Agata looked up, feeling her eyebrows knit in confusion. She was in an alternate dimension, but that wasn’t as unbelievable as it should have been. Before she could ask what that meant, the old woman was gone.
This chill raced along her body, more pronounced now than it had ever been.
She slowly opened her eyes and shot up on the pallet, a small sound leaving her. Stian was up and alert, the small ax he held in his hand poised like he meant to do some serious damage.
His eyes weren’t on her though, as if she might dart off, but scanning the hut. He rested back down beside her, pulled her close again, and whispered something in her hair.
Agata couldn’t relax, not even when she felt the heavy, deep breathing of Stian as he drifted back to sleep. She stared at the ceiling, counted the rows of logs that made the roof, and opened her hand.
Lifting the satchel up, her heart pounded. This was quite possibly the strangest thing she’d ever encountered, the weirdest thing she’d ever lived through. In her heart, she knew she couldn’t stay here.
This wasn’t her home, and even if her apartment in the city was lonely and cold, it was still where she found comfort on those empty nights. But even after being here for a week—or hell, she didn’t even know how long, since the days seemed to run together—she’d never felt the kind of desire she had with Stian tonight.
Since seeing him when she’d first woken up, she felt arousal for the big brute. He was dangerous, had kept her prisoner, still did if she thought on it hard enough and pushed her desire for him away. But the fact remained he protected her, saved her.
She tucked the satchel under the thick hides, rolled over onto her side, away from Stian, and stared at the fire. She watched those flames dance until her eyes grew heavy and darkness took her away.
17
The look on her face had made bringing her here better than Stian could have imagined. He’d lived a very solitary life after he was banished from the village as a young man, not much older than a boy.
The village had waited until he was at least old enough to survive out there alone, but he felt no gratitude toward them because of that.
After the incident with his parents, and the fact that he killed them, he knew he’d never be able to find a woman who would be comfortable with him, especially not if she knew about his past.
Yes, he was called the Beast, but he embraced that name, used it to his advantage, and didn’t care if the villagers feared him. It was better that way, even if they didn’t understand why he’d done what he did.
They had rules, ways of doing things in their small community, and Stian had broken the biggest one of all—he’d murdered. But he’d done what he had to. Maybe when Agata understood his language and culture fully, she’d be able to realize that doing what he’d done meant he survived.
The villagers could have killed him for his crime, or what they saw as a crime. But because he’d been younger, the elders instead banished him from contact with all of them.
One day, he’d explain it all to Agata, but until then, he’d lavish her with affection and show her that he was a good provider and would make sure she was always protected.
That gasp of pleasant surprise she made as she saw the pool-sized body of water had his chest swelling with pride. He found this treasure trove shortly after he’d been banished and after he created a crudely erected shelter.
It had barely allowed him to survive through that first winter, but he had, and it made him stronger because of it. No one bothered him out here, probably didn’t even know about this place. Openings at the top allowed the sun to filter through.
“Peace,” he said, trying to use as few words as he could. Her language wasn’t one he was familiar with, but he’d grow to know it, as she would grow to learn his. Her full attention was on him, and he took a deep breath. “This makes me calm.”
She smiled and nodded, clearly understanding him.
“It would be peaceful and calming to come here.”
He tried to understand what she just said, but he only understood part of it.
She lifted her hand and placed it on his chest. “Let’s go swimming.”
What is this “swimming” she refers to? He didn’t know what she said at first, but when she started slipping off her boots and coat, he knew what she wanted. Hell, he’d been thinking of the same thing, was even in the process of getting undressed. Bent over, she stopped midstrip and looked over at him, one brow raised.
“Come on, Stian,” she said in his language. “I know where your thoughts are. Mine are right there with you.”
It was strange to see her so open and bold, and even if he liked it, loved it even, he was more surprised that she was acclimating to this life, given how she ended up with him in the first place.
When she was nude, standing before him in all her delicious glory, his cock went even harder. He lifted a hand and ran it along her throat.
“Beautiful, wife.” He saw her cheeks turn red and felt pleasure at the fact that he’d caused that reaction. He moved closer, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her fully against him. His cock pressed against his leathers, and before he got too wrapped up in loving her, he pulled away and got rid of the rest of his clothing.
He went back to his woman, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her like he’d never kissed her before.
How lucky he’d been to have this woman, and not only keep her as his, but have her start to accept this life. She had run, yes, but that was understandable. He’d have been worried if she hadn’t, because she definitely had a strong soul and wasn’t going to back down easily.
He moved back, took her hand, and led her into the warm body of water. The liquid was heated to the point that as soon as they stepped inside, he felt his skin tighten.
The cavern was warmer, but because of the holes in the rock above them, the chilled air managed to move around. The heat mixed with the coldness, and it was a startling, pleasuring effect.
Stian’s dick was insistent, and although he’d like nothing more than being with her in every way, he just wanted to hold her and make her feel good.
“I will never let you go. If you run, I’ll find you, but I will only show you pleasure.” He spoke fast, knowing she probably couldn’t understand him. “I don’t know why I deserved to find you, but I have you now, and no one will take that away from me.”
18
Stian pressed his wet, hard body against hers and made a slow sweep of his tongue up her throat. His arms were wrapped around her, cushioning her back as she leaned against the rocky ledge of the pool.
Her arousal pounded through her like a stampede of horses, causing her breaths to puff in rapid succession.
Looking to the side, she saw the satchel had fallen out of her pocket. Maybe the temptation to go back to her old life would never leave her, but the promise of what she could have beckoned her even harder.
There was no doubt that Stian could see how hard her nipples were, could feel them on his chest too. They stabbed out, chilled from the sea air that trickled through, and hard enough to slice through glass.
As if he read her mind, he dragged his lips down her neck, over her collarbones, and sucked her achingly taut nipple into his mouth.