I didn’t ask to be bloody cursed.”

“Eridon, get him something to wear. Meet us in the war room.” Eridus smiled at Tethur.

The three of them walked up the stairs into a large hallway.

“How do you cope with this cold? I mean, the castle is impressive, but you have your own. Have you deserted it?”

Eridus looked at him. “No. It is still where I left it, guarded by a small army. We flit from castle to castle, keeping the enemy guessing. As for the cold, I tolerate it. Cassandra is my Queen and my one true love. She is still learning. I have no doubt she will find a solution to the ice and us living in it. Every day it becomes easier.”

They entered the war room, a large space ornately decorated with a table at its center. Erus, the sister, stood with her hands palm down, engrossed in the huge map displayed on the icy granite top.

“Well, well. Long time no see, warrior, and you seem happy to see me.”

“Don’t worry. It will soon shrink in this cold.”

Eridon came up behind him, placing fresh clothes on the table. Tethur quickly dressed.

“Let us begin, Tethur. Take a warm drink. It will refresh and build your energy.” Erus slid a cup across the granite towards him. He lifted it, sniffed it and drank.

“So, something must have happened to bring you here. Do you want to tell us?”

Tethur eyed Eridus. “The parents were killed by a necromancer, Cormadine Osmaldis.”

“Ahh, it is as we feared. Rumors of his presence in the realm have been heard. He has crossed the wall then.”

“Yes, he’s gaining in power. He used orcs to sniff out Sorscha and then came for us. He broke the protection ring and they got in the house. I managed to destroy the mirror before anything else crossed over. So who exactly is he working for?”

“The dark Queen Dubheasa.”

“Dubheasa? But she is Shauna’s sister. On the other side they are loving sisters. They wouldn’t hurt a hair of the other’s body.”

“Yes, but like you, Dubheasa changed. The realm, or some other factor, made her character dark. On this side of the wall, her hatred for the Queen of Malandria is beyond compare. Some believe she is not a complete fae like her sister.”

Tethur doubted that. Some fae were dark in the realm, and once dark always dark.

“Maybe it surfaced when Fergus shunned her and she had to flee here. I never liked her, there’s a devious streak in her.”

“I agree,” Erus said.

“You agree, but you have a female’s intuition, and I trust that sense.” Eridus smiled at his sister.

“So you should if you know what’s good for you.”

“What brought Cassandra here?”

“Another dark fae named Shelman kidnapped her.”

“From under your nose, guardian elf?”

“From under my very nose, Celt.”

“How did that happen?”

“Dark powers are strong, even over me in the human world. Trust me, my eyes are wide open now. They will not fool me again.”

“I believe you, but millions wouldn’t. So, the war?”

“Dubheasa has the north under her spell. She has built a formidable army, in the tens of thousands, mostly orcs. Goblins are coming to join her-they have been seen. Other races debate which side to join. Now that Sorscha is here, it may help our cause.”

“So Sorscha is the only one to cross?”

“Yes, so far.” Erus interrupted her brother. “The others will cross soon, I think. Sorscha’s appearance will act like a catalyst. The princesses of the fae elements will be needed to halt the war.”

“I hope you’re right, Erus. Sorscha’s powers have shown little sign of surfacing. Hopefully being in the realm will spark them into action. I’m hoping Ryken can help her. He’s a powerful warlock.” Tethur knew the consequences of bringing her to the realm. but he’d no choice.

“We must contact Fergus immediately. His help will be invaluable. I have never seen you in action, Tethur, but your stories are legendary. The twelve high kings must show their true colors and soon.” The look on Eridus’s face made Tethur understand the immediacy of it all.

“Sadly, we are four kings down. Three watch over the remaining daughters,” Tethur told him.

“The fourth?” Eridus asked.

“The fourth entered a quest of Fergus’s doing before I left. We haven’t heard anything since, unless of course my kin know better. Fergus will know I am in the realm.”

“You know that for certain?”

“Yes. He is the king, the wisest of us all. That’s why we chose him to lead us out of the cursed ones. When I broke the mirror he will have known it. Some men will come.”

“I hear some of you don’t get on.” Eridon raised a brow.

“We may be high kings, Eridon, but we are not brothers as such. Some have lineage, others were rivals, others the enemy. Our kin have killed each other to gain the throne. We were thrown together, cursed by the earth itself to come together and protect its walls from your dark fae. The only thing we truly share is our lust for power and pain.”

“So you fight one another?” Erus quizzed him.

“Only when we get bored, Erus.” Tethur smirked.

Silence filled the room for a moment as Tethur took another drink; the rich honey-flavored fluid warmed his very blood.

“We must watch the gates set by Fergus so that when the other three daughters cross, they are protected and can be escorted home. We need eyes all around, watching the enemy. They use the mountains and the forests for cover. The forests, though, are our domain. The trees themselves will watch them.” Eridus pointed to the map. “They will come for you, Tethur. They will come for her. We must prepare in case they do. We must plan your escape. Orcs have been seen only a day away from this very castle, encamped. A thousand at last count. Osmaldis is a serious threat; he will cross at the wall. It is three days’ ride to Fergus from here and two from the wall to your castle. We are at a disadvantage and we are outnumbered.”

“Send out your scouts, Eridus. Get a true look at our situation. Are my swords here?”

“Yes, we brought them.”

“Good. Fergus will be watching the wall. If Osmaldis crosses then he will know. Fergus and the wall are connected. My only regret is if he does come and I’m stuck here.”

“Regret?”

“Regret that I long to spill blood on my own lands and the opportunity will be lost.”

“Feel free to take a ride out west, where the orcs scorch my land with their thousand arses.”