William's jaw tensed. "So you thought you would take on two wolves yourself? What were you thinking, Doris!"
"I didn't have time to warn you about them-"
"I don't care if you don't have time!" William shouted. Doris flinched. How could he be mad at her? She just saved him! How dare he even raise his voice!
"I don't regret what I did. It's pointless to make me try." Doris lifted her chin. Here, he was just a man. There was no crown on his head or authority behind his words. Inside she knew she would always be a maid, but she was not about to be talked down to for saving him.
William stared at her for a second that turned to minutes. She refused to break eye contact, she would not back down this time. William took a step towards her but she stayed right where she was. He took another as if to test her. She gave him a look that almost dared him to come closer. She should have known that he was never one to turn down a challenge.
William crossed the room in three long strides and gathered her up in his arms. She didn't get a chance to gasp before his mouth was on hers. He kissed her as if he was angry and wanted her to know it. Doris felt like a rush had woken her up. She closed her eyes and kissed him back despite the warning that blared in her head.
He lifted her a bit off her feet and pressed her harder against him. She gripped the fabric at his shoulders and moaned against his mouth. William made a strangled sound in the back of his throat before he pressed her up against the wall. His hands burned her where he touched. Gripping her waist with a sense of ownership as he held them against his own to show her exactly how she made him feel. She'd never made a man act like this before-
A wild, uncontrollable side of her wanted more from him. It rose up inside her body and tried to come to light and she knew it was her wolf that pulled the tight strings to enhance every second his mouth devoured hers. She should stop, she knew she should but she didn't want to. No part of her wanted to push away from him.
His tongue slid between her lips and fought for dominance inside her mouth against her own. She moved her hands up to run her fingers through his black hair that felt like silk in her grasp. How many times had she itched to do just that? It almost made her melt in his arms-she was only glad he was holding her up right.
His large hand gripped her thigh and hiked her legs up around his waist so he could kiss her better. She gasped as he held her up with one arm and forced her mouth back to his own with the other. Her mind turned dizzy with a confusing desire-what was she doing?
The thought left her head the second he bit down on her lip. She suddenly wanted all of him at once-every piece of him as her own and she didn't care what he did to her after-
A knock broke them apart like shattering glass. He set her down instantly and moved several feet away from her as if he would rather be caught dead than be caught holding her like that. Doris stumbled a little and gripped the wall to right herself. Her vision grew blurry, she swallowed her shame and straightened her clothes.
What... what on earth had gotten into her? How could she allow him to kiss her like she was just another one of his lovers? Look what he had done-
Why didn't she want him to stop?
William caught his breath and went to open the door without another glance at her. Enzo stood with an expression that turned from serious, to almost instantly amused as he took in the disheveled state he was in.
"Oh, am I interrupting something?" Enzo peered over William's shoulder to see Doris. She smoothed out her hair but the damage was already done. Now everyone would think they were lovers if they didn't already.
"No, no. Of course not!" Doris said. William threw a look over his shoulder at her that she couldn't quite catch. "What is it?"
Enzo laughed and pushed by William to enter her room. William glared at his back as he closed the door. "I wanted to see if you two were okay after what happened. Clearly all seems well in this cabin." He eyed Doris's side where blood was still dripping. It was odd, it was like she couldn't feel it at all.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine." Doris tried to cover her wound. Enzo stopped her.
"May I see it?"
"I was just about to tend to it." William cut in. "You don't have to look at it. It will be fine."
Enzo lifted his hands and stepped away from her. "Alright. I wanted to apologize for what happened out there. The men have come clean about their drunken mistakes and I will have to decide a punishment for them."
"Their punishment should be death." William growled. "He could have killed her! They tried to kill a prince from the kingdom. They must have been really wasted to think it would have worked."
"I assure you that they could barely stand. Their judgements should have no weight on this village." Enzo looked William over. "Did they hurt you?"
William rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "No. Who's to say they won't try again? What if they go after Doris next?"
"If they did they know what the consequences would be. They don't want to be the next prey in our hunt."
William didn't look the least bit satisfied. In fact, he only looked more angry. She wouldn't have been surprised if he went out to deal with them himself like he did to all the others that wronged them. "Get out. I need to fix her wound before she bleeds all over the place."
Enzo nodded. "Yes, I heard applying pressure helps. If not, try more kisses." He winked at Doris before he went for the door. "Not everyone here thinks as they do. I, for one, am proud of how strong Doris has become. I almost couldn't believe it was her until I saw you go feral." Enzo laughed as he slammed the door behind him.
Doris blushed a little. William went to lock the door the second he was gone. "Lay on the bed." He grumbled.
Doris touched her side and felt how soaked her sweater had become. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to have let him manhandle her while she was injured. Still, it was like she couldn't feel a thing except a distant ache deep inside her.
Was it because it was Cordelia's injury?
Doris laid on the bed carefully. William came out of the bathroom with a towel and warm water. He didn't ask permission as he rolled up her ruined sweater to observe the wound. She shouldn't blush, blood covered most of her exposed skin but she couldn't help it. Her lips tingled, she bit her bottom lip just to try and stop her mind from replaying what it felt like to be kissed by him.
"Does it hurt?" He asked as he gently wiped away her blood.
"No, it's more like a distant pain. I can feel it, but not like I should be."
"It happens when your wolf gets injured. You're bleeding, but she's feeling it."
Doris blinked. Was that why her wolf had been so quiet? She swore her wolf ignited the kiss for her-didn't she?
Or was it Doris who wanted it more than she thought was possible?
She pushed away her thoughts. "Will she be okay? What should I do?"
"You'll both be fine. It's already closing up and should heal within the hour." William leaned closer, she held her breath as his fingers trailed along her bare skin.
"Thank you." Doris whispered. He placed a long bandage over her wound and tossed the bloody towel in the corner. "Can I ask you something?"
William shrugged and went to start a fire. Doris sat up and pulled her shirt down. "Why did you spit at me when you first kissed me?"
He must have heard the hurt in her voice. He turned to look at her with his hard expression dimming. "I knew you despised me. I could taste it on you."
"You are the one that has been filled with hatred-"
"You froze up the second I touched you. I knew you didn't want it." William stood and threw the log in the fire. "You've never wanted anything from me."
Doris stood. "I was shocked, William-It wasn't hatred."
William shrugged again and she wanted to smack him in the face for always being so emotionless. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to center herself. When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"