Sleeping Beast Ch. 11

Morpheus yielded the fertile ground of Nivid's mind to Priapus after only a few breaths.

The rush of air entering his lungs skipped and paused, his nose twitching as the big body stirred restlessly on the bed beside her. His agile tongue slid up to swipe the agitating scent away, and just like the first time she'd seen him in the guard-room, his cock began to shove at its tawny leather covering. With one last stuttering inhalation, Nivid woke. His lungs seized, his body stiffened, and his lids snapped wide.

Wispy strings of scarlet were already swirling around the edges of his solid black eyes when he turned toward Troi. Subtle atmospheric vibrations sorted themselves into a grumble rising from the depths of his chest, and Nivid rolled, ripping his loincloth away with a flick which belied the strength of its construction.

His movements were so sure and deliberate that Troi didn't detect the slightest hesitation when he reached for her: talons extended, his fingers flew out and sliced cleanly through every layer of clothing she wore. A pair of casual twitches and her garments were gone, the fabric torn and discarded as Nivid rolled atop her.

It was a damned good thing she was already aroused, Troi thought dumbly as he kneed and elbowed her limbs into the position he favored at that moment. As he pulled her into place beneath him, Nivid's mouth claimed hers. An instant later, his tongue was in her mouth, and the big head of his cock was prodding at the delicate, wet slit of her womanhood.

Without analyzing Nivid's actions, Troi saw how she'd miscalculated her own. She'd meant for the scent of her desire to slip past any conscious reluctance he might have felt, but she'd mistakenly assumed their emotional connection lay somewhere in the the space between intellect and instinct.

Maybe it did, but her scent had burrowed directly into the part of Nivid's brain that drove him to mate. He shifted atop her, working himself deeper between her thighs as she opened to him. When his cock slid home, Troi groaned, and the growl still rumbling in Nivid's chest turned to a raspy snarl against her lips. She devoted herself to returning his passionate kiss, her toes curling as her bare feet crept upwards from the bony hocks of Nivid's feet.

While she couldn't stop the movements of his much larger, much stronger body, she was young and healthy and could certainly ensure his cock stayed where she wanted it. She wrapped her legs around his hips, trying to prevent his escape. When Nivid shifted to withdraw, the motion lifted Troi's bottom from the bed and changed the angle of his penetration. She whimpered as he rocked, the bumps and imperfections of his cock massaging places that made her want to weep with pleasure. Troi bit her lower lip, arching blindly.

Denied the taste of her lips, Nivid drove them both back to the mattress, and Troi cried out under the impact of his entry. When the pillow lifted her mouth to him, he nosed her bottom lip loose from her own teeth, retaking his kiss and pushing himself higher in Troi's embrace. Through the thunder of her ever-escalating heart-beat, Troi heard a sibilant hiss as the fabric beneath the bony plates of Nivid's cloven toes gave way.

She'd driven him too far. Waking with her scent on his nose had stolen most of his human restraint before giving him a chance to harness his will. But physical danger and mattress damage were unimportant, brushed aside by the burning needs of her body.

She unlocked her ankles, her heels scrabbling for leverage against the bed.

The instant she released him, Nivid pulled back. She gasped and her eyes flew open, but he reversed directions immediately, slamming against the saddle of her open thighs as he drove himself inside her. A high-pitched grunt slipped from Troi's belly when his cock stabbed mercilessly into the end of her channel, and her eyes watered.

Nivid lifted his head to capture her gaze, but the small evidence of his woman's distress didn't stop him. His nostrils flared and his hips fell again, forcing another grunt from her lungs. She whimpered as he pulled back, completely incapable of tearing her eyes from his. Nivid held his upper body stiff for a moment, staring intently, and the stern expression he wore might have frightened her into thinking there was no love behind the angular planes of his face, but as clearly as she'd felt his distance, Troi felt their connection in that moment. This was no gentle lovemaking, though, no sweet declaration: this was Nivid taking what belonged to him.

He thrust again and with a long, languorous blink, she broke the tie, a soft groan slipping from between lips swollen with passion. When her eyes opened again, they revealed a glow nearly matching the fire burning behind Nivid's own pitch-black orbs. Nivid growled deeply and released another fragment of his rapidly shattering control.

Troi's gasps from then on were all due to a lack of air or surfeit of sensation as he pressed against her, his cock hammering into her tender depths, the big head battering at her womb.

She was trembling long before she reached orgasm.

Beyond the slick sounds of her cunt clutching at the ripples and ridges of his cock as he withdrew, through the thick, mingled scents of his sweat-spiked fur and her desire, far more ferocious than her body's urgent need to climax, Troi was enraptured by the renewal of their emotional bond.

She'd been taken forcefully many times, and she'd been owned for many years, but Nivid's claim was nothing like the others. The blows of his thick, muscle-clad form against her slim body spoke directly to her soul. It mattered not whether Nivid was claiming her with the intention of demonstrating his love or merely painting her body with cum to keep other males away. Each violent plunge embedded him more deeply in her heart, their spiritual connection affecting her more strongly than any combination of physical sensations.

In that moment, Troi saw clearly that the gods had delivered her to Zamok Denova. Not wolves, nor demons, nor witches: all twelve of the gods who led the Bashkir people meant for her to be here, to free Nivid and Argus from the curse turning fate from its true path.

The sensation was so overwhelming that sobs filled the hollows of her chest, pressing upward into her throat, fighting whimpers and moans for the right to burst free. Troi twisted and writhed, her fingers yanking at Nivid's coarse black hair.

"Please, Nivid," she begged, stroking his lust as they strained toward a shared goal.

The low growl which had subsided when he began driving himself into Troi's wet, welcoming embrace returned, rumbling up from base of his spine. Through the thick muscles of his abdomen, the sound moved toward Troi's heart.

"Oh gods, yes, Nivid."

Nivid straightened his arms and legs, hammering his cock home again and again.

"Please, Nivid. Yes, give it to me. Please," she chanted, her body clutching at him.

The explicit directions drove Nivid's hips more quickly, and the constant growl grew into the beginnings of a roar. The soft velvety sheath sucked at his cock as he pulled away, and she writhed beneath him, clinging to his fur through the furious assault, her inner muscles clenching again and again as his thrusts drove her ever closer to completion.

His laboring hips never losing their tempo, Nivid lowered his head, breathing deeply in the pocket of warm air at the juncture of her skull and throat, his sleek, soft cheek brushing hers. The scent of her desire was pure and piercing, reassurring Nivid like nothing else could, and every needy, affectionate word she whimpered reverberated in his bones like a bell calling him home.

Her fingers tugged at his shoulders, and she cried out his name, "Nivid, yes. Yes, fill me!"

That final, graphic phrase tipped him past the point of self-control, into a place where Nivid was purely beast. With a hitch of his hips and the breath of coming ecstasy rumbling over his tongue, Nivid dipped his head and sank his teeth into the curve at the base of her neck.

Troi screamed and came, vision and sense fleeing as her body tensed and shattered, drenching Nivid's cock even as he bathed her womb with the cum she'd begged from him. The spasms tore through her body in wave after wave, almost painful in their intensity. Nivid continued to shift and rock, his swollen, pulsating organ tugging at the delicate tissues of her spasming channel.

Unable to reach his neck, Troi bit down on her own back teeth. Her screams at last retreated into moans, and Troi's spine relaxed. As her climax receded, her fingers slipped from their fisted position to lie limply curled over the crest Nivid's furry shoulders.

With a final groan, he rolled to his side.

Troi's mind was dense and slow from the aftereffects of the intense orgasm, but she wasn't too foggy to feel a tingle of elation when he pulled her over with him, making sure their bodies were still plastered together when they came to rest.

She petted the solid curves of the sculpted muscles beneath Nivid's acorn-colored skin dreamily, staring at her own fingers until he reached out to her, one giant hand stroking the side of her head and gently rearranging the strands of hair stuck to her damp forehead. When her eyes rose from his chest to his face, she found him studying her thoughtfully. The crimson had seeped away with his release, and his eyes were calm now. His expression was as difficult to decipher as always, though, the craggy features giving her fewer clues than a human face might.

She meant to apologize again, but she turned her face into his palm, inhaling deeply, and the gesture stirred another of the memories so recently broken loose.

"Ataj-- my father-- used to pet Asa's hair this way." She blinked, her eyes returning to Nivid's. "My mother," she clarified. "If she was angry with him, he'd give her time to compose herself somewhat, then ease up behind her and run his fingers through her hair."

Her voice became distant. "I remember feeling like we were all-- my older brother and my sisters-- waiting. We'd be quiet, staying out of Asa's way, then Ataj would come and pet her, and there'd be this feeling in the air-- sort of still but not empty-- and then Asa's shoulders would relax. She'd shift a little and lean her head into one of his hands, and he'd pull her back against him. Then everything would be okay. It was like that every time."

Her eyes, which had drifted past Nivid, past the white curtains, and into her distant memories, now returned. "I didn't remember that until today. I couldn't remember any of happy times without remembering how they died, and I couldn't let myself remember that. I couldn't be weak and survive what those people were doing to me."

Her eyes were dry, her voice steady and calm as she spoke, not quite forgetting her apology, but setting it aside for a bit of scary truth. She'd been telling Nivid and Argus to share their experiences with one another, but she hadn't been equally as open.

On a shaky, determined breath, she repeated the statement she'd made as he ran through the taiga. "I'm afraid you won't want me after the curse is broken."

Nivid shifted, his mouth opening on what Troi expected would be a rebuke or denial, but she lifted her hand to halt his interruption.

"When I realized the wolves were bringing you women, I suddenly remembered how many there were before me, and I stopped feeling special. I went back to being scared."

She stopped, piecing together emotion and experience. "Then everything else crashed down on me . . . I was so confused."

She shook her head. "You've given me a feeling of security I haven't had in years. You let me into your family, gave me freedom and a home. In no way did you deserve what I said to you. I am truly sorry for that."

Nivid shifted again, but with tight lips and the tilt of her head, she begged another reprieve.

"You aren't like those men at all."

She lowered her eyes. "I am an unschooled woman, but I know I was not made for this---" Her eyes flickered from the windows to the walls and back to her own fingers, petting his chest again." --any more than you were made to be a beast, but--"

Her fingers tensed and she drew in a big gulp of air.

"--should you chose to set me aside in favor of someone more suitable--" She looked up, showing him the truth behind her fear and hesitation. "--my life will always be better for having known you. You have saved me from sadness and loneliness and a loss far worse than death. You've given me my memories back; you've given me my family." She swallowed. "You've given me everything, and I will always be grateful."

She hesitated, and when she spoke again, it was a struggle to keep her voice from quivering as it rounded the lump in her throat. "And I will always, always love you."

Nivid closed his mouth. With a grunt and a kiss on top of her head, he pulled her tightly against him and settled back against the pillow. He never stopped stroking her hair, and he never spoke.

Troi was grateful for the silence, when she'd expected argument and objections. No denial would have removed her fear, and maybe Nivid knew that. Only time would help.

Or hurt.

Troi shoved that cowardly whisper to the back of her mind.

They lay loving each other with small touches and an occasional murmur, while Troi worked up the nerve to tell him her decision. She might as well. She was already spilling all her secrets. But the opportunity was stolen from her when they were interrupted. The knock yanked two pairs of surprised eyes to the door of the tower room. When neither answered, it was repeated, with a good deal more enthusiasm.

Nivid grunted again, in resignation. Troi scrambled for something to wear, smiling because Talgut's impatience was easy to recognize even through two opaque inches of oak. Darting a look from her ruined dress to Nivid, who was watching her naked body with appreciative eyes, she commented, "It's a good thing I moved my clothing to the tower, now isn't it?"

Nivid turned rapidly toward the door

Troi sputtered, her shoulders and eyebrows rising in surprise. She wondered if the beast was actually able to blush.

-- o --

"Must we imprison the entire pack?"

Nivid's feet slowed. They'd just stepped outside with the intention of penning the wolves so Talgut could safely work in the garden. Talgut himself waited inside, tapping his foot impatiently, no doubt. All the way down the tower stair, he'd kept up an impressive sermon on the dangers of starving to death without proper nutrition, something Nivid was fairly sure had never occurred to the nomad before Troi's arrival. He was also fairly sure Talgut was ranting just to irritate him, which was gradually becoming less confounding to Nivid as man and beast spent more time together.

His ear twitched at Troi's question, gold earring twinkling, and Nivid's huge head turned. The pack had surrounded them the moment they stepped outside. Still consumed by memories of waking with Troi's scent in his head and accustomed to the constant presence of the wolves, he'd hardly noticed. When he took stock of their behavior, however, what was remarkable was how easily the wolves accepted her presence at his side, when they would happily have been dining on Talgut or Argus.

Troi's reaction was similar. The subjects of her question were arrayed in an attentive half-circle around Nivid and his woman, but Troi barely glanced, except to pat whichever broad head had nudged its way beneath her palm. As he watched, Troi moved her feet apart, bracing herself against the enthusiastic greeting of the two young males who'd taken up residence at her sides. One of them stared expectantly at Nivid, while the other leaned heavily against Troi's thigh. She was tall for a woman, but not especially sturdy, and the wolf probably weighed as much as she did.

Nivid hesitated. Instinct and undeniable evidence said she'd be fine among them, and for twenty years he'd responded to impulses without questioning them, but the possibility was difficult for the beast to comprehend. He had Vesa's memories of Troi sleeping among them, but those were colored by the revulsion he'd felt as he watched her sobbing in the moonlit field, half the pack encircling the fragile human woman as though she were one of them. In part, Nivid's hesitation stemmed from his natural need to protect Troi, but he was also suffering from the knowledge there'd been no one but the wolves to tend to her in her grief. Mayhap that led to his hesitation now: he hadn't been there to protect her before. His pause to ponder the question seemed, to Nivid, to last a long time, but finally, he wrenched his mind back to the present. Assuming he stayed with Talgut, and penned the largest, most aggressive hunters . . . .

Nivid shook his head. It was a good thing Vesa was sleeping-- he would not approve. Nivid snorted softly. Neither would Talgut.

He shrugged. It couldn't hurt to try.

-- o --

Three hours later he was almost sorry he'd had the thought.

Couldn't hurt to try? Couldn't hurt to try? Vesa ranted, berating Nivid through the bond as clearly as if he stood at Nivid's shoulder, though he'd only just left his chamber.

Nivid shifted his weight away from the fence post he'd been leaning on while he kept an eye on Talgut. Their outing had been less trouble than he might have anticipated. Nivid's watchful, warning gaze and the barely-audible growls emanating from the beast were enough to convince most of the wolves to ignore Talgut's presence.

Troi's two lanky sidekicks were the exception. Nivid's threats hadn't been enough to overcome their energetic instincts. As soon as he stepped from the kitchen door, they'd leapt toward Talgut. Nivid, prepared to shove the other man to safety behind his body, barely had time to put his hand on Talgut's chest before Troi barked a one-word command. Barked. The pair fell limply from mid-bound and, at a second word in Troi's native tongue, they slunk shyly back to her side, leaving Talgut and Nivid gaping at her.

Nivid grunted at Talgut and pushed that image to Argus as he followed the nomad into the building, leaving Troi behind to finish collecting weeds for the refuse heap. After hours spent watching her interactions with the pack, Nivid was no longer concerned about Troi's presence among them. He'd be just as comfortable releasing the wolves he'd penned to be cautious.

Vesa had-- almost-- finished lecturing him when Troi joined the family in the kitchen.

While she washed her hands in the basin by the door, Talgut altogether put an end to Argus' diatribe, directing a quiet question at Nivid and Argus. "Have you heard what she calls the young ones?"

The brothers eyes turned from Troi to Talgut. Even Nivid sputtered at the answer. It was so typically Troi to prod them toward her goals by naming wild animals "Ram" and "Ewe". Argus was still chuckling when the goat-loving Bashkir woman wound through the center of their group on her way to the pantry.

Troi only half-heard their amusement. Her mind was still outside. Unanswered questions vexed her: there was, after all, something not-right about the wolves. She'd been correct in thinking they weren't completely wild, and it wasn't all about following Nivid's lead when they hunted: the pack also kept travelers out of the pass and away from Zamok Denova, effectively hiding the secret of the cursed Denova brothers, thus protecting the brothers themselves. Keeping them alive. Keeping the curse alive. And occasionally, the wolves delivered a new woman to feed the beast's hunger, while the witch-- presumably-- spun fertility spells, hoping one of those women would conceive, carrying the curse down through the coming years in the body of each new child, each new generation of Denovas.