Wolf's Tale

And she charged ahead through the streets, Kolya catching up after giving final orders to the entourage.

Really, she didn't care. She was home, and she missed her husband and children so much she felt her heart would break.

They raced through the city and onto the slopes towards the tree line, gradually levelling out as it closed in on a sheer rock wall that buttressed the southern flanks of a mountain. The area was strewn with elaborate paths and gardens, and a profusion of banners with the symbol of the Wolf Lord snapped in the wind.

But her eyes fixed on the Palace itself: an immense structure with four-hipped manifold roofs and towering white walls dimpled with scores of narrow windows. The immense entrance lay deep within the open stone mouth of an immense wolf, its pointed ears drawn back in caution.

Samantha passed through the wolf mouth's sculpted jaw, dismounting and removing her scarlet travelling cloak as delicate-looking women in near-transparent silks and gold jewellery silently approached, accepting it. "Where are they?"

"In the throne room, Milady," one of the women beamed. "With His Lordship."

She still wore her favourite wood-green travelling blouse, trousers and boots, and shook off her attendants" efforts to change before seeing her family. Kolya led her to a pair of gigantic doors, which rose between perched bronze wolves. Immensely high, the doors were studded with plate-sized gold sigils, and their outsize vertical handles.

Then, pulled by unseen hands, the doors opened inwards, revealing a long room with a vaulted ceiling that ended in a raised, canopied dais, and a throne, surmounted by effulgent gold curtains – and two live wolves, waiting in attendance to their master. Two rows of painted columns supported the room's centred nave, from the ceiling of which hung short, square-cut crimson and gold banners. There were robed, bare-headed court servants and colourfully-dressed ceremonial guardsmen on the room's elevated upper tiers.

At the foot of the raised dais where sat a golden throne, two brown-haired children, a boy and girl eight years old, played with a wolf cub - at least, until they saw the new arrival and rushed to her. "Mama!"

She beamed, kneeling and outstretching her arms to embrace them. "Freya! Loki! I've missed you both!" She hugged them tight until they squealed.

"Have you missed me as well?"

Samantha looked past the children in her arms, to the man who had helped bring them into the world, adding to the joy he had already given her. He was a muscular, bronze-skinned, handsome specimen of manhood, clad in slippers and plain black silk trousers with a single red sash about his slim waist, possessing a hairless chest covered only with a gold baldric and gold torcs around his biceps. His head sported swept-back ash-grey hair, a strong nose and chin, and a gleam in his bright blue eyes radiated light and warmth as he looked at Samantha. "Welcome back."

She beamed. "Yes, Fenris, I've missed you too."

As she continued to hug and kiss their children, Fenris turned to Kolya. "We thank you for your service, Paladin. Give your wife and children my best regards."

"Thank you, Milord." Kolya bowed to him, and then a shorter, though less formal bow to Samantha. "It was a pleasure riding with you, Milady."

"The pleasure was ours, Paladin," she replied, sincerely. "Give my regards to your family as well." But as he departed, her attention quickly returned to her family, drawing back to look at her children. "I have gifts for you both."

"Which they can receive later." At their disappointed noises, he reminded them, "You both have lessons with your tutor now." He looked directly at Samantha now. "And your mother and I must discuss her visit to our neighbours."

She felt herself growing hot at his gaze, his true intention, but kept her composure. "Yes, children, go." She smiled. "We all have duties."

As attendants escorted the children, Samantha rose and approached Fenris, catching the musky scent of his skin. "So, Milord, my visit-"

"The devil with it," he growled hungrily, taking her hand.

He took her hand and led her away, through a private exit behind his throne, and down a stark, well-polished corridor, until they reached a large, circular chamber, lined with gold curtains, carpeted with a large, round rug of many colours and intricate patterns, and dominated by a large circular bed.

Feeling more joy than she could imagine, she nearly cried as he pulled her to him, possessing her lips hungrily, and she moaned into his mouth with a sudden rush of desire at the feel of his tongue as it moved, invaded her mouth, his lips hot and plaint and both sapping and galvanising her. She pressed up against him, mindful of the growing hardness she felt in his trousers.

Samantha gasped as Fenris' free hand moved up, caressing her breasts through her blouse, fingers playing with her nipples as they began hardening, standing up beneath the silken material. Fenris' lips moved to her neck, kissing and nipping her as she arched her head to the other side, giving him more space. "Beloved... I've missed you-"

"And I, you, my dear," he whispered, still kissing her. His hand boldly reached down to the buttons on her trousers, deftly undoing them.

She grinned against his bare skin. "I know what you've missed." In truth, so did she, and as wonderful as their many long nights of passion were, she craved this side of him, as animalistic as his lupine title.

His fingers slipped beneath the folds of her trousers to her bush, stroking the hairs as his flattened hand cupped her mound, his middle finger teasing her labia, steadily stroking, opening her, piercing her.

His finger stroked her clit softly while she ground against him, still in his tight embrace, her nipples aching now inside her blouse, missing the attention they had been receiving before. She looked down to see his hand inside her trousers, looking as obscenely rude and wonderful as it felt; he didn't penetrate her fully, but her sex swelled with arousal, carrying her closer to a climax. And she was rising, growing hotter and higher, like the sun.

With a long moan she reached the summit, punctuated with a sharp cry. The strength left her, but Fenris held her up, until he withdrew his hand from the front of her trousers and gently eased her down onto her hands and knees, the carpet in the room soft and plush. She remained there, head bowed, gasping, relishing the feelings, his unwillingness to even undress and use the bed.

Fenris followed her onto his knees behind her, roughly tugging down her trousers, ripping material as he pulled them down to her knees. Samantha felt a flutter in her belly as she was exposed, feeling more naked like this than if she'd been stripped completely, though only Fenris could see her private places. Her rear felt cool, but close to it, her sex was hot, her labia pouting, especially as Fenris' hand drifted down between her cheeks and stroked her gently along her slit.

A sharp slap of Fenris' hand on her right buttock made her yelp loudly.

She looked over her shoulder, with mock indignation. "What was that for?"

"For being so desirable you distract me in your absence." He regarded her challengingly. "You take issue with that?"

She grinned. "No, Milord."

She felt his hand return, striking several times in succession, offering just the right amount of force in the right places, making deliciously rude sounds against her warming flesh and sending pleasurable sensations up her thighs and into her sex.

And then Fenris stopped, and reached once more between her burning cheeks to her sex, drawing out her juices, drawing them up along the strip of skin between her sex and her anus – and then massaging her there as well.

Behind her, she heard him lower his trousers and pressed forward, the head of his cock brushing along her slit, before descending to her pussy.

Fenris pressed forward, slowly sinking into her.

Samantha felt a shock of sensation that almost took her breath away, a shock which graduated to a wide, all-encompassing surge of pleasure that she rarely met. It was a pleasure of incredible intensity, as it had been the first time, when they'd married and he'd accepted the maidenhead she eagerly gave him. His hands grasped her hips sharply, as he thrust further forward, the breadth of him stretching her. Fenris' cock slid deeper, and then with another push, it was as deep as it could be.

Samantha gasped, the blood racing to her head and making it spin, riding the waves of extraordinary pleasure. And eagerly she pushed back against him, feeling his balls brush against her mound. His cock twitched inside her, translating into pulses of pleasure. She was able to feel every millimetre of him, from the smoothness of the cockhead and its underlying ridge, flooding her with passion.

It was a wonderful sensation, and she wriggled shamelessly from side to side to accentuate it. And as he drew in and out of her, he would slap her again, his other hand reaching out and grasping a handful of her hair, making her squirm and fight. Samantha was plummeting into a deep pool of intense bliss, and her sex pulsed wildly.

But then Fenris leaned forward, almost laying on top of her, his cock still driving in and out of her. It was enough to complete a cycle within her. Samantha felt herself coming, a huge snake of sensation slipping over her.

Fenris' cock began to twitch again, and it seemed to swell inside her, and each tiny twitch was like a sweet kick inside, tempting her with the promise of another imminent orgasm.

That expectation hit her as her next orgasm did, as he surrendered to his own burgeoning release, and quickened his pace his body hot and sweaty as she shot into her. His come coated her insides, and she felt every spurt as it spattered inside her, each jet of come producing a spasm that made her whole body shake, her fingers digging intro the carpet, her final cry a short, sharp plea that made her eyes roll into the back of her head, and sapped her remaining strength.

Dimly she felt Fenris withdraw. She lay slumped there, clenching her thighs to keep his seed within her, and her head spun.

Suddenly muscular arms slipped under her, easily lifting her up from the floor. "Your journey home appears to have exhausted you."

She smiled, her eyes closed and her head resting against his chest. "You can take me anywhere, Beloved."

*

Samantha... Where are you?

She opened her eyes, blinking. "Fenris?"

At the head of the huge bed, he looked down at her. "You'd fallen asleep."

She drew the hair from her face. "Sorry. Long day."

It was late, long past the evening meal and the time spent with the children, when they'd retired to their bedroom for another... meeting. A breeze made the curtains around the bed flutter. Fenris half-lay on his side, his cock soft and almost lying on his deep pink balls, framed by dark pubic hair.

And a naked Samantha lay close to his groin, catching and relishing the strong masculine smell of his musk. At the head of the bed, he watched her, smiling.

She lowered her mouth and smelled him, breathing hot breath on his skin. She gently gripped the shaft by the base, lifting it up slightly as she licked her soft lips, and then licked his cock slowly, from tip to root, then hungrily took another slow lick, sliding her tongue around his head. Pursing her lips, she gently guided his cockhead to her mouth, rubbing the glistening tip on her full lips before opening and taking the head into her warm waiting mouth.

With soft sucking motions, Samantha moved from the tip of his hot stem downwards towards his balls, while somewhere above her, Fenris moaned-

Clamour outside the suite made Fenris sit up, and Samantha draw away from his cock and cover her body with one of the silk sheets-

In time for one of the servants to burst, the terror in his face and voice overriding any sense of protocol. "My Lord! The Devil has been seen in the palace grounds again!"

His face hardened, and he rose and reached for his dressing gown. "Alert the guards! Get them to the children's rooms!"

Samantha sat up further as the servant departed, a chill running through her. "Beloved..." Her heart nearly stopped. The Devil, the last of the beasts in the world - and the most dangerous. Said to be driven by an unrelenting malice... and a taste for innocent flesh. Despite the best efforts of Fenris, Kolya and their men, no one had been able to find the monster's lair, let alone slay it.

She rose, clutching the bed sheets to herself. "Freya, Loki! Fenris, get them-"

"I will." He dressed, then reached into a drawer by their bed and withdrew a dagger in a gold hilt, dropping it on the Bed. "Get dressed and wait here, I'll bring them." He raced out; as the doors closed, his voice carried out, "Stay out here, guard my wife until I return!"

Samantha rose and found clothes, a simple white nightdress that would do. Fenris would bring back the children, they would all get in bed and she would sing to them and tell them stories and keep them safe until the morning, when the monster would slink back to its lair-

A gust of wind shook the curtains, making her reach for the dagger as some of the candles blew out, adding shadow to the room. She faced the door, considering calling in the guards outside, so that she could keep them in eyeshot-

A force pulled her back onto the bed, a huge, hairy, clawed hand clamped over her mouth.

And Samantha stared up into the face of the Devil.

It was hideous, feral, all muscle and fur and fangs and blood-red eyes fixed upon her, its breath and scent thick and hot as it practically sat upon her. It looked as much man as beast, but larger than any man she knew, even Fenris, as it knelt over her, staring down at her.

And then she heard a voice in her head. Samantha! It's me! Fenris!

Her eyes widened. What? Lies! Lies! Remembering the dagger in her hand, she tried driving it up towards the creature's ribs, only for it to block her arm, pinning the arm down.

Stop that, Samantha! I'm not here to hurt you! It's the Djinn! He's woven an illusion around you!

She felt sick, sick with terror and disgust at the Devil's closeness, at how its twisted, lying thoughts somehow invaded her mind. She tried screaming, but managed only a muffled sound against its hand, as she struggled to free herself.

None of this is real! It insisted.

Panic welled up within her. Was it going to kill her now? Ravish her?

It tilted its head. There's no time for this. Will you come with me?

As its thoughts reached her head, she heard what it had obviously heard seconds before: the sounds of approaching people, her husband was returning, with guards! He will save her! She continued screaming into the monster's hand.

Until it thought to her, Come with me willingly, now, or I'll stay and kill everyone here...

She froze. God, no, her children! She couldn't let this... thing... harm them-

Will you come with me, quietly? It growled.

She nodded as best she could, a cold chill running up her spine. As fearful as she was of her fate at the Devil's hands, better she face it alone than her children, or her husband.

It growled, and the sound chilled her marrow. She nodded as best she could.

*

It lifted her up in its arms and with an unexpected gentleness put over one muscular shoulders, moving towards the balcony. As it climbed over the railing, Samantha saw Fenris enter the bedroom, his eyes wide with horror. "Samantha!"

Before she could respond, the Devil had leapt off the balcony and into the strong embrace of an adjacent oak. She covered her face with her arm as she felt her abductor descend, branch by branch, into the darkness of the forest.

She tried to work out where it was taking her, but the darkness, the disorientation, and her own fear put paid to that. Her nostrils filled with the musk from its fur, and she felt sick from the way its clawed hands touched her.

Finally it stopped, setting her back on her feet. Samantha found it had brought her to an enclave of soft green-gold grass, white and slate marble boulders around which ancient gnarled trees had grown, their full branches overhanging to provide canopies of shade from the moonlight. A stream gurgled nearby, and there was a scent of olive wood in the air. It would be a beautiful, idyllic spot - under other circumstances.

She faced him, pushing aside her fear; if she would die here, now, it would be as a lady, a consort of the Wolf Lord. "Do your worst, Devil. I will not beg for mercy."

Samantha-

"Do not address me so! I am the consort of-"

You are Samantha Brennan, an Englishwoman, a witch-

"A witch?" Outrage burned away any remaining fear. "I would never consort with the powers of darkness! Look to yourself for such inclinations, Devil!"

The creature stood there, making no overtly aggressive moves towards her. Indeed, it seemed deliberately passive now, considering its long and bloody history in her kingdom. I am not the Devil, Samantha. I was a god of the Northmen, a god you helped bring back to life six years ago. I am Fenris.

"Liar! The real Fenris will drive his blade into your black heart!"

I am Fenris. We are on a quest to stop the Darkness from claiming the world. You encountered a Djinn, an Arabian fire spirit who has woven an illusion in your mind, one granting you your fondest wishes, while he drains your life and your power away in order to free himself from his prison. It held out its arms to the woods. All of this - your kingdom, your palace, your husband... your children... Do not really exist-

She clamped her hands to her ears. "I will not hear any more lies!"

You must - and I am truly sorry that you must, for I have seen how happy you are here, and unreal or not, I cannot bear to have to take it away. But I must. I love you too much-

"No! It's obscene! You're a monster!"

Another lie, spun by Al-Dhib, when he saw I entered your mind to reach you, save you.

"You're a monster! You've slaughtered children!"

How many?

Samantha paused, not prepared for the question.

"What?"

How many children have I killed? Who were they? When did I last kill any?

She swallowed, trying to get her mind to draw up the details. "I- I can't quite remember-"

But you're the consort of the ruler of this kingdom. You should know, shouldn't you? If there was such a danger as I in your kingdom, how did I get to your room so easily?

Her head spun in confusion. "You're trying to deceive me-"

Do you remember the day you married your so-called Wolf Lord?

"Of course!"

Was it raining or sunny? Did your family attend? What food was served? Your children - what were their first words? Their favourite pets? The names of their nurses and teachers?

"I-" She tried to recall, but it was a jumble- she was scared, that was it... "You're trying to confuse me-"

No, I'm trying to free you. The Djinn's illusions are paper-thin, and not strong enough to stand long on their own when another enters. He drew closer to her, the touch of his words in her mind as soft and gentle as a feather. Samantha, as wonderful as this might seem to you, it is not real. And you deserve better.

"I-" Almost desperately she tried to cling onto reality: Fenris, Freya, Loki, their home, their land... But it was all slipping away, like sand between her fingers...

Oh God, the Devil was right...

She fell to her knees and wept like a baby.

Before her, the Devil knelt and took her in his arms, holding her, making low, comforting sounds, as she buried her face in the warm, soft fur of his chest.