Taken by the Wolf King (Gladiator) (18 page)

The claiming ceremony seemed rather…simple. Not that she minded. She’d had her children with her, and Leif had chosen a handful of his own people to join him. Among them was a striking couple. Leif had introduced them as Brandwulfr, the guardian of his people and Leif’s oldest and most trusted friend, and his mate Miranda. Elsa had learned Miranda was human, from Skyward Home’s sister city, Sky City. That place had been devastated in a fiery hell with a nearby mountain had exploded. Thankfully, Miranda had managed to escape with the man she was now mated with. The petite blonde looked at the towering, foreboding male with so much love, it made Elsa sigh. She knew the look well—suspected she wore it herself when he looked at Leif.

Now, with her children safely with Brandwulfr and Miranda and the other children all taken care of, Elsa had time to reflect on all that had happened over the last few weeks. Leif had made her believe in a fairy tale, made her believe he’d be the one to give it to her. Then when she’d made the fateful decision to betray him, she’d thought she’d given it all away. Now, as she twined her arms around Leif’s neck as he carried her into their bedroom, she realized the struggle had been worth every second of misery. Their bond had grown from something he’d been compelled to act upon to something they both craved like a drug.

“I can’t imagine how I thought my life content before I met you,” Leif murmured against her hair.

“I’m so sorry for all the pain you endured.”

“I’m not,” he said easily, pulling her into his embrace, her back to his front. They overlooked the city in his suite of rooms in the upper level of the palace. Everywhere she looked was a reminder of the people Leif served. And she could see now he viewed it as such. A service rather than his station in life. He was a king, but he took the role very seriously. He lived well but not lavishly, the whole living section comfortable but understated. Elsa found she loved the place, not at all uncomfortable with any of it.

“I set you up for torture.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “How can you so easily forgive me?”

He smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. “Given all I put you through, all the horrible things I said to you, I could ask you the same question. Besides, having you here with me, knowing your children are safe and protected, is worth everything I went through. I look forward to getting to know Jaccob and Surriah. They seem like remarkable people.”

At the praise for her children, Elsa couldn’t help but smile. “They are. I love them so much.”

“I know.” He turned her to face him fully then. “I was foolish to expect you to take any chances with their lives. Even if I knew I could protect everyone, you had only just met me. You had no expectation I could—or would—extend any protection I could provide to your children. I was wrong, Elsa. And I couldn’t be sorrier.”

“Oh, Leif,” she sighed, throwing her arms around his neck. “I love you so much!”

“I love you too,
kona
.” He lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bed. Laying her down, he paused only to strip off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest. There were scars there that hadn’t been on him before and Elsa wanted to weep.

With a cry, she sat up, her hand going to the red, raised tissue where he was still healing. “Oh, Leif!”

“Shhh,
kona
. I consider them battle scars well worth the prizes I protected.”

“But, they… Oh, God, it must have been horrible!”

“At the time,” he conceded. “And I told you the truth when I said that thoughts of revenge kept me going. Had I not been such a fool, it would have been thoughts of the family depending on me to make it back that kept me fighting.”

“You’re an incredible man, Leif. I’m proud to be your wife.”

“Yeah.” He pushed her back onto the bed, covering her with his larger body. God, she loved the feel of him on top of her! “About that.” She stiffened, a shiver of dread running through her.

“Is something wrong?” He’d married her, hadn’t he? Well, they’d called it a mating ceremony, but it was basically the same as a wedding. Just a bit small, though she’d found it intimate and beautiful.

“Yeah.” With a sheepish grin he elaborated. “That was the ceremony binding us together. But it wasn’t the official event.”

“What?”

“Well, there was no way I could wait weeks for them to plan a royal wedding. If I don’t have you now, I’m afraid I’ll go mad with the wanting.”

She swatted at his chest. “You ape! I thought you were having second thoughts-”

Laughing, Leif kissed her, driving his tongue inside her mouth to find hers. Elsa lost herself in the sensation. His hard body settled over hers in a delicious weight. He made her feel so small and fragile, a feeling she found she loved. Her fingers played over his back, hugging him to her as that wonderful kiss went on and on.

One rough hand slid under her shirt, abrading her skin erotically. Leif found her breast and cupped it through her bra, his thumb feathering over the peak. How could a man’s hands on her body feel so good? Elsa arched into his touch, craving more, needing him to touch her everywhere at once.

“You’re so beautiful, Elsa,” he whispered between kisses. “So fucking perfect.” In his arms she felt beautiful. No man had ever made her feel so much like she belonged. Leif made her wonder how she’d ever lived without that feeling. All the doubts she’d had, all the trials they’d gone through together made this moment of tenderness all the sweeter.

“Feels so good.” And it did. Elsa had never experienced anything like the things she felt in Leif’s arms. Nothing had ever been this good, this right.

When he released her, Elsa thought she’d sob in frustration. Fortunately, he only left her arms long enough to remove her clothing, then his own. Which was a good thing because she was so primed for him, she knew she’d go off at the first touch to her sex.

“Oh, no, baby.” He chuckled, as if reading her thoughts. “Not yet. Not till I say.”

Kneeling between her legs, Leif pushed her knees up to her chest, cupping her bottom and lifting her hips. Before she could protest, he lowered his face to her weeping cunt.

Elsa cried out, her hands finding his shoulders and gripping hard. Hard thrusts of his tongue threatened to drive her crazy with need. He nipped and tugged at her swollen flesh, working her into a frenzy of lust and desire. The pleasure was otherworldly, intense beyond imagining. Even their time in the cave hadn’t been like this. Perhaps because she knew Leif was going to possess her completely this time. He’d claim her, sink his cock into her pussy and leave his seed before he was done. The thought sent a thrill of joy through her. She would be his. Completely.

Just when she thought she couldn’t hold back her orgasm another second, Leif let her go, crawling up her body as he fisted his cock. Aiming for her entrance, he slid the head along her slick folds.

“Are you ready for me? Ready for me to fuck your little cunt?”

“Ah, yes! Please, Leif! I need it now!”

“Then take all of me,
kona
.”

 With that, he slid into her in a long, slow, wet glide. He stretched her, the burn only adding to the eroticism of the moment. Elsa was full, deliciously so, Leif’s cock filling a void she hadn’t even realized existed. His entry was slow, but he soon picked up the pace, surging into her with ever-increasing strokes. The sound of their skin slapping together filled the room, mingling with her cries and his groans.

Leif found the side of her neck with his mouth, his lips grazing and sucking until his pace became more frenzied, his cock beginning to swell inside her.

“Are you ready, sweet? Ready to come for me?”

Elsa couldn’t have formed a coherent reply even if she’d tried. Even a simple “yes” seemed beyond her. All she could focus on was the feel of his hard cock sliding into her more and more forcefully. She needed this. Needed all of him. Thrashing her head from side to side, Elsa dug her heels into his back, urging him on even as she rose to meet him with her hips.

“That’s it,” he praised. “Work for it. Work for my seed. Do you want it?”

“Ah! Oh, God!” Eyes wide, she met his gaze, that first command he’d given her to always look him in the eyes when she came compelling her to obey him in this. Always.

When she saw the wild look of need gazing back at her, she tumbled off the edge of sanity into an abyss of pleasure. Elsa’s scream seemed to echo all around them. Vaguely, she was aware of Leif’s movements becoming harder, jerky. Even more intense. As her first orgasm began to fade, his harsh breaths registered, the heated way he now gazed at her sending her body back into that pleasurable state where nothing was as important as the next stroke of his body inside hers.

Then he stopped, the veins in his neck stood out in stark relief, his back bowed, and Leif bellowed at the top of his lungs. When his cock shot his seed deep inside her, Elsa’s own orgasm crashed over her once again. She came with nuclear force, her screams once again filling the room along with his harsh shouts. His seed seemed to scald her, brand her. And it couldn’t feel any better than it did in that moment. Elsa was truly his. Leif was her husband, her mate. And he always would be.

When the spasms finally settled down to mild tremors, Elsa gave a contented sigh. Leif pulled her closer, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin.

“I knew sex with you would be mind blowing,” he murmured, “but I had no idea it would tweak my gray matter forever.”

Elsa giggled, happier than she could remember being. “You can say that again. It might take me a bit to recover from that.” Sweat still glistened on both of them, the sunlight making his tanned skin seem to glow in the golden rays.

“Oh, I intend to. Just as soon as I take you again.” There was a comfortable silence between them as they lay simply enjoying the feel of being wrapped around each other. Then Leif surprised her yet again. “The public ceremony won’t be for a few more weeks. Something about my Social Mistress, Kari, finally getting to plan a state event.” He sounded like he was rolling his eyes, but Elsa saw the slight grin. “I just want you to know that, at the end, when I introduce you as my queen, I intend to name Jaccob as my heir.”

Elsa went still, hardly able to breathe. “Leif, I… You’d do that?”

“The young man proved himself worthy. I intend to claim both your children. Even if we have more children, I can’t imagine having a child more worthy than Jaccob. He put himself in harm’s way to protect those he loved. When he attacked Astrid, not only did he show bravery, but loyalty—to you—and cunning. He didn’t have a weapon, but he knew enough to distract her with that crazy yell of his until one of us could finish her. I’ll be proud to know the kingdom was in his hands should something happen to me. Besides, I’ll groom him, teach him all he needs to know about our people and leadership. The rest…” He shrugged. “You can only teach loyalty and respect by example. If I do my job as a surrogate father right, then he’ll be ready to lead when the time comes.”

Elsa’s eyes pricked with emotion. “I’d hoped you’d accept my children into your family, but I never expected this.”

“Like I said. The young man earned it.”

“Still, thank you. Thank you for giving him a chance.”

“Like you gave me another chance?” He feathered his thumb over her cheek in a tender caress.

“We gave each other another chance,” she insisted. “And I’ll never regret it.”

“I’ll never give you cause to.”

Leif kissed her lips tenderly, cupping her face in his big palm. “You’re my woman. My queen.”

“And you’re my king. My heart.”

“Always,
kona
. Always.”

Erotic romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of. Now, she breathes life into faeries, space hunters, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and a few just plane ole ordinary people. She loves to see the awkward, self-conscious band geek get the captain of the football team and make him beg for it.
Marteeka welcomes mail at
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http://www.marteekakarland.com/