Edmund

She really cleans up nicely, almost too nicely. I had trouble keeping my eyes on her face. Her damp hair clung to the sides of her face, and loose tendrils hung heavily down over her shoulders. She suddenly became a very disruptive distraction. I openly admired her, she had curves in all the right places and full breasts that would fit perfectly in my palms, and mouth for that matter. Even under the black velvet I could see her nipples poke at the fabric. The dress was long enough to cover her feet, and for a moment I really wanted to see her legs, run my hands over her calves and up her thighs. Forcing my attention back to her face, I was relieved to find her toying with her sleeve.

“Would you like something to eat or drink?”

She raised her eyes and tilted her head slightly and I could see she was chewing the inside of her cheek, “You haven’t eaten a proper meal for some time and you need your strength.”

The rumble from her tummy confirmed it and with a click of my fingers one of the servants appeared beside me, carrying a tray with food and fresh water.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You are,” without waiting for her to invite me in, I stepped closer and then only she stepped aside and let me into the room and the smell of lavender hung heavily in the air.

“I told you I’m not hungry,” she was quite the determined one.

“Well I am hungry so if you don’t mind, I’ll just help myself,” I lifted the lid off the plate and picked at a ripe cherry tomato, popping it into my mouth. “You know very well that out there, there is no such luxury as growing fresh fruit and vegetables. As far as I am led to believe, the food sources are almost completely depleted, and so is the water,” I lifted the glass of water and held it out to her. She hesitated at first and then took the glass, but before she took a sip, she sniffed at it.

“A dash of lemon, try it,” watching her take her first sip of water was quite something.

At first it was just a small sip, then a bigger one, until she tilted the full glass and downed the contents eagerly. When she finally pulled the glass away from her lips she looked apologetic, and for a brief moment a smile tugged at her lips, before her old mask of distrust came down again.

“Thank you, but why is it that you have fresh water? Surely if anyone finds out they will all head here and before you know it, these walls would be torn down and destroyed.”

Clever witch, at this rate I will not need to explain anything to her.

“That is true, but the compound is heavily guarded and not easy to find,” I reached for one of the peaches and handed it to her, this time she accepted it without question. What a colossal mistake that was, as she bit into it, its juices ran down over her chin and droplets fell on her chest and ran down between her breasts. What was it with this woman? The most insignificant things about her are also the most magnetic. Everything she did drew my attention.

She must have noticed me staring and she quickly stopped chewing. From where I stood I could hear her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Her reaction towards me was the same, which I found strange since she was a witch. Yet against my better judgement, and the laws of our kind, I reached for the half-eaten peach and placed it back on the plate then pulled her against me.

“What power do you hold over me?” her violet eyes and raven black hair captivated me and the full blush that now shaded her cheeks replaced her pale complexion.

“I-I don’t know what you mean? You know my magic is useless in this place,” she was right, it was, so if she wasn’t using magic then what was it?

I had no clue, but right now I didn’t care. I lowered my lips to hers.

“Major…” she whispered, and I felt the need to correct her, here and now, I was a man without status. I was no Major and I was no Prince. We were two separate forces of nature about to collide and there was no stopping that fact.

“Edmund,” my lips brushed the corner of her mouth, “call me Edmund.”

Whether she wanted to say my name or not, it was too late, I already tasted her lips; it was sweet with a hint of lemon and peach. Like some aphrodisiac yet to be discovered, I lost nearly all control.

Her lips parted willingly and I explored the confines of her mouth with my tongue, and she met me all the same. Raising my leg between hers, I backed her up against the nearest wall. Her breathing was getting heavier and her body responded to my touch as I ran my hands down over her sides. I wanted to pull this dress off and admire her body more than anything, but I had to hold back. The last thing I wanted was to scare her. As it was, my inner beast was starting to surface, and I had no idea how long I would be able to control him.

The space between our bodies was still, like chasm we needed to cross over, it felt like my soul wanted to merge with hers. What was going on? Why was I feeling this strong attraction towards a woman I should have no feelings or desires for? The questions were endless, but my beast was determined.

I dragged my lips away from hers and she tilted her head to the side, her hands were resting just over my heart, and if I didn’t know better I would have thought to be bewitched.

“Edmund, what’s happening…?” I heard her whisper breathlessly, but even that did not quite register. All I wanted was this. Sliding my lips along her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat and I felt her pulse quicken. The rush of her blood and the beating of her heart drowned out any other sounds. I tried to fight it, but the urge to taste her was slowly overpowering my common sense. And before I could stop myself, my canines extended and sliced into her skin. It was a mere scratch, but the moment I did that, she shoved at my chest and pushed me away from her.

“No! What are you doing?” she whispered huskily as she covered the slight scar on her neck.

But the taste of her blood was already on my tongue, and realization swept over me like an avalanche. She was more than just a witch, she was my mate.

“You’re blood…” without giving her a chance to escape I spun her around and pressed her up against the wall and roughly pulled her dress up.

“What the hell! Get away from me!” she shouted and struggled against my grip, but I had to see it for myself. And as I dragged the dress up and over her ass, my suspicions were confirmed, the royal birthmark was imprinted like a tattoo on her lower back.

Without a word I stormed out of her room, I had to consult with the elders and get their take on this, if she was even partly bear, it would mean that I finally found my mate. And that would mean I would take my rightful place on the thrown as the ruler of my kind.