Chapter 10

TEN

Tara

The smell of food cooking wakes me up from a strange dream I had about a flower growing between cobblestones on a path, stepped on over and over, but continuing to grow, despite everything. The scent of the food overwhelms the dream, and my stomach growls as the vision of the golden flower fades away. When I open my eyes, I see the three wolves cooking by the fire. The sun looks like it just rose, and it casts its morning light on everything around me, making the world look softer.

The men by the fire don't look like they were attacked by a monster last night, but they do look like they got no sleep and aren't happy. Probably still angry at me about using Battle Magic. I sigh quietly, annoyed that their angry faces are what I'm waking up to.

But being annoyed won't do anything. It'll just make the situation worse.

I plaster on a smile as I gently lift Garrick's arm and slide out from under his arm and the covers. All three men's eyes instantly snap to me. I can feel the pressure of their gazes, but I don't look up. I just put on my shoes and walk over to the fire.

"Morning," I say, as I sit down beside them.

There's a moment of silence before Drogo speaks. "Did you sleep well?" He's looking at Garrick still sleeping peacefully and not at me. Which is weird.

"Yes. I slept very well," I say, feeling awkward, even though I don't know why.

He grunts, and my gaze snaps to him. He looks angry. "If you're trying to piss us off by sleeping with the bear, you're going to need to do a better job." He waves his hand over me. "This isn't very convincing at all."

"Very convincing?" I ask, confused.

"That you like him. That you enjoy being around the bear." His words are clipped.

Apparently, I'm not a morning person when I travel, because anger rises inside me. "I enjoy his company a lot more than yours."

Drogo actually flinches. "Don't even pretend. You slept in his bed just to piss us off."

Piss them off? "Just to be clear, you weren't even here at bedtime, but more importantly, the second you made it clear this relationship was a pile of shit, I stopped caring how you feel about anything !"

My smile has dropped. It's too early for fighting, and I'm not in the mood for whatever the hell this is.

"Yeah, right," he says.

"Drogo…" Arlys warns softly.

Rinan glances at me, and there's anger in his gaze. Anger I don't understand. Isn't this what they wanted? I'm helping them cure the wolves and they don't have to keep pretending to care about me.

Drogo's hands curl into fists. "I just don't believe she doesn't care about us just because… because I cleared things up between us. Because I told her we didn't intend to stay married to her. Feelings don't just disappear like that."

What the fuck is wrong with these wolves?

I stand. "Well, believe it."

Turning, I head towards the river, hoping the rushing water and space to myself will help calm my now aggravated nerves. These men are infuriating. I really can't do anything right in their eyes. Battle Magic to save their lives? Nope. I'm a liar. Fall asleep with one of my husbands without the others present? I'm trying to make them jealous. Even back at their place, sleeping in the bed and getting Garrick's scent on me set them off.

Are all men this frustrating? Or just these idiots?

I stomp on the leaves in front of me, satisfied with the loud crunch I hear under my feet. Those three act like they want me. They protect me and fight whatever tries to hurt me. Yet, they don't actually want me or even like me. They just want to use me as a tool.

Still, it seems like they've laid some kind of claim to me. Sometimes, I'm even convinced they care. But they're liars. They've lied to me from the very beginning, while calling me a liar in the next breath. Before they even married me, they planned to toss me out – or worse – when I've fulfilled my purpose to them.

So why are they so possessive? So easily pissed off when I'm around Garrick? Am I just a toy they don't want to play with, but they don't want anyone else to play with either? Nothing makes sense.

I sit at the edge of the river, feeling lost, when I hear rapid footsteps. Thinking it's another monster, feeling foolish I even went out here alone, I leap to my feet and reach for the dagger at my belt, ready to end this fight before it begins. But instead of a monster, Drogo's large form emerges from the woods.

I drop my hands and almost laugh, heart racing. He doesn't know how close he just came to being melted.

"What are–?"

Drogo grabs my wrist, pulling me close to him until I'm pressed against him. My racing heart only speeds up faster, and I look up into his dark eyes, confused. I'd thought after knowing his plan we'd never touch again, so what the hell is going on?

"I know what you're doing," he murmurs.

I stiffen, feeling anger rising in me. "I'm not doing anything. I wish the three of you would get that through your thick heads." He's pissed me off enough that I try to shove away from him, but he doesn't move an inch. If anything, the space between us disappears as he pulls me closer.

"I know you slept with Garrick just to piss us all off." He lowers his head and breathes me in. His breath is hot on my throat. Hot and distracting.

My eyes flutter, and I hate that my body loves being pressed against his. "I didn't sleep with anyone. I fell asleep with Garrick, but that's it. You all left me alone in the woods after a monster attacked us. Garrick was doing what we always do, sleeping close by to protect me. Like you all should have done last night too."

"With your Battle Magic, you don't need protection," he says, sniffing me again. "You smell like that damn bear."

I try again to pull my wrist away, but he's too strong to break free from. "You're such an ass!"

Jerking my head up, our gazes lock. But instead of seeing anger in his gaze, there's something else. Something hot enough to melt me. Hot enough to consume me like a flame.

He tightens his hold on me, and then his lips crush mine. I stop fighting against him, confused by his actions and aroused by the softness of his lips. His tongue slips into my mouth, and I moan. The rough fabric of his shirt rubs against my breasts, making me hyper-aware of him, and I can feel the heat radiating from him. His hands run up and down my arms, sending tingles along every inch they touch. With one swift movement, he lifts me up and carries me to a nearby tree. He presses me against the bark, pinning me there with his hard body, and continues kissing me.

The kiss is demanding and hungry, and I'm lost in it. I don't notice that he's put his hands under my shirt until he gently pinches one of my nipples, which sends a jolt through me straight to my core. His lips leave mine and move to my cheek, then to my throat. He kisses and sucks, trailing down my neck.

"You'll smell only like me when we're done." His movements are controlled, intense.

I'm panting, feeling new sensations everywhere. He has my shirt up, exposing my breasts, and he kisses the top of my breasts, like he's tasting my soft skin.

I gasp when he sucks my nipple into his mouth, heady with pleasure. He slides one hand down my stomach and into my pants, inching closer and closer to my core. When he touches me, coating his fingers in my wetness and plunging them gently into me, I stiffen as my body holds him tightly, a moan slipping from my lips.

When he lifts his head from my breast, our gazes lock. "Do you like that?" he asks, still plunging his fingers in and out of me, gently, shallowly, careful not to go further than my body can handle.

"Yes," I whisper. "No one's ever touched me like this before."

He groans. "My dick is going to feel even better." He presses his body against mine even more, and I can feel his hardness against my core while his fingers move inside of me. I've never felt this way before, and I'm struggling to control myself. I put my hands on his chest, feeling the muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt. He withdraws his hand from inside of me and undoes his pants. Then he takes my hand off his chest and guides it to his dick. It's thick and rock hard, and I like the way it feels in my hand.

"Stroke it up and down," Drogo groans, returning his lips to my breasts.

I gently slide my hand up and down his shaft, enjoying the feel of the pulsing veins against my palm and wondering what it would feel like inside of me – if it fits. Drogo puts a hand against the tree to keep himself steady as I continue to stroke him. His eyes are closed, and I can tell he's trying to hold his composure. I speed up, stroking faster, and his eyes shoot open. He tugs at my pants, trying to get them off.

"Does this mean you won't get rid of me after we fix the water?" I ask, breathless, not sure where the words even come from.

Drogo snaps his hands away from me and takes a step back, my hand dropping from his cock as he does so. He looks like he just woke up and can't tell what's a dream and what's reality, and his expression hurts in a way I can't explain.

"Drogo?"

Instead of answering me, he turns away, fixing his pants as he does so, then stalks off back in the direction of our camp. Like none of this happened. Like we weren't just sharing an intimate moment. After my first time ever having a man touch me like that.

My heart sinks, and it takes effort to not let tears fall. Drogo may want to claim me and mark me – even have sex with me, but he doesn't care about me at all, and my silly heart needs to accept that. I know what kind of man he is now, so if he keeps hurting me, it's because I let him.

And I might be a fool, but I might not stop. Hell, I don't know if I can.

I think I love the damn wolf.