Stellan’s embrace grew tighter, more insistent. The paw clutching her breast now returned to her hips. As he spread her thighs wider, the inner muscles strained to the point of discomfort. Her legs shook as she struggled to maintain her position. Now her belly and breasts lay flat against the blanket, while her bottom reared upward at an impossibly high angle.
The beast’s ragged moans shattered the confined air of the cave. Clarysa raised her head to speak, wanting to ask if they could change positions. But a formidable paw lowered it back down. Stellan’s grinding movement indicated he wanted something more. A ball of firm, warm flesh kept bumping into her sex. It felt good, and so she closed her eyes and relished in this new touch.
But then he began to push harder.
The beast held her fast. She was so wet he kept slipping, but he renewed his efforts with increasing vigor. As the pace increased, the delicious ache transformed into soreness. She grabbed the blanket for leverage, beginning to suspect Stellan had lost all perspective on his own strength. As a beast, he had at least twice the power of an ordinary man.
The manner in which he thrust his pelvis against her, panting and bucking relentlessly, revealed his desire to possess her. Claim her. But this was not Stellan, her wounded, mysterious prince. This creature was a nightmare of macabre realms and vicious appetites.
They didn’t fit together quite right; either he was too large, or she was too small. The claws gripping her tender skin somehow felt longer–and sharper. Oh, why couldn’t it stay like before? Lost in her selfish pleasure, she hadn’t anticipated such raw hunger in response. How much of a price was she about to pay? Panicked, Clarysa strained and heaved, trying to escape his grasp. Then she heard the sound of his jaws snapping.
A howl of triumph–
Tearing, unbelievable pain–
Clarysa screamed.
Not only did she scream, but she pummeled the ground with balled fists. “Stop, Stellan–it’s too much–stop it now!”
At first, nothing changed. The beast pressed down upon her with incredible force. Clarysa’s abdominal area felt distended and uncomfortably full. A cold, deadly chill coursed down her spine. Regret chased her fear. The unwanted advances made her question all her silly, girlhood dreams of wild adventures. The poor insight she had exhibited was both terrifying and sobering. Clarysa uttered a final, pleading cry, lost, she feared, in the beast’s wild grunting. But he released her with a roar of anguish as loud as a thunderclap.
The beast growled as it abruptly withdrew and reinstated a wide pocket of air between their bodies. The cool drafts rushing in around her seemed to clear her mind. Exhaustion and cold must have sapped all of her judgment. Stellan’s mammoth size and bestial strength had evolved into something beyond either of their abilities to control, a temptation best left alone.
Tears streaming down her face, Clarysa watched miserably as he retreated toward the back of the cave, away from the fire, away from her. No more could they find solace in a warm embrace, or even lay within several feet of each other. The kind of lust they had just experienced promised a great and terrible punishment.
Clarysa collapsed upon the blanket, clutching her cramped, aching middle. Stellan seemed to be feeling infinitely worse, judging by the low keening emanating from the murky corner in which he crouched. The sound broke her heart. Despondent and guilt ridden, a tear slipped down her cheek. What have I done?
For now, her exhausted limbs and drowsy mind insisted on rest. Tomorrow they would have to find a counter-enchantment. Clarysa drew the blankets up to her chin, staring morosely into the fire. Even the flames seemed subdued now. I love you, dearest, whatever happens. She closed her eyes and sleep overtook her for the remainder of the night.
Chapter 31
Clarysa awoke with a start. The old blanket wrapped tightly about her offered its morning greeting by way of a noxious, musty scent. Pushing it aside, she stared absently into the crackling fire before her. Murkiness surrounded her, and it took her a moment to orient herself. Where was she? Then she registered deep muscle aches throbbing in her legs. Her back felt as if were splitting in two…and memory came rushing back in an instant.
Stellan! She whirled around to reach for her beloved–but no one was there. There was only an indentation in the makeshift bed, nothing more.
“He’s gone,” said a woman. Gretchen approached from the darkness, a worried look on her face. “Are you all right?” She held a hand to Clarysa’s forehead.
She was back at Vandeborg, in the kitchen. She sat up slowly, trying to shake off the cobwebs and ignore the pain. “What time is it?”
“Nearly six.”
Gretchen placed a bowl of watery gruel in her lap. Clarysa lifted it to her mouth and slurped it down. The liquid scalded her throat, but the frugal meal returned some much-needed energy. After she finished, she looked at Gretchen with a vengeful expression. “Did you see what that witch did to Stellan? I’m going to kill her!”
Gretchen perched on a short stool with her back to the fire, casting a dark silhouette. “You may have to wait in line,” she said with a grim chuckle. “Besides, you’ll never get past your own Aldebaran soldiers. A band of ’em have been roving the grounds for hours. But I…well, let’s just say I refuse to let any of those scoundrels in here.”
Clarysa frowned. Edward! I refuse to believe you’re my own brother. She grabbed the gypsy’s knee. “Where is he?”
“Where’s who?”
“Stellan!”
Gretchen cleared her throat. “I don’t know. He showed up with you a few hours ago. Gave me a nasty fright! Poor Ghyslain, he went mad with fury trying to fight him, thinking you needed rescuing. But then we solved the puzzle.” She sighed, and then let loose a sob. “Oh, my poor son!”
Clarysa bit her lip. She didn’t know what to do or where to begin;
