The Beast's Beloved (Ballads of Cadarnle Book 2) Read online

  “Then, why break the rule at all?” Klaryssa asked curiously as she slowly sat up.

  “Because it was the only way to make you stay without being utterly miserable in your new life,” Dresdyn answered pointedly. “In all my thirty-seven years of life, I have never heard tell of a mate fighting against the life offered to her by one of my clansmen. They all came willingly, but not you,” he added a bit more harshly than he intended. “Short of locking you away and keeping you prisoner, breaking an age-old rule was the only way to assure that you remained by my side where you fucking belong.”

  Klaryssa stared at Dresdyn in silent bewilderment. “If I am so much trouble, then why didn’t you simply cut your losses and find someone else?” she asked softly.

  “Because there is no one else for me,” Dresdyn answered fervently. “The men in my clan are allowed only one mate in a lifetime; therefore, when our souls recognize the women who are meant to be ours, we do everything in our power to secure them.” He glanced at Klaryssa out of the corner of his eye. “Now, while locking you away certainly would have been easier, I would rather not have my mate and mother of my future children live out the rest of her life as a prisoner. So, yes, Klaryssa, you have forced my hand into breaking the most important rule of my clan.”

  Klaryssa averted her eyes. “I…” She hung her head. “I’m sorry, Dresdyn. I didn’t know.” She tentatively raised her gaze to Dresdyn. “You don’t have to bring my family here,” she said softly. “I’m sorry to have asked.”

  Dresdyn sighed upon feeling an odd surge of guilt. “Can you look me in the eye, and tell me honestly that you would be happy here with me without your father and sister?” Dresdyn asked pointedly. “After everything you told me of their situation?”

  Klaryssa hung her head again and gave a small shake of her head after several moments.

  Dresdyn sighed again. “Then it appears that my hands are tied,” he uttered. “I am taking a great leap of faith in allowing your father and sister to live here. They had best not make me regret it,” he said firmly.

  “They won’t, I swear,” Klaryssa uttered fervently. “I’ll make sure of it.

  “Very well,” Dresdyn replied after several moments of silently regarding Klaryssa.

  Klaryssa nervously bit her bottom lip before speaking again. “Dresdyn?”

  “Yes?”

  “What you did to me tonight…” Klaryssa’s cheeks turned crimson. “I would like to do the same thing to you,” she finished shyly.

  Dresdyn raised an eyebrow. “Truly?”

  Klaryssa nodded. “If we truly can’t consummate our union until the gathering of the clan, then I want to give you the same pleasure you just gave me...or, at least try to. I’ve never done anything like that before, but I don’t think it’s fair that I was the only one enjoying myself.” She tentatively reached over and rested a hand atop the bulge in Dresdyn’s pants. While a bit smaller than it was before, it was clear that Dresdyn’s desire had not abated. “Especially when you clearly yearn for release,” she added with a demure smile.

  Dresdyn’s eyes fluttered closed when Klaryssa’s hand rested on his bulge, and he groaned softly as the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile. “I would be more than happy to guide you.” He opened his eyes half-way and turned his gaze towards Klaryssa so he could gaze at her hungrily. “If you are willing to learn, that is.”

  “I’m very willing,” Klaryssa whispered fervently. “I want to please you, Dresdyn. Please teach me how.”

  Smiling, Dresdyn leaned in and kissed Klaryssa’s lips slowly while gently moving her hand to the laces at the front of his trousers. He groaned approvingly into the kiss as his young mate’s fingers went to work, and Dresdyn wasted no time in kicking off his boots. Once Klaryssa had loosened the fastenings on his trousers enough, Dresdyn stood and then turned to face her. He watched Klaryssa’s face closely as she pushed his trousers down past his hips, and he smiled in unadulterated male pride at his mate’s reaction as his impressive manhood sprung free at last.

  “Oh, my,” Klaryssa whispered with wide eyes as she stared openly at Dresdyn’s manhood.

  “Thank you,” Dresdyn rumbled with a smirk and a small chuckle.

  “It’s so big,” Klaryssa whispered.

  Another chuckle escaped Dresdyn’s lips. “Again, thank you.”

  Klaryssa’s cheeks turned crimson. “Are all men this big?”

  Dresdyn’s smirk grew into a full-fledged grin. “No,” he answered simply before his grin began melting away as he saw genuine worry settle upon Klaryssa’s face. “What is it?” When Klaryssa averted her eyes, Dresdyn reached out and gently turned her face back to his. “Hey, what troubles you, my doe?” he asked softly. “You can tell me anything Klaryssa.”

  Klaryssa nervously bit her bottom lip. “What if it’s too big?” she whispered. “What if when the time comes for us to…” She sighed. “What if you don’t fit? What if we don’t fit together, and you realize that you’ve made a mistake in choosing me?”

  “That would never happen,” Dresdyn replied simply while moving and sitting on the edge of the bed beside Klaryssa.

  “How can you be so sure?” Klaryssa asked.

  Dresdyn smiled while tenderly tucking a lock of golden hair behind Klaryssa’s ear. “Because we were made for one another, Klaryssa. We were made to fit together. We were fated to find one another so that we could complete each other.” he leaned in and rested his forehead against Klaryssa’s. “Trust and believe in that truth, my sweet mate,” he murmured. “Trust and believe in me.”

  Closing her eyes, Klaryssa gave a small nod and brought her right hand up to cup Dresdyn’s cheek. “I trust you,” she whispered, meaning it. Logically, she knew that she should have been shocked by how quickly and willingly she had bestowed her trust upon Dresdyn, but the truth of the matter was, it felt wrong to not trust Dresdyn. Even in the woods, when they had first met, she had felt safe with him. On an ineffably deep and visceral level, Klaryssa knew that she would never come to harm at his hands, and it was with that knowledge burning warmly in her heart that she pressed her lips against his now. Her mouth was pliant and submissive to Dresdyn’s deep, searching kiss, but her left hand was anything but idle as it moved down to gently wrap around her mate’s member.

  Dresdyn shuddered and groaned into the kiss as Klaryssa began stroking him. Her ministrations were at first tentative and unsure; but, with each stroke, the lovely maiden became more confident and sure. When their lips parted, Dresdyn allowed Klaryssa to take the lead for a short while. He sat passively and allowed her to kiss and nuzzle his neck, shoulders and chest; but, passive though he was, Dresdyn reveled in the contact, and delighted in the shivers brought about by his mate’s sweet and tender exploration. He groaned deeply when Klaryssa gently squeezed the base of his pulsating manhood before slowly stroking up towards the belled head only to leave it unattended as she slowly moved her hand back down to the base.

  “Stroke the tip,” Dresdyn instructed throatily as Klaryssa’s hand slowly moved back up. “More lightly, not so hard...yes, just like that,” he panted as his head fell back with a moan. He smiled as he felt Klaryssa’s soft, sweet lips begin trailing kisses down the center of his chest, and his smile only grew as shivers coursed through him in response to feeling his mate use her tongue.

  Dresdyn could wait no longer!

  “On your knees,” Dresdyn husked deeply after raising his head so he could meet Klaryssa’s gaze

  Klaryssa nodded and shifted off the bed before slowly dropping to her knees and pulling Dresdyn’s trousers off the rest of the way and simply tossing them aside. She was unable to rip her gaze from Dresdyn’s as she tentatively nuzzled his length, and her heart raced wildly in her ribcage when she was rewarded with a deep, guttural growl of delight.

  Dresdyn slowly let out a sigh as he caressed Klaryssa’s hair. He had to calm down. It would not do to frighten his mate. “Use your tongue,” he instructed breathlessly. He shivered and groane
d when Klaryssa’s soft, warm tongue timidly began lavishing attention upon his aching length. He watched transfixed as she licked it with long, slow strokes. “Yes…good, my sweet doe.” His eyes fluttered closed, and his head fell back a little when the maiden began brushing soft kisses over every inch of his aching hardness in between languid licks. “Good girl…” he rasped huskily. “Now take me into your mouth.”

  Klaryssa hesitated.

  Dresdyn righted his head and opened his eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Klaryssa,” he whispered. “Take in only what you can. Use your hands on the rest.”

  Klaryssa slowly nodded, and visibly relaxed.

  It would have been so easy for Dresdyn to simply shove his engorged manhood into Klaryssa’s warm, sweet mouth, but he restrained himself. This was not some common whore he was fucking for a quick thrill in the dark corner of a tavern. This woman was his mate and deserved his complete respect. He did not rush her either as Klaryssa slowly swirled her soft, warm tongue around the head of his throbbing cock. Dresdyn knew how daunting the task was to one as inexperienced as his fated mate. Rather, Dresdyn simply contented himself to watch as Klaryssa slowly parted her soft lips and wrapped them around the head of his length before carefully taking as much of it as she could into her mouth.

  “Yes, my lovely doe,” Dresdyn growled huskily as he gently tangled both hands into Klaryssa’s golden hair while patiently giving her a few moments to adjust. Cautiously, Dresdyn gave a slow, experimental thrust into Klaryssa’s mouth. He groaned and then moaned loudly when Klaryssa began bobbing her head slowly up and down of her own accord. “Raise your tongue just a little…” he instructed breathlessly. “Yes, yes, just like that.” He shuddered hard, and his eyes fluttered closed once more when he felt Klaryssa’s tongue position as instructed to caress the underside of his rock-hard length. “Yes…”

  Klaryssa could not believe she was doing this!

  She had heard gossip, of course, of women pleasuring men this way, but she never imagined that she would ever do such a thing. Gazing up at Dresdyn as she continued paying homage to his hard and long manhood from her place on the floor, Klaryssa could not help but be enraptured by the entire experience. There was something inexplicably primal and raw about the delight and excitement she felt from pleasuring so powerful a man in this way, and every moan she elicited from Dresdyn emboldened her hands.

  Klaryssa cupped her master’s sac with one while wrapping her free hand around the portion of his length that she could not fit into her mouth. She tentatively stroked and squeezed in time with the ministrations of her mouth and tongue, and her heart raced when Dresdyn rewarded her with a deep, pleasured groan while tightening his grip upon her hair. She could not help the delighted moan that escaped her.

  Opening his eyes and righting his head once more, Dresdyn gazed down at Klaryssa as he claimed her mouth with his manhood. Their eyes met, and he was filled with primal instincts of possessions. Mine! “Touch yourself,” he growled while barely managing to keep his wilder side at bay. “Touch yourself like I touched you, my little doe.”

  Klaryssa slowly took her hand away from Dresdyn’s sac, and then slipped it down between her own legs before brushing two of her fingers over the sensitive nub Dresdyn had worshipped so exquisitely. She visibly shivered as a muffled moan escaped her, and the hungry smile Dresdyn gave her made her womb ache with want.

  Dresdyn groaned loudly at the sight and then allowed his head fell back once more. His length tingled from the vibrations of Klaryssa’s pleasured moan. “Yes…so good…” Righting his head yet again, he looked down at his maiden and smiled at the sight of her. “You have no idea how lovely you look, my sweet little doe, ” he uttered before growling wordlessly. “How utterly arousing!”

  And finally, Dresdyn could not take it anymore.

  His hands tightened their grip within Klaryssa’s hair, and he shuddered hard as his hips momentarily stilled. Moments later, Dresdyn threw his head back with a wordless, euphoric shout as he shot hot ropes of his seed down Klaryssa’s throat while thrusting into her mouth. When he had finally spilled his last drop, Dresdyn stilled his hips and slowly released Klaryssa’s hair before slowly falling backwards onto his back. Every nerve ending tingled with unbridled pleasure, and it was all Dresdyn could do to not lose control. It was too soon...too soon to tell Klaryssa the truth of just who she would be forever bound.

  And it was definitely too soon to show her.

  Instead, Dresdyn beckoned to his young mate when he felt his softening cock slip free of her warm mouth. “Come here,” he husked. His arms wrapped around Klaryssa the instant she climbed back onto the bed and settled beside him, and he wasted no time in kissing her deeply. “I love how I taste on your tongue,” he growled before kissing her again, but more tenderly this time. “My sweet girl,” he rumbled against her lips. “You did very well.”

  Klaryssa’s eyes glimmered with pride even as she smiled shyly. “Did I really?” She could still taste Dresdyn’s salty essence on her tongue.

  Dresdyn smiled and nodded. “Oh, yes,” he replied before letting go of Klaryssa so he could shift fully onto the bed. He motioned for Klaryssa to follow him and then proceeded to pull back the covers. “Come,” he said as he slipped under the blankets. “There is more than enough room, and I am loathe to part from you for even a few hours.”

  Klaryssa raised a single eyebrow. “Can you control yourself, My Lord?” she asked coyly.

  Dresdyn grinned wolfishly. “Oh, Klaryssa, my sweet darling, you have no idea as to the extent of my self-control,” he said while patting the space next to him. “Besides, after having this bed all to myself for so long, I need to learn to start sharing,” he added with a playful wink.

  Klaryssa giggled before crawling under the covers. “Well, when you put it that way,” she replied while nestling automatically into Dresdyn’s body once he had pulled the covers over them both. She rested her head over his heart while her arm draped across his stomach, and she felt more at peace and at home than she ever had in her entire life.

  “Rest, my darling,” Dresdyn urged softly before pressing a kiss to the top of Klaryssa’s head as he held her close. “You had quite the day today, and you will need your strength tomorrow when we go to fetch your family.”

  Klaryssa smiled and raised her head just enough so she could brush a kiss to the place over Dresdyn’s heart. “Thank you, Dresdyn,” she whispered even as her eyes began drifting closed once she had pillowed her head upon her mate’s warm chest once more. She felt ineffably close to him in that moment. “A more wonderful husband I could never have hoped for.”

  Dresdyn simply smiled and listened to the slow and even rhythm of Klaryssa’s breathing as she gradually succumbed to the pull of sleep. “And for the rest of my days,” he whispered once he was certain Klaryssa was asleep. “I will never stop trying to be the man you deserve.”

  5

  The next morning, after breakfast, Dresdyn stood outside the stables with two of his guards as they did a final check on the horses that had been saddled for the day’s journey. Every so often, Dresdyn would reach into the small, satchel attached to his belt and withdraw a folded piece of parchment so he could open it up and then read over its contents yet again, even though he had already memorized all the words of the report that had been delivered to him by one of his scouts.

  There was an increase in gnoll activity.

  Farms on the outskirts of his fief were being attacked, and there had been incidents of traveling merchants being attacked by hunting parties of the corrupt, canine abominations in broad daylight. The news was troubling, to say the least. While the curbing of gnolls had always been the centuries-old responsibility of his clan, it never boded well when the twisted creatures became overly audacious and emboldened.

  Having been cursed to their gnarled forms by Blaiddwych centuries before as punishment for their attempt to subjugate and enslave humans, the gnolls were twisted shadows of their former selves. Not even their mates had
been spared from the punishment, for they had done nothing to dissuade the gratuitous bloodlust of the men to whom they were bound. So, they had procreated over the centuries rather than die out, and each new generation grew more embittered than the last. Every few years, the gnolls would attempt to rise up and fight against those still in favor with the Great Wolf, and each time, they were beaten back.

  But, something was different this time.

  While it was not unusual for hunting parties to attack traveling merchants who were foolish enough to take the back roads, gnolls had never been so brazen as to attack farms that were known to be under the protection of a member of the y Blaidd clan. For them to attack farms that were under Dresdyn’s protection only made the situation stink all the more.