Late Night Visitor

As Damien and Daniel looked over the smoldering bodies of the goblins and trolls, Damien’s mind wondered back to last night. He spent nearly the entire night awake in bed cursing himself for pushing Gretchen away and not kissing her back.

“Why didn’t you just kiss her back?” asked Daniel, snapping Damien from his thoughts.

Damien smirked and looked to his father. ”She was drunk and upset. I’m not going to take advantage of her.”

Daniel shook his head. “She thinks she did something wrong now, Damien. She won't make the same mistake twice. You need to fix that."

Damien crossed his arms and sighed. “I’ll go talk to her when we get back. I wanted to take it back the moment I did it, honestly.”

"When the woman you love is kind enough to offer you her affection, you take it." Daniel patted Damien’s shoulder then walked off to talk to Agamori. Damien took off his cloak then walked over to Jason and Rhett and sat down in the grass.

Rhett leaned back as his bare chest soaked in the sunlight. “So, I didn’t get a chance to ask you, how’d it go last night with Gretchen?”

Damien shook his head and licked his lips. “She was drunk, nothing happened.”

Eason and another soldier walked up the hill behind Damien and as he passed by, Rhett raised his chin to acknowledge him. Once Eason was out of earshot, Rhett looked back to Damien.

“Listen, Dame, it’s not any of my fucking business, really, but you need to lock shit down with Gretchen real quick. Like today.”

Damien looked off in the distance and said, “No, I’m not doing that. She needs time.”

Rhett huffed through his nose and shook his head. “Time is something you don’t have. Gretchen’s in heat.”

Damien looked back quickly and his eyes widened. “Are you certain?”

“Am I fucking certain? Are you serious right now? I might be married, but I’m not fucking dead and my nose works just fine. Any wolf in a two mile radius is going to know it, too.”

Jason spoke up and said, “He’s right. We could tell it was coming on yesterday.”

Rhett nodded. “I just figured when you two were alone you would’ve worked some stuff out and this wouldn’t be an issue we’d have to talk about.”

Damien chuckled nervously then rubbed the back of his neck. “This isn’t great timing.”

Rhett agreed. “You’re goddamn right it’s bad timing. I’m not trying to be the bearer of bad fucking news, Dame, but there’s already a line forming to get some of her attention.” Rhett looked over his shoulder to Eason. "They’re already kind of chummy, in case you hadn't noticed. If you don’t give her what she needs, she’s going to be looking for someone who will and Eason’s already made it pretty clear he’s interested in the job.”

Damien glared at Rhett. “Hold on now,” said Rhett. “I’m not saying anything bad about Gretchen, it's not her fault. We're Lycans. It’s just what we do.”

Damien clenched his jaw as he looked up to see Eason laughing and talking with the other soldiers.

Jason looked between the two of them, then back over to the smoke that rose from the valley below. “Eason’s loyal to the kingdom, he’s no danger to you. It’s not his fault he likes her. She's lovely.”

Rhett scrunched up his face and shook his head no as he wiped the dirt and blood from his hands. “That’s where you and I disagree, Jason. Look, I like Eason, but if he were an obstacle in my way to Hazel, I’d run that motherfucker over without hesitation. One day, Jason, you’ll know what the fuck I’m talking about. Dame, you need to tell that asshole to keep his hands off your girl.”

Damien looked down at the ground as he contemplated everything they said. “Why don’t the two of you head back now. Things are quite finished here.”

“Alright man, see you when you get back,” said Rhett. He pushed himself off the ground ,then he and Jason walked off into the woods.

Damien watched them as they started stripping off their clothes to shift and then looked back to Eason while he weighed his options. He's seen the disgusting things Eason's had in his mind about Gretchen. He’s killed men for far less, but this was a high ranking and well liked soldier. His loss to the kingdom would be great. No one outside the family knew about Damien's connection to Gretchen. He could hardly blame Eason for wanting her.

Agamori walked through the scattered clusters of men then looked around at them all. “Riders, mount up. Our ladies await us.”


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“Riders approaching!” Gretchen heard the Sentry yell from the gates.

She pulled the covers up over her shoulders as she heard the horses hooves beating against the cobblestone path. As she listened to the voices of the rider's in the distance, she sighed hard and rolled over.

She thought about Keith. Did he wait up nervously every night she was gone to make sure she got home safely? She felt sick in the pit of her stomach at the thought of putting him through that. She rarely ever thought about Keith and that made her sick, too. She put her family and her pack first and Keith was always left waiting in that shitty little apartment on the outside of town like a dirty secret. Her father had warned her that humans weren't meant for their kind of life, that she was putting him in danger. Haldir offered to tell her the details of what happened to her and Keith, but she refused. She wasn't sure if it was because she was afraid to hear about what they did to them or because she felt guilty about not even really caring at all that he was dead.

While she lay there unable to sleep and thinking about what a spoiled brat she had been, Gretchen spun her ring around her finger and the vision came to her mind again. She wondered about the kids that lived out the scene in her head. They looked to be only teenagers, but they seemed so in love and happy in their little run down shack of a home. Her heart ached for them.

Gretchen heard footsteps in the hall outside her room. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath as the scent of lemon and sage overwhelmed her. A wave of relief washed over her as she heard Damien’s door open and shut.

Lightning shot across the sky outside as rain suddenly beat hard against the stone walls of the castle. The earthy smell of wet dirt and autumn leaves permeated the room as the sound of thunder came closer. Suddenly, Gretchen heard Damien’s door open again and she sat up in her bed. When the knock came to the door, she closed her eyes and blew out through her mouth. “Come in.”

The door creaked as Damien opened it. He stepped inside and looked to the bed where Gretchen was sitting in the dark. He breathed heavily and looked to the floor as he shut the door behind him. Even in the dark, Gretchen could see the curve of his chest muscles as they lifted and fell underneath his untied white linen shirt.

“I need to speak with you, Gretchen.”

Gretchen’s heart thumped against her chest as she pulled her blankets over her lap to cover the not so modest nightgown she was wearing.

“Alright.”

Damien came closer and ran his hand through his hair. “This isn’t how I wanted to do this.” He walked to the foot of her bed and looked up to her dark figure as he grabbed the post. “I want you to know that I wanted that kiss, Gretchen. It's all I've ever wanted, but I didn’t want it to happen that way. You were drunk, and that’s not the kind of man I am.”

Gretchen smiled and patted the spot beside her then said, “Come, sit down with me.”

Damien came closer then sat on the edge of the bed facing her. He cringed as he looked down and thought of a way to say it tactfully. “I know your in Season, Gretchen.”

An amused smile curled up on her face. “Yeah, I guess that’s not really a secret you can keep when you have wolves living down the hall. Is it?”

He looked up into her face and shook his head no. He licked his lips then said, “I realize this kingdom is filled with men who would kill to be in the position I find myself in right now, but you need to know that none of them feel the way I do about you.”

Gretchen lifted her hand then placed it against his face and he leaned into it as he closed his eyes. “I don’t want you in any other man's bed, Gretchen.”

“I don’t want that, either.”

Damien’s eyes snapped up to hers as the lightning in the sky behind him reflected off of them. He took her hand from his cheek and kissed her knuckle.

“May I lay beside you for a while?"

Gretchen smiled and nodded then pushed herself towards the wall as Damien crawled in beside her under the covers. Gretchen slid her arm under his neck as Damien rested his head against it. She looked down into his face then ran her hand through his hair. Damien closed his eyes then leaned into her chest as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

Gretchen buried her nose in his hair and inhaled deeply. As the smell of sage and lemon filled her nose, it stoked the fire inside her core and her hips arched back. Even though Damien is a powerful psychic, he didn't need to be to know what Gretchen's body needed. He moved his hand under the base of Gretchen's head and pulled her down onto his lips. As he softly moved his lips against hers, Gretchen slid her leg around his hip. Damien parted her lips with his tongue and massaged hers with it. Gretchen rubbed her sex against him and moaned into his mouth as her need overcame her.

Damien released Gretchen's mouth from his, then he pushed her shoulder back until it was flat against the bed. He slowly slid the strap of her nightgown off her shoulder, then he traced the curve of her body with his fingers until it met her breast. Hooking his fingers under the silky material at her chest, he pulled down her nightgown until her breast was free of it. Then, Damien leaned over and claimed her breast with his mouth as Gretchen hissed with pleasure.

While he licked and sucked her nipple, she grabbed his hair up into her fingers and pulled gently. Damien slid his hand down her abdomen and pulled the hem of her gown up. As Gretchen lifted her hips, Damien left her breast and pulled down her panties then drug his fingertips along her inner thigh. As he spread her thighs apart, Damien bent his leg then slid it over the one closest to him, pinning it down beneath him. Gretchen dropped her other leg to the side as Damien separated her lips and rubbed his fingers in her wetness.

Gretchen panted as she licked her lips in anticipation. He rested his head against Gretchen’s shoulder as he slowly rubbed his fingers around her clit. Gretchen lifted her head to watch his hand move against her body. She bit her lip and moaned as his fingertips gently worked their magic on her swollen bud of nerves. Gretchen blew out through pursed lips then licked them as she watched Damien pleasure her. "Umm", she moaned quietly. Damien looked up into her face then kissed her chin as he began to rub harder and faster.

As Gretchen got closer to the edge of her ecstasy, her head fell back and she whispered, ”Oh god, Damien.”

He leaned over again and retook her nipple then sucked furiously as his pace against Gretchen’s cunt quickened. Every moan that left Gretchen’s mouth made Damien want to abandon the plans he made, to just bury himself inside Gretchen now like she wanted. As her hips bucked and her legs trembled, Damien released her breast and looked up into her face again. A smile came to Damien’s lips as he watched Gretchen ride out her orgasm against his hand.

Gretchen lifted her head off the pillow and panted against Damien’s forehead.

“I’ll come to your room every night to please you if you wish, but this belongs to me now, Gretchen. No one else. Do you understand me?”

Gretchen nodded against his head. “Yes.” As she came down from her high, she whispered, "Damien, I want you. Please.”

“Not yet. I want to do this slowly."

As Gretchen whimpered in frustration, Damien ran his tongue over his fingers to taste her juices. "Trust me, Gretchen. I will not leave you wanting. I'll make sure your needs are met."


When Damien returned from the garderobe, Gretchen was lying on her belly with her face buried in her arms. Damien crawled into bed beside her. He gently ran his fingers over the exposed skin on her back then leaned over and kissed her shoulder.

“Mmm,” moaned Gretchen. She opened her eyes then pushed herself up and turned on her side to face Damien.

Damien took her hand and brought it to his lips. As he kissed the back of it, he noticed the ring on her finger. He rubbed his thumb across it and said, “Where in the world did you get that?”

“Hazel took me to the market and I found it in a box. Or, I should say it found me.”

“How do you mean?”

“When I touched it, I saw a man giving it to his wife. I felt it. I don’t know, I just had to have it.”

“It’s not much is it? A man should be able to give his wife something more fitting.”

“Oh, no, he was so proud of himself when he gave it to her. They don’t look like they had much. That’s why it’s so special.”

Damien smiled then ran his thumb across it again. “He loved her very much. They were just children, weren’t they?”

Gretchen smiled. “I wonder what happened to them.”

“It's difficult to know for sure. Since it’s so fond of you, maybe it will let you know if you keep working at it.”

Gretchen looked in Damien’s eyes and said, “Yeah, I hope so.” Gretchen’s eyes grew heavy and she put her hand over her mouth as she yawned.

Damien combed through her curly hair with his fingers and said, “I’ll come for you in the morning. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Gretchen hummed as her eyes finally shut.

Damien leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Good night, my love.”