WitchofArundaleHall by Jennifer Leeland

Hadn’t she seen it happen?
    Even as his mouth traveled over her skin, nipping at her
neck, his grip bruising, she struggled. She could not allow him to control her
with this…this obsession. Her body was on fire, wanting those things that
appalled and frightened her. She wanted him to strip her, strike her as he had
before, bind her to the bed and fill her with his cock.
    “No,” she cried, and pushed him away. No. She could not do
this. If he had her again, touched her body with the rough caresses she craved,
she would never leave him. She would beg him to do the very thing that would
trap them both in a dismal future.
    “You only wish to addle my thoughts so I’ll give in to your
lust and you can Claim me.”
    His eyes narrowed, the dangerous luminous blue revealing the
beast beneath. “I gave you my word.”
    Her resistance weakened. She had to keep him from touching
her. “Your word,” she said, putting every ounce of contempt into her tone that
she could, “why should I take your word?”
    He had not moved from where she had shoved him, his face
pinched with unspoken pain and his fist clenched. The luminous blue shade was
gone and the gray, hurt-filled gaze only wrenched her heart more.
    “Have I been that unreliable, then?”
    It had to be done. She could not trust herself with him and
had to drive him from her. “Do you think I don’t know you? You’ve been a
wastrel, a drinker. You allowed Elizabeth to support you. And now, after six
months, I’m to believe you’ve changed?” Sarah’s heart shattered as she noted
the way he flinched at her accusations, but it was for the best. “I have
married you as you insisted but that is all.”
    The silence between them was painful. He was still, as if
frozen. When he spoke, his words were slow and careful. “That is all? You are
my mate. Do you deny it?”
    “I deny anything so barbaric.” She inhaled a sharp breath at
the defeated, hurt expression that flitted across his face and was gone.
    Stiffly he bowed at the waist. “As you wish.”
    “Perry,” she said, trying to heal the hurt she knew she’d
caused. “We mustn’t yield to temptation.”
    His gaze narrowed. “You are my wife.”
    “You cannot promise me you will not Claim me. If you touch
me—” She would surrender. Couldn’t he see that? No. All he could see was that
she wouldn’t let him have her.
    “You make no sense. I can see that you want me,” he said
arrogantly, and reached for her.
    She darted away from him and winced at the shock on his
face. “Lady North said—”
    “She’s a liar.”
    “Will you take that chance? If I submit to your lust and I
am unable to break the curse, then—” She didn’t want to say the words.
    “What? Is it so horrible to be mated to a man who carries a
beast beneath the surface that you would rather break the curse than be with
me?” He clearly didn’t understand.
    “There’s more at stake than our lust, Perry.” She inhaled
deeply and spoke. “I can’t do this. Any child I bear will die.”
    “I promised I would not Claim you. Without my seed you won’t
get with child.” He lifted an eyebrow mockingly. “You do know where babies come
from, don’t you?”
    “Lady North said—”
    Perry threw up his hands. “Why do you believe anything she
says? Is that woman to control everything, including my bedchamber?”
    “She showed me copies of scrolls from Bayeux. That’s why I
must go there to see them. That’s why—”
    “None of this explains why I am not bedding you on our
wedding night,” he interrupted her in a flat tone.
    “I cannot take that risk.” She knew he would never
understand how important it was for them both that she resist.
    The harsh expression on his face made her despair. His tone
was expressionless. “So you don’t believe me.”
    How could she deny it? She trusted him but the beast beneath
was unpredictable. “Can’t we remain friends? Can’t we—”
    She stopped at the steady, numb-looking