Ouch. That was my first thought upon waking up. My head throbbed.I was on the back of a horse. Strung over it and tied at my ankles and wrists. I recognized the mount as the one that had been friendly enough to tolerate me before.A nice horse really.My head was humming. And I could see a bit of blood on my shoulder from where my head had seeped.They’d hit me with a rock. That much was clear.I lifted my head as much as the pain would allow and saw that we were surrounded by more horses. At least two skins rode horses nearby.“Why did she send them?” Verias was asking his brother.“She didn’t trust we’d bring her back.” Reimus said from next to me. Nodding toward me, I assumed.“I don’t want to give her to the woman.” Verias said.“I, neither.”“How are we going to get rid of the Skins?” Verias whispered.“We’ll have to kill them when we get a bit closer. Right now we need to keep moving as far away from the Pyre Army as we can. Soon as the horse’s have rested a bit more, we’ll run
The mage lifted through the water. His long hair draping his face and over his shoulders as his watery frame lifted from the water.Brown and clear water rolled down over him, completely outlining his shimmering frame. He swung his arms and created a strange whirlwind which created a dust storm from the dirt around us, sweeping it up between the Feral Fey and I in a way I could escape them.“Come to me, Spark. I will tend you, keep you! Come to me!” He pleaded. Reaching out toward me.I just barely ducked his reach. “Orin, no!”I dodged another hand trying to grasp me as I fled from his reach.“Come back, Spark. I’ve missed you…” I knew that haunting note in his voice. Knew that he was every bit as bad as the King Eternus.Except I have been in Orin’s dungeon. His plaything for nearly a fortnight.“Orin, don’t!” I’d gone from the pan to the fire. Now he was intent on driving me back into his clutches.Into that trough.***Orin sent up a wall of water next to me to cut off my way to t
Catching one of her black ringlets, Kareni wound it around her finger thoughtfully. Wrapping her other arm beneath bountiful breasts. The dark ebony hue of her shining skin drawing attention to the tops of the globes which nearly spilled from the loose bodice of her dress. “I must admit, I can see why Orin was fascinated with you, perhaps not why obsessed…But interested…”“I don’t want Orin, Kareni.”“You were his lover.”I sneered at the word. Couldn’t be further from the truth.“I wasn’t his lover. I was his prisoner.”“You are all he speaks of.”“That is not my doing.”“You are all he desires. He can no longer attain his passions with me. He must have skinnier girls with pale flesh.” She purred. “Ones that he can imagine are you.”“Again. Not my doing.”“Wouldn’t it be nice if you could return things to the way they were. Between he and I.”“I know you loved him.”“Yes, you did.”“I thought he was my friend.”“Until he took you captive?” She said a bit askance.“That is generally t
Goblins. I winced.I silenced but gave her a defiant look.Her dark brown eyes slid down to my lips just above my small pointed chin. She lowered hers to them and pressed her mouth to mine. Caressing her lips over mine.“Mmm. You do taste as sweet as the rumors say.” She crooned. “And I can feel the heat of you, the light when I close my eyes, from just being near you. You are indeed, intoxicating.”I blinked at her. Sighing heavily. Great.“I will let him have you. But after, I will come to fetch my own taste of the pretty Spark.” She reached to slap the top of one bobbing breast.I hissed at the sharp flicker of pain. “Now wash those pretty parts for him, My Dear.”She pointed beneath the water.Closing my eyes in mortification, I took the rag she offered to me in her other hand. Wondering where it had been before, I tried not to think about it as I washed myself.“Why do you keep doing that.” She pointed to my left hand which was still spinning lazy circles in the water.“To keep t
Kareni’s temporary kindness had been a nice reprieve.It’d bordered on tender.For whatever reason.I now found myself standing naked before her, while she worked a horse hair brush through my hip length strands. Working them until they were straight and shimmering.“Quite pretty when it’s clean. But you, you’re a mess.” She was leaned over looking at the side of one of my thighs. “You are quite literally covered in bruises.”“More often than not.” I stared forward.“We could powder those, I suppose. But not much point, it’ll be dark enough by the time you’re readied for him that there won’t be much light for him to see.”“Thank goodness for that.” I said dryly. Not much caring what he did or didn’t see. I’d become pretty desensitized to the idea of that a long time ago.More men in this country have seen me naked, than those that haven’t. I suspected.“Do you know who Archer Gray is?”“Yes.” I subsided. Very afraid that I now knew who my client would be.Archer found me?I couldn’t i
I caught the faint white of pale hair in the dark. I swallowed hard.Did Kareni lie to me?I felt the bed dip and knew a man crawled into it with me.He hadn’t spoken.I don’t know who he is.He’s going to be inside me. I at least want to know who he is!It was probably a dumb thought. But it was even more terrifying to know what I was going to deal with very soon and not having any idea what he even looked like.I suppose in some ways I tended to gauge how cruel or violent someone might be by how they looked. How unkempt their hair was, how thin their lips were, how many teeth they had. Many of those traits could indicate someone was extremely ruthless.But I was soon to discover that this man was more ruthless than them.My mouth was dry, and my body was shaking. I found myself instinctively rolling away from him and scooting to the far edge of the bed. As though that might save me.I suppose it was my great hope that it was someone kind, perhaps someone I knew, that drove me to ask
I vividly recalled the moment, lying in the grass that he’d told me that.The sunlight had shown on his beautiful gold skin. Highlighting over his white-blond hair. Glistening in those vibrant blue eyes. So dark I almost found myself mesmerized. His square jaw and lean features making him seem like some beautiful statue.We’d just made love for the first time in the soft green grass. Wispy strands danced between us and around us. Flattened under me. My skin still rosy from his touch and kisses. A sheen of sweat still gleaming on his forehead. And a contentment in his eyes that I’d never seen before.He’s always so active.To see him so relaxed seemed uncommonly rare.He plucked a long strand of soft grass to trail it over my brow and down my cheek. Draping it more lingeringly over my lips in a way that had me parting them and breathing more deeply.“So beautiful. Like something contrived from my wildest fantasy.”“Is that what I am? Your fantasy?” I asked nervously. Already wondering
I clambered out of the window and saw a lower roof off to the side. I stared at it in appall. Already hearing the tearing of my fine pink dress.Wouldn’t Kareni be pissed.I felt some kind of evil glee in knowing that. Giving a long, disgruntled, sigh I began my efforts to get over to that lower roof. I swung out a stockinged foot. Catching the top of it with my toes I fumbled to get footing. Dangling from thew windowsill by my finger. Huffing in aggravation I struggled to reach. Making slow progress I inched my foot up on it. Before swinging the rest of my weight over and landing on it. Teetering forward and back over the edge of the roof before managing to balance above it. I whooshed a long grateful breath and cast an appreciative look Heavenward before walking the edge of that roof to find the best way down. Seeing a small balcony below one side, I swung down on that.Further tearing the dress so it was ripped up to my hip and one of the sleeves was nearly shredded through.Dammit