The Sanction (24 page)

Her slippered feet were the first thing
Graeme saw. The shimmering blue of her dress was next, and when she
smiled her thanks to the Hunter before her and looked around, he
knew she sought his face. He could not move, for even at this
distance, he could see how radiantly she shone. She was beautiful,
his mate. So beautiful he cursed himself a hundred times for his
folly in treating her like a slave those many moons ago. She spoke
to Vilirus, said something that earned her a scowl and a gentle
rebuke, and turned to Rhys for help. He did not fail when he cut a
murderous glance at her brother and offered his arm. To see her
touch his general so, to smile at him, to see the man respond so
readily ignited his jealousy so that it was a great effort not to
rush in and tear them apart. She spoke again, and he nodded
forward. When she looked up, their eyes met. She froze. Hot tears
fell down her face, and the force of the love he saw in her eyes
knocked him in the center of his chest. There was no stopping her
feet as she disengaged herself and ran to him, her beautifully
bound hair losing their many pins as the chambermaids called out to
her. The force of her body as it was pressed to his humbled him.
Her embrace was tight, reassuring, and when she finally met his
gaze, it was to tip toe and press her lips to his in a shameless
kiss that prompted the onlookers out of their shock and into a
hair-raising cheer.

“
Let me breathe woman,
before you tempt me to ravish you right here,” he scowled when she
refused to release his lips.

“
And I will not care. I have
worried about you so much.”

“
And I have thought of
nothing but you since I left.”

Displeasure darkened her eyes and for a
moment she pushed him away. “You did not even say
goodbye.”

Accusation was heavy in her voice. He
stroked her face, her neck, and finally cupped her chin to kiss her
again. “You would not have made leaving easy. But all is well now.
You are at my side, where you belong.”

It was then she turned to the crowd,
cheering and prompting. “I still could not believe it when Rhys
told me how well they have accepted me.”

“
They trust me. And after
your enthusiastic greeting, they believe you love me.”

She did not blush when she met his eyes
squarely. “Was there even any doubt?”

He laughed and embraced her again
before presenting her to the crowd. Silence ensured, and there,
with many witnesses, he pledged allegiance to her as a mate. When
it was her turn to exchange the vow, she glanced nervously to Rhys
who simply nodded, and offered the same in the tongue of his
people. Graeme caught his jaw before his dropped, and was all but
deafened by the roar of approval they gave.

“
I accept,” he croaked, and
kissed her again.

“
Let us now celebrate this
occasion, and that of an era with our new queen.”

Rhys ordered the minstrels to play, and
with music and much celebration, the night began. Whispers of how
beautiful and charming the mate of their king was swept throughout
the stronghold and the land. Tales of that night echoed in song in
the years that followed. Every family, vampire and Were, knew well
the stories of the King to the south, of his daring, of his
courage, of his oath to the woman he claimed, he loved. And as the
years went by, more vampires and Weres accepted that love knew no
bounds. The knowledge filled some with courage, and some with much
despair, and others simply curiosity.

“
Do you think I shall ever
see my mother again?” Amarinda asked one day as they rode through
the village, distributing grain after another successful harvest.
Graeme tore his eyes away from his two year old son who totted
behind Rhys, ever so often shoving a berry in his mouth.

“
I cannot say. Do you miss
them?”

“
Sometimes. Then I remember,
and I long to forget.”

He kissed her hand and smiled, his eyes
bright and full of warmth. “We have many years to see the times
pass from this earth my love. I think one day, you will see the
family you long for again.”

“
I do not long for them
Were,” she teased, pulling away. “I have the family I need right
here. And since Ulleam is otherwise cared for by your doting men, I
would like some time alone with my husband.”

His grin was all teeth. “Is that
right?”

“
I challenge you to a hunt.”
By the look in her eyes there was no doubt as to what - or who he’d
be hunting. Fire burned in his loins and he inhaled the sweet smell
of her desire. When he looked her, his eyes flamed.

“
Then you should start
running vampire, because when I bring you down, I will have no
mercy.”

She grinned and turned the mount
around, he leaned forward and eyed her until she disappeared into
the trees.

“
Rhys!”

His general swept the child in his arms
and faced him, glanced toward the direction she took and snorted
his disapproval. “My lord?”

“
Watch Ulleam while we are
gone.”

“
Gone?”

“
Aye. I think when your
queen returns, there will be another babe in her belly.”

Rhys kept the surprise from his face
but could not help the chuckle that rose in his chest when Graeme
dismounted and made his way ever so calmly to the forest. Indeed,
the habits of mates he will never understand.

The End

###

Hello reader! If you have gotten this
far, let me express my deepest gratitude for your support in
actually completing the entire book. The novel above is part of a
series I am currently working on, and since it is my pleasure to
write and share my stories, I would like you to do two things –
comment on the novel or give suggestions on what you think about
it, and read the first few pages of the novel I’m currently working
on. You’ll find that information below. I hope you had as much fun
reading as I had writing, and I look forward to hearing from you
soon!

Happy readying!

Reeyce.

The Griswold Witch

By Reeyce Smythe Wilder

Chapter One

The ruckus of vicious barks could not
drown out the heavy breaths that hung like corpses in the cold
night. In the darkness behind, she could clearly make out the flash
of torches between the trees. Adrenaline pumped hotly through her
veins, and in a panic induced state, she did not see the drop
ahead. Black earth and broken branches met her chest. Hot breath
rushed out of her chest in a shock of pain. Still, she ran. Voices,
loud and determined, echoed in a cacophony, a distorted hum that
stoked terror within her.

Pausing to catch her breath, she hissed
the moment she pressed a hand to the oozing wound on her shoulder.
Blood, black in the moonlight, carried with it the scent of burnt
flesh. Sweat trickled down her pinched face, bloodied, dirty and
bruised. The need to survive forced her feet to move. She saw the
river, heard the rush of the rapids and paused long enough to
glance over her shoulder. The dog was swift on its feet, its'
attack a blur in her peripheral vision. It made contact with her
arm the same instant she flung her body into the rapids, but still
she felt pain from the canines teeth that was lodged into her
forearm and the shock of the cold water.

By sheer will she dislodged the knife
strapped to her side and sank the wicked blade into the animal
repeatedly. The force of the water took her under, and when she
resurfaced, there was nothing but the flashing lights within the
line of trees on the river bank several yards behind and the
intense cold. Limbs becoming hopelessly heavy, she sputtered,
sucking in air hungrily before being taken under again. A loud pop
echoed in her ear before everything turned black.

***

There was nothing Rhys enjoyed more
than a mug of ale, a woman on his lap, and a good night’s rest
after the long journey that had brought him to the door of clan
leader, Bjorn. It had been many months since the war with the
vampires, and in the weeks that followed, life took on a certain
monotony he more than welcomed. There was plenty of food and drink,
and the men continued to work hard at their training. With the
acceptance of the new queen, they did their best in the hopes that
when the time came, their leader Graeme would appoint the best as
her personal guard. Rhys of course was charged with the selection,
and it was a daunting task. Although many of the men found it an
honor to protect their leader’s vampire mate, it would not do to
have them overstep their bounds with her. Graeme, he realized, had
become more possessive, and that too when he discovered that she
was pregnant yet again. It was a task to keep her safe, especially
since she was not the kind of woman to adhere to the words of a
man, king or not. And since he did not want to get in between
marital strife as they were wont to drag him into, he had taken the
only other escape route and had assigned himself the duty of
visiting with Bjorn with a personal request that he join them to
stay throughout the winter. He was received well, and the
invitation was accepted, but not before he was treated to a great
feast as their guest of honor.

He sat now with a full belly and a
large woman on his lap, her generous breasts all but bare to his
face and her seeking hands delving beneath his tunic and making his
blood boil. There was no coyness about these north-women, a fact he
liked immensely. Still, no matter how much he wanted to enjoy the
warmth of her lushness, his bladder was close to bursting. He
patted her hip and offered a smile, accepted her deep, greedy kiss,
and sent her on her way with a promise to return. He stood, toasted
the king whose thunderous laughter drowned out any other, and all
but stumbled through the throng of boisterous warriors toward the
heavy doors. The winter wind was frigid, and he made his way to the
river whose depths berth the several dozen longboats he had balked
to brave upon the crossing. He relieved himself, his body now
languid and relaxed as he absently listened to the lash of the
gentle waves upon wood – and frowned when his wandering gaze
spotted a figure that looked like a body several yards away,
floating in the water. His senses sharpened instantly, and before
thought could have stayed him, he dived into the black depths. With
powerful strokes he advanced, and was only aware of the sense of
dread that filled him when he realized that it was a woman. It took
only a moment to wade back to shore, and even less time to turn her
onto her side. Her heart beat strong and the breaths she took were
deep and sure. She would live, there was no doubt. Her eyes flew
open quite suddenly, and Rhys felt a blow as powerful as any mans
knock him onto his back the moment she lifted her hands in defense.
She struggled to her feet, eyes wild and frightened, muttering
words he could neither hear nor understand. Just as quickly as her
attack began, so it ended, for she closed her eyes and
fainted.

Rhys got to his feet in slow degrees,
trying to fully understand what the hell just happened and failing
miserably. Maybe he was more intoxicated than he’d first realized.
He advanced with much caution and ever so slowly moved the lash of
hair from her face – and stopped cold. Her skin was like the cream
of milk, so white he could not mistake the harsh cuts and bruises
upon her cheek. As the wind lifted, the scent of wild flowers
greeted him, thick and heavy, and for a moment he rocked back and
sniffed, trying to dislodge the scent there. But it wafted over him
again, coming from her with the force of a storm. It was divine,
and for a moment, he could do nothing but sit on his haunches and
stare at her in utter awe. It dawned on him slowly, so much so that
even he tried to justify it, to excuse his rash behavior and
assumptions for what it was. Graeme was mated. It would only be
wise to assume that subconsciously he craved a mate as well. And
why shouldn’t he? He was quite older than Graeme, had seen more
than his share of violence and loss. Of course he would want
someone to finally share his life with. That was the only reason he
would view this woman, this stranger as a mate. That did not
explain the surge of protectiveness that clutched his chest when
the doors to the keep opened and the noise from within seeped into
the night. She was wet and cold, and how she ended up in the river
was something he would have liked to know as well.

Gathering her to his body, he clutched
her close and made the long steps to the great hall. Bjorn met his
eyes and his smile fell away, but Rhys simply shook his head and
continued on his way. He kicked the door to his room open and
slammed it upon entry, making a bee-line for the fire that burned
bright. Upon the furs on the ground he knelt again, hands on his
thighs as he considered her in the light. She was not as blemish
less as he first thought, for a generous smatter of freckles dusted
her nose which was very small and sat neatly in the center of her
face. Her cheeks were high and perfectly round, and a cherub mouth,
pale and slightly parted while she breathe, twitched ever so often,
evidence that she fought nightmares. She boasted several cuts along
her face, and as he moved her hair again, it was to become
captivated by the yellow locks that curled around his fingers.
Satin soft and fragrant, he sank his nostrils upon the tendril and
inhaled like a man starved. Fire erupted in his chest, and another
member of his body strummed to life almost instantly. Rhys ground
his teeth and took his time in undressing her. Everything was
soaked through and through. Her skin was ice to the touch. When he
finally had her naked before the flames, he shamelessly raked her
body. Breasts the size of apples was tipped with raspberry color
nipples. She boasted a little belly that quivered as she trembled
from the cold, and a dark mole upon her right pelvic bone. A small
waist flared to wide hips, then tapered to long, shapely legs that
were also bruised. At the juncture of her thighs, thick curls a
shade darker than the hair on her head curled. Her knees were cut,
and her forearm, when he pulled the sleeves of her dress away, was
marked by a brutal bite. There was no mistaking the canine puncture
wounds there. A threatening snarl reverberated in his chest, and
anger made his eyes burn. She whimpered, a helpless, pathetic sound
that forced him to strip every last piece of clothing from his
body, and stretch out next to her. A thick fur was spread over
them, and he shifted as close as possible to the fire without the
risk of getting burnt. There, he held her, familiarizing himself
with her scent and the feel of her naked body that fit like a
puzzle against his harder frame. He smelled her hair and traced the
outline of her face with his rough fingers, and when the temptation
of her lips became too much, did the unthinkable and kissed them
tenderly. Everything about her was perfect. It was also apparent
she was in trouble. He would warm her tonight and every other night
for the rest of her life, and he would keep her safe. No matter
what her foe. After so very long, he had finally found his
mate.