Fall of kNight (11 page)

I turned abruptly. The black wolf was locked into a battle with another wolf, a Lycan. From that point, I couldn‟t tell who was who. Both were large and moved around one another, rising up and down on their hind legs. Teeth snapped ferociously into one another‟s faces. The two wolves dropped back down on the ground and the attack continued. Deep, menacing throaty rumbles barreled from their chests. Chills ran over me as I heard the gnashing of teeth and the high to low pitch snarls and growls continued. I knew one thing; I needed to run. I didn‟t want to be here when the battle ended. I made my retreat through the woods, my tail tucked firmly between my legs.

There was only a short distance gained, before I ran into a pack of large black wolves grouped together in a circle. Dark Wolves, I presumed, and too many of them for my taste. If they decided to attack then I was in trouble. They saw me, and it took only a second before they bolted toward me. I turned and broke into a run, running as fast as I could. My feet pounded against the ground as I moved, giving me the distance I needed to survive. I needed to find another way around them. My muscles stung and burned from the distance I ran. My tongue lagged from my mouth; I was exhausted. They were still on my trail. I could run no more. A few more steps and I collapsed on the ground.

Confusion surrounded me, and my mind was at a loss. I heard the pack as their ear piercing high-pitched howls barreled out in the distance. My body trembled then jerked, I was changing forms. There I remained, lying still on the cold wet ground as a human. The howls pierced through the night again. Something or someone had grabbed my body. Was death certain?

“Julie!” the voice shouted. Was I still dreaming? There was no one around. “Julie!”

Suddenly, I felt my body trembling.

My eyes flew opened. It was still night. I inhaled a deep breath. It was Daniel. I was fully awake from his warm spicy sent as he leaned over me.

“What on earth was it this time?”

I tried to focus on his face. “Was I screaming?”

“No, you were just breathing heavily; panting actually.” He smirked with a grin.

“Were you having a naughty dream?” he purred.

A grin crossed my lips. “It depends on what you call naughty.” I paused, remembering he had just returned from his run. “You‟re back. How was your run?”

“We will talk about that later. I guess…” he inhaled a deep breath, allowing the air from his lungs to come out in a low growl. “
I guess, I could find out the hard way.
” He whispered against my neck. His lips pressed into a kiss. Slowly his mouth opened on my throat, teasing my skin with soft nibbles and kisses.

Fire welled in my veins. My breath came out in a pant. Daniel chuckled softly against my neck. His lips met mine, gently grazing over them. The warm spicy scent grew stronger, captivating me, drawing me to him. The scent lingered in my mouth and the warmth of his tongue teased mine. Taunted and played with me until my world slipped away as I gave in to the kiss. The pulse in my fiery veins raced. My breath caught in my throat. A soft growl rumbled in his chest as his mouth pressed harder against mine.

Neither of us was prepared for what came next. As I threw myself into the kiss, Daniel leaned in, taking over and consuming me. His hand grabbed at my leg, moving me underneath him. The passionate kiss came to a halt. Daniel‟s lips moved to the sweet spot again. He nipped and bit softly at the sensitive spot until a soft moan escaped me.

He inhaled a slow breath. My blood pounded against every vein in my body. In a swift motion, he pulled my nightshirt over my head and gave it a toss to the side. After that, I was in such a heated rage, our clothes scattered in different directions.

My eyes were already wide with excitement, probably black in color as I watched in desperation as his lean body hovered over me. My body felt the increasing need to be satisfied by him. This time I was the aggressor. I wanted Daniel more than ever. I grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him over on his back. In the dim light of the room, he smiled broadly. He appeared to be a little amused by my advances as I nipped at his chest. My fingers traced over the rippled muscles, slowly letting my fingernails graze his skin. The quivers of his stomach against the tips of my fingers satisfied me. Yes, Daniel was all mine. My teeth grazed over his hard nipples. A moan escaped his mouth, followed by a somewhat throaty growl. He had no idea of what I wanted to do to him. I was in the mood to experiment. I had only one hope that I could control my rage, if it came to that. My fingernails grazed down his side as my tongue trailed down his smooth and tight stomach. Softly I nipped and bit at his flesh. To my satisfaction, the moans and breaths that gasped from him excited me even the more.

My fingers gently clasped around his hardness. Daniel was very ample in size, much to my pleasure. I teased and taunted him until he could take no more. Without any warning, Daniel moved quickly. His hands gripped my shoulders as he threw me on my back.

A growl rumbled from his throat. His mouth moved to mine again. Slowly his lips trailed down to my breasts, nipping at them tenderly. I cried out as he pulled them into his mouth. His lips moved from my chest, leaving a trail of steamy kisses down the length of my stomach.

Daniel paused. His eyes lifted to mine. He was so damn handsome. The deep desire I saw in those beautiful eyes could never compare to anyone else. It was his desire to please. My breath caught in my throat. I heard his thoughts clearly. I shuddered. Slowly his hands slid around my thighs. My breath had escaped me. Ragged. My heart pounded loudly. Shivers ran uncontrollably through me as I felt his mouth, then the warmth of his tongue inside of me.

I grabbed a pillow and pressed it over my face. Almost embarrassed by my reactions to him, I cried out into the pillow. My teeth ached in my mouth. My canines had emerged slightly. Control. Get control of it. I held the pillow tight against my face, attempting to cover the whimpers and cries that followed. Suddenly, Daniel ripped the pillow from me. Feathers went everywhere. His mouth pressed against mine. The kiss was feverish and hungry. I wondered if Daniel was going to devour me in his haste. In one easy, gentle motion, long and hard he entered me. My fingernails plunged into his back, drawing blood. Every smooth and gentle stroke brought me into a torment of blissful pleasure. I wanted more. My back arched, as I gave in to every inch of him. Soon I was matching him stroke for stroke. The whimpers and cries streamed out of my mouth as I pleaded and begged him for more. His hand slid under my knee, resting it on the center of his arm. His body leaned into mine as he drove deeper into my very existence.

Pants raced out of me. My world faded from the tension that had built, forcing us to a higher level of pleasure. My body tensed, my fingers gripped his arms tightly, digging deeper into his muscles. Daniel‟s body tensed and I trembled as he soon followed. The wave continued until we both came violently.

Daniel moved his body from mine. He reached down and pulled the bed covers over us. I was too weak to move. Weak from fighting the rage inside me and yet Daniel and I had never experienced a bliss like this before. I wondered what had happened to us to cause such a change.

Daniel pulled me into his warm muscular arms. He pressed a kissed on top of my head and then chuckled softly. I frowned slightly, wondering what he thought was so funny, as if I didn‟t already know. He was elated, glowing with the pleasure of the blissful moment.

“Daniel?” I began softly. “Something has changed with us.”

His lips pressed gently against my shoulder. “I have noticed it too. Something is happening.”

“I wonder what it is.”

“Whatever it is, do not worry over it. We will know soon enough.”

“Yes, you‟re always right.” I pressed my head against his chest, nuzzling closer to him.

Daniel had exhausted me, totally, and I paused to fully enjoy the moment. I smiled to myself as I heard him softly snoring. Well, if there was one way to put him to sleep, this was it. Tomorrow, I would ask him again about his run tonight. For now, I would let him rest. My eyes closed. I drifted off again, hoping no more dreams were going to present themselves to me. At least, not tonight.

Lazily, my arms reached over my head as I stretched my sleepy body. It was a typical Monday morning. The aroma of fresh coffee brewing swathed my senses. I had the overwhelming urge to roll over and cuddle against the pillow, just to enjoy a few more precious moments before my day started. The smell of fresh coffee evoked my senses again. Calling to me; drawing me from my warm place of rest. With a sigh, I climbed out of the bed and made my way down the stairs, following the delicious aroma.

As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed Daniel sat in his normal place with the daily newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in another. I smiled. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was his father‟s son.

“Morning,” I said, lured to the freshly brewed pot of liquid gold.

“Good morning,” he replied as his eyes lifted from the newspaper. “Sleep well?”

I nodded as I stirred the creamer in my cup. “Very.” It occurred to me I wanted to talk to Daniel about his run last night. “How did it go last night?”

Daniel‟s face brightened. “Well, I thought it went well.” His lips twitched a couple of times, and his eyes brightened with a hint of humor. “I was thinking it is a good thing we do not have neighbors. The way you howled last night, I thought they would have expected I had a wild animal trapped in my bedroom.”

Swiftly, I turned around to face Daniel in astonishment. Did I actually howl last night? The memories of last night‟s events replayed in my mind, searching for the evidence to back up the accusation. Heat burned against my cheeks as the memory came flooding back to me. There were no words in my defense. It was not the moon that brought out my howls last night.

“Well, I suppose I could blame that one on you.” The embarrassment was clear in my voice.

He chuckled softly, folding the newspaper and sitting it down on the table. “Then I have done my job well.”

The Alpha male was emerging. Proudly he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over the muscular chest that threatened the threads of the forest green sweater he wore.

“Yes, you did.” I admitted, swallowing my pride. I needed to change the subject before he had the chance to embarrass me any further. “So you were going to tell me about last night‟s run.”

Daniel‟s eyebrows rose. “Oh. Well, it went smoother than we expected. By the way, we managed to obtain a blood sample before we killed the beast. Your boyfriend may be correct. They are searching for something.”

Ignoring the word
boyfriend
, I continued with my inquiry. “Did you ever figure out what it is they‟re searching for on the mountain?”

Daniel shook his head. “No, but they are concentrating their efforts around the wall. Holt suggested it might be something hidden inside the perimeters of the wall. I‟m guessing it probably has to deal with the reason why the wall was built in the first place.”

“Have you called Jason?”

“Yes, I called them yesterday. Jason and Heather are coming tomorrow morning.

He has some loose ends to tie up today. Speaking of which,” he glanced at his watch, “I need to run to the clinic. Run some tests on this blood sample. I would like you to go to Mom‟s until I return home.”

“Daniel…” I began to protest when a loud growl rumbled from my stomach. I noticed he had a piece of uneaten sausage on his plate. Immediately I reached over, grabbed it and popped it in my mouth. “I‟ll be fine.”

Carefully, he watched my every move. “Julie, what is going on with your stomach?”

“I don‟t know. I‟m starving.” I glanced around the kitchen and noticed a breakfast plate on the stove.

“Well, eat your breakfast before that thing tries to eat someone.” He kissed me on the forehead as he rose to his feet. “And yes, Mom brought over a blueberry pie. I took the liberty and put a slice on a dessert dish just for you.”

Blueberry pie! That was exactly what I wanted. I wolfed down my breakfast and nibbled on the pie as Daniel and I watched the rest of the morning news.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Daniel as his body became rigid.

Daniel‟s face suddenly changed. He grabbed his stomach as he braced himself on the table. My attention immediately went to him as I froze in mid bite. Daniel‟s face was pale, ghostly pale, almost as pale as Richard„s. The color was depleted from his lips.

Tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Bathroom!” I shouted with a mouthful of the pie.

Immediately, Daniel jumped up from the table with his hand covering his mouth.

He shot out of the kitchen toward the bathroom downstairs. A second later, I heard the door slam. My eyes drifted to the wondrous pie in front of me. Those delicious blueberries were calling my name. I turned toward where Daniel made his exit. I couldn‟t help from wondering as I stared blankly into the living room. What happened to him? We just finished breakfast and I felt fine. Although, I still wanted my blueberry pie.

Feelings of guilt swept over me; pulling at my heart to check on the man I loved. I pushed myself away from the table, wiping my mouth with my napkin. I knew I needed to check on him, Daniel had been in there too long. As I made my way through the living room, I heard the most horrific noises. Violent roars came loudly from my downstairs bathroom. It sounded more or less like I had Leo the Lion trapped inside my bathroom.