Mark of the Damned | 18+

Warm With You

He looks past Cooper, directly into my eyes. "You've got such a delicate neck." When he steps forward, his arm outstretched, a deep, angry growl stops him.

My mouth drops open as I watch the muscles in Cooper's back shake. He rolls his neck, then his spine ripples. It's happening again. Bones snap and break, the cracking is so loud and horrible that I press my hands to my ears.

When I peek my eyes open, the wolf is back, standing in front of me, his body hunched defensively, ready to strike. Captain Cormac steps back, his eyes wild and angry.

"Silver!" His nostrils flare, and his face contorts with rage. "What the fuck are you doing? All this for a girl?"

The wolf steps forward, a low rumbling sound coming out of him, like waves in the air. They dance around the cabin, Captain Cormac steps back, Cooper steps forward, they mirror each other's movements across the cabin.

The rest of the crew, bloodied and bruised from fighting earlier, watches on in stunned horror.

"She'll run to the constable as soon as her feet touch ground in the next port! We don't know her, we can't trust her! This is about your family, son." I can still see his seething anger as he tries to reason with the wolf.

Cooper lunges forward, snapping at the captain with exposed teeth.

"Have it your way," he kicks at the wolf as he reaches the door to his quarters. "When we're hanged in chains for all to spit on as we rot, remember this moment." When his door slams shut, I heave a sigh of relief.

In an instant, the wolf is by my side, biting into my skirt as he pulls me toward my quarters.

"I'll go," I try to yank my skirt away, but he doesn't let go until I'm inside.

When I'm alone, I sit on my hammock, staring at the small punctures in my skirt. I thought they turned on a full moon. It's daytime and definitely not a full moon.

A warm spot radiates from my chest and grows until it spreads throughout my whole body. He was going to fight his father to protect me.

The sun rises higher in the sky, morning fading to afternoon. I'm not sure if I should make the midday meal. I'm equally afraid of the crew attempting to harm me and Cooper's reaction if he catches me in the galley.

The door opening suddenly startles me until I realize that it's him. He's wet, soaked from head to toe. His pants hang lowly on his hips, and his hand brushes his wet hair back away from his face. I feel fluttery and hot as I watch droplets roll down his chest.

"We were cursed by the Moon Goddess." The rasp in his voice makes me feel a strange pressure in my stomach.

"Why?" My throat is so dry that I can hardly manage a whisper.

"We stole a bone from her grave. Ever since then, on a full moon, we turn into wolves."

"She died?" I thought a goddess couldn't die.

"Her physical body died. And it's buried on an island off Spain. We have to go to Portugal to get the bone back from the witch." He runs his hands through his hair again, tugging at it.

"What witch?"

"A witch hired us to retrieve a bone from the moon goddess. She believed it would give her the power of immortality. We stole the bone five months ago. The moment the old hag handed us the money, everything changed."

"O-Oh," I can't think of a single thing to say.

He takes a step toward me, his eyes searing into mine. My feet dangle above the ground, as I sit. I wish I was standing also, that I was able to take a step toward him too.

Turning on his heels, he stomps toward the door, opening it and slamming it closed before it's even caught up in my brain that he's leaving. My fingers knot together in my lap. I don't know why I feel so disappointed. Sometimes when he looks at me, I think he might be feeling what I'm feeling. But he always walks away.

Letting go of my frustrations in a sigh, I jump down. I need to feed the crew.

Before I can reach the door, it's open again. He walks in without hesitation or doubt and grabs me, pulling my chest to his. With one arm holding me up, the other comes into my hair, gripping my neck. Pushing my head forward, he slams his mouth down on mine. His lips are so perfectly soft, and his skin tastes faintly of salt.

One moment ago, I had never been kissed. Now, he's moving his mouth against mine, coaxing me to move along with him.

My hands burn, aching to touch him as I bring them up to his neck, holding onto him as he makes a quiet, pleasured sound, a small moan, into my mouth. I've never heard anything like it. I want to hear it again.

Trailing my eager fingers up, I touch his cheek.

There it is again, that sound.

It makes a fluttering heartbeat throb between my legs. Before I can stop it, a sound, just like his, slips past my lips, and he swallows it down. A lower, deeper, more desperate noise rumbles in his chest as he presses me into the wall with more force.

I can't think of anything beyond this. I'm sure I'm not even breathing. It's so much more than I ever expected.

They always tell young girls that the best gift we can hope for is a true love's kiss. I always wanted it, and I longed to find it. I realize now that up until this very moment, I had no idea what it was that I was looking for.

This is so much more.

"Cooper," I whimper, and he freezes. Without warning, he sets me down, pulling his mouth from mine, and leaves the room without so much as a word or a glance.

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