Once Upon a Nightmare: A Monster Anthology
Author: L. K. Reid; Salem Sinclair; Lea Jade; Quirah Casey; Selena Michaels; M. Bonnet; Y. D. La Mar; Tia Fanning; January Rayne; Dani Carr
Date: 2022-10-14 07:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Anthologies
Description: Wait, what was that sound? That one. There. There it is again. It's getting closer. Your pulse is racing, but you don't want to hide. You don't want the safe enclosure of some secret space, no. The rough bark of a tree at your back, the sudden embrace of the ground, or the soft metallic ring of sacrificial shackles - that's more your style. And they know it. These nightmarish monsters are bringing delicious dread to the bedroom with 12 tales of lustful encounters that will haunt the night with heat. Get ready to run with the bulls, tangle with tentacles, and take your tempting chances with sha
Publisher: Ever Witch Publishing

Copyright © 2022 Dani Carr and Tia Fanning, January Rayne, L.K. Reid, Lea Jade, Maeve Black, Maggie Bennet, Quirah Casey, Salem Sinclair, Selena Michaels, YD La Mar

All rights reserved to and/or involving this work as the authors. This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people either living or dead, or events is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical, including information storage and retrieval systems, now known or hereinafter invented, without written permissions from the author, except for brief quotations in book reviews.

The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows, and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

Cover Design: Atlantis Book Design

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Copyright

Foreword

Bad to the Bone

Salem Sinclair

Delectable Soul

Maggie Bennet

Hexed and Hellbound

January Rayne

Monsters Captivated

Quirah Casey

My Monster

Maeve Black

Once Upon A Slither

Dani Carr & Tia Fanning

Ruthless Monster

Selena Michaels

Songs of Wrath

Lea Jade

The Crimson Throne

L.K. Reid

The Hunger of Thieves

YD La Mar

“I’m every nightmare you’ve ever had.

I am your worst dream come true.

I am everything you were afraid of!”

—

STEPHEN KING, IT

“I am your worst nightmare, and your wildest dream.”

—

SONYA CHLOE

BAD TO THE BONE

salem sinclair

BLURB

Every year at harvest’s end, Samhain is celebrated in the town of Grimlake. On the night when the veil
between worlds is thinnest, a powerful mage returns to the plane of the living.

With a magical core that is restored by sexual energy, the Lich spends his days in the human realm
focused solely on regaining strength…

By plundering his chosen maiden.

Will three days of unending, unceasing pleasure be enough to restore this Lich back to his former glory?

CONTENT WARNING

There is no plot.

It’s just smut.

Orgasm denial caused by a binding spell, binding, blood bonds, sex to gain power, blood play, face
sitting, gang bang,, blindfolds, belly bulging, knotting, water sports.

Author’s Note:

I fully blame my love of the Skullduggery Pleasant series for this. Skullduggery is HAWT, even being just a
bag of bones.

CHAPTER ONE

“can i breathe, can i love for you?”

mj cole & freya, waking up

If there was one holiday that the village of Grimlake went all-out for, it was Samhain.

A gigantic bonfire burned at the city’s center, nestled in between where the town’s buildings bled into fields and forest. For at Grimlake’s heart, lay the Wyldwood, the magical gateway between our world and the Other.

On this night, at the end of harvest season, where the moon spooked the sun from the sky earlier than usual, the veil between the living and the dead was thin.

For such this reason, Callahan Campbell waited just beyond the glow of the fire, hidden in the shadows.

The warmth of the blaze tickled her cheeks, even nestled into the forest’s edge as she was. Druids and ghouls danced merrily around the open flames, their nude bodies glistening in the flickering light. Orcs pounded a heavy, sensuous beat on thick drums, the deep pulse matching the heavy thump of her heart.

Slaughtered cattle hung from numerous posts, the town’s sacrifices to appease the dead. Below the cows sat pails full of freshly drained blood, a delicious treat for the ghouls dipping their spindly fingers into the thick mess. A family of Pukah sat in a circle around the day’s final harvest, picking and plucking out the wheat stalks of their choosing as various Sidh glided around feast tables, refilling their mugs of mead, or adding heaping piles of spiced vegetables and sweetened fruit tarts to their plates. A tall, horned creature with skin and fur the color of coal was twirling a full-figured woman around the flames, her crimson hair flashing in the firelight.

The three-day festival was off to a raucous start, and Callahan was pleased by the amount of booze flowing between monsters and humans alike, as it meant no one noticed her…or her companion.

Leaning her head back against the rough bark of the tree, Callahan slammed a hand over her mouth when a moan tried to escape. Her dress was pulled up around her waist, panties dangling from the ankle currently wrapped around the Lich’s head.

“Ederic!” she gasped, body alight with the pleasure surging through her veins as the bones of his teeth, unhindered by the trappings of lips, rubbed roughly against her clit.

For an undead mage that lacked a tongue, Ederic was wondrously skilled at oral sex.

His fingers, skeletal and thin, tickled up the back of her thick thighs before digging in and roughly kneading the skin just below her ass. The aggressive gesture caused her hips to jerk harshly against his mouth.

A growl rumbled out from Ederic’s chest at the movement, and he pressed his teeth harder against her nub, gaping his mouth open so her clit glanced off his bottom and top rows of smooth, bony incisors.

In the dark, she could barely make out the ivory coloring of his skull, but she could feel his gaze on her like a beautiful, suffocating weight. One of her hands reached down, grasping for him, and landed on a thin, cloth-covered clavicle.

In clothes, she knew he looked like a full-bodied man, as though the magic that made him alive—well, as alive as a skeleton could be—also wanted him to be able to pass as real. His body was lithe in the lines of his suit, appearing muscular and trim, but beneath the suit lay little more than bone. No meat, no muscle, no organs—just a skeleton, held together by magic and sheer force of will on Ederic’s part.

He had died more than a century ago, grievously murdered by a serial killing wizard. However, after his burial, his spirit refused to move on—too angry at his death, too unfulfilled in his life—and after decades of wandering between the veils, he had gathered enough of his waning power to reanimate himself.

The passing of time beyond the veil was not the same, Ederic had once told me, as it is on the earthly plain. When he had brought himself back to life, he was expecting to be a full man, or at the very least, something human-adjacent.

But his human form had withered away beneath time and dirt, leaving little more than a skeleton behind. Due to this, he spent his time in the human world gathering more energy so that eventually, necromancer magic could bring him back fully. He returned to the world during the three-day festival of Samhain, when crossing into the world of the living wouldn’t expend too much of his reserve, and during those days, he worked toward building his magic…

By bringing Callahan to numerous blinding and dazzling orgasms.

Such was her good fortune that Ederic’s specialty lay in aponia, a form of succubus energy that mages could channel into power. He feasted upon her pleasure, drinking in every single drop from each fantastic climax he brought her to.

She was so close to coming undone again that her thighs trembled around his head.

It had been over a decade since Ederic picked her to be his sacrifice; to be the maiden that he would sully and use, endlessly, for the three-day festivities of Samhain, and Callahan still wasn’t accustomed to the blinding pleasure. Part of their bargain, made on parchment and solidified through blood all those years ago, required that she remained chaste until the calendar wheel rolled back onto the harvest’s end celebration. Only then could she relinquish control of her carnal bliss and fall into the pleasure at the hands of Ederic.

The binding spell placed upon her body meant that even she could not bring herself to climax. On some nights, when the moon was high in the sky and her desperation was out of control, Callahan would ride her pillow, the couch’s arm, the table corner—anything and everything she could, just trying to wrest an orgasm free, but always without completion. Always without success.

The terrible wanting made her ache.

She could feel the pleasure, she could build it up to an overpowering, cresting wave, but never breach that shining end.

So, tonight, when Ederic’s tall, slender body glided out of the Wyldwood portal, she rushed over to him, the crown of sunflowers upon her head nearly slipping out from her speed, before she grasped his spindly hand and led him into the shadowy woods to help sate her need. The Lich had just chuckled darkly at her actions, even as he followed along with her tugging.

She had barely managed a gasped out “hello” before she was hauling up the skirt of her thin, white dress over her generous hips and pleading with him to help her, to fuck her, to squelch the rioting embers of arousal that had been burning through her all year. And lucky for Callahan, Ederic was eager to oblige to her demands.

His skilled fingers and the deft movements of his teeth against her swollen nub had already wrought three orgasms from her shaking body, yet still she craved more. That fourth release was building low in her belly. A shimmering, shining edge of bliss so close she could nearly taste it.

Slamming her head back against the tree supporting her, she grasped for the undead mage’s head, fingers scrabbling over the smoothness of the bones before she was able to link her fingers behind the round base of his skull. She drew him so deep onto her cunt that if he required air to survive, he would have likely suffocated. The press of his teeth was so intense it was nearly painful, but she continued to rock her hips, chasing that glimmering end.

With a quick movement, Ederic tucked his hands around the back of her thighs and yanked, hard, until she fell onto him as he lay down in the dead leaves covering the forest floor. On all fours, her cunt still pressed tightly against his face, the Lich took control of the grinding rhythm of her hips with a firm hold against her plush rear.

“Fuck my mouth, sweet maiden,” Ederic growled, words barely audible against the wet flesh of her center. “Come against my face. Let me eat you up.”

Gravity forced the weight of her body onto him and she leaned into it, sitting up fully until her thighs were spread wide by his head and her pulsating clit was pushed so firmly against his face that it caused an ache to spring up. Callahan knew, without a doubt, that she would feel this bruising pressure for days and smiled at that thought, nearly laughing, as she was delirious with the delicious feelings coursing through her. She could force all her weight upon his face without fear of hurting him and it made their joining all the sweeter for her.

Reaching up, she tugged the elastic band of her dress down, exposing her bare breasts to the cool night air. She rolled and tugged at her nipples in turn, rocking her hips even harder. Biting her lip, she gazed out beyond the sheltering shadows of the woods, into the glow of the firelight, and took in the sight of numerous couples locked together in passionate embraces. Just beyond the tree line was an orc, appearing the color of granite in the orange light, thrusting roughly against a tiny-bodied Sidhe. The orc held her entire weight in his palms as he forced her up and down along his ample erection. With every downward thrust, the Sidhe’s belly bulged out, full of cock. The filthy sight and whining, keening noises the well-fucked Sidhe made had Callahan’s mouth drooling as her core clenched around nothing.

Callahan glanced down, watching Ederic’s head reappear and disappear beyond the curve of her tummy in delight. He was mumbling something against her cunt feverishly, reverently, and the movement of his teeth sparked a new sensation. Something so delicious that is shot sparks up her spine.

“Oh!” she cried out, nearly in unison with the Sidhe, who was reaching her climax as well. “Oh gods, oh fuck. Yes, yes!”

Her climax blazed through her, so hot and powerful she was unsure how she wasn’t lit aflame. As she wailed her bliss, she caught sight of the Orc and Sidhe peering her way, and she locked eyes with the male monster for a split second before another wave of pleasure washed through her, causing her eyes to slam shut. Her body unlocked from its joyous stiffening and Callahan fell forward onto her palms, ample chest heaving.

She shuddered from sensitivity as she crawled forward, dragging her swollen, wet pussy across Ederic’s face until he was free to sit up. Exhausted, she collapsed down into the browning leaves, uncaring that her skirt was trapped under her hips or that her tits were still exposed. She gazed at Ederic as he crawled over her, taking in glistening on his face, soaked from her release.

A drowsy smile appeared on her face as she reached a hand up lazily, stroking a fingertip along the sharp, angled line of his jaw. The Lich leaned down, so close she could smell herself on him, and then his mouth was gaping open wide, jaw snapping open with a click as it became unhinged—all the better to swallow down her pleasure. With a deep inhale, Ederic began drinking in the magic she created from her orgasm. It was nearly colorless, just a glimmer in the air, almost akin the a mirage; it distorted her view of him for a moment, made his appearance hazy, before his jaw was snapping closed again and it was done with.

For now.

Because all though he had soaked up four of her climaxes already, Callahan knew that her night was not nearly complete. She had hours of endless gratification awaiting her and after a year of denial, she was more than ready.

CHAPTER TWO

“hear the serpent, it calls me.”

lana lubany, the snake

10 years ago

Living in Grimlake was akin to living in a different universe, Callahan decided, as she strolled down the cobblestone path. She had moved here only two weeks ago, after accepting a position as a historical archivist for their local museum, Monstrum; and while she had been aware of monsters, she had never had up close and personal contact with them...until now.

She gazed at the various creatures and humans traveling in packs of twos and threes as they headed toward the town center. It was the first day of the Samhain celebration, and Grimlake was dressed to the nines. Swaths of fabric trailed from lamp post to lamp post, delicate arches of chiffon trailing with greenery. The effect created a beautiful canopy across the street. Callahan gazed up at it now, taking in the bright glow of the moon through the hazy fabric.

A pounding of drums could be heard in the distance, deep and thrumming with energy she felt down to her core. There was a power behind that beat, something fierce and wild.

It made her feel out of control, and she loved it.

Everyone around her must’ve felt it, too—the dripping anticipation flooding through her veins, nearly sensual in nature—for wild hoots and growls peppered the air as the excitement grew exponentially into something fevered.

A grin overtook Callahan’s face and before she knew it, she was flat out running toward Wyldwood, her long gown streaming behind her. She reached down and gathered handfuls of maroon satin, hoping to avoid tripping on the hem of the dress. But she didn’t let the possibility slow her down.

A trio of ghouls raced by her on all fours, their silvery skin almost glowing in the moonlight. On her other side, a large, cat-like monster loped past with a nude man riding on its back. Most of the humans kept pace with her, while some were swept off their feet by their monstrous lovers and carried off into the trees.

Through the smattering of woods surrounding the town’s center, Callahan could see what appeared to be the glow of a large fire. She pranced through the brush exiting the tree line while laughing with glee, nearly overcome with electric mood permeating the meadow.

At its center lay a large, stone dais. Pillars surrounded it on each corner, with sharp antler-like tips rather than the typical rounded column she was accustomed to. Wide, flat stairs led up to the dais. On that platform set a huge bonfire. So high were the flames, they seemed to lick the stars.

Druids, marked by the crown of thorns on their head, danced around the bonfire as they chanted. The words were ethereal, with a sing-song quality to them that made Callahan nearly breathless.

Pumpkins were scattered around, some with glowing smiles and triangle eyes. Soft, woven blankets draped along the cushiony grass, strewn with pillows. Couples and groups of friends were taking up residence upon the blankets, laughing and chatting in turn. To the backside of the meadow was a line of tables, full to bursting with food.

Callahan trailed over to the wooden tables, taking in the huge, roasted pig and platters of fresh fruits. The herbaceous smell of rosemary and thyme drifted to her nose as she filled her plate of goodies. She grabbed a soft, savory roll that glistened with butter before dipping the serving spoon into what appeared to be a colorful root vegetable gratin. Slices of roasted pumpkin, topped with nuts and honey, called her name as she perused the mass of serving platters.

A beautiful salad of greens and cranberries caught her eye and she reached for the serving utensil, only to be met by someone’s hand.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, smiling as she peered at the orc beside her. “I’m so sorry! Please, go ahead.”

The orc smiled at her, his lips pulling taut around his tusks. “No, ma’am. I apologize. You go on ahead.” His accent was something she couldn’t place, but was beautiful and lilting. Callahan smiled in return and filled her plate with the salad before grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds from the charcuterie board and adding it atop her kale.

Behind the pair, the pounding of the drums stopped for a moment, before beginning again. This time, it was a slow, heady tempo. Siren-like wails came from the druids, hauntingly beautiful.

“What’s happening?” Callahan questioned, turning back to peek at the fire. Everyone appeared to be transfixed, excitedly staring the flames.

The orc paused in adding the rack of lamb to his plate and turned to peer at what caught Callaghan’s attention. “The Magus is coming through.”

“Magus?” Her eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

“Yes. He’s—well, technically he’s a Lich.” At her blank stare, the orc continued, “a mage that has passed away. The Magus died nearly a century ago and has been coming through the veil at Wyldwood for nearly a decade now, I’d say.

“He stays throughout the entire Samhain celebration. Those ladies, just there—,” he nodded his large toward a group of kneeling women—“are waiting specifically for him.”

The question must’ve shown on her face for he explained, “Each year, the Magus chooses a maiden. For the three nights of the celebration, he—uh, well…” The orc coughed, seemingly embarrassed. Callahan was charmed by the faint hue of muddy red on his cheeks.

“That is to say, the Magus and the maiden are locked in…a passionate embrace.” The orc tugged at his collar, and glanced at Callahan from the side of his eye.

Grinning, Callahan said, “So he fucks a girl for three days straight, eh? Lucky lady.”

The orc blanched at her blatant words, before chortling. Together, they filled their plates further as they chatted. She learned his name was Etheridge and that he had grown up in Grimlake. He was ten years older than her own twenty-one years of age. After some more amiable chatter, they parted ways—Etheridge heading back to his group of friends and Callahan finding a spot in front of the fire so she could witness the returning of the Magus.

Callahan settled down on small, mercifully empty blanket, and lounged back on the pillows. She plucked bites of food from her plate as she gazed at the clear, star-bright sky and soaked up the warmth of the fire. As the sensual beat of the drums and ethereal chanting reached a fever pitch, she heard moans and gasps starting to ring across the meadow.

Glancing over at the pair of satyrs on the blanket closet to her, Callahan was startled to see them in the beginning throws of a passionate coupling. They rocked their hips frantically together, hooves scrabbling on the woven fabric beneath them. Face flushed, and body alight with arousal, Callahan forced her gaze away just in time to see a line of bright white light split the flames of the bonfire.

From the gap emerged a tall, slender creature. There was no face to be seen, no eyes, no flesh. Simply, a skull, ivory and pale and gleaming in the red glow of the firelight.

Callaghan’s mouth dropped open.

The Magus, she thought.

He wore an impeccable suit, black in color and pressed into sharp lines. Dark, leather gloves covered his hands. He stepped out of the mess of burned wood and flames, entirely unscathed, and onto the dais before pausing to stare out among the crowd. His posture was that of a man with an endless well of confidence. Despite not having face, Callahan swore the expression on the bare skull was nearly haughty.

Even without eyes, Callahan was sure the Magus could see every detail laid out before him. His head moved as his gaze traveled along the smattering of available and wanting women. Then, suddenly, those empty sockets were locked onto her.

Throat dry, Callahan gaze back, entranced. Something was burning deep inside her, a feeling she’d never felt before. A swelling of something almost wild.

The Magus tilted his head and in a clear voice stated, “You. You’ll be my maiden.”

She had been chosen.

CHAPTER THREE

“i fill you up, drink from my cup.”

elley dhue, middle of the night

After rearranging her clothing, Callahan left Ederic speaking with Etheridge and the tiny Sidhe as she sought out a pitcher of water. She tiptoed around the rutting couples, avoiding flailing arms and furry limbs in turn.

Once she reached the drink station, she poured herself a glass of cider and downed it. Amazing how parched a person could become after four orgasms.

Callahan refilled her glass and sipped on her second helping as she turned around to stare at the ongoing celebration. Nearly every couple or trio in her eyesight were in the midst of fucking. Her gaze turned heavy lidded as she focused on a large group of goblins. They were circled around a female ogre, worshiping her. The goblins varied in size, from tall and lanky to short and rounded. One of the shortest goblins was two-fists deep within the ogre as she wailed her pleasure to the sky in animalistic, grunting cries. Another was cutting into the meaty flesh of the ogres breast, and was sipping the blood as it pebbled and dripped.

The iced cider was so cool and soothing as Callahan took another chug; it was juxtaposed against the low-level embers of arousal still flaming within her.

Setting her empty cup down, she made her way back to the secluded spot in the woods. As she approached, she noticed the Sidhe was gone but Ederic and Etheridge were still deep in conversation as they sat at the base of a large tree. She walked up to them, blushing a little as she took in Etheridge’s still-shirtless body and thinking about how she’d just seen him in much less clothing.

Ederic reached out a bony hand and she latched onto it. She cuddled into his side, finding a comfortable position before sighing happily.

Callahan must have dozed off to the soft, deep murmurs of her campions because the next time she was aware of her surroundings, her bladder was pushing at her insistently. She made to stand up, but Ederic stopped her.

Despite the fact that he had no face and could not make true expressions, Callahan could sense his questioning stare.

“Little girl’s room,” she explained, as delicately as she could.

“No,” came the response from the Lich.

She blinked. No?

“Wha—” she started, but was cut off.

“During all our years together, there are very few things we haven’t tried, sweet maiden. You’ve been so beautifully open and receptive to my fantasies.” Ederic’s hand curled around her face, bringing her forehead against hers. She sighed happily.

“Tonight,” he continued, “is all about you. Your fantasies. Bringing them to life. Do you remember the filthy things you whispered into my ear last year? All the dirty things you wanted to try?” His tone was smooth like velvet, nearly dragging over her skin in teasing touches as he spoke.

A gasp of shock escaped her lips before she sent a shy glance to Etheridge, who was still sitting before them and could hear the conversation. His expression was reticent.

“Ederic,” Callahan whispered, embarrassed. Yes, Etheridge had just seen her in the throes of passion but now, after the arousal had mostly faded, the idea shook her to her core.

The Magus tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “Don’t be embarrassed, sweet. Etheridge shares a few of your fantasies. And together, you will get to play them out while I watch. And feast.”

Her eyes slanted toward her orc friend once more, and this time, she allowed herself to explore his body in a way she never had before.

Etheridge was large man, easily over 7’ tall. His dark hair was braided down his back in a thick rope. Ivory tusks stuck out from his mouth, bright against the black fur of his dense beard. He had a craggy face, with a prominent brow bone and flat nose ridge. Both of his nostrils boasted golden rings.

Wide shoulders slimmed down into a trim waist. Below massive pectorals, his belly hung over his belt buckle slightly, looking soft and inviting. A sparse trail of hair led from his bellybutton and disappeared into his pants.

His thick thighs were larger than the circumference of her head, and between them…

Callahan could see the bulge of his erection. She had seen the massive cock in use and her core clenched desperately around nothing at the idea of gliding down his shaft.

She peeked up at Etheridge and his expression was fierce. Heat warmed up his hazel eyes until they were nearly molten.

There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted this as well. So tonight, without a doubt, they would cross that line from friends to lovers.

And she couldn’t wait.

CHAPTER FOUR

“you can’t run, you can’t hide.”

zeal & ardor, gravedigger’s chant

Callahan was running for her life.

Her bare feet crunched against the fallen leaves, echoing loudly in her ears. Every noise she made was one move closer to being caught. Panting, she paused in her fleeing to gain her bearings. She wasn’t sure how deep into the Wyldwoods she was. Would anyone even hear her scream?

The thought ignited another spark of fear.

Beyond that, her bladder was full to bursting. She desperately wanted to stop and urinate but she couldn’t risk being still for that long.

A twig snapped behind her, and she turned toward the sound, heart thundering in her ears. Her desperate breaths were whistling in and out of her nose as her chest heaved.

Suddenly, a voice, dark and threatening peppered the air: “Fe, fi, fo, fum—I can nearly taste the maiden on my tongue.”

Throughout the decade she had known Etheridge, Callahan had never heard him sound so dangerous. A lightning bolt of adrenaline shot through her and with that bolt, she took off like a flash.

The hem of her dress snagged on underbrush. She knew her feet were likely being torn up but she couldn’t feel anything. Her whole body was solely focused on survival, and escaping the monster chasing after her.

As she wove around another tree, a high-pitched scream worked it’s way up her throat as her ankles were snagged up in a snare. It yanked her off her feet and jerked her into the sky, until she was floating feet off the ground. Callahan tried to swing her body back and forth to garner momentum to see if the line of the snare would snap, but it held strong. Her dress blinded her, covering her face wholly and exposing her dewy center to the night air.

She felt helpless, like a coyote caught in a bear trap.

But the helplessness and fear was turning into something molten within her—a stunning, fiery arousal unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Callahan hung from the snare, feeling the throbbing in her head from the blood pooling there. Her heart was a drumbeat, loud and foreboding in her ears. She strained to hear anything in the forest around her, but could only make out the creek of branches swaying in the wind.

A sudden touch on her thigh, like a bug crawling on her, made her cry out. A gravelly laugh hit her ears. Callahan realized, all at once, that the tickle to her thigh must’ve been Etheridge’s fingers.

“Little maiden,” Etheridge purred. “Before we began, what is your safe word? What word will you cry out if it all becomes too much?”

Safe word, Callahan thought. Yes, sometimes she and Ederic needed a safe word when they played hard.

“Bellevue,” she answered, voice breathy. “My safe word is Bellevue.”

“Bellevue,” Etheridge breathed. “Cry it out for me if you can’t handle what happens next.”

His palm slapped against the generous flesh of her ass, cracking out a sharp sound that echoed with her squeal.

“Are you ready, darling?” asked the orc. He was prowling around her. Callahan couldn’t see him through the gauze of her dress, but she could feel the primal energy he was exuding.

“Yes, please,” she whispered. She was antsy with nerves even as she craved whatever would happen.

Another crack of a palm against her rear—again, and again, and again. Her core clenched with each heavy slap. Before long, her brain felt foggy as she melted into the deep thuds of Etheridge’s hand on her ass. She was a writhing, trembling mess.

A sudden loosening of the binds around her feet made Callahan shout as she started dropping toward the forest floor. Hands caught her, and she was flipped upright so quickly it made her dizzy.

In the darkness, she could just make out the edge of Etheridge’s craggy face before her. She wondered where Ederic was at, if he was just at the peripherals of her sight.

“Bind her for me, Magus.”

“With pleasure,” came Ederic’s reply.

So her mage was there, hidden in the shadows, about to watch his maiden his another man. Another monster. The idea sent a wave of excitement flooding through her, drenching her cunt even more.

Although Callahan couldn’t make out much in the darkness, she was well accustomed to the natural bindings Ederic so loved. She felt the magicked vines wrap around her wrists, her waist; even her legs were snared in their hold, spread wide open for easy access. She was brought snug against the bark of a tree and the vines wrapped around her until she could hardly move. Even her eyes were covered by the soft flesh of her earthly binds.

Instinct had her fighting against the binding even while her mind knew the battle was useless.

“There,” said Etheridge, voice unsteady. “You’re laid out so perfectly for me. A delicious morsel for me to partake in.”

A thudding before her made Callahan startle. Then, large hands palmed the inside of her meaty thighs, kneading and caressing.

In her mind’s eye, she could just picture the orc on his knees before her, gazing up at her through hooded lids.

Large fingers grazed her clit before sliding back further. One digit delved into her core.

“Deliciously wet for me, aren’t you, darling?” Etheridge’s words were growled out deep from his cavernous chest.

“Yes, sir,” Callahan whimpered in reply, the honorific flowing off her tongue as she became delirious from arousal.

A booming laugh. “Sir? Sir? Ederic, you have this sweet, young thing call you sir?”

Callahan could just picture the kingly shrug of Ederic’s shoulders. “Maidens have to learn their place, dear friend. She can’t be getting too cocky. Enjoy the gift of obedience, orc. It was hard won.”

They talked about her like she was of no consequence; like she wasn’t dangling before them, trussed up like a present.

Their indifference was delicious.

“We orcs are soldiers. Never once have I been called sir.” Callahan could hear the amusement, the pleasure, in Etheridge’s voice. His fingers still toyed with her pussy as the men spoke, sparking the embers into flames.

“I’m going to relish this, darling. Your desire to submit makes me want to. Eat. You. Up.” Each word was bitten into her skin. His tusks dragged against the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs, nearly painful.

“Please,” she begged. “Please, sir, please.”

“You beg so deliciously. What do you want? Use your words.” His breath was hot against the damp curls covering her aching core.

“Touch me. Use me. Fuck me.” The words were hissed out of her.

Then, without any further hassle, Etheridge pushed his face against her flesh and ate her up.

At the first flick of his tongue against her clit, Callahan was groaning in delight.

Finally. Something to ease the ache that had been building. Those smooth tusks pushed with surprising intensity against the lips of her cunt, placed almost perfectly so that when he leaned in, the tusks dragged her lips back, baring her clit to his onslaught.

She could already feel the orgasm building. But with that deepening pleasure came the realization that something else was craving release as well.

“I’m going to pee!” she cried out, panic mingling with the heat of her on-coming orgasm. Her bladder was painfully full, and so uncomfortable. She knew if she orgasmed, it would all come rushing out.

“Do it,” Etheridge barked, his words mumbled by her flesh. “Piss on my face. Be a good girl and let me have it.”

No, she thought. It’s too much. Too dirty.

Her safe word was on the edge of her tongue, ready to be used, when one last stroke of thick tongue against her sent Callahan careening.

“Please, no, no—oh my gods!” As her climax burst free, so too did a rush of urine, exiting out of her so quickly, so forcefully, the release of pressure was almost like a climax in and of itself. Mingled with the soaring rush of her orgasm, Callahan was nearly overcome.

Etheridge was making filthy, sloppy noises as he drank up her piss. His hands were gripping her thighs so tightly it was edging toward pain.

She swooned in her binds, still crying out softly as his mouth moved over her painfully sensitive nub.

“Beautiful,” Ederic praised, voice soft. Earlier, his voice was had distant, like he was far away. Now, she could tell he was nearly directly in her of her. “My beautiful, sweet maiden”

The smooth center of his palm cupped her cheek. He lifted the blindfold of vines from her eyes and smoothed her messy hair back from her face.

“Are you ready for more?”

“Yes, sir.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“where would i be without your love?”

avalanche, handsome & gretyl

Ederic was gifted at keeping secrets.

Callahan wasn’t sure if that was a skill that came with being hundreds of years old or if it was true of all mages. Maybe all wizards were as tricky as her Magus.

The thing about all of Ederic’s secrets, though, was that they all pertained to her.

One year, he bloomed a whole field of sunflowers for her. But for Callahan, knowing he had sacrificed some of his precious magic that he was painstakingly working toward growing was even better than the sunflowers themselves. It was one of the first times he had shown that their arrangement meant more to him than simply sex.

This year, though, Callahan had a secret of her own.

During the decade they’d spent together, the couple had openly discussed their desires and dreams, their hopes and fantasies. One of Ederic’s deepest fantasies was to watch Callahan be wracked with pleasure by creatures other than himself.

And tonight, Callahan planned to make that dream a reality.

Redressed and cleaned from a dip in the pond, Callahan stalked through the festival goers, Etheridge a mountain at her side.

As they neared their intended targets, the pair of orcs belonging to Etheridge’ hoard turned their gazed to them as they approached.

The orc on the left, whose name Callahan knew to be Valaris, was missing an eye. It was covered by a thick leather patch but the scar of the wound that took his eye traced all the way down to his chin. Rather than being off putting, the effect was fiercely attractive. This orc had seen serious battle and survived. There was an organic, primal interest deep within her that stirred as she stated at the warrior.

The second orc had gleaming white hair that trailed down his back, and was missing both tusks. His face was pretty rather than handsome. He was named Urzuk. He was smaller than Valaris and Etheridge in stature but made up for it in the stacking of muscles upon his frame. His arms were larger Callahan’s head.

While she had bathed, Etheridge had approached his hoard members and enlightened them of her request. Both orcs had enthusiastically agreed, much to Callahan’s delight.

“Well, gentlemen,” she started, voice lilting in a teasing tone. “Are you ready to plunder a maiden?”

The fierce smiles that overtook their faces said that they were, indeed, ready.

The hardest part of all of this, Callahan decided, was figuring out the positioning. She had been unsure how best to position herself with three new bed mates, but the hoard was apparently accustomed to sharing because they knew exactly how to handle her.

When the group had appeared in front of Ederic, who was lounging against the base of the tree, Callahan could’ve sworn his none-existent eyebrows were raised.

She’d gone to her knees before him, draping her grown out prettily around herself as she peered up at him through her lashes. “Sir, I have a surprise for you. Something you’ve been wanting, something you desire.”

Ederic settled more deeply against the tree, his legs spread invitingly as his elbows dangled off his knees. His head cocked to the side in curiosity. “Tell me, sweet maiden, what have you done?”

Callahan placed her hands on her knees, palms up, as she lowered her gaze back to the ground. “I’ve found a band of ferocious orcs to put me in my place, my Magus. They’ve agreed to let you swallow their pleasure as well. A hoard of virile, ferocious orcs will produce so much power, sir.”

“Mmm,” Ederic pondered, fingers stroking along his jaw. “And does my maiden want her sweet cunt to be taken by these orcs?”

“It would give me so much pleasure, sir. If you’ll let me have it.” Callahan sent him a coquettish look.

This was all part of their game, this bargaining. The illusion that Ederic was fully in control when in fact Callahan set the rules. She laid down the groundwork for their trysts because her mage would never go beyond her limits. Yes, he would push her to the line and ease her back down again, but it was always with her hearty, enthusiastic consent.

“And orcs,” Ederic said as he peered at the orcs. “Do you promise to treat my maiden as she deserves? Like the filthy, whoring slut she is?”

The cruel words made her wet core pulsate. Callahan could feel the drip of wetness seep from her pussy and trail down her thighs.

The orcs had responded with a resounding yes. And then they had descended on her.

Now, she was in the throes of her pleasure. Etheridge lay beneath her, his sizable cock deep within her sopping wet cunt. Her tits were pressed firmly against his muscled chest as his huge hands moved her hips in the rhythm he wanted.

Valaris was behind her, his lubricated fingers probing deep into her ass. The sensation was one she was used to, but Ederic’s fingers were much thinner than the orcs. The immense pressure exuding from her rear end made her cry out.

“Ung, gods!” She squealed when Etheridge’s cock struck that wonderful spot within her.

“Please, sirs,” she begged. “Please may I come?”

“Not yet, maiden. Keep holding on.” It was Urzuk who spoke. He currently stood before the rutting trio, his thickly veined cock sticking out from his pants. Soon, she would be gagging on that cock.

Her mouth drooled in anticipation.

Callahan opened her mouth wide, tongue sticking out, and she enticed Urzuk closer with a whine. “I need your cock, sir. Please, may I have a taste?”

“What manners your slobbering bitch has, Ederic. A true marvel.” Urzuk’s voice was crass and rude, but the palm he placed on Callahan’s head was gentle. He threaded his fingers in her long, messy hair as he guided her mouth toward his massive erection.

“She is truly a wonder,” Ederic agreed. He still sat sprawled against the tree. His spindly fingers held his head up as he gazed at the coupling group. “The best girl I’ve ever had.”

Callahan whimpered at the praise as she opened her mouth wider to accept Urzuk’s cock. He started out with small teasing thrusts to test her ability to take him, before growing bold and thrusting so hard she gagged on him. His groan echoed in the forest around them.

Behind her, Valaris was pulling out his fingers to replace them with his hefty dick. The initial stretch burned, causing her to hiss. Then, a stroke from Etheridge’s fingers on her clit made her squeal around Urzuk and had her jerking her hips. The jolt had sent her backwards against Valaris, impaling her on him.

She had to take her mouth off of Urzuk for a moment, just so she could hang her head and process the feeling of delicious fullness.

“Fuck,” she breathed. “Oh, fuck.”

Ederic called out to her: “Tell me how it feels.” His voice was dark velvet, all sinister pleasure.

“Good,” she hissed, gyrating her hips on the penetrating limbs. “So fucking good. I’m so full.”

“You’re about to be fuller, girl,” came Urzuk’s growling reply. “Choke on my cock, maiden. Gag on it.” With a fistful of her hair in both hands, he jerked her mouth back toward his straining dick and she obliged him by opening her waiting mouth.

The bulbous head of his erection choked her immediately. There was no easy slide, no gradual build up this time—just a sudden blocking of her throat. She retched against his dick as tears sprang to her eyes.

The punishing pounding of cocks within her was overwhelming. Animalistic cries were echoing from her chest, escaping anytime she had a reprieve from Urzuk’s member. Something was building within her; some sort of overwhelming, deep pleasure, threatening to burst within moments.

“Come for us, maiden,” encouraged Etheridge. Come on our cocks. Give your mage his magic.”

With that command, Callahan shattered. Her cries were stilted, drowned out by the flooding of semen ejaculating into her throat; she swallowed it down as best as she could. But it kept coming—the copious fluids leaked from her mouth in steady streams, dripping onto Etheridge. He just laughed, mouth opened wide to accept the offering of juices, as he, too, reached his pinnacle. Shooting into her womb in a burning claim.

Valaris shouted his joy to the sky, and she felt his seed empty into her in hot bursts. She was drenched in their cum. Absolutely wrecked from their brutal fucking.

Her face and hair were covered in cum; her belly down to her pelvis just drenched in orc completion. Callahan’s thighs trembled where they spread around Etheridge’s hips, and she fell bonelessly onto his chest. She could already feel the soreness springing up.

A hand stroked along her bare back gently, soothing her.

When she finally had the strength to turn her head toward her mage, she was surprised to find him kneeling right above her.

She hadn’t even heard him move.

“My sweet maiden,” he cooed. “Are you all worn out?”

Callahan nodded sleepily.

“Mmm,” Ederic soothed, rubbing a hand over her hair. Then, suddenly, he grabbed a fistful of her mane, jerking her head back. “Too bad. We’re just getting started.”

EPILOGUE

“closed eyes, still falling for you.”

christian gates, lost

The end of Samhain was here.

It always came sooner than Callahan was prepared for, because the end of the Samhain celebration meant saying goodbye to Ederic once more. And although they had ten years of goodbyes under their belt, the parting never got easier. One day, Samhain would mean hello hello hello. She would be able to greet Ederic and never have to watch him leave again.

Someday.

The tables had been replenished with fresh food and sparkling ciders. The cows they had drained were now the night’s meal in the form of thick, tender steaks, roasts with root vegetables, and juicy tenderloins. This last night, Ederic filled up her plate for her. Adding tart fruits and sweet vegetables, along with a pile of honeyed bread. Atop the bread he placed melted cheese and pumpkin jam before sprinkling on cinnamon roasted nuts.

Ederic placed a pillow in his lap before encouraging Callahan to lay her head on it. He brushed her hair behind her ear before ripping off a bit of bread and offering it to her.

Her first bite into the concoction was delightful. Creamy and nutty from the cheese, delicious sweet from the honey, and the touch of cinnamon added the perfect bite of spice. Her mage continued to hand feed her, until her full tummy was making her drowsy.

She drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, lulled by listening to Ederic discuss books with Etheridge as the warmth of the bonfire seeped into her skin.

Opening her eyes, she gazed up at Ederic. His gleaming, ivory skull. The smooth, strong jawline. Her movement caused him to peer down at her, and the hand stroking her hair move to cup her cheek instead.

They had never said the words; never cemented their bond with true romantic gestures. But Callahan felt his love for her, and knew that he could feel the enormity of her emotions for her.

And although Callahan would always grieve their goodbyes, she knew, without a doubt, that their next hello would be all the sweeter.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Wow! This was supposed to be a big, scary monster romance but it somehow turned cottage core and…sweet? Whoops!

I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this little Halloween tale. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and for purchasing the anthology it is part of.

Huge shoutout to all of my antho co-authors. You all have made this experience wonderful.

And biggest shoutout to all of my readers. THANK YOU!

DELECTABLE SOUL

maggie bonnet

BLURB

The love of my life died six months ago. Every day without him has been like living in darkness. My mind plays tricks on me, and my depression and hallucinations are worsening. I thought moving from Dublin to my Granda’s cottage in Donegal, right on the edge of the woods, would give me a fresh start. I walked the woods’ forest paths as a child and imagined playing with all the faeries and folk creatures.

But now, I don’t have to pretend. Something is hunting me, feeding off my sorrow and fear. My heartbroken soul has attracted the most depraved, menacing creature to walk the Emerald Isle. The Sluagh has picked its prey, and won’t stop until it claims my soul. No matter how far I run or how well I hide, I’ll never escape.

CONTENT WARNING

This is a short monster romance with horror elements, where the main character falls in love with a morally reprehensible, depraved, Irish soul-eating demon. This story borrows from Irish folklore, while taking creative liberties. Irish slang and culture are used throughout the story.

This story contains mention of a spouse who passed, parental neglect, suicidal ideations, mental illness, depression, anxiety/panic attacks, prescription drug abuse, primal play, blood play, breath play, somnophilia, adult language and content/themes, graphic/rough sex, dubious consent, stalking, manipulation, murder, and death.

CHAPTER ONE

fiadh

I place my last folded sweater in a box, taping it shut. My eyes scan the room, taking in the barren shelves and the plain white walls void of pictures. The blaring emptiness breaks the silence surrounding me. All my clothes, knick-knacks, and books are gone. That’s everything…an entire life packed away in cardboard. Tears sting behind my eyes as an overwhelming surge of anxiety threatens to drown me. I reach into my pocket to get my pills, swallowing one down. I’ve packed the entire flat except this room, saving it for last. Sleeping in here at night is hard enough, let alone being in here during the daytime. I feel him here the strongest. His presence is so overwhelming that I’m forced to sit on my bed to catch my breath.

I look around our bedroom, reminiscing about better times. Even six months later, my memories of him are still fresh in my mind, as if they happened yesterday. I see Daire in the doorway, peeking at me while I read a book. His mirthful green eyes gaze at me before he jumps into the bed and pins me to the mattress. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling while I remember how warm his body felt against mine. His coarse beard rubs against my face while he kisses me. He strays south to my jaw, down my neck, under my shirt… We made love so many times in this bed.

I feel Daire’s hands skimming down my legs in the early morning, telling me it’s time to start the day. He woke me up and poured my coffee every morning. If he had time he’d cook us breakfast. He was always a morning person, whereas I relished late nights spent writing. When I quit my full time job to write a couple of years ago, he supported me every step of the way. When my third book hit the bestseller list, he celebrated with me. We were partners in everything.

The tears I’ve tried to hold at bay finally break loose, cascading down my face like a lashing that could flood the streets. I’ve tried to stay strong…but thinking of him makes me feel like I’m shutting down. I’ll never feel the warmth of his skin, or see him smile. He’ll never yell “Lovebug I’m home!” when he gets in from work again. We’ll never stay up all night talking about the plans we made, our future together. We were only married a year before he was taken from me in a motorcycle accident. A car collided with him. He died at twenty-five years old, with his whole life ahead of him. We were going to move out of Dublin and get a cottage in the country. Have wee ones of our own. He had accepted a work-from-home position, and we were finally going to make our dreams come true.

My entire body shakes like a leaf as sobs wrack through me. It feels as if my throat is closing, like the walls are collapsing around me. I try to recall what my therapist told me. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. 4-7-8. Focus on one object in the room. I grab onto my wedding ring that hangs from a rose gold chain around my neck. I gently pull it back and forth along the chain, listening as the metals scrape against each other. The sound soothes me slightly, and after several minutes, I can breathe again. I can feel the pill settling my mind, encasing me in a heavy, comforting fog.

I can’t live in Dublin anymore. This city had been our home, and I can’t survive here alone. No matter where I go, I think of him. Every pub, shop, and street holds memories of him. I can’t take the neighbors’ pitying smiles and strangers’ stares.

“That poor girl, widowed at twenty-three,” they whisper.

“She hasn’t been well since he passed,” they gossip. “Did you know she had to stay in a mental health hospital for a few weeks after the accident.”

I can’t bear to feel Daire all around me, haunting my every move. The thoughts of how our lives should have happened play in a loop in my every waking moment. The rare times my sleeping meds work, I dream of him. Every day without him rips my hearts into smaller shreds, guts my soul. Without Daire, I’ll never be complete. He was my heart…my soul…my everything since the day I met him. We’ll never be together again.

Moving to Granda’s house is the right move. Maybe returning to Donegal will be a new start for me, like he promised it would be. I know he wants me to move so he can keep an eye on me, but maybe all the trees in the Bonny Glen Wood and the fresh air will set me right. Being back in the comfort of my granda’s house may be just what I need to heal. Maybe I’ll get inspiration to write again. Regardless, I can’t stay here.

Driving through the back country roads brings back so many childhood memories of Granda. He was my go-to person, and no matter what, I could always count on him to be there for me. I still can. My mother immigrated from Ireland to America when she fell in love with my father, an American tourist. His family never liked her, and subsequently never took to me. They said she was only with my father for a green card, and knowing my mother, that was most likely true.

My father died of a heart attack when I was seven. We promptly came back to Ireland and moved in with Granda. While my mom spent her evenings searching for a rich husband, he helped me with my homework and introduced me to classic horror films—Halloween, Carrie, The Shining, Psycho, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Amityville Horror. After my mom remarried to her second husband, Eamonn, she had less time for me. Eamonn’s philosophy was that children be seen and not heard, so I spent a lot of time showing my face at charity dinners, eating, and subsequently being picked up by Granda so I wasn’t in the way.

While Eamonn and my mom took vacations in the Mediterranean, I spent my summers at Granda’s cottage on the edge of the woods, running through the trees, playing make-believe. I would ‘talk’ to the woodland creatures and faeries, allowing myself to get swept up in the magic of childhood awe. We took trips into town to eat sweets and pick up new books from the library. He taught me how to cook all of our family recipes. Mom felt that cooking was a menial task, mainly the help’s responsibility. Despite finding out about two of Eamonn’s mistresses, she stuck by his side. To her, money was more important than family or dignity. Her loss.

I take a deep breath as I see trees so tall, their canopies block out the sky. Their thick trunks border the road, passing by in my peripheral vision. As it gets darker outside, they take on an ominous, creepy feeling, as if they’re crowding me. How does Granda live out here all by himself? His health hasn’t been in great shape lately. He coughed more frequently on our calls and wheezed as he moved from room to room. His neighbor tells me how he leaves his house less frequently than he used to. He thinks he’ll take care of me, but it’s my turn to take care of him. Hopefully my moving in will lighten the load.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a human-shaped figure dart through the trees and step out into the road. My heart thuds in a rapid beat, then freezes altogether. I scramble to stop the car–slamming my foot on the brake–and skid to a halt inches from a monstrous, imposing being.

Everything in the wood falls silent. No insects, birds, or noise filters through my cracked window. The dusky evening light illuminates its face. Dark eyes, sharp cheekbones, and lips curved into a sneer sit on pale, opal skin. Its entire massive body is cloaked in black, wispy shadows and looms over my car. As wide as a tree trunk and taller than me by a good several feet, its inky black presence seems to suck the light from the forest. The smirk and red eyes on its shadowed face seem like a bad omen. It slams a rough, clawed hand on the hood. Each of his finger tips are topped with sharp onyx-colored talons that appear sharp enough to slice through human skin like it was tissue paper. It focuses on me and it cocks its head, regarding me in a curious way. Slowly, it makes its way around the car and stops right outside my door, tapping a hard talon against the window. I regret not rolling it up and using my air conditioning instead. A deep, rasping breath comes from the creature lurking inches away from me, and I whimper. It’s too close. I’m too scared to move, let alone drive away.

“Fiadh,” I hear in the wind outside. It almost sounds like…no. It can’t be this…thing calling my name.

Bright red eyes peer at me through the glass, gluing me in place. I wish I had locked the doors before starting my trip. All it would have to do is reach in and grab me, and I’d be defenseless to save myself. Deep breath in, deep breath out. You are not going to die in the woods.

Closing my eyes, I pray to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that this…thing…leaves. My heart slams into my chest and I hold my breath. The rasping breath gets louder, as does the sound of claws scratching against the window glass. I’m in a tailspin, fighting to stay cognisant instead of slipping into another panic episode.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Deep breath in, deep breath out. This isn’t real, it’s just another hallucination. This isn’t real.

Time ceases, and I have no clue how long I’ve been hyperventilating. I feel the cold air around me dissipate. The sounds of insects and birds chirping float through the open window. When I open my eyes, there’s just trees outside. I glance in my side and rear mirrors and see nothing but the trees around me. It’s gone.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

My hands are shaking too hard to hold the steering wheel, so my car sits in the middle of the road. What the feck was that? This has to be another hallucination…there’s no way that creature is real. My therapist told me that the oppressive mix of grief, stress, and anxiety I’ve been experiencing could result in more hallucinations. That’s why he prescribed me my medications. But aren’t they supposed to make them go away? A car behind me blares its horn, and I reluctantly press the gas pedal and get a move on.

I spend the remainder of the drive glancing out the windows, shaking like a leaf and wondering whether or not that thing would come back. When I finally pull my car into Granda’s drive, he stands at the door of his cottage waiting to usher me in. I immediately see the concerned frown form on his face.

I cringe when I hear sympathy from others. People will say the polite thing and give me their condolences. But most people don’t care how I’m feeling, or push past the very fake ‘I’m fine’ I offer them in reply. Their words feel empty. How could they hold any meaning? How could anyone understand what happened to me? Granda lost his wife long before I was born, so at least he knows how awful this feels. That’s the only reason I can stand to be around him, because he knows how fecked up it feels to lose someone you love. Instead of saying empty words, he chooses to show he cares by fussing over me instead.

“Christ on a bike, Fiadh. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you well?” he inquiries as he moves to the car to get my bags. I can hear him wheeze as he lumbers toward the boot of the car.

“I’m fine, just had a long day. Go inside, I got it,” I say, quickly beating him to it and lifting my two suitcases out. My other must-haves are a moving truck that will arrive later in the week and everything else was donated.

“Stubborn mule,” he jests. “I got those biscuits you like and tea. Let’s settle in and watch a few episodes of Doctor Who. I’m on season nine now!”

“Sounds grand.”

CHAPTER TWO

the hunt

I smell something deliciously pungent in the air–a mixture of crippling depression, grief, and hopelessness wrapped in mouth-watering fear. Cloying and thick, it wafts around the trees and entices me to find the source. It smells like a human…a heart-broken human who’s lost their way. Their perfect scent awakens some primal instinct dormant in me. Track, hunt, claim. I pursue the human through the forest, determined to get a closer look at them.

I finally track it to the road that cuts through the forest. The human is a young woman driving a car. Stepping into the road, I force her to stop, lest she hits an unsuspecting pedestrian. She has long, sandy blond hair swept over her shoulder, crystal blue eyes with dark circles, and plump lips. Her body seems thick and soft, although I can only see the top half through her window. If I chase her through the woods, I could see the bottom half… I envision her running from me, dodging trees as she’s consumed by pure fear and adrenaline, only motivated by a diminishing will to live. I’d give her a false sense of hope, hiding myself before ultimately pouncing on her. This girl could be fun.

The mere sight of me makes her tremble, her fear multiplying tenfold, and I can’t help but breathe it in. Those perfect, heart-shaped lips quiver as she sits deathly still in her car. Her scent could turn into an addiction very quickly. She takes one look at me and cowers in fear like the pathetic, weak girl I know she is. How perfect.

A second taste of her fear and pain hooks me. I rarely play with my victims, preferring to feed from their sickness, collect their souls, and leave; there’s no shortage of ill people in Ireland to feast upon. But the hunt could be fun when you had the right victim; one with an addictive, savory flavor and a beautiful face. I bet her screams would sound like shrill, wailing music to my ears. I need to taste her again, consume every last morsel of her pain until she has nothing left except her bereft, damaged soul. And then that soul will be mine for the taking. She’s mine.

I stand in front of her car door, tapping on the window. Sour bursts of pure horror permeate the air, and I greedily suck them in. Her eyes close as she hunkers down in her chair, probably praying that I don’t kill her here and now. The woods would be the perfect place to dispose of a body. No one would hear her scream or come to her rescue. The wildlife and other creatures here would take care of the cleanup. Don’t worry, little girl, I’m not going to kill you today. You’re too beautiful and delicious to get rid of so soon. I have plans for this scrumptious prey. As I consume her, I close my eyes and use my power to reach out and touch her soul.

Pain…despair...loss.

I see a vision of the young man who held her heart. Auburn hair, green eyes. Large build and a kind smile. All good to know, so I can trap her right where I want her. I search her soul again, coming across her name. Fiadh. Gaelic for wild. Oh, my Wild One, you’re in for it.

“Fiadh,” I rasp into the night, stoking the flames of her peril.

How fitting that The Hunt is hunting the wild. Hopefully she lives up to her name and gives me a good chase. I take a few minutes to observe her, allowing myself to eye her. I’m close enough to the car now that I can see her round curves and appreciate her delicate porcelain skin.

I retreat back behind the treeline, deciding to stalk her until she arrives at a quaint little cottage on the edge of the woods. I imagine chasing her though the trees outside her house at night, cornering her as she begs for mercy before I destroy her. Then a novel idea hits me. Why hunt her during the day by playing with her in plain sight? A plan starts to form in the back of my mind.

An older, sick man greets her as she exits her car. Maybe I can snag a two-for-one deal while I’m here. His wheezing and erratic heartbeat ensures me that he already has one foot in the grave. He’s worth keeping an eye on for later. She brings her suitcases inside, and I transform into a raven so I can watch her through the window. They sit in front of the television for a few hours, chattering about the programme they're watching as they drink tea. The older man sits up straight, brushing biscuit crumbs off his shirt.

“Fiadh, listen here, child,” he says, commanding her attention during a commercial break. His brogue is much thicker than hers. “This forest is dangerous at night. There are…creatures…that could hurt a young woman like yourself. I want you to promise to keep all the doors and windows closed and locked. Don’t venture outside at night, no matter what you see or hear.”

Her face pales momentarily, no doubt from her remembering our earlier encounter. She shakes her head, setting herself right again. “Granda, come on. That lore may have scared me when I was a child, but I’m a twenty-three year old woman now. I don’t believe in Unseelie faeries, leprechauns, The Dullahan, Sluaghs, or any of those fairytales creatures anymore.”

“Shhhh! Don’t say the s-word; you’ll call one here!” he admonishes her. “Shame on you, too. You have no business calling one here. They prey on the sick and the broken-hearted. Do you want one to snatch your soul?!”

Too late, Granda. The Sluagh aren’t fairytale creatures. We’ve always hidden in plain sight, shifting our form to hide among the humans. In our true form, some call us demons or faerie folk gone wrong. Some think we’re black-winged spirits that take the form of a raven. Others think we’re a host of the unforgiven dead who come back from the afterlife to take our vengeance out on the living. The truth is that we are the bringers of death. We harvest the souls of the sick, dying, and broken-hearted. Feed from their fear, desperation, and pain. And this Sluagh plans on devouring you, Fiadh. One delectable bite of your soul at a time.

She shrugs, peering down into her teacup. “Okay, I’ll play along.”

Wild One, could you be any more delightfully ignorant? There’s already a Sluagh hunting you. Consuming the nonbelievers is tastier, because their fear is always more potent when you break their perception of reality.

“I’m serious. Samhain is in a couple of days, and that’s when the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest. The creatures will be out in droves, and I need you to have your wits about you. You can’t act like the daft broad in every horror movie. She’s always the first to die. What do you do when you hear a noise?” he questions her.

“Don’t follow it, stay inside,” she drones, as if this entire conversation is ridiculous.

“And all the doors and windows are to remain…?” he presses.

“Locked,” she answers.

“Right-O. Time for bed. Tomorrow, we’ll drive into town, and I’ll show you the new shops along the sea. We’ll get sweets and visit some of my friends. Mr. Tyrone’s grandson will be in town, and from what I’ve heard, he’s quite the looker.”

“Granda, I’m a kip and a half, a complete mess. I’m not over Daire, and I don’t know if I ever will be. I’m not ready to date again,” she almost whispers, and her eyes fall to the floor. Her grief is so lucious… I wish I was closer to taste its richness.

“I understand. I felt like the world ended when I lost your Nan. She was my pulse, my soul. But I was much older than you when she passed,” he says as he holds her hand and squeezes it, causing her to look up at him. “But if I could give you a solid piece of advice? Don’t waste your youth in grief. You’re too young and special to be alone. Daire would have wanted you to be happy. At least give it a try–you never know who you’ll find out there in the world.”

“I’ll mull it over,” she says.

After hugging the man, she heads to another room in the house, and I fly from window to window until I find her. She sits on a small bed, her head in her hands. Sadness pours off her in buckets as tears stream down her face.

I’m glad I found her today. I’m overdue for a delectable soul.

CHAPTER THREE

fiadh

I need to get out of bed. Anything is better than being swallowed by your own grief. Granda meant well, but his advice reminded me of how no one could compare to Daire. He was my everything, perfect for me in every conceivable way. Why waste time being with someone less than when I know what the perfect man was like?

I move over to the far window, peering out over the trees. A raven sits in a tree branch that grazes the window pane. It has glossy, black feathers and a strong beak. Its eyes are trained on me, like it’s watching me. I can’t help but smile at it. Some older, superstitious folk see ravens as a bad omen or tricksters, but they’ve always been my favorite birds ever since I was a child. I’d see them throughout the woods whenever I came to Granda’s house. Their caws never scared me.

Whenever Daire and I saw one, he’d say ‘Did ya know that ravens mate for life, love?’

I’d always reply, ‘Then you’re my raven, cause you’re stuck with me forever.’

I wish that was the case… Guess that’s something this bird and I have in common, we’re both alone.

After getting dressed in my nightgown, I take two sleeping pills. The cottage is ancient, lacking central heat and air. The uncharacteristically warm fall weather we had today makes the room feel stuffy. I laugh to myself about Granda’s weird comments earlier. Lock all the doors and windows! Old age must set you in your ways. It won’t hurt to open the window a smidge, to let some of the cool air in, right? There’s nothing out there prowling around at night. I’ll just crack it.

I settle under my quilt and stare at the ceiling. As I drift into the fuzzy space between sleep and wakefulness, I think of the hallucination I had in the woods today, vowing to myself that I’ll start taking my medications regularly while I’m here. Never want to see something like that again. Granda has enough to worry about, and I don’t need him fussing over my mental health. My eyelids feel heavy like anvils as sleep pulls me under. The last thing I think about before the world goes black are those piercing red eyes…

Sharp taps on the window wake me from a pained slumber filled with visions of Daire. His handsome face. The twinkle in his eyes when he smirked. The way his lips parted when he’d touch me in my most private places. I roll over, turning my back to the offensive noise. I want to go back and see Daire again, even if it’s only for a little while.

As I drift to sleep again, I pull the quilt over my shoulder to shield myself from the chilly air. The eerie silence surrounding me sends shivers down my spine, but I chalk it up to being cold. Just as I cross the divide into sleep, a weight settles on the bed behind me, and my heart immediately races, as if it’s trying to escape my body. Then I hear it again, a deep rasping inhale…

I roll back over and see the black figure from the woods sitting on the edge of my bed, inches from where I lay. Its hulking body stands out from the darkness, a pillar of white skin and black shadows. It looks like a faerie gone wrong–ethereally handsome with stark features, yet mischievous and deranged. A pair of glowing red eyes bore into me. I take a deep breath, desperately trying to ground myself before I have another panic attack.

This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This is a dream.

There’s no door separating me from this monster like there was in the woods. It’s close enough to reach out and touch me… As if it can hear my thoughts, it smiles, showing me rows of jagged, shiny teeth that glimmer in the moonlight coming in from the window. It inhales, and I feel a tightness in my chest. My breath catches as my mind spins, clamoring for a way out of this situation. How do I get out alive?

I lunge toward my end table to get my phone so I can call the emergency line, but it grabs my hands and slams them above my head, holding them in one if his boney claws. Their sharp edges dig into my skin. No matter how much I struggle, I can’t break free. Its hold feels like a vise, only getting tighter the more I try to fight it.

A deep, masculine laughter echoes inside my mind while simultaneously slithering across my skin. His voice sounds decadent, with a thick, archaic sounding brogue. He runs his free hand down my cheek and across my jaw, then trails it down my neck until it reaches my collar bone. Despite his shadowy form, his hands feel rough and calloused.

Fiadh…do not struggle against me. We are inevitable. His voice clatters inside my mind as his lips curl into a devilish smile.

His free hand softly rubs my skin before traveling back up and collaring my throat. I can feel my nipples pebble, beneath my nightgown, but instead of feeling scared or disgusted, I feel aroused. Then the rasping inhale starts again.

“What are you? What do you want from me?” I ask. Weakness overtakes me, and I feel as if I can barely move.

You taste delicious. For now, I want to feast on your fear…your despair. Your sadness. Eventually, I’ll want your soul. Just know that your fate is sealed. You can’t outrun The Hunter, Wild One.

His hand tightens around my throat, squeezing me until I have issues breathing. Black clouds the edges of my vision while stars dance in my eyes. The urge to inhale crawls up my throat, but I’m unable to let it out. He leans down and kisses me, and his lips feel cold and soothing. Dizziness takes over, and then everything fades to black.

I wake up and see the early morning light filtering in through the window. After taking a few deep breaths, I try to center myself… It’s morning… A deep, sharp pain radiates through my shoulder, and I realize my hands are above my head, in the exact same way the monster held them the night before. Gently, I lower my arms and roll to my side so I can grab my phone off the nightstand. Seven in the morning. I sit up, leaning back against the headboard as I try to piece together what happened.

I saw that creature from the woods again. He said he wanted to consume my fear and sadness? He wanted my soul… Granda’s ramblings about Sluaghs flash into my mind.

They prey on the sick and the broken-hearted.

No. That thing couldn’t be a Sluagh, because they’re not real. They’re the boogeyman Irish parents tell their children about so they don’t get sad. So they behave themselves and stay in line. There’s no way they’re real, so there’s no way one will feast on my broken heart and take my soul. That was just a very vivid dream. As soon as I have a free moment today, I’ll call my therapist and discuss either getting a new sleeping medication, or transitioning to another method of treatment.

I get up to use the toilet, and stop in front of the far window. It’s closed. Thinking back to last night, I could swear I opened it.

Around 11, Granda drives his ancient car at a snail’s pace all the way into town, parking outside of The Jammy Captain, a pub I remember from my childhood. He used to take me here for lunch and darts with his friends. We make our way in, and his friends holler his name from the other side of the bar. Although they all look older, I remember each one like I just saw them yesterday.

“Seamus!” Mr. McClaren shouts as he thwacks his cane into the floor.

“Get your gammy arse over here!” Mr. Monroe yells, causing the other patrons to shake their heads and laugh. Granda and his friends garnered the reputation of being the Wiley Old Coots Club, and have obviously kept it up while I was away.

“You brought your granddaughter?” Mr. Shaughnessy asks, in a more reserved voice. “The next James Joyce!”

“Ya fluthered eejits, shut your bakes and calm down,” Granda shouts as we make our way over to two empty seats.

“Do you remember me, young lady?” a gentleman with a flat cap asks from the opposite end of the table. “It’s been donkey’s years since we’ve seen you.”

“Of course I do, Mr. McCormick. How are you?” Niall McCormick has been a close friend of Granda’s for years. How could I forget him?

“I’m well. Very sorry to hear of your husband’s passing, but so glad you could join us today,” he says solemnly.

“Thank you,” I squeak, looking down at my shoes. It’s still uncomfortable talking about it, even though it’s been six months.

They get the hint, and no one mentions Daire for the rest of the meal. The conversation eventually picks up again, and it’s like the Irish inquisition. Over a few pints of Guinness, they ask me how school went, and if I have any pets. Because a pet cat would be a balm to my soul, according to Mr. Shaughnessy. Mr. McClaren asks about my writing, inquiring if I’ve got anything in the works. His wife and daughter have read all of my books and say they can’t wait for the next one. I don’t have the heart to tell him I haven’t had inspiration since Daire passed. All in all, it’s a good meal, but the last thing I want to do is spend the afternoon getting grilled by a bunch of old heads.

“Granda, have another pint. I’m going to go to the bookstore across the street and pick out a few things to read while I’m here,” I say as I hastily make my exit, crossing the street and traveling down a few shoppes until I can see the display window.

I stare into the window, spying some romance and mystery novels that look interesting. I’ll have to check those out. This store has always been here, but the inside seems packed from wall to wall with more aisles of books. I have so many memories of coming here and deliberating on what book to buy. Sometimes Granda and I would take turns reading the mysteries we bought aloud to each other in his sitting room. He’d always figure out who the murderer was before the halfway mark. That’s something he and Daire had in common. The few times we visited Granda, Daire had only beat him to it once, when we read L.J. Ross’ Holy Island.

I shake the memory from my mind. It’s too hard to think about Daire, even if it’s about good times. Because even the good memories serve as a reminder that he isn’t here with me. We won’t make any more of them together.

As I walk into the store, I’m hit with the distinct smell of books. Paper and ink can be a heady combination. It’s freezing in here, so I pull my sweater out of my bag and make my way down the aisles, looking for something interesting. Most of what I read are e-books, but sometimes I just want a physical book in my hand. Nothing beats the feeling of a crisp page from a new book on your fingertips; it’s a completely different experience. I see a sign for paranormal romance books. It would be nice to escape reality for a while. Most of what I write is contemporary romance thrillers, so this could be a good change of pace.

Immediately, a black and red cover with a thick girl in dark leather catches my eye. I’ve read other works by Maggie Bonnet, but never heard of In Death We Part before. I love seeing women who look like me on book covers.

“Have you read this book?” a deep, raspy male voice says. I look up and see a man so handsome that he takes my breath away.

His beautiful, vibrant red hair matches a closely trimmed beard. Dark green eyes peer down at me behind thick-rimmed black glasses…and he has a long way to peer down. He has to be over 6’5” because he makes me feel tiny in comparison. His Roman nose and thick, muscular build are a complete juxtaposition to the nerd vibe he gives off.

“No, I’ve never heard of it before. The cover caught my eye.”

I can’t help but stare into his eyes. They’re a forest green, with little flecks of yellow and hazel toward the center. They remind me of Daire’s… A little voice inside me warns me to stay away from him, turn around and never look back, but he draws me in. I want to get to know him better.

“It’s the first book in a series about this young woman who doesn’t know she’s magical, and she meets these guys who end up turning her life upside down. Two of them are demons, one is a Greek god, and the other is a hellbound creature,” the man says. His voice is deep and gravelly, and it makes me feel flustered. “A great read if you feel like getting lost in another world for a while.”

“That’s the p-plan,” I stutter.

I was never good at talking to people and tried to blend into the background so no one noticed me. But now that I am a widow, every interaction just seems weird–somehow tainted by my loss and grief. But this man is a stranger. There’s no way he’d know I am an awkward twenty-three year old widow. He couldn’t possibly feel sorry for me. The thought of talking to an attractive stranger who didn’t know me is actually freeing, even exhilarating. I catch him smiling down at me, and I blush. Is this nameless stranger flirting with me?

“I’m being rude. My name is Hunter Black,” the man says as he extends his hand. I jostle my purse and book around, shaking his hand and trying to make eye contact so I’m less awkward. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you.”

He shrugs as he throws me a warm, genuine smile. Something about him seems so familiar, I just can’t help but want to talk to him. Maybe I’m just being insecure and feeling guilty. He seems so nice.

“No, not at all. I’m Fiadh Donahue. Sorry, I’m just shy. But I love talking about books. I’m actually a writer,” I blurt. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I must sound like such a fool.

“What’s your pen name? What do you write?” he inquires. Not the way other people ask half-heartedly, to try to make conversation. He actually sounds interested.

“My books are exclusively on Amazon, mostly romantic thrillers and a few raunchy rom-coms. M. O’Hara.”

“Wait, did you write Under the Alder Tree?!”

“You read my work?” I don’t mean to sound surprised, but most men write off romance as a genre. But if he’s read paranormal reverse harem, he’s probably not put off by male/female books.

“Yes. I read more mysteries and paranormal, but I’ve been getting into romantic suspense, romance mysteries, and paranormal RH romance. They’re quickly becoming some of my favorite genres,” he replies, his face heated with a blush. “And some of the spicy scenes in Under the Alder Tree… they were something. That plot twist toward the end was insane. I can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots and see it coming.”

We end up sitting on some arm chairs in the corner of the shop and talking about our shared love of books. We like a lot of the same authors, and he’s even read my favorite contemporary RH series, The Apocalypse Society by Aly Beck. He has a huge crush on Kaycee, the female main character, and I can’t blame him, because I sorta have a crush on her too. Although if I’m being honest, it’s all about the West twins for me. Zeppelin and Seger for life.

Turns out he lives close to me, and grew up on the outskirts of town, a little deeper into the woods. He walked the same woodland paths that I did, but we just never crossed paths. The more I look at him and stare into those perfect green orbs, the more I start to like him. He’s handsome, funny, and smart, but not in a cringy know-it-all kind of way. It starts to rain outside, and before I know it, I hear Granda’s voice boom through the shop.

“Fiadh, it’s been almost two hours. What are you up to, child?” he slyly asks as he eyes Hunter and I from across the space. “Who is this young man?”

Before I can jump in, Hunter stands up and shakes his hand. “I’m Hunter, sir. I met Fiadh when we bumped into each other in the paranormal aisle.

Granda eyes him up. “I’m her grandfather, Seamus. It’s time she gets home for dinner, but feel free to talk to her some other time.”

“Could I get your number, Fiadh?” Hunter asks. He seems so nervous compared to a few minutes ago.

“Yeah, sure.” I program my number into his phone and call myself, so I have his number too. “It was so nice meeting you, Hunter. I’ll make sure to let you know what I think about In Death We Part. And when I’m finished, I’ll start the Alastair Stone Chronicles.”

I follow Granda out of the store, thinking of how lucky I was to meet an attractive man who reads the same books as me. It’s like something out of a romance novel. Even if we just stay friends, it would be nice to know someone in the area. I’ll be here for a while.

Right as I reach the door, I look over and see him smiling at me.

CHAPTER FOUR

the hunt

I watch Fiadh glance over her shoulder as she walks away, and I smile. What a naive girl. She actually thinks I’m a human man. A handsome, kind man who just wanders book stores and reads romance novels. Her perfect match. All I had to do was read her soul and I knew everything about her. What she’s passionate about reading…what she finds attractive. Her greatest fear. She fell right into my trap, and now I can play with her during the daytime while I torture her at night.

As soon as she’s out the door and running through the rain with her Granda, I duck into an alley and shift into a raven again to track them home. I perch outside of a window, watching them eat dinner and read their books. Clad in flannel pajamas, Fiadh looks so relaxed as she snuggles into her arm chair, nose deep in the book I picked for her at the store. She reads for a while until the stars twinkle in the night sky. When she finally makes the trip to bed, she continues reading by the light of her bedside table lamp. I shift into my human form and sit on a thick bough lower in the tree, right outside her window, and decide to play with her more before I terrorize her.

Hey, how are you enjoying the book?

Her phone pings. She puts her book down and sits up, blushing like a schoolgirl. Shifting in her bed, she stares at the phone for a few moments before replying.

Fiadh: It’s great so far. I love how Diana is so strong and confident. And the way these guys just come in and stir things up. They’re seriously psychos.

Have you gotten to the dream scene in Chapter Five…

Her face is beet red, and she rolls onto her stomach. I see the curve of her ample arse in her pajama pants, but it’s not enough to slake the need I have. I want to see more. I want to see all of her porcelain skin flush red. Her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her neck, all the way down her stomach to her pussy. Just because I plan on eating her soul, doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with her first.

Fiadh: Yeah, it was steamy. Only an incubus could pull off something like that. And the way Bonnet wrote the scene *hot face emoji*. The banter was hot too.

Only an incubus, huh? She’ll learn. I’m going to enjoy playing with my new toy.

I love how descriptive that scene is…how Diana is taken right to the edge, over and over again. How Sebastian makes her deepest, darkest desires come true. Made me think of what my hidden desires are…

I can see her throat work as she swallows. She seems so flustered. The dots in the messenger app appear and disappear a few times, and minutes pass before she finally responds to me.

Fiadh: The way he completely owns her in that moment is truly beautiful. And the bite mark and what it signifies…the dominance…the control. Knowing he wants her bad enough to claim her for himself no matter the consequences. Maybe I’m messed up for thinking this, but I find that very romantic.

I want to own her, dominate her as I feed from her fear and feel her lust wash over me. It seems this girl may enjoy kinkier activities in the bedroom. And lucky for her, the soul is always awake, even when its keeper is sleeping.

Yeah, it was cool to read about things I practice in real life. I love how the indie romance author community explores these themes in a nonjudgemental way. Hey, do you know the big oak tree in the woods, the one surrounded by all the primroses and bluebells?

Fiadh: Yeah, I love that spot. So beautiful. I used to read there all the time when I was a kid.

Do you want to meet there tomorrow and read together? I’m rereading In Death We Part so we can talk about it, and I’d love to get to know you better.

She frowns, laying down and pulling the covers over herself. Her eyes are glued to the ceiling, no doubt thinking of how to respond. Little tendrils of despair waft from her, but they’re so potent I can taste them from outside. So delicious, with a rich, dark flavor. It runs deep. I’m sure she feels conflicted about spending time with another man so soon.

Fiadh: Sure. How does three in the afternoon work? I can pack some snacks and drinks?

I will, too. See you soon.

Little does she know, I’ll see her much sooner than she thinks.

CHAPTER FIVE

fiadh

I think about what Hunter said…things he practices in real life… What does he mean by that? Is he into domination…control? Does he want to blindfold me? Make my darkest desires come true? The thought of him dominating me and taking control of my pleasure makes a molten pressure pool deep in my stomach. I should feel disgusted by thinking these things about a man I just met, but I don’t. I had enjoyed the few times Daire and I explored him being dominant in bed.

Guilt hits me like a bat to the head. How could I possibly think about another man six months after my husband passed? Grief sinks to the bottom of my stomach, no matter how hard I try to avoid it. I take my nightly sleeping pill as the devil on my shoulder plays the advocate. I shouldn’t feel guilty about having an interest in Hunter. Granda was right; I’m too young to spend the rest of my life mourning. Daire wouldn’t want me to be all alone. My mind’s restless thoughts fall to the wayside as the pill kicks in, carrying me into a deep sleep.

A smooth, cold hand caresses my face. My eyes flutter open, and I see a pair of forest green eyes.

“Hunter?” I ask. “What are you doing here?”

This has to be some kind of dream. How could he possibly be in my room? His thumb traces my lower lip as he smirks down at me. He sits on the edge of my bed, his thick black glasses gone to reveal his handsome face. The heat I felt while texting him earlier is nothing compared to how I feel now. My nipples pebble against my nightshirt. Wetness gathers between my thighs. My breaths quicken as my heart thrums in my chest.

“I wanted to see you…Your flannel pajamas are adorable.” His eyes glimmer in the moonlight streaming in from the open window. His smooth lilt sounds more pronounced and salacious.

“How did you get in here? Did you come through my window?” I should feel scared he’s here uninvited…that he somehow knows where I live. He’s in my room without permission. But I’m not. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m horny or stupidly altrustic.

“That’s inconsequential. What matters is that I’m here. So you think only an incubus could pull off something sexy like that?” He tips his chin at me in challenge, daring me to agree.

“Well yeah, they’re creatures fueled by sex. Real men don’t act that way, unfortunately.” I’m goading him on, but I don’t care.

If I’m being honest, I want him to prove me wrong. Who am I right now? I can’t believe I’m doing this, even if it’s just in a dream. Fuck being scared. All I feel is a sense of desire burning through me. He needs to touch me. Kiss me. Anything. He runs his hand from my face down to my neck, feeling my pulse point. His tongue wets his bottom lip as his eyes flash with devilish intention. He unbuttons my nightshirt, freeing my breasts and rubbing my hard nipple between his finger and thumb.

“Your pulse is hammering, and your nipples could cut glass. Are you excited to find me in your bed?” he asks as he kneels over top of my legs, balancing his weight on his forearms so his face is inches from mine. I’m nervous and barely able to talk, so I just nod. “Not good enough. Use your voice, Fiadh. Tell me how excited you are.”

I gasp as he pinches my nipple, trying my hardest to force the words out, but all I can do is moan. It’s been such a long time since another person has touched me. He gazes into my eyes, chuckling.

“Your wanton moans are all I have to hear,” he cooes.

He takes my arms, pinning them above my head with one hand as he hovers over my space.

“Don’t move,” he orders and he tears the pillow case off my pillow.

He uses it to tie my hands to the headboard. The commanding tone of his voice and the feeling of being restrained, completely at his mercy, makes fear and anticipation roil in my gut. I instinctually open my legs, my body responding to him on its own.

He settles between them, closing the distance between us and kissing me. His tongue drags across my lips, forcing my mouth open. The kiss is deep, possessive, and drugging. All my previous feelings of apprehension and nervousness are gone now. Something inside me lights up at the sensual slide of his lips on mine. As his tongue caresses mine, I throw caution and guilt to the wind. I just want him. I want him to possess me, dominate me. I want to dream of something that isn’t depressing—feel something aside from complete and utter hopelessness for once.

He peppers kisses down my jaw, throat, and chest, leaving behind nipping bites as he goes. I grind my hips into him, desperate to find some kind of friction, anything to take some of the edge off of this unbelievable lust I feel bubbling inside me.

“Stop grinding your needy pussy into me, Fiadh. Behave yourself, or I’ll take longer to attend to it,” he says, slapping my pussy in warning. The seriousness to his face and my shock at his discipline urges me to comply. No man has ever done that to me before.

He slowly moves down my body to suck each of my nipples in turn, driving me right to the edge before he bites one and sends a sharp pain straight to my aching clit. Gasping, I try my hardest to stay still. His thumbs go beneath my pajama waistband and knickers, pulling them down to reveal my sex. He puts his nose right between my thighs and inhales deeply.

“You smell amazing, Fiadh,” he whispers. He slides a finger over my entrance, lightly pushing it in. “You’re so fucking wet for me. I’m going to lick your little cunt until you bust, and soak up every last drop of your cum.”

I groan the moment his tongue licks the most sensitive part of me. He destroys any self control I thought I had. His hands hold my thick thighs apart, giving him a large breadth to devour me. His tongue moves from my entrance, licking and sucking its way up my folds until he reaches my clit. He licks it tentatively at first, teasing me until I’m writhing beneath him. My moans beg him for more.

“Do you want more? Does your greedy cunt want to come?” he rasps. I furiously nod while I buck my hips beneath him. “Use your words and ask me for more.”

“Please, Hunter. Please wreck me. I want you to make me come.”

He fucks me with two fingers as his mouth licks and sucks my clit, sending shivers over my entire body. His fingertips glide over a sensitive spot inside me. I tip my head back and groan, reveling in the sensation of being so close to unraveling for him.

Just as I’m about to come, he lifts his face and says, “Fiadh, look at me while you shatter, I want to see it. I want to see you fall apart knowing I did this to you.”

I look up, but instead of Hunter, I see the monster from the woods peering up at me. His face is shrouded in darkness, spare a malicious grin that glows as he continues to finger me, his digits feeling rough inside me.

My heart stops. I can’t breathe. It feels as if my entire body has frozen over with fear. I pull against my bindings, failing to free myself. He laughs at me.

“Oh Wild One, you want to get away? Liar. I smell your fear…your arousal,” he rumbles as he hits a tender spot and I moan. “You love having a monster’s fingers inside of you. The thing from the woods controlling your pleasure–holding your mortal life in his hands–turns you on.” The squelching from my wetness mixed with his cruel, domineering laughter echoes around the room, humiliating me. My face heats, because he’s right…my entire pussy is throbbing.

He lowers his head again, and starts to lick and suck on my clit with his warm tongue. My thighs tremble, and right before I can fall apart, he grabs my throat with his free hand, squeezing it until my breath is almost completely cut off.

“Now be my good, scared little whore and come for me. I want to feel you soak my hand,” he demands.

He pinches my clit, and I detonate, drenching his hand in my arousal and turning my face to the side in shame. This dream has taken a turn for the worst, and like the ‘scared little whore’ he thinks I am, I played right into his hand.

“What are you? Why do you want me?” I ask, hating myself for sounding so weak and trembling on the mattress.

“I am the Bringer of Death and the taker of souls, Wild One.” His gravelly, matter-of-fact tone sends shivers down my spine.

“You’re a Sluagh…a d-dark faerie…” I audibly swallow, silently praying to whoever is listening that this is just a vivid hallucination or a dream.

“Pray to whatever God you think is listening. Call me whatever you want. But know that eventually, your soul is mine. Your fear, despair, and broken heart are mine. You are mine.”

He grabs my face, forcing it to the center again so he can kiss me. I hate how good it feels, how my body comes to life when his smirking lips touch mine. Tears roll down my face as his maniacal laughter assaults my ears.

I wake up, sitting upright and gasping for air. I feel myself spiraling out of control, freefalling further and further into a breakdown. How the feck do I stop it?! I choke on my sobs and can barely breathe out of my nose.

That thing, he can’t be real. Close your eyes. Breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. 4-7-8. 4-7-8. 4-7-8. Close your eyes and think about something comforting. Granda and I ate ice cream on the beach. We visited the shops and bought books to read while we enjoyed the weather.

After several minutes of pulling myself together, I finally open my eyes. The moonlight allows me to see that my bedroom is empty, spare myself. I feel my body up and down for injuries, but everything seems fine. Wetness coats the inside of my thighs, but I ignore it. I don’t want to think about how turned on I got from one of my vivid hallucinatory dreams. The room is so cold that my breath mists in front of my face. Pulling my quilt around me, I sigh in relief. Thank God it was a dream. Across the room, my window is open. A sour feeling sinks to the pit of my stomach as I get out of bed and cross over to close it. I don’t remember leaving it open…

As I pull down the sill, a loud buffeting noise floats through the air. Huge, black wings beat against the night sky, carrying a human-like shape away from me. The moonlight illuminates slick black feathers and my heart stops. I quickly shut the sill and lock it as I watch the Sluagh fly away. As if he can feel me watching him, he turns around. His big red eyes glow against the inky night, leaving me with one more haunting reminder of how far my mental health has slipped.

Dreams of the Sluagh plague my sleep. I wake up throughout the night and falling back to sleep is difficult. I keep seeing his towering form, the shadows surrounding his pale, sharp face. His jagged, sharp teeth. His red eyes boring into me, as if he was exploring the dark, fecked up corners of my soul. Given what he wants me for, I’m sure he already has.

After waking up at noon, I greet Granda at the kitchen table. He’s plating up cheese toasties and tomato soup, my favorite lunch.

“You slept in late. Up all night reading were you?” he asks, chuckling as he hands me a drink.

“Yeah, it’s a good book. I was up super late reading,” I lie. I hate being dishonest with him, but I don’t want him to worry about me.

“When you pick another mystery, let me know and we’ll read it together; romances aren’t my cup of tea,” he comments. “What are your plans for today?”

“I need to shower and get dressed, then I’m meeting Hunter at three. We may have dinner together, so I’ll let you know.”

“I don’t want you out after dark tonight, Fiadh,” Granda warns. “Samhain starts tomorrow, and tonight will be a dangerous eve to be out in the dark. The creatures and faeries will be out in full force because the veil between worlds is at its thinnest.”

I sigh, nodding along. His superstition has gotten worse in his old age. “Granda, none of that stuff is real. The woods have always been a safe place ever since I was a child. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll be home before dark. Promise.”

“Thank you. Make sure you keep your phone on you, and if you need me, or if he acts like an arse, you let me know,” he threatens. “I’m proud of you for getting back out there, even if it’s just meeting a friend.”

I hug Granda. Hearing he’s proud of me makes me feel worse for fibbing to him earlier, and I bury my face in his shoulder so he doesn’t see me tear up. Lunch is uneventful, and we spend most of it talking about this and that. Around 1:30, I go upstairs to get ready to see Hunter.

The entire time I’m in the shower, I think of the myriad of ways I can ruin my date. Was this even a date? Maybe he just wanted to be friends… What if things are awkward after the wet dream I had last night? What if he doesn’t show, and I sit there forever waiting? He could realize how awkward I am and decide he wants nothing to do with me… Or he could realize how depressed and lonely I am. I’m sure that'll be a major turn on for him. Every guy wants an awkward, weird, twenty-three year old widow who isn’t over her dead husband and has rapidly declining mental health.

I style my hair in long, loose waves and wear minimal make-up–just enough that my dark circles disappear and I look natural. Enough to cover my imperfections, while allowing me to still look human. I rarely feel human these days, but still want to look the part. The forecast predicts a cool, crisp fall day, so I wear jeans, an emerald green tunic sweater, combat boots, and a black beanie. I’ll wear a coat over it all, in case the temperature drops. After packing my backpack with snacks, drinks, a blanket, my book, and my notepad and pen, I check the time. I only have a half hour to walk to the oak tree.

As I travel through the woods, I think back to my childhood. The trees are still just as thick and tall as they were back then. They grow in clusters, close enough to whisper their woodland secrets to each other, almost creating a maze. I would spend hours hiking through them, searching for imaginary faeries and folk creatures. The canopy of leaves above blocks out some of the sunlight, giving the woods a mysterious edge. I zip up my coat and continue to walk the worn pathway to the giant oak tree. By the time I arrive, Hunter already has a plaid blanket laid out with a picnic basket and pillows.

“Hunter, you went all out!” I exclaim, gesturing to the setup. I put my backpack down before sitting next to him on the blanket. “I brought some snacks and drinks and another blanket in case we get cold.”

“I wanted this to be nice. I realized after I asked you that reading in the woods may not be the most glamorous date, so I packed us a picnic basket for an early dinner and brought some pillows to relax on.” His smile disarms me, and I realize that he said date. My nerves take over, and I stare into the blanket, trying my hardest not to spiral into self doubt. I could ruin everything by saying the wrong thing. He could realize that I’m a depressed, pathetic shell of the woman I once was–that I’m a complete waste of his time. Why do I have to be so awkward…

Hunter tips my chin up with his fingers, locking eyes with me. His dark green eyes comfort me in a familiar way, sinking into my soul and making me feel more grounded. Some of the panic I felt earlier disappears as I focus on their gold and hazel flecks.

“Why were you looking at the ground? I want to see your beautiful face,” he croons.

I am not going to cry like a hormonal tween because a man calls me beautiful. That would officially ruin this date. A tear slips free, and he wipes it away with his thumb. I think of how Daire used to do the exact same thing, and realize that not telling Hunter about my past will be more difficult than I thought. I may as well tell him now so he doesn’t waste his time with me.

“I’m usually awkward, but more so now because my husband died about six months ago. The past half year has been challenging… I’ve been stuck in a really dark place, and I’m just starting to reconnect with the world again, if that makes sense? I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want you to judge me, but I want to start this off on the right foot. Any potential relationship we may have, whether it’s as friends or more, should be based on honesty,” I confess.

He sits there for a few moments, and I wonder if I have royally screwed this up until he wraps his strong, muscular arms around me, bringing me into a comforting hug. I squeeze him back, and then let him hold me, enjoying the closeness. It’s been a while since a man, other than Granda, hugged me.

“Don’t think I’m a creep, but I already knew,” he says as we continue to embrace. “I’ve been burned in the past and now I Google search all the women I date. I read the articles, so I know what happened.You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Or you can; whatever makes you comfortable. I’m here to listen to whatever you have to say.”

I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear him say that. After being whispered about and judged for months, it feels vindicating to have someone understand how I feel and offer to support me.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. Thank you.”

He sits against the oak tree and insists I sit between his legs with my head on his chest while we silently read, so I don’t have to hunch over or lay on the blanket. We share the book as he reads over my shoulder. We lose ourselves for hours, alternating between reading together and talking about whatever comes to mind. Something about this is…natural. He feels like a long lost friend who just gets me–someone I’ve known for years.

We get to a spicy chapter, and he tightens his hold on me, squeezing my back against his chest. Even through my sweater and coat, I can feel his length hardening. He starts to read the scene aloud.

“‘I tilted my chin up, kissing the open patch of skin. He grabbed my legs, hoisting me up so I had to wrap them around his waist. His lips met mine in a long, seductive kiss that made my toes curl. Call me the Wicked Witch of the West, because I felt like I was melting against him,’” he reads.

I shiver in his arms as he reads on, quoting the incubus I imagined him one-upping in my dream last night. “‘I hate that your dream was cut short. I wanted to bend you over the back of that couch and ruin you, so you would never dream about anyone other than me ever again.’”

He moves his hand to the waistband of my jeans, and toys with the top button. I inhale sharply as his touch burns my skin. Hearing his deep, raspy brogue read smut makes desire flash through my system and pool between my thighs. His nose runs along my ear, and he licks a line of fire down my neck.

“Were you thinking about me taking control and dominating you before you went to bed, Fiadh?” he whispers in my ear. “Did you dream of me doing wicked things to you in your bed?”

“Yes,” I moan as he kisses my neck and nips at my earlobe. “I want to know what that would feel like.” The last bit slips out of my lips unwarranted, but I can’t bring myself to regret it.

He unzips my coat, running his other hand under my shirt and rubbing my nipple under my bralette. It stiffens and he groans, grinding his hard dick into my back. I break free of his hold and turn around, kneeling over him so I can kiss him. His lips are soft, just like I dreamed they would be. I bite his bottom lip, toying with it, but not for long. He takes over, weaving his hands through my hair and pulling me closer to him as he tips my head up. The painful sting radiates through my scalp, but instead of setting off my internal alarms, it makes me ravenous for him. I relish the pain, crave it. His tongue slips into my mouth, and he commands my full attention, forcing the ever-turning wheels in my mind to grind to a halt. For once, I’m not sad or anxious. I don’t feel like the world has ended.

“You’re making it really hard to behave myself,” he warns as he grabs my arse under my jeans, digging his fingers into my flesh as I moan like a whore. “If we’re not careful, I’m going to do some ungentlemanly things and devour you whole in the middle of the woods.”

At this moment, I decide to throw caution to the wind. I don’t care that I barely know him or that Daire died only six months ago. Hunter draws me in like a magnet, the force between us undeniably pulling me closer. I desperately want to collide with him.

“No one said you had to be good,” I rasp.

He chuckles, and it sends shockwaves through my entire body. Something about his devilish laughter sounds familiar, but before I have the chance to place it, he tips me onto my back and removes my coat and shirt. I take my boots off as he unbuttons my jeans, pulling them off and smiling at the black lacy panties underneath.

“As beautiful as they are, they need to go,” he says as he rips my panties off and pockets them.

I lay naked and spread before him in the cold autumn wind. A gust of frigid air blows against my bare cunt, making me shiver. He takes me in, eyes roaming from my hair to my toes. He quickly removes his clothes and spreads my legs to kneel in between them. He runs his tongue down my slit, groaning as he licks his lips. Parting my folds, he tongues at my clit, alternating between short flicks and long strokes. Each movement sends jolts of pleasure through my body until I’m bucking beneath him.

I look into his eyes and his pupils are blown, standing out against the feral, unhinged look on his face. He dips to my entrance, and he hums in appreciation before spearing me with his tongue. A bubbling sensation builds inside me, threatening to tip me over into orgasm. He pulls away, replacing his tongue with two of his fingers inside me, hitting a tender spot that makes me bow off the floor. I feel wetness coat my inner thighs as I detonate, riding his fingers until he pulls them out and shoves them in my mouth.

“Taste how sweet your greedy little cunt is, Fiadh. I told you not to tempt me, that I’d do awful things to you in these woods.” He pushes his fingers further down my throat, making me gag as he smirks at me. “I’m going to put you on your hands and knees, and you’ll be my little cock-slut, begging for me to make you cum again until you can barely stand. I’ll fuck you right into the dirt–so hard that you’ll ache for days, and every time you feel a twinge of pain, you’ll remember how you got ruined in the same spot you read fairytales in as a child.”

My own arousal tastes sweet and salty in my mouth. The heady combination of his filthy words and his fingers hitting the back of my throat have me salivating for more. I want to feel him so deep inside me that he breaks me into a million pieces before putting me back together again. He maneuvers me onto my hands and knees, grabbing my hips before he slams into me in one smooth thrust. An animalistic grunt tears from his mouth as a pained moan escapes mine. The pain is exquisite–I can finally feel something again. He hammers into me relentlessly, and with each slide of his cock, I feel an overwhelming sensation pushing me closer to a limit I wasn’t aware I had. My moans echo through the forest before his hand collars my throat, bringing me up so my back is flush with his chest.

“You feel so tight around me, so fecking good,” he groans, his deep voice penetrating me to my basest level. He switches to long, deep thrusts that hit me just right. “I was already becoming addicted to you, but now I’m fucking obsessed. I’ll never be able to let you go.”

His words don’t make sense to me, but I barely care. I scream as my climax hits me like a truck and I lose my balance, my forearms and face falling onto the blanket.

“Wild One, I bet your screams will sound even better when I chase you through the woods,” Hunter rasps as he releases inside me.

My heart skips a beat as I mentally replay what he said. Wild One? Wild One… I look over my shoulder, and my breath escapes me. A pale, angular face wrapped in shadow with glowing red eyes stares at me, grinning like a lunatic. His human form is gone, replaced by the monster from my dreams. His entire body is covered in swirling shadows. The masculine hands that left bruises on my hips have been replaced by sharp claws that cut into my skin. A massive creature kneels behind me where Hunter knelt. I freeze, unable to move as realization dawns on me.

Hunter is the Sluagh… He’s been hunting me in a human form, reeling me in like a fish on a line so he could feast from my pain and claim my soul. He wraps his arms around me, and an icy coldness seeps into my skin, killing the warmth I felt moments ago. His maniacal laughter brings tears to my eyes because I’m caught. He already has me in his grasp.

“Don’t cry, Wild One. I’m not done with you yet.” His words sound full of promise as he pulls out of me, and I feel a gush of wetness trickle down my leg and am reminded of the bliss he’d given me.

How could the monster from my nightmare make me feel so alive? How could a being so callous and cold bring me so much pleasure and make my body feel like it’s been reborn?

I’m ripped from my internal musing by the feeling of a cold talon dragging against my nipple. He sits on his heels and turns me around, so I’m in his lap. His tongue invades my mouth, stroking my own. Before I can even think, my mind is flooded with an unexplainable, twisted desire that scares me. I grab his shoulders, pulling him closer to me and grinding myself into him. His entire body is cold and as hard as stone. I’m a deadly mixture of desperate desire, an insatiable need, and a frantic fear that has me acting insane. His hand wraps around my throat and squeezes so hard that I can’t breathe.

“I thought you’d be my scared, broken little girl, but it turns out you’re my greedy little woodland whore. You’re already desperate for more and we just finished.” As the lack of oxygen permeates my brain, all the desire I felt before gives way to a crippling fear. “Mmm, there it is, that mouth-watering fear I’ve become addicted to. Make no mistake, I’m going to claim and consume your soul. You’re mine.”

He releases my throat, and my fight or flight instinct kicks in. I shoot up and swipe my coat from the ground, hastily putting it on as I dart into the trees. Every step between us increases my chances of survival. I need to run as fast and as far as I can.

My heart hammers within my chest, and I feel dizzy from a lack of oxygen. My feet are cut and scratched by the twigs and crunchy leaves that litter the forest floor. Nighttime descends, and I can’t see too far ahead of me. I push myself to weave faster, farther through the maze of trees. The entire woods is silent, absent of the bugs and creatures that roam its grounds. I dare to turn my head, fearful to see him right on my tail, but I don’t see him anywhere. I stop to catch my breath and figure out where I am. None of these trees look familiar, and I’m far off the beaten path I usually travel. I slowly turn in a circle, trying to somehow determine north, until I hear a loud buffeting noise tearing throughout the eerie quiet.

I peer up into the sky and see feathered black wings carrying an inhuman form. He’s tracking me from the sky. I break into a run again, wincing as my foot hits a sharp rock, and I fall to the ground. Blood soaks the sole of my foot, and I cry out in pain. He hovers above me in the sky, circling me like a vulture and toying with me. Is this how it ends? I’m going to die in the woods Granda told me not to get caught in at night by a creature I swore up and down didn’t exist.

The Sluagh lands in a kneel on the floor, like a dark avenger of the night. His smirk is firmly in place and he rises, walking toward me like a morbid angel as he retracts his wings behind his back.

Giving up so soon? His voice rings loud inside my mind. You’re pathetic for someone whose name translates to Wild One. I thought you’d put up more of a fight. I wanted to hunt you down before I claimed you.

He stops next to me and lifts my foot, swiping his claw through the blood. Popping the talon in his mouth, his sick and depraved groan echoes in my head. His entire body is muscle encased in opal skin, glittering the dark. I can’t tear my eyes away from him. He equally scares and arouses me, and I feel so fucked up over it all. His deep, rasping inhale breaks the spell that’s come over me, and I realize how close he is.

Christ, I’m about to end your life and you’re trying to figure out if I scare you or turn you on. You’re a fucked up bird with zero self preservation, aren’t you? I’m going to have so much fun claiming you and tearing your soul shred by fecking shred from your body before I consume every last bit.

Something snaps inside me, and I scramble up again. He’s right–I’m pathetic, a scared deer waiting for the wolf to rip it apart. I refuse to lay down like a sacrifice for a reject-faerie that took advantage of me and tricked me into the woods for a primal playdate. Feck that, I’m fighting. I start to run again, pushing myself deeper and deeper into the woods.

His voice clatters in my mind, its evil edge slowing me down. You cannot outrun me, Wild One. I’ve felt the hopelessness of your heart, the agony of your soul. You are mine.

CHAPTER SIX

the hunt

My words spur her on, carrying her deeper into the trees until she thinks she’s gained a distance on me. Little does she know, I’m lurking right behind her, waiting for her to realize that no matter how fast or far she runs, I’m The Hunt…The Bringer of Death. I will always find her. She’s just delaying the inevitable and ramping up my all-consuming desire for her by running. She’s playing with a predator who will never let her walk away. Her fate is sealed.

I start to run, eager to catch my prey and finally claim what’s mine. Her desecrated soul calls to me in a way no other has for centuries. I need to have it. Closing the distance between us, I unleash an icy cold breath on her neck, making her turn her head. I catch her by surprise, causing her to trip again. She lands on her hands and knees, reminding me of the carnal moment we shared in the woods earlier. Her body felt amazing, but her fear when she realized who I really am—who was really making her come—that made me feel a special kind of high I’d only feel once in my immortal lifetime. I could gorge myself on her fear and despair for the rest of my days and never be satisfied.

She tries to crawl away, but I put my foot between her shoulder blades, pushing her into the dirt so she can’t escape. I crouch to the ground, flipping her over so she is forced to look at the monster who finally caught her. I tear off her coat, exposing a sensual combination of soft curves, round hips, and ample breasts. Her pale skin reflects the moonlight, and my mouth waters. Images of me defiling her body, making her scream my name–my real name–so loudly she loses her voice come unbidden to my mind, but I shake them off. I want to focus on this…enjoy it. There’s nothing like ripping a human soul from its vessel. The screams of pure agony…the crying, begging, and indescribable pain. It sustains me for days, sometimes even weeks.

Her tear-filled eyes peer up at me under dark lashes and her entire body shakes. Her horror is so pungent that it’s opaque—I can see it swirling in the air, cloaking her. I’ve never found such a perfect, beautiful specimen to feast upon. I’m not sure if I can let her go by simply ripping her soul out. I can keep her forever, make her my personal toy. The thought of destroying her and claiming her mortal soul doesn’t fulfill me the way it usually has with past conquests. I never want to let her go. There’s only one thing I can do to get what I crave without killing her.

I grab her hair and rise, pulling her up to stand. Her lips quiver, and she averts her eyes to the ground. I use a claw to tip her chin up to meet my gaze, and it punctures the skin, letting a trickle of blood fall down her neck. I lick it, tasting her blood again, and my cock hardens. She whimpers, and the sound is music to my ears. Seems I’m addicted to everything about this lost little girl.

Her wide eyes take in my calculating expression and her panic hits my nostrils like a bullet. That’s right, give me all your fear, everything you have.

I can feel your soul, Wild One. It’s full of suffering, despair, and fear. It pains you to carry such sorrow everyday.

She cries, her tears falling down her face and rolling into the dirt below us. She nods, and I hear her small, breathless voice.

“Yes, I miss Daire every day and I keep thinking it will get easier, but it never does. My mind is breaking just like my heart has and I have no idea who I am anymore.” A hint of jealousy hits me at the mention of her late husband, but I brush it aside. She’ll be mine soon enough.

How would you feel if I could take away all your pain? On Samhain, anything is possible. The veil is translucent, allowing all kinds of creatures and energies to pass between the human world and what lies beyond.

She sighs, and breathes in deeply. Her silence stretches and I almost ask her again before she speaks.

“I don’t trust you. You’re the only man that has made me feel anything since Daire’s death. But you tricked me. You trapped me like unsuspecting prey in the woods. Then you feasted upon me and left me bloody and more broken than before.”

I am not a human man, Wild One, let alone a good man. I’ll forever be a Sluagh, a monster doomed to roam the world and feast upon the souls of the broken-hearted and dying. A creature so depraved that Death steers clear of me and the Unseelie faeries won’t even claim me as their own. I grab her throat and pull her closer to me, so that I’m whispering into her ear. But I can promise you that if you let me, I’ll make sure you’re never in pain again.

“How? By tearing my soul from my body and killing me? I don’t want to die,” she pleads, grasping at my claw to loosen around her neck. I run my nose up the column of her neck, still smelling the blood from the open cut my talon left behind.

I won’t kill you. I’m going to rebirth you, create you in a different image where you’ll never be bogged down by your pain and suffering again. She stops crying, pulling away to pierce me with a questioning stare.

“You’ll end this? Free me from this life I’ve thought about ending so many times before?”

Yes. As long as you accept that you’re mine. Whether she accepts it or not, she’ll always be mine. She can never run fast enough, or far enough from me. She’ll never be able to hide from me.

From the moment I smelled her tantalizing scent in the air, she belonged to me.

She’s silent, a contemplative look on her face. I tap into her soul, so I can know what she’s feeling. Images from the past six months swirl around in her mind, drowning her in a salty sadness I can taste in the air.

The police coming to her door to tell her the worst news she’ll ever hear.

Her husband’s closed casket funeral. A man she dislikes and her mother leaving directly after and barely giving her the time of day.

Her Granda holding her as she sobs at the wake, begging her to come stay with him.

Neighbors whispering behind her back.

Days and nights spent in bed, drowning in her tears and anxiety.

Bottles and bottles of pills and alcohol that never numb the pain.

Hallucinations and dreams. The police coming again. A stint in a mental health facility.

Empty hope that is never fulfilled.

She stares me in the eye, and nods, closing her eyes in acceptance of her fate.

Words. I need to hear you say the words and accept your fate aloud.

“Take away my pain,” she squeaks through tears. “I don’t want to live this way anymore.”

I don’t warn her that this will hurt. For her to be free she needs to experience a final pain as payment. Before I collect her soul, I kiss her warm, plump lips and run my talons down the swell of her hips. I need to have her one more time in this form, experience the heat of her body before it’s gone forever. Breaking our kiss, she gasps for air and tries to push me away.

I push her against a tree and weave my talons through her hair, pulling her head back and opening her neck up to me. I bite, sinking my fangs into her neck to leave my mark. I move down her throat, leaving bites as I go until I reach her collarbone. She cries and gasps in pain with every bite as blood streams down her chest. I retract my claws so I can massage it into her breasts. She’s the image of temptation when her body is covered in my marks and painted with blood. It’s the ultimate decoration for her impending transformation.

I slowly lick every drop of blood off her body. Its tangy taste mixed with a hint of sweat makes me salivate. I run my tongue over her nipple, grazing my teeth against it. She moans as she grinds her body against mine; it begs for a release only I can give her. I bite down on her nipple, then switch to the other one while I kick her legs apart to dip two fingers inside her. My languorous, deep strokes have her squirming and reaching down to grab my hand in an effort to make me hurry my pace. I tease her, bringing her to the edge of orgasm and back over and over again.

“Please,” she begs. “Stop torturing me.”

“Wild One, the torture has just begun,” I promise her.

Fear flashes through her crystal blue eyes and her velvety sex is dripping by the time I finally let her come. I grab her hips and hoist her higher, forcing her to wrap her legs around my waist right before I impale her with my cock. Her pained screams turn to moans as I piston my hips, thrusting deeper inside her with a reckless abandon. The thoughts swirling through my head push me to fuck her even harder, to the point that the tree bark is cutting into her back. I’m fucking my prey. I chased her through the forest, hunted her down, and made her give herself to me. Left my marks all over her so everyone knows who she belongs to. And now, I’m going to take her soul and keep it for eternity. She tightens around me, strangling my cock as she falls apart again.

She sags against the tree in her post-lust haze after I come inside her, completely blissed out with pleasure. Wasting no time, I flick my talons out and slash open her chest, tearing through muscle and bones to reveal her beating heart. A small cloud of pale, golden mist rises from the wound. Her soul is as beautiful as she is. Only the truly good have a golden soul, and they always taste the richest. Electric gratification vibrates throughout my entire body, and I consume every last morsel of her humanity.

Holding her prone, blood soaked body to my chest, I gently lay her on the ground so her pale, youthful face is bathed in moonlight. The air is rife with spirits and energies one could only find on Samhain. I summon the second darkest being to walk the Earth–Death. A tall, thin figure cloaked in an opaque black robe appears. Her entire face is covered by a hood, and only a bony hand is visible where her flared sleeves hang back. Death glows with an aura of atrocity one can only gain by plucking the dying from earth and carrying them across the veil. When she approaches me, she bows her head in fear and deference.

“How can I serve you?” she asks in a scratchy, unnatural voice that echoes through the trees.

“Revive my Wild One, so she may always be by my side,” I command. I don’t ask Death, because she fears me. All the Unseelie faeries and creatures of the lore know I’m the baddest, most depraved being that walks the earth.

She kneels to Fiadh’s side, her cloaked head dipping to examine her wounds. “I cannot resurrect her as a human, as her soul is gone. I could make her a Sluagh like you, but she would be doomed to walk the earth for eternity, consuming ill and broken-hearted souls to sustain herself. Is that the life you want for her?”

I nod. “Her place is beside me. I consumed her soul so she could always be with me.”

“So be it,” Death declares before disappearing.

Fiadh’s wounds close, fading to scars. Her chest rises and falls again, although she’s still asleep. I cradle her prone form in my arms, grinning. It’s time to start our new lives together. I unleash my wings and carry her away into the night.

EPILOGUE

fiadh

On Samhain all those years ago, my life forever changed. The Hunt released me from the pain and sorrow of my mortal life, allowing me to start anew. I haven’t felt those feelings in a long time, and am finally at peace. My hair is no longer blond–it turned black. Shadows encase my opal skin like a robe. I have my own set of black, feathered wings and my fingers are tipped with razor sharp talons. No longer am I the scared prey. I’m the ultimate predator.

Now we roam Ireland hand in hand, consuming the souls of those who are too sick or melancholy to carry on. We still haunt the woods around my late Granda’s cottage. Now I know what the ravens truly are, the creatures of night. My name is no longer Fiadh. The humans, faeries, monsters, and all those who fear me in this land call me Wild One.

The End

Thank you for reading Delectable Soul.

Check out one of my other books: https://www.amazon.com/Maggie-Bonnet/e/B09N23YZ7Z?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1661574714&sr=8-1

Dangerous Lovers Series

In Death We Part: https://books2read.com/InDeathWePartDL1

In The Devil’s Shadow: https://books2read.com/DangerousLovers2

The Siren’s Saga Series (Co-writen with MK Robert)

The Siren’s Seduction: https://books2read.com/thesirensseduction/

The Siren’s Revenge: https://books2read.com/TheSirensVengeance

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maggie is an American author who writes why choose, dark, and unique romances that focus on curvy female main characters. She also writes MM romance, MF romance, and monster romance. She enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and experiencing life as a Sagittarius Goddess with her family. If given the chance to have lunch with anyone, she would pick Betty White… because Betty White is a national treasure, RIP.

HEXED AND HELLBOUND

january rayne

BLURB

Sins of the father change the course of so many lives.

Sons. Daughters. Anyone who loves them.

And it’s all because of me.

Every hellhound has a different purpose.

Mine is to curse the children of the fathers who sin.

I hear it isn’t fair, but life isn’t fair.

I never cared.

Until I met her.

My mate.

Someone, I cursed.

PROLOGUE

hex: the curse bringer

Sins of the father ruin generations.

A father’s legacy is something they should be proud of— at least, that’s what I notice watching the humans from Hell. I don’t understand the need for a man to ‘need’ to continue his legacy. They have to have a son to carry on the family name.

Who cares as long as a child is born?

But when a father sins, that’s where I come in. I’m the Hellhound in charge of bringing those souls to Lucifer. I’m his righthand man. When Lucifer created hellhounds, each and every one has a different purpose.

Mine is a little different than the rest since I’m the one who gave Lucifer the idea.

My curses are immediate when a father sins. My power looms and buzzes in my veins before releasing into the air and traveling above, finding their host. When there’s a location, the power tells me the place and I enter the portal, taking me where I need to go to kill the man who has sinned.

But there’s a terrible little catch.

When a father sins, whether it be adultery, murder, or my absolute favorite, abusing an innocent soul, I curse his sons and daughters. Someone must pay.

The sons on their eighteenth birthday will become Hellhounds, going straight to Hell to fulfill their purpose.

And the daughters…

They become marked.

A special symbol that signifies a mate.

Each symbol is different. One specifically designed to let a Hellhound know their true mate is ready for them. Some wait eons, some die never knowing what it’s like to find their mate.

It’s the only way for a Hellhound to live forever. The woman chosen is a gift, the reason we can procreate.

And without Fathers sinning, hellhounds wouldn’t be as abundant as they are, but it’s the daughters who don’t happen as often as I like. So many sons, so little hope for my kind.

“Hex. Updates on your curse,” Lucifer asks, sucking the blood out of a fresh heart dripping in warm blood.

“Three new sons yesterday.” The disappointment is evident in my voice. I can’t help but wonder if I’m not doing my job properly.

“That’s excellent, Hex.” Lucifer gives me a red, bloody smile before latching his fangs into the heart again, sucking each vein dry. He bites into the muscle, humming with how good the heart tastes. His red skin becomes deeper, darker, a true crimson red. His wings are outstretched behind him, black and leather with claws where bones meet. His horns are a polished onyx, twisting upwards in a brilliant swirl. The tips are made with pure silver, signifying not only is he the true Lucifer, but the only being who can kill a Hellhound.

If he punctures one of us with a silver-tipped horn, we instantly die.

“Why don’t you look happy?” He sucks each finger clean of blood.

“I am.” I don’t sound too convincing.

“But?” he urges me on.

“But not enough daughters are being born.”

“Ah,” he realizes, wiping his hands on a piece of fur. He leans forward, elbows on his knees as he stares at me from his epic throne made of skulls from every being he has killed. “You don’t believe your curses work? Just last week Cynic found his mate. Don’t you remember?”

“That’s the first in how many years?”

“It hasn’t been years.” He cocks his head at me, narrowing his eyes. “Hex, it’s only been a few months.”

I run my clawed hand down my face. “It feels like years.”

“I’ve never seen you so restless. Perhaps, it feels like years because you are the one dying for a mate.” Lucifer stands from his throne and towers over my eight-foot frame. His black talons click on the volcanic rock that makes our ground as he walks to me. “There hasn’t been a hellhound more deserving of a mate than you, Hex. I know we have been together since the beginning, and I know what thousands of years of loneliness feels like.”

The thought of Lucifer feeling lonely has never crossed my mind. He’s always so busy. He’s always surrounded by creatures.

“I consider you my only friend, Hex. So when I tell you your time will come, I truly believe that.”

“Thank you, King.”

He rolls his eyes and stabs me in the shoulder with his talon. After so many years, it doesn’t bother me because inflicting pain is how he plays around. “Don’t call me that. You know that rule doesn’t apply to you.”

He walks by me, his long, pointed tail swishing behind him as he heads to his chambers.

“You know, your time will come too.”

He pauses and turns his cheek to his shoulder. “The devil doesn’t love, Hex. I only belong in the details.” Lucifer vanishes into his chambers, and I’m left wondering how we can get my friend, the devil himself, to find a mate.

Hell isn’t the place people make it out to be. It isn’t bad down here. We have our own cities, shops, houses, apartments― granted Lucifer, me, and the other hellhounds live on Lucifers massive property, surrounded by hellfire and lava.

No one can pass the gates except us and the souls we bring to him.

I love it here. It’s another world and just like everywhere else, there is good and bad.

And I guess according to some, bringing souls to the devil would make me evil.

“Ah, fuck,” I hiss, clamping my humanoid paw over my heart, my long slate-colored nails digging into my skin when it begins to burn. I tilt my head back and roar, falling to my knees when the burning sensation takes over my entire body.

I hear my brothers run, their heavy bodied steps loud, shaking Hell’s foundation, but the first person in front of me is Lucifer.

“I did not create you to feel pain. What is it, Hex? Tell me,” he snarls, his eyes darting back and forth between my eyes.

He didn’t create us to feel pain. We actually feel nothing when it comes to killing the sinful and bringing their souls back. It makes the job easier and when we have a victim who fights and tries to hurt us, they can’t. My kind are humanoid, a mixture of bodies between a werewolf and a demon, with splices of human features.

“My chest. I can feel the hellfire. It’s lava in my veins.” I fall forward, my nails digging into the volcanic rock. I drag them down, leaving permanent grooves for eternity.

“Impossible,” Lucifer whispers in awe.

Another wave hits me, and I throw my head back, releasing a growl that the entire Hell realm can hear. My hellfire breaks free of me, igniting my flesh in the hottest flames to exist. My vision turns to infrared, casting everything into hues of blood.

I’m in my natural form, the form I only let out when I need to do my job, and I can’t control it.

“Your chest,” Cynic points. “Commander, your mate. She’s ready for you.”

I glance down, huffing smoke and fire, staring at the six-point star seared above my heart.

“Mate.” The word is savage and my power escapes me without me telling it to.

And in a moment, I’ll know her location and then, I’ll drag her to the depths of hell.

CHAPTER ONE

madison

“Happy birthday, Caleb.” I blow out the candle to my brother’s cupcake I get every year and stare at the picture of the two of us. I was fourteen and he was eighteen.

It was his birthday.

And that night, he went missing.

I’m twenty-one now and there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I haven’t thought of him. I miss him so much. Nothing in life has been the same since.

Life hasn’t been easy. I can’t remember a time where it hasn’t been full of grief. My father killed my mother, and he died a day later. His body was ripped to shreds. When that happened, Caleb and I went into foster care and he planned on adopting me when he turned eighteen, so we could always have each other, but that didn’t work out either.

I lost him too.

Now, it’s just me and while I’m finally on my own, I had to survive my foster parents. They say good things come to those who wait, but you know what, I’ve been waiting, and nothing good ever seems to happen.

I got laid-off yesterday from my job. Today, there’s an eviction notice on my door to my small one- bedroom apartment.

And today is my birthday. So much for turning twenty-one on a happy note, and on top of all the bullshit, my birthmark is burning and itching to the point I’m starting to tear my skin.

“I miss you,” I say to his picture, tears blurring my vision for a moment before they fall. “I miss you so much. Where did you go? Why did you leave me?” I sob, holding my hands over my mouth as the pain clutches my gut, twisting inside and making it unbearable to breathe.

Did he hate me? Is that why he left? I spend every dime I have, every single month, and sometimes I can’t afford my bills because I pay a private investigator.

And every month he gives me the same news.

Caleb is a ghost.

He doesn’t exist.

It’s like he vanished off the face of the planet. There are no traces of him left.

Maybe it’s time to let go of the past.

I need to live my life.

Through pathetic tears, I unwrap the cupcake and take a bite, sinking my teeth into the yummy chocolate and lick the icing off my lips.

I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do, but I’ll figure it out. I always do.

I chew the last of the cupcake and toss the wrapper in the small trash bin and get to my feet. “Jeez, it’s hot,” I mumble to myself, pulling up my long black hair and fanning my neck. Every second that passes, it becomes hotter.

Sweat builds across my skin and it drips down my spine. I hurry to the air thermostat and check the temperature.

Sixty-eight degrees.

I tap the thermostat hoping for some reason that it helps. Wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, I blink through stinging eyes, stumbling my way down the hallway to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

“Oh my God!” I scream when I see large orange flames licking the corner of the wall. My feet sweep along the hardwood floors, still cold for some reason compared to the air, and I rush to the sink. I fill a bowl with water and toss it on the random fire, but the flames become bigger.

Hotter.

And they spread across the walls.

The smoke becomes unbearable to breathe.

I cough, blinking my eyes as they water. “Help,” I try to yell at the top of my lungs, but it sounds more like a wheeze as the smoke wraps around my lungs.

Through the dense black smoke, I blindly make my way down the hall again to the front door, bumping into the walls and knocking over the a few picture frames that I have hanging. The glass shatters and the sharp edges dig into the bottom of my feet. I cry out and trip, falling on my hands and knees which the shards also dig in to.

Hissing, crying, I crawl down the hall, the skin of my feet burning. I turn to look over my shoulder and see the flames, getting closer, flickering red, yellow, and blue, and I swear I see eyes staring back at me.

It’s all in my head.

I use the wall to help pull myself to my feet and I limp towards the door, reaching for the door handle. I twist and turn it, yanking on it desperately but it won’t budge.

“Come on!” I jiggle the handle, yanking as hard as I can.

Nothing.

I hurry to the next room, trying to open the windows. I clutch my fingers at the lip and yank, but it won’t budge. I don’t understand. They aren’t locked.

I bang on the glass with my fists, trying to get someone’s attention.

I slide down the wall when the smoke becomes too much for me to handle and sit, waiting for my death. That makes sense right? Maybe it would be better for me to die. All the suffering life has given me will be over. I’ll be able to rest. No more working, no more looking for my brother, no more of the nightmares, no more pain.

The ground begins to shake in tempo with footsteps. The hallway becomes brighter as the flames get closer and what I see makes my heart race.

A flamed clawed hand curls around the edge of the wall and I stop breathing. A huge figure stands in the archway, the ground ceases to shake when it stops moving.

I slowly look it up and down.

Flames cover his entire body— its entire body— and there’s a tail swishing behind it. Fire-filled eyes stare at me and a short snout elongates its face. It’s tall, very tall, and wide, muscles everywhere, which I shouldn’t notice but maybe it’s because I’m dying.

It has pointy ears, sharp, lethal, but it’s hands are human-ish. They are big, five fingers, but they are long, and its palms are wide. Claws extend where nails are supposed to be. Its eyes lock on mine and he bounds over, each step earth shattering, the flames licking the ceiling.

“Mate,” the beast grumbles, squatting down to my level, but even then I have to look up. “Mine.”

I try to move from his grasp, but the glass digs into my palms and his arms wrap around me, the flames hot.

But they don’t burn.

They feel like a cozy blanket and my insanity at that thought has my eyes rolling in the back of my head.

This has to be death.

CHAPTER TWO

hex

She’s the only one who can take my hellfire.

My flames will lick her insides and she’ll burn only for me.

Forever.

She’s my eternal flame. The one who will make my hellfire last forever.

Now that we are back in hell and she’s in my bed, I pluck every piece of glass from her palms and feet, then lick the wounds, watching them close.

My cock hardens when I taste her blood.

So fucking good.

“You’re licking her?”

I growl at Lucifer’s intrusion, pausing my adoration to my mate as she sleeps while I have a hold of her dainty ankle.

So little.

So pretty.

What will she think of the monster that will love her until the end of time? She needs to know, if she escapes me, I’ll chase her.

I’ll hunt her.

I’ll catch her.

And when I do, I’ll fill her with my cock and knot, locking her to me until my come drips from her sweet pussy.

Oh, and it is sweet. I can smell her. Even while she’s unconscious, she notices me. She senses me. It’s been so hard not to rip her pants off and eat her, diving my long tongue into her depths.

“She’s hurt. I scared her. Glass broke and she fell.” I lap my tongue across the last wound on her heel and moan, my cock jerking from the taste.

“Makes sense. You’re okay? What’s her name? Where’s she from?”

I stand, curling over her and tuck her in by pulling the fur blanket to her chin. “Madison Cooper. California. She’ll want to see her brother, Caleb.”

His black eyes round before he tosses his horns back and laughs. “Oh, this is going to be gold.” His tail swishes behind him in mirth and I growl, then point a claw at the door.

“She’s my mate. It will be fine.”

“Fine? She’s going to wake up and see the Curse Bringer, the one responsible for taking her brother away from her. Her life hasn’t been easy. She’ll blame you.”

“I can live with the blame.”

“But can you live with the hate?”

“Cynic’s mate is fine.”

“Cynic isn’t the Curse Bringer. It isn’t an easy job, Hex. If you want—”

“Just go, please. I’d like to be alone with my mate.” I take her hand and sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to wake up and hope Lucifer is wrong.

“Good luck, Hex. You know where to find me if you need me.”

He disappears out the front door and I sigh, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the city. The sky is black with shades of purple, like always, and the moons are orange, the twin circles hanging high above the Abyss Tower where some of the demons work to sort the souls into the correct creatures.

I’m not made to feel pain. I don’t know what it’s like, but there’s a pang in my heart at the thought of my mate rejecting me when she finds out who I am.

I rub the six-point star on her arm, the exact same one on my chest, and I smile. Thousands of years I’ve waited for her. Hundreds of my brothers have found their mates and I’ve been happy for them, but in silence, I’d wallow.

I’d wish.

I’d hope.

I wanted my mate.

And now I have her, but for the first time in my entire existence, I’m afraid.

What if she doesn’t want me?

“Please accept me,” I whisper, dragging my claw softly down her fragile, elegant jawline. She’s so beautiful. Prettier than the fire in the sky when it becomes early morning. The sky is still black, but flames lick the night, trying to bring light to the darkest place.

I didn’t get to see what color her eyes were, but they could have polka dots and I’d think they are the prettiest in the world.

I grunt at the odd thought.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m a fucking hellhound. I don’t think sweet things or say them.

But my mate is different.

She deserves the best of me.

She groans, rustling the bedsheets, and the sound has my already hard cock flexing, a bead a precome gathering at the tip.

Her eyes move behind her lids, and I lick my lips, waiting for her to wake up. Will she like her new home? Will she like Hell? We have everything down here that Earth has. There’s the Cemetery Cinema where all the newest movies are released, and they have the best buttery popcorn in the entire realm. Does she like movies? What if she doesn’t?

There’s Bat Bowling, but I’m not too sure she’d like that. Bats run the place.

It’s fine. I’ll learn what she wants.

I hold my breath as her eyes flicker open and I finally get to see their gorgeous color. A radiant blue. Her long lashes curl and almost touch her eyebrows, her dark hair cascades down her shoulders, and there is a smudge of soot on her cheek from the smoke I caused in her apartment.

Everything she knew before me is gone.

Her apartment is ash.

Her belongings are gone. She no longer exists on Earth.

Only here.

Only in Hell.

Only with me.

She rubs her eyes and stretches across my furs, her breasts pressing against her shirt and my mouth waters.

Her brows pinch together as she looks around and I wait for the inevitable freak out. Cynic got a punch to the face when his mate woke up.

Maybe I need to prepare myself.

She looks around the room, the walls draped in different shades of red, I notice the exact moment she realizes she isn’t at home. Madison scurries to her knees, clutching the black fur blanket, and her breathing picks up. When her big human eyes land on me, she freezes.

She stops breathing. Those pupils blow wide. The whites are moons.

And I plant my feet and wait for her scream, but then she smiles and falls into the bed in a fit of laughter. “I’m dead, right? I died? And this is what? Hell? I should have known I’d go to Hell since my life wasn’t all that great.” She continues to laugh, clutching her stomach and I tilt my head in confusion. “You’re going to torture me? Is that why you’re here? Will you peel my skin off slowly?”

“That’s a common misconception,” I grumble. “We don’t torture people. We only bring souls to Hell. And then they live out the rest of their lives as a creature here.”

She continues to laugh and I’m starting to wonder if it is at me. I don’t like this. I think I’d rather have her scream. What if she’s laughing at me?

I glare at her, waiting for her to realize the truth, waiting for it to set in that she isn’t dead, her soul didn’t get taken— not yet— and she isn’t going to get tortured.

Tears stream down her face and she wipes them away. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, so what? Am I dreaming? Last thing I remember is—” she stops talking and I smile, showing the tips of my fangs when that panic I’ve been waiting for sets in.

Her chest heaves. Up and down. Up and down.

She shakes her head. “The fire. There was a fire. I saw… I saw—” she whispers, snapping her chin up and her eyes pierce me.

I step forward. “Me. You saw me.” I allow my hellfire to come out and play, letting it cloak my skin and soar to the fireproof ceiling.

And there it is.

The scream of fear. The terror pulses from her body and permeates the air. I soak it in, taking deep breathes. I’m a hellhound. I thrive on the smell and taste of fear.

She slams against the black bedframe and looks for an exit, her eyes darting around the room, but there’s nowhere to go.

“What do you want?” Madison cries, trying to make herself smaller by curling into herself. “Please, don’t kill me. Unless, I’m already dead? I’m sorry. God—”

“God can’t save you from me, mate,” I growl, kneeling on the furs that make my bed. “You are not dead. You are alive. Very much so.” I take her chin gently in the curl of my claw. “And all I want is you.”

Her lashes are wet with tears and the large droplets flowing down her cheeks make me feel weird. It hurts me. My chest aches when I see her like this. Is this pain?

I don’t like it.

“Where am I?” she whispers, a slight tremble to her voice.

“Hell.”

“Why?”

“You were made for me.” I drop my attention to the matching symbol on her arm, then lie a paw over my chest where mine is.

She follows my movements. “It’s just a birthmark.”

I shake my head. “No. It signifies you are destined to be a hellhounds mate, but not just any hellhound. Me. Mine,” I snarl. “So on your twenty-first birthday, I came for you.” I sit on the edge of the bed, and she keeps the furs tucked against her chest as if they can protect her. “I’ve been waiting thousands of years for you, Madison.”

“Oh.” Her beautiful lips make a circle and then she really looks a me. Her gaze moves up and down my body and her cheeks pinken. “I was made for you?” she asks.

“You were. You are. You were meant to be mine the moment you took your first breath.”

“Oh,” she says again, her eyes locking onto my cock.

Madison gasps when she watches it lengthen and her jaw drops when it rises to its full mast. I guess I look different than she has seen before.

The crown of my cock has a small knot below it, the size of a golf ball, then in the middle of my twelve-inch shaft is another, the size of a small apple, and then there’s my biggest knot at the base. It’s big. And it doesn’t fully inflate until I’m inside my mate, but I hear it can get as big as a softball, locking us together as I come, shooting my hellfire deep into her womb for it to take.

Her next question takes me by surprise. “So that means, I won’t be alone anymore?”

“Not another day for the next thousand eternities.”

“I like that. I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t. You’re a…” she waves her hand up and down my body.

“Monster.”

“A monster,” she agrees, rubbing her cheek on her shoulder. “And I should be more afraid of you because you’re huge… everywhere and you have fire… everywhere,” she chuckles. “And I should have more questions, but I’ve always been alone, and I’ve never had a purpose—”

I growl deeply, the sound vibrating my bones. “You’re wrong. Your purpose was meant to lead you here. You’re my purpose just as I am yours.”

“I’ve always been alone. I’ve always had to fight my way through life.” She scoots closer to me— willingly— and touches my snout, dragging her fingers through my fur.

And I purr. Nothing compares to my mate’s touch.

“And I should be fighting you. I should be running for the hills because you’re what nightmares are made of, but I’ve never been anyone’s before.” She runs her fingers down my chest and another wave of pleasure rushes over me and she yanks her hand away from the vicious sound that fills the room. “I’m sorry. I’m drawn to you. I feel… it’s so hot in here.” She backs away from me and that’s when I see the sheen of sweat covering her body and the tantalizing scent of her cunt becoming wet and needy for me.

She’s in heat.

I’ve heard the adage, never fight fire with fire, but in this case, my hellfire filling her womb will be the only thing that eases her ache.

She’ll take every flicker of every single one of my flames.

CHAPTER THREE

madison

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should be kicking and screaming to get out of here— not that I’d know how to get out of Hell— but I should be trying.

I’m not.

Honestly, I don’t even care. My new situation seems to be better than my old one. This sexy monster, beast, hellhound, whatever he is, wants me. He isn’t a hardship to look at. He’s actually very pleasing to the eye, handsome even. I’ve never seen anyone or anything like him before. He’s beautiful. Hex has to be pushing eight-feet in height and he has muscles on every inch of his body. I’m dying to touch the short fur scattered all over. It looks so soft. And I can tell— while very beastly— he is very human. His body is built like a mans but bigger.

Much bigger.

And he has fangs and claws.

And a really big dick that has notches of some sort all the way down it that make my pussy flutter.

Looking at him nearly makes me dizzy and hot.

Really fucking hot.

The more I look at him, the more I want him, the more I want what he is offering to me. What do I have to lose?

I’ve already lost everything, and Hex is promising me something I’ve never had.

Love. A family.

I wipe the back of my neck when sweat begins to drip. My nipples tighten, the fabric of my shirt nearly unbearable and my clit throbs while my pussy aches to be filled.

But by Hex.

Only him.

I moan when even my own touch begins to set me off. “Oh my god, what is wrong with me?” I toss the furs off my body and squeeze my thighs together to try and seek some relief.

“Your body is reacting to my presence, to its mate, your soul recognizes me. You need me. It’s the only way to stop it or it will get worse, and you’ll become delirious.”

“How long will this last?” I arch my back when the sheets rub the sensitive skin on the inside of my thigh.

“A week,” he growls, his nostrils flaring as he inhales my scent. He straddles me and his tail flicks behind him before wrapping around my leg. It isn’t fury like I’d expect, but long and thick with a pointed end. It’s the consistency of hard leather with a slight dusting a fur. “A week of me filling you over and over, locking inside you, pouring my come into your womb until my seed takes.” He wraps a clawed hand around his fat shaft, the notches more intriguing with every stroke.

“Until your seed takes?” I almost slur, the desire causing me to be in a drunk-like state.

His palm stretches across my stomach, and I’ve never felt so small and fragile. He could kill me if he wants, but he doesn’t. He only wants to love me. And knowing a big creature such as Hex is capable of love only has me wanting him more.

“Until you’re pregnant with my pup. I can’t wait to see you round with my child, mate. You’re going to look so fucking good.” His sharp claw slides down my chest, the point slicing through my shirt and bra effortlessly.

The thought of being pregnant should scare me but I find it’s all I want.

“So perfect,” he purrs, cupping my breasts with his oversized palms.

They aren’t small, but he makes me feel like they aren’t big enough. He bends down and he stretches his long tongue out and flicks it over my nipple.

“Your tongue…” I gasp when I see that it is forked.

“Better to pleasure you with, mate.” He licks down my body, tearing off my pajama bottoms with one tug.

I’m bared to this monster.

“So little.” He spreads my legs and hums. “I might break you.”

“You won’t.”

“I might tear you. I might cause you pain, but you’ll take it won’t you?”

I nod and groan when his knuckle circles my clit.

“Such a good mate,” he praises.

He lies between my legs, half of his body is hanging off the bed since he can’t fit, and he licks me from back to front, the slither of his tail sliding up my leg adding to the erotic sensation.

“Oh my god!” I shout, the forked tongue dips inside me and boiling heat trembles my insides. My legs tremble as my orgasm builds. He expertly circles and flicks the sinister appendage inside me, growling as he feasts.

His claws dig into my hips, the skin breaking as he yanks me against his face. His primal eyes lock onto mine and we stare at one another. Everything about his face is sharper, angled, dangerous, and when he pulls away from me, he curls his lips— wet from my desire— and his fangs flash in the dim red light casting the room in a bloody glow.

Hex is demonic and I have to be out of my mind to let him possess me.

His tail finding my entrance makes me moan while his mouth latches itself on to my clit. In unison, with every suck of the sensitive bundle, he thrusts his tail inside me, and I swear, his tail is getting bigger with every thrust.

“What— What is happening?”

“Preparing you to take my cock. My tail will grow to help you stretch.” He hits a barrier, the one no man has ever touched, and he roars onto my clit, the vibrations sending me over the edge.

I come.

And come.

My toes curl and my throat begins to hurt with how loud I scream.

“That’s it, mate. Scream for me. Let all of Hell know who is claiming you.” He gives my clit a kiss and pulls his tail out, crawling up my body. “No one has ever touched you. No one will ever touch you. No one but me. All fucking mine. Forever.”

I reach for his face, running my fingers over his high cheekbones and then I explore his pointed ears and he shivers. His tail wraps around my neck, the tip glistening from my come. His forked tongue wraps around it, sucking it clean of me.

“You taste delicious,” he rumbles.

“I’ve never seen anything like you.” I trace his lips, part beast, part man, and I lift my head wanting to feel them against me. “Kiss me, Hex.”

“My fangs—”

“—Don’t care. Kiss me,” I nearly sob, needing more. My legs are still quaking from the orgasm and the heat is nearly too much to bear. “I need it. I need you. Please, my body is on fire.”

His lips move against mine as he speaks, “Not yet, it isn’t.”

With a gentle ease, his mouth meets mine. He lips are different, firmer, not exactly soft, but forgiving. I love the rough nature trying to caress, trying to not hurt me, and I wrap my arms around his neck, pushing my tongue inside his mouth.

He growls, the gravel of the sound sliding down my throat and into my stomach. His fork tongue wraps around mine and his fangs tease the delicate muscle.

Hex breaks the kiss and his eyes morph from black pools of ink to the color of molten lava. Fire breaks along his skin and I wait for the pain, the burn, but I don’t feel anything but comfort. He must see the surprise on my face because he leans down, his fire surrounding us as his cock waits at my entrance.

“Only my mate can withstand my hellfire,” he explains. “How do you feel?”

“Loved,” I answer, watching as the heat dances across my flesh.

“Oh, mate. You are far more than loved.” He thrusts inside me, the notches on his cock rubbing against my walls, soothing the pain of my virginity being taken. “You are obsessed over,” he slides out and thrusts back in with a snap of his hips. “You are my possession.” Hex looks down, watching his fire swim inside me. “You are my eternal flame.”

The ache quickly turns into pleasure and my hands slide down the large expanse of his back, cupping his as he moves. The tail tightens around my throat and a vibration rattles my core.

“Is that—”

“—My cock? Yes.” He pulls out and flips me over. “I’m made to give you pleasure.”

I turn my chin to my shoulder, looking at him in all his might. He truly is a sight to behold.

With a deadly grip of his claws, he sinks them into my ass, breaking the skin, and his fire cloaks me again, easing the pain. His fat cock drives into me, the knots feeling bigger with every stroke. He picks me up by gripping by hair, my back against his front, and he begins to ram himself as hard as he can.

I glance down, shocked to see a bulge in my stomach sliding up and down.

It’s him.

He has filled me all the way.

This can’t be normal.

With a rough shove, he pushes me off the bed, and I stumble, but I don’t have time to right myself before I’m pressed against the window.

Anyone could see me.

“Look at your new home,” he snarls, pressing the fat crown against my g-spot.

“Fuck! Oh, fuck, Hex. I can’t take it. I can’t.”

“You will. You will always fucking take me.” He intertwines our hands and pins them above my head.

I stare out at new landscape I call home. The buildings are tall. Some lean, some are built like a maze, but they are all black. There’s a river to the right glowing orange which can only be lava. The sky is black and there are two red moons hanging up above.

“I hope all of my hellhounds can witness me taking you, my mate, my eternal flame. It will give them hope that their mate is out there for them.” His come-filled sack slaps against my ass with every fast and hard stroke. It’s becoming more difficult for him to slide out as the knots get bigger.

“I’m going— Hex— fuck!” I try to warn him, I do, but my orgasm grips around his cock, squeezing it and holding onto it for dear life.

“More. More. More. Give me more,” he chants, backing up until he can sit on the bed. He lies down, spinning me on his cock, which makes the knots rub that spot inside me, and I come again.

I shake and keen from the earthquakes rattling me.

“That’s it mate. Use me,” he urges.

The flames burn the bed, turning the blankets to ash, and the embers float around us like a snow on Christmas morning.

His big, beast-like paws slide down my sides, his claws leaving red marks before latching onto my hips.

While lying flat on his back, his tongue stretches out, long and never-ending. The forked fucking blessing wraps around my nipple, tugging on the peak.

He flips me onto my back and begins a pace that can only be describe as brutal. The flames get hotter, taller, and the knots swell. I cry out when it becomes too much, and I watch in horror and fascination as my abdomen grows to accommodate him. The first knot locks deep, the second somewhere in between, and the last, the biggest is more difficult to get inside me.

But with a savage roar that shakes the windows of the room and with one last punch of his hips, the knot at the base of his cock locks in.

His lips pull back and his sharp teeth flash before he sneers, striking my neck with his deadly fangs.

“Hex!” I scream in pain, but it quickly morphs into pleasure, and he doesn’t let go.

He snarls and growls, yanking on my skin to sink his teeth deeper and groans when he comes.

And I feel it.

It’s so hot, I nearly burn from the inside out, but then it turns into a soothing heat. I’m not sure how long he comes, but my abdomen is slightly round, full of his come, and it’s locked deep from his three knots.

Hex unlatches his teeth, and his tongue licks the wound.

“My mate. You’re mine now. All mine.”

He turns us onto our sides, and he keeps his arms wrapped around me, snuggling my shoulder, his cock still locked in place.

I’ve never belonged to anyone.

And I hope he doesn’t decide to leave me too.

CHAPTER FOUR

hex

I wake as my hellfire bursts across my skin, my cock painfully hard, and wet heat surrounding it. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I look down to see Madison’s lips stretched wide and tears are streaming down her face, and she attempts to take as much of me as possible. I growl in content, loving the sight before me. One hand is wrapped around my tail, stroking it in tandem every time she bobs her head.

My toes curl.

“Fuck,” I snarl, shutting my eyes and enjoying the sensation. “That’s it, mate. That’s it. Suck it. Suck my cock.” She licks the first knot, then the second, while keeping one hand squeezing the biggest at the base. It’s almost all too much for me. It feels so good.

I whip my tail from her hand and slide it up her leg, slipping easily into her wet cunt.

“Does sucking my cock turn you on, mate?” I ask through tight teeth, loving how her pussy squeezes my tail.

She nods the best she can while spit makes a mess of her mouth, making a mess on my cock. When she moans, the vibrations are enough to set me off. My orgasm hits me hard, shooting down her throat, and I watch in primal ecstasy as it flows from her mouth, dripping down my shaft and onto my balls.

I tighten my fist in her hair, roaring to the ceilings and the entire room shakes. Instead of having her lick me clean, I yank her by the thick locks, and she whimpers from the pain.

“Ride me,” I order, pushing her onto me while thrusting inside that tight suction. My come sticks to her ass and thighs creating disgusting sounds that make me want to bite her all over again. “That’s it. Take my knots. Fuck me.”

“So big. Oh god,” she groans, her nails digging into my chest before raking them down my abdomen.

My giant palms squeeze her tits as they bounce and I bolt forward into a seated position, sucking one nipple into my mouth, wishing it was full of milk.

One day.

One day she’ll feed me.

I bite the soft flesh and her pussy flutters around my knots telling me her orgasm is close. “So perfect. I can’t wait until these are dripping with milk for our children. I can’t wait to see you leak every time they cry or when you’re turned on, needing my cock.” I give her breast a long lick, flattening my forked tongue. “I’ll always clean you up, mate.” Wrapping my arms around her small frame, I flip us, moving her until she’s on her hands and knees, her ass round and thick. I bring a hand down on one cheek while driving forward and we groan at the same time.

Nothing feels better than her cunt.

Pressing my hand between her shoulder blades, I push her into the new furs, and begin a punishing pace. My sack sways and slaps her clit with every pump, and she’s making noises I want to record and play on repeat, all day every day.

I spread her cheeks wide, wanting to see everything. My cock plows between her velvet lips, sucking me in and it makes pulling out so difficult. My come from the blowjob she gave me is still sticking to us and I snarl in satisfaction.

She needs to be full of me. She needs to be marked my me. She needs to smell of me.

Her pink forbidden star snags my attention next, and I bend down, then spit onto the hole I want to claim next.

“Hex!” My name is a mixture between a moan and slight scolding. She turns her pretty head and looks at me curiously, her upper body moving as she takes my cock like a good mate.

My tail swims up her thigh, fire crackling over us to make us one, and teases her entrance. “I want you to be full of me. Everywhere,” I state with a hard bite of words. Gathering more spit, I soak her, watching her flutter for me. “You’ll take me.” I leave room for no argument, slipping my tail in slowly.

She inhales sharply, pressing her forehead against the bed from the bite of pain. Giving my tail a quick flick, I circle it, slowly pressing more in. I take my time, not wanting to hurt her, until she’s whimpering and pressing her ass against me for more.

“Fucking perfect.” My base knot begins to swell, and I groan, taking her hips in my hands I plunder her depths, my tail fucking her at the same speed.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she chants.

I lift her to her knees and sneer into her ear, “What did I say about God not being able to help you now? His name doesn’t belong in our bed. If you want to say a name, it’s mine.” I drive in as hard as I can to make my point and she falls apart, coming undone.

“Hex!” She spasms around me, soaking me with her come, and my knots pop in easier this time, swelling until I can’t pull out. “Oh my— Hex. Hex, so much. So good. More.” She stretches an arm out behind her and grips my thigh, rocking against me.

“My mate,” I groan, licking the other side of her neck before latching on, sinking my teeth in as deep as I can. I fill her again, my seed bursting from me in heavy waves to crash against her womb. My hand moves to her belly, and I feel the outline of my cock and the warmth of my come through her skin.

“So good,” she slurs, her eyes glazed over from her orgasm.

Her hair sticks to her forehead from the sweat and I push it back, turning her so I can steal her lips. We kiss lazily and she bounces on my knot slowly, in careful, short strokes, pulling more come from me.

My hellfire encompasses us, fusing our souls together, and that’s when I feel it. The bond. How it’s already complete.

My mate is pregnant.

I’m still locked in place, so I press my forehead against her back, fighting tears. Thousands of years of loneliness, countless nights wishing for her, wishing for a family, wanting love, and I finally have it.

The flames extinguish and press a kiss against her spine, then drift my talons gently down her back.

“I feel better,” she says sleepily, leaning her head against my shoulder. “The heat is gone.”

“You are with my pup is why. So soon too,” I say smugly. “My seed must be potent.” Just wait until I tell the others how quick I got my mate pregnant.

“I’m pregnant?” she asks in awe, and I smell a hint of fear.

“You do not want my pups?” I can’t keep the hurt out of my voice. I’d pull away from her if I could, but I’m still locked inside her.

“What? No, Hex. That’s not it.” She strokes my thigh with her hand and I inhale, her honesty soothing my hurt. “I do. As crazy as it sounds because we just met, I do. I feel like I’m meant to be with you. That’s not my worry.”

I kiss the side of her neck; my tongue seeks the droplets of blood I left behind. “Is it because I am a monster? Or you’re in Hell?”

“No,” she laughs. “No and those are reasons anyone else would be freaking out, but no. This Hell doesn’t seem so bad. It’s better than the life I had on Earth. That was the real Hell.”

There’s that feeling again. The one stinging my heart.

Pain.

It’s my fault her life was so bad.

I wrap my arms around her tighter.

“I’m scared I won’t be a good mom,” she admits. “My dad killed my mom, then my dad died, then my brother disappeared, and the foster homes I was in were abusive. I don’t know if I know how to be a parent, but I want this with you, Hex.”

I know all about her foster homes. Anyone that has ever hurt her has been cursed. Their souls will be dragged to Hell and the Souleaters will make sure the abusers will have the worst of times here.

I don’t know how to tell her that her life has been hard because of me, but everything that has happened to her also led her to Hell.

To be mine.

“You will be a great parent.” My knot finally deflates, and I pick her up, swinging her into my arms to take her to the bath. “After this, we will go eat and I’ll introduce you to Lucifer.”

“Like the devil?” she squeaks, her fear nearly choking me.

“He’s a good guy.”

“That’s not what they say on Earth,” she grumbles.

I push aside my guilt, but it isn’t easy.

I love my mate.

And I need her to love me past what I was born to do.

CHAPTER FIVE

madison

I’m clean from the smoke, fire, sweat, and copious amounts of come. My hellhound seems to have a never-ending supply of it and he saved it all for me. I stare at him while I get dressed and a bubble of jealousy has me opening my mouth when I realize he isn’t wearing pants.

I don’t want anyone to see him naked. His big, long, unique cock is only for me.

He pauses while digging through his drawers, lifting his head and sniffing the air. Hellfire ignites over his body and his eyes pierce me. “Mate, your scent,” he growls in delight. “But something is ruining it. What is that?” he snaps, marching over to me and burying his nose in my neck. “It’s sour and I don’t like it.”

“I want you to cover yourself,” I mumble, embarrassed that he can scent all of my emotions. “What you smell is jealousy. I don’t want another to see you naked.”

“Hellhounds don’t dress. We are always naked.”

I push him away and cross my arms. “Well, I do not want another woman to look at you, hellhound or not.”

He grins, showing a sharp row of teeth. “Only hellhounds are male, but we do have women in Hell. If my mate wishes for me to dress, then I will.” He walks back to the dresser and tosses me a shirt, then pulls out a loin cloth.

“What is that!” I point as he ties the leathers on either side of his hips.

Oh.

Oh.

I like it. He looks so fucking hot.

“It covers my cock, no?” He gives me a spin, his cheeks peeking out from the cloth and there is a small circle for his tail to poke through.

“Yes.” I fan my face and he sniffs again.

“Mate. You need rest. You are sore. Do not tempt me,” he warns, his cock beginning to tent his loin cloth.

I am sore, but he is so sexy. I want him.

But my stomach grumbling ruins my plans.

“My mate needs food.” He grabs my hand and tugs me out the door.

“Wait! I need panties,” I whisper, even though the one shirt he has falls below my knees. “We need to go shopping.”

“No panties. I want to be able to take you whenever I want. They would only get in the way,” he grunts like a caveman. “Plus, I want others to smell me on you. I want the others to scent your desire for me.”

“Hex…” I say breathlessly, the desire already slicking between my legs.

He presses me against the wall and plays with the hem of the shirt. “Yes, just like that, mate. Let them smell you. I want them to go insane with lust all while knowing they can’t have you and they can be envious of me.” He slips his clawed fingers between my legs and carefully glides two across the seam, gathering the hot, liquid heat. Hex lifts the hand between us, and it glistens. “Watch me,” he demands, his hellfire uncontrolled as it cloaks us again. He rubs his hand over his chest, rubbing the want I have for him into his skin. “Now I smell of you.”

I rub myself against his hard length, the gesture turning me on much more than I ever thought.

“Let’s go.” He pulls me down the hall, more like a tunnel to a cave really, and we head down the spiral staircase. The floors are black, reminding me of volcanic rock that I learned about in school. Torches line the walls, yet chandeliers hang from the ceiling.

Ancient decoration mixing with modern times?

It could be a style.

When we get to the bottom floor, a huge room opens to us, and in the middle is a throne. Sitting on it is a horned beast with large wings and red skin.

I hide behind Hex, my heart thumping and racing knowing this is the Devil himself.

“Is this your mate, Hex? Come out, Madison. I am not going to hurt you.”

I peak around Hex’s frame and see Lucifer walking toward us, his arms stretched wide. He pushes Hex out of the way and wraps me in a big hug, swinging me around.

“Oh, I’m so happy Hex the Curse Bringer finally has a mate. He has been pining for you for ages. It was getting annoying,” he sounds bored, but then smiles as he looks me up and down, then he inhales, a red hand pressing against his chest. “She’s pregnant. What a wonderful occasion, Hex. I’m so happy for you. I guess she took your truth well, then. Yes?”

I pinch my brows together and glance at Hex, and I know that expression from anywhere. He looks guilty.

“What truth?” I ask, trying to hide my nervousness from Lucifer.

“Oh no,” Lucifer says, his eyes glancing behind us and that’s when I see dozens of hellhounds pouring in. “Hex—” the Devil sounds furious with Hex. “You dare lie to your mate before breeding her? You’ll fix this,” he hisses. “Oh so help me.” Lucifer presses a silver tip of his wing against Hex’s chin, the skin burning. “You know how I feel about a deceiving mate.”

“Maddy?”

I freeze when I hear the nickname. The name only my brother called me. My breaths come quicker, my eyes water, and I slowly step away from Hex’s shadow to see the hellhound wanting my attention.

He’s tall, not as wide as Hex, but his eyes are different. A bright blue, just like my brother’s. I look down to see a scar on his chest, the one I inflicted on our fishing trip from a hook and cover my mouth. My vision sways and I scream, wailing like a mad woman. “No! No, no, no!” I back away until I hit a wall and Hex steps near me. “You knew!” I shove him.

“Maddy, it’s okay. It’s okay!” My brother wraps his beastly arms around me and I sag against him, holding onto him for the first time in years. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you.”

“I don’t understand,” I sob. “I don’t understand. Why are you a hellhound? What happened? Oh shit.” I bend over and throw up, but it’s all stomach bile and it burns my throat. “You’re dead. You’re dead,” I whisper, trying to convince myself.

Is any of this real?

Am I dreaming?

“It’s Coal now,” he corrects me. “Caleb as a hellhound doesn’t sound badass enough,” he tries to joke.

“This isn’t funny!” I poke his chest. Certain aspects of his face have stayed the same in his transition, but he’s more beast than anything. “What happened?” I turn my gaze to Hex, and he has tears wetting his face.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he starts. “I will understand if you reject me, but I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want to lose you. It’s selfish, I know.” His pointed ears at the top of his head fall back, lying flat against his skull with shame. “My name is Hex the Curse Bringer.” He blinks and grinds his teeth, his jaw flexing. “There is a curse called Sins of the Father. When a father sins, I bring their soul to Hell and to pay for the sin, the father’s children are cursed. The son on his eighteenth birthday will turn into a hellhound and live the rest of his life in Hell, while the daughters are marked to be mates. When they turn twenty-one, the hellhound meant to be theirs brings their mate here. It is my job, my purpose, to make sure the Sins of the Father are paid for.”

“You killed my father when he murdered my mother?” I whisper as tears drip down my face.

“Yes. His soul is here. In a part of Hell no one speaks of.”

“And my brother didn’t leave me?” I hold a hand to my stomach, for some reason, anger isn’t what I feel.

I feel relieved.

“What? No. I’ve looked out for you the best I can since being down here. I’ve… I’ve killed a few of your foster parents, but I would have never willingly left you, Madison. Ever.”

“And I was marked for you,” I tell Hex.

“No. Yes. You were born with the mark, but I had no idea who I would mate with until it came to life on your birthday. You were always meant to be mine.”

“You mark daughters for what?”

“So we don’t have to spend eternity alone,” he admits. “A true mate is a chance at happiness.”

“And Cale— Coal,” I correct myself. “You like being a hellhound?”

He grins, nodding his head. “Oh yeah. It’s fucking awesome. I love it here. I’ll tell you all about it.” He cups my cheek with his black palm. “You were never alone— even if it felt like it— I was always there. And Hex is a good leader, a great teacher, and the best hellhound I know.” He bends down and cups my stomach. “I can’t wait to be an uncle.” He kisses my cheek. “I’ll wait for you over there.”

Everyone leaves me and Hex alone.

“I understand if you’re mad.”

“I’m not mad because of your job. Maybe I should hold resentment for my brother disappearing, but he seems happy and I’m just glad to see him again. I’m probably happier than I should be about my father’s soul being in Hell. But the one thing I can’t be mad at, the one thing I can’t regret, is you, is us.” I cup his cheek. “You’re my home now, Hex. Because of you, I’ve always had a purpose, I was destined to be loved. And I wouldn’t want anyone else to love me except you because I love you, Hex. I don’t care about anything else except you.”

I take his hands and place them on my stomach. “And I can’t wait to start a family with you.”

“Mate,” he chokes, his fur dampened by his tears. “I love you too. Thank you for accepting me.”

“You’re my purpose, Hex.”

“And you are mine, mate.”

Nothing has ever sounded better.

EPILOGUE

hex

A man just beat his daughter until she was in a coma.

I’m here for his soul.

She’ll be taken care of one day and be treated as a woman should by one of my men.

“Hex! Return now. Madison is in labor. I’ll have Caster take your place.”

Without hesitation, without question, I create a portal between dimensions and run into Hell to get to my mate.

Caster is about to jump through to take my place on Earth when he grips my shoulder. “Congratulations, Hex. I’m happy for you. I’ll do this job well, I promise.”

“I trust you,” I say, crouching low before jumping up the stairs, bypassing the steps. I burst through the door, my heart tumbling to my feet when I see my mate in our furs, crying, sweating, her legs spread as she screams.

Lucifer is in the corner, reading calmly, and the doctor, a creature mixed between a dragon and a mage.

“Hex!” My mate reaches for me, and I sprint to her, settling in behind her so she can lean against me, and I take her tiny hands in my animalistic palms that dwarf hers.

“I’m here, my mate. I’m here.” I kiss the top of her head, hating how much pains she’s in.

“It hurts. It hurts so much. Oh the fucking Devil,” she screams again, pressing her soaked cheek against my chest.

“I take offense,” Lucifer drawls out of nowhere.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’m so sorry,” I apologize, then glace at the doctor. “She’s early. Why is she early?” I snarl, wanting to know if my pups or my mate are in danger.

“She’s right on time for twins, Hex. And they are coming right now. I see a head. Push, Madison. Push.”

“You can do it. You’re so strong. I love you.” I feel every muscle in her body tense. She uses every bit of strength she has to birth our pups and the first one comes out in a few minutes, crying.

“It’s a boy!” The doctor celebrates, lifting him into the air, and he looks just like a baby hellhound, but his fur is the color of my mate’s hair. His cheeks are fat, and his tail is mini. He’s perfect.

“He’s beautiful.” His little hands have small black nails.

“Oh wow,” Madison cries. “He looks so human, just more hairy,” she chuckles tiredly.

I laugh too, remembering the conversation we had about what the babies would look like. She was worried she would give birth to actual puppies, and I had to correct her instantly.

We aren’t dogs.

“Lucifer, I’m going to need you to hold him.” Doc thrusts the baby into the Devil’s arms and Lucifer stands still, afraid to move while the baby cries.

“How do I get it to stop?” Lucifer asks, but the question is lost in the noise of my mate yelling, the baby crying, and the doctor and I urging her on.

And then she slumps against me, gasping for breath, and another cry rings through the air. “It’s a girl. In all my years, I’ve never delivered a female hellhound.”

“Hex, she’s the only one in existence. She’ll have to be protected at all costs.” Lucifer is stunned when the doctor holds up my daughter.

She has blonde fur, and she opens her eyes immediately showing her mother’s eyes.

“She’s gorgeous,” I struggle to say through tears and the doctor lies her in Madison’s arms and Lucifer follows with our son.

“I’ll let the others know and give you time. Congratulations, Hex. I’m truly happy for you.”

Madison pulls down her gown and my children latch onto her leaking breasts immediately. Instantly, I’m jealous.

When she’s healed, I’ll be taking what’s mine.

“Thank you for giving me a family,” I whisper, watching her feed my pups. “I’m so lucky.” I can’t believe I get to watch and hold my family in my arms, my newborns sucking hungrily.

“We’re a family now, Hex. We’re all we will ever need.”

Hell can be a dark place, but Madison is my light.

A source from heaven itself.

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

Shallow Cove Dimensions

Introduction Novella to Shallow Cove Book 0.5: Eternally Hers

Book 1: Eternally Damned

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

January Rayne is a pseudonym I decided to use because it sounds better than my given name. I’m a lover of all romance and write in the genres I love most because why limit myself?

I want to write anything and everything, from badass men and women to characters who want to rip each other’s clothes off. I plan to ‘take it all’ like the good little girl I am. Feel it tomorrow, am I right?

Social Fangbangs:

Facebook: @AuthorJauaryRayne

Facebook Reader Group: @January’s Raynestormers

Instagram: @AuthorJanuaryRayne

Twitter: @author_01Rayne

TikTok: @authorjanuaryrayne

Website: https://www.authorjanuaryrayne.com/

MONSTERS CAPTIVATED

quirah casey, writing as scorpia kc

BLURB

It’s simple, I need money and my friend has a connection to get me into sex work. Sleeping with men for money should be easy, simple. Except for the fact that no one told me the men weren’t just men, but monsters, and I may have just signed a contract that’s going to get me into a lot of trouble.

CONTENT WARNING

This story contains sex work.

CHAPTER ONE

“How much did you say this gig pays again?” I ask, peering over at my friend, Rachel. “If I’m about to have some guy balls deep in me, I want to make sure the money is worth it.”

Despite my glare, Rachel’s laugh tinkers out of her, soft and sweet. It's one of the reasons why I was so surprised to find out that she does this type of shit on the side. She has to be the most gentle, innocent person I’ve ever met.

Or so I thought.

Her gaze peers over my shoulder and I know she’s looking at the club sitting on the other side of the street. “25.”

“Hundred?” I ask, raising a brow.

“Thousand.”

“What?” My heart skips a beat, and my skin warms as I try to figure out where in the hell my head was the first time Rachel went over the terms of what I would be doing tonight. I know that she told me about the pay during our conversation but I don’t remember her saying it would be twenty-five thousand dollars.

If I did, I would have demanded she bring me here weeks ago after our initial talk about the place.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars,” she confirms, her red painted lips turning up into a smile.

“And you do this shit on the daily?” I ask her, my throat feeling tight. I glance around her little shitty Toyota that may have been made before either of us was even born.

If she does this often, she should be rolling in dough, or at least able to afford a car from this century.

“I don’t do it on the daily,” she says with an eye roll, but I don’t miss the way that her gaze shutters slightly. She swallows, turning her head. “It's more like weekly, and the bigger the contract, the obscener the conditions, which is why I typically take on the smaller ones.” She turns her head back in my direction and the expression on her face has changed.

No longer is there a smile in her eyes or on her lips. Her shoulders are coiled tightly, and I have to wonder what the change of mood is for.

Swallowing, I bite down on the inside of my cheek.

Way to fuck up the vibe, Celeste.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean any offense.”

Rachel’s lips pull into a tight smile, and she waves a hand. “It’s fine, it’s a sensitive and complicated subject for me,” she says and fortunately, that seems to be the end of the conversation.

She flips her dark curls over her shoulder before reaching across the seat and opening the glove compartment in front of my knees. The plastic bumps into my knees slightly as it falls down. I wince and Rachel mutters a quick apology before she pulls something out.

I look at the little black card in her hand. For a moment, I think it’s an Amex card, until she flips it over and I see the silver M and A printed onto the back. There’s a curling of lines that reflects the shape of the infinity symbol wrapping around the letters, thorns dotting the edges.

“Use this to get in,” she says, and I take the card from her.

She slams the compartment back closed before facing me again. “Remember, don’t let them smell your fear when you walk in.”

“Smell?” I ask.

Again, her lips pinch tight. “Just an expression,” she says, but again, there seems to be something that she’s hiding.

She’s not setting me up, right?

Truthfully, I don’t know Rachel that well. I consider us friends but that’s really because I don’t know anyone else. We share a communications class at the local community college and we always chat between classes. It wasn’t until I’d complained to her about the fact that I didn’t know if I’d be able to pay for classes next semester that we’d really started to talk. She’d casually asked my opinion on sex work. As long as it's consensual, it’s not my business, I’d told her.

Thirty minutes later I knew a lot more about Rachel than I had before, including the fact that she was indeed a sex worker, and that the money was good enough that she only worked part time at a clothing store in the mall otherwise.

When she’d offered to connect me with the establishment she worked for, I probably should have thought on it longer than I did. But shit, I needed the money or else I’d have to skip the next semester of classes, and probably the one after that with the wages I make door dashing.

So here we are.

I eye Rachel again, but shit I’m already here, and if she meant me any harm or this was some sort of a setup, I’m probably a little too late to try and escape.

“I’m not scared,” I tell her, instead of asking her why the fuck she suddenly seems shady.

“You will be,” she says, and I try to ignore the unease that courses through my stomach.

“Are you trying to talk me out of this?” I ask her, raising a brow.

She shakes her head, “Sorry, no.” This time, her smile and laugh is genuine again. “It’s just that the first time I came here, I didn’t have anyone to prepare me, and I was scared as shit walking in. Which was completely unnecessary.” She licks her lips. “No one will do anything that isn’t in the contract.” Her eyes snap to mine. “Which brings me to my next point: make sure you read the contract over, thoroughly. Do not fucking sign it until you’ve read every little detail.”

I nod.

“I’m serious, Celeste,” her voice goes eerily serious. “I know I gave you the list of limits to check off and that’s how they decide a contract for you; however, sometimes they sneak in clauses that don’t align with your limits and if they do, you have to make them correct it before you sign the contract.”

“Okay, I got it,” I tell her, tapping the card against my thigh, trying to fight off the sudden influx of nerves.

Rachel peers at me for a moment longer, before patting me on the shoulder. “I guess it’s about time you head in before you’re late. Call me when you leave, yeah?”

“I’ll call.” I give her a smile before climbing out of the car. I slam the door shut and give Rachel one last wave before turning and looking at the club across the street.

It’s large, at least three stories, looking more like a hotel than a club. The bottom floor is made of brick, while the next three stories are made of black obsidian glass that you can’t see through. It’s beautiful. A neon pink light sits just above the entrance, and I take a deep swallow as I stare at it.

Well, here goes nothing.

CHAPTER TWO

I pull the entrance door open, the metal cool against my skin. Stepping into the building I have to blink a few times, the lights so dim that I can just barely make out the shadows of someone sitting behind the front desk.

My brows pinch together, and I look up at the ceiling where circular lights are embedded into the ceiling. Only half of them are on, and with the light they’re barely radiating, they may as well be off.

A throat clears, rudely, and I glimpse in the direction of the person who I can barely see. Frowning, I move in their direction, wondering why in the hell the desk is well lit enough for me to see, yet I can only make out the outline of the person.

Even as I get closer to them, it’s hard to make out any features. I rub my eyes and when I pull my hands down, I suck in a breath at the man standing in front of me. He’s obscenely tall, hovering over me, his eyes a scary pale blue. His lips are pressed into a thin line. “Name.” It’s supposed to be a question and yet somehow, it sounds like a statement.

I swallow, “Celeste Parker.”

He lets out a grunt, but I’m distracted as something moves behind him. I lean closer, trying to figure out what, and the man fixes me with a deep scowl.

I lean back away.

“Card.” Another question that sounds like a statement, a command.

I hold out the card that Rachel gave me. He takes it from me and when his fingers brush against mine, they feel almost like… air. I can feel them, yet they don’t feel solid, instead they feel airy and weird.

He peers at the card and one moment it's there, and the next it isn’t.

What in the hell is going on here?

He squints slightly as he looks me over. He mutters something under his breath that I don’t quite catch. I’m pretty sure it’s an insult.

“I’m sorry, what?”

He lets out what has to be one of the longest sighs I’ve ever heard. I raise a brow.

What kind of receptionist is he? Where the fuck is his personality?

“Elevators to the right, up to floor 4, room number 1. The door will be unlocked. You are to let yourself in and the clients will take it from there.”

Clients?

He had to have misspoken, I decide, and I want to be away from him and his dry attitude so I don’t bother correcting him. “Do I need the card?” I ask instead, pointing to his still empty hand and trying to figure out where he placed the card while I wasn’t looking.

“No,” he clips out before shooing a hand in the direction of the elevators.

Okay then.

I turn, pulling short when something shoots in front of me, too quick for me to see. I turn my head, glancing around the room but I don’t see anything or anyone.

Maybe they’ve got some kind of pet around here and that’s what I saw?

My steps are quicker as I head toward the elevator. I mash the up button, keeping my eyes peeled as unease dances along my spine. The elevator dings behind me and I can’t help but to look over at the receptionist desk, my mouth dropping over when I find the sulky guy gone.

Where the hell did he go that quickly?

My heart pumps a little faster and I tell myself that I’m freaking out for no reason as I quickly step into the elevator. There’s a glass mirror along the back of the elevator with the remaining walls padded with some sort of almost black crystals. I drag my fingers along one, feeling the rigid edges.

A sound captures my attention and I lift my head, looking up into the mirror. Behind me, the elevator doors haven’t quite closed yet and I let out a small scream when I find someone standing just outside of the door behind me.

Spinning around, I place a hand to my chest as my heart tries to pump out of my chest.

There’s no one there anymore.

I sag against the wall as the doors slide closed.

Am I losing my mind?

I have to be.

There’s no other way to explain people appearing and disappearing, or the fact that I keep seeing stuff that isn’t there.

Fuck, maybe I gave myself some sort of aneurysm this morning when I accidentally hit my head on my cabinet door.

Sucking in a breath, I turn, looking at the mirror. My reflection shows that the craziness isn’t limited to the inside but also the outside. My curls are flying and there’s a bead of sweat trickling down my forehead that I hadn’t noticed. I swipe a hand at it. The red dress that I picked out to compliment my brown skin isn’t even enough to make me feel confident as I peer at it.

Shit, what kind of sex worker am I?

At this point, I wouldn’t even pay myself to masturbate.

I smooth a hand over my curls and continue to take deep breaths to try to get rid of the frantic look on my face.

By the time the elevator doors slide open, I at least feel a little less on edge.

I step into the hallway, listening to the sound of the elevator doors snapping closed. Like the reception area, the hall barely has any light.

I know damn well these people have enough money to pay a light bill, considering how much they’re going to pay me to suck dick and get drilled for a couple of hours.

My heels sink slightly down onto the gray carpet with each step that I take. The walls are covered in ornamental shapes that remind me of something that you’d see in one of those old time hotels.

I’m surprised to find that there’s only eight rooms on the entire floor, considering how long the hall is. The rooms must be big as hell. Each door is painted black with a silver number embedded onto each.

I count the numbers down as I move down the hall.

Eight.

Am I sure that I want to do this?

Seven.

It’s not about if you want to do this.

Six.

You have no choice but to do it unless you want to be like everyone in the family, never making it further than working at a fast food joint.

Five.

You’re already barely paying rent with door dashing.

Four.

If you do this, rent will be covered for the next few months and so will your tuition.

Three.

It’ll just be a few hours of getting fucked hard and probably brutally but it’s okay.

Two.

You’ve done a lot kinkier for no money at all.

One.

I stop in front of the door. It doesn’t look any different from the others and yet the second I stop in front of it, it feels different. I rub my throat, continuing to stare at the door.

Now is not the time to back down.

Rachel said they wouldn’t make me do anything out of the contract and I haven’t signed it yet, but I feel like the grump receptionist would shackle me down before he let me leave here without completing my job.

And I really need the money.

The last thing I want to be is another girl who had so much potential but could never capitalize on it due to the lack of access to means to go further.

So now is the time to push back the nerves I swore I didn’t feel until Rachel started giving me that little secretive look earlier. Time to pull myself together, go over the contract, scratch off anything I’m not willing to do, and then get fucked before strolling to the bank to deposit twenty-five thousand dollars into my bank account.

I lock my hand around the cold, silver door handle. I push it down and let out one last long breath before stepping into the room.

CHAPTER THREE

It's far too cold.

It’s the first thought I have as I step inside of the room. I close the door behind me before wrapping my arms around my body, trying to stave off the chill.

I turn my head, taking in the room. Unlike outside, the floor is tiled. The front half of the room is illuminated in light, but the back half is cast in shadows too dark for me to see. It’s almost like looking down into a black hole.

I narrow my eyes, continuing to sweep my gaze around the room. At least ten feet away, directly to my right in a door and it’s closed.

I don’t see anyone and for a moment I’m confused on if I need to just walk into the other room or remain here.

Or…

My gaze fixes on the darkness again.

Nah, I’m not heading that way.

It’s like walking down a dark alleyway at nighttime, just asking for trouble.

So instead, I wait, standing in place. I rub my hands up and down my arms, biting down on my lip.

At least five minutes have passed before finally I hear something, movement, coming from the left. I turn my head but there’s no one there.

Not this shit again. I’m definitely going to have to go to the doctor about these hallucinations. Once I have the money in my account to afford the visit.

Another sound, this time to the right, and once again, I fall for it, turning my head. Again, nothing there, but it definitely could have come from behind the door of the room, I decide.

I hesitate for a moment before taking a step in that direction, since clearly no one is coming out to get me.

“You sure that’s where you want to go, love?” The voice is so low, it’s almost a rumble. I just barely hear it.

I whip around, my heart pumping in my chest fast. Okay, now I did not hallucinate that god damn voice of pure sex.

And I know it just came from the darkness.

I stare back into the pitch black slope of the room.

Swallowing, I open my mouth but no words actually come out.

“We expected a hellcat tonight, not a mute. Don’t tell me the monsters got your tongue, lovely.”

Rage fires into my veins and I squeeze my hands into fists as my cheeks flush in embarrassment. “That’s not even the saying,” I snap.

A dark chuckle echoes off the wall and somehow it sounds like it’s not coming from one person but two. “Maybe not, but I think it fits this situation quite exquisitely. You’ll see what I mean soon.”

Again, I try to peer into the darkness, but I can’t see anything. And anticipation is biting at me, wanting to know what this man looks like. Does his appearance match his deep voice, sexy and captivating?

“Why won’t you come out of the shadows?”

“Why don’t you come into the shadows?” he shoots back.

I grit my teeth, my nails biting into my palms. “I need to look over the contract and I can’t do that in the dark,” I argue. The truth is, I didn’t want to go into the dark before the man started talking. I knew it would be trouble and now that this man is taunting me, I have a feeling that no matter what I won’t be able to escape this room tonight without trouble. But I certainly won’t run right at it.

This time when I fold my arms over my chest, it isn’t to keep warm, but to keep from displaying my nerves.

“Tell me your name,” the man says instead, completely switching the subject.

“I’m sure you already know it.” I didn’t exactly sign anything saying I expected my name to be kept confidential, so I’m positive the man already knows who exactly he’s dealing with, while I know nothing.

“I didn’t say that I didn’t,” he drawls, his voice dropping lower. “But I want to hear you say it.”

Why are you being so difficult?

This process is supposed to be simple, I’m supposed to do whatever I’m told and then leave 25k richer.

I try to muffle my sigh but I don’t I succeed. “Celeste.”

“Celeste,” he repeats, my name rolling off his tongue like ecstasy.

My skin tingles.

“Yes.”

“Was it intentional?”

I close my eyes, letting his words run through my head. I don’t need him to clarify his question. For most of my life, people have asked the same question when they’ve heard my name. “You mean, did my mother purposely intend for my name to be heavenly.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, she did.”

“Well, she was a smart lady then,” he says, his words dropping off slightly. “Because you definitely look like an angel.” The compliment does something funny to the pit of my stomach. “Unfortunately, this place holds nothing nice for an angel. You should leave now.”

It’s like a splash of water has been thrown over me.

My shoulders righten and I glare into the darkness. “I’m not leaving, I’m staying.” The fact that he clearly wants me to leave is enough to make me want to stay.

That same chuckle drifts through the room. “Be careful what you sign yourself up for, Angel. And don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Again, with that we shit, but he’s the only one in the room.

I shake my head. “I’ve yet to sign anything, because you’ve yet to show me the contract,” I bite out.

“If that’s what you want.” There’s the rustling sound of paper before something comes sliding across the floor out of the darkness.

I look down at the little clipboard with a stack of papers clipped to it. There’s a pen tucked between the clip and the papers. I squat, being careful not to fall in my heels and pick up the clipboard. Small, black ink dots the paper and I wonder how long we’re just going to have to sit here while I go over everything.

“Funny,” the man says, pulling my attention back to him.

I look up. “What?'“

“It’s funny how a moment ago you were so determined to stay here, despite my warnings, and yet you’re going to read over the contract. It just shows me that you’re all talk, angel.”

He’s goading me and I know it. Somehow in the last five minutes, he’s figured that I’m not one to back down from a challenge.

Which brings me to my next point: make sure you read the contract over, thoroughly. Do not fucking sign it until you’ve read every little detail.

Rachel’s warnings move through my head.

I know I gave you the list of limits to check off and that’s how they decide a contract for you. However, sometimes they sneak in clauses that don’t align with your limits and if they do, you have to make them correct it before you sign the contract.

“If you’re that scared, you should go ahead and leave.”

My eye twitches as I stare down at the paper, the words seeming to run together.

I pick the pen up, flipping to the last page and scribbling my name along the line.

“Perfect.” The voice doesn’t come from the darkness but behind me and it’s huskier than the one from before.

A whisper of a touch traces along the back of my neck.

My eyes go wide and I turn around, coming face to face with not a man, but a monster. Charcoal skin, two curved horns on his head, pointy fangs that flash when he smirks at me.

The clipboard and pen fall from my grasp.

My feet move to run but I’m halted in place as a tail appears from behind the man, wrapping around my ankle.

A laugh comes from behind me, sending a shiver down my spine. Another body presses into me, warming my back. “I told you it’d all make sense, didn’t I, Angel? But I guess it’s more fitting to ask you now: Monster got your tongue, Love?”

CHAPTER FOUR

“What…” The one word stutters out of my lips and I can’t manage to come up with anything else.

Fear races along my spine, my stomach curling, and my heart racing. My head spins when I try to run and remember the tail still coiled around my ankle, not to mention the two hard bodies I’m now trapped between.

The body behind me presses into me harder, and when the man speaks I realize he’s the one who was taunting me from the dark. His hand wraps around my waist and I suck in a breath. I look downward, my eyes widening when I see the claws protruding from a gray hand.

A finger presses against my chin before pushing it upward. Bright, silver eyes meet mine. “I’m Virghel,” the man in front of me says. He leans close, his breath brushing against my lips as he continues to speak. “He’s Akhil.” He lifts his head enough to nod behind me at the other man. “The rules are simple: you’ll listen and we’ll make sure you enjoy this too. If you don’t listen, Akhil will have no problem tying you up, and we’ll cut your money in half for insubordination.”

My jaw drops, my mouth gaping. “You can’t do that!” Finally, my mouth wants to form real fucking words.

Virghel’s lips twist into a smirk before he taps a finger against my lips.

“We can,” Akhil says in my ear. Wetness slides against the side of my face and heat pools in my stomach when I realize it’s his tongue. “It was in the contract.”

“The one you chose not to read,” Virghel finishes.

Fuck.

They don’t have to say anything else, because I already knew that damn contract is going to come back to bite me in the ass tonight.

I should have listened to Rachel, instead of allowing myself to be enslaved to my pride.

“But-” My protests are cut off as Akhil’s lips slam into mine. My words are strangled in my throat as his soft lips press hard enough to make me gasp. His tongue slides smoothly into my mouth and fucking god, I could kiss this man all day. Correction, not a man, but a monster.

The thought has me tensing up and I try to pull away to protest. But Akhil’s hands slide along my dress before shoving under it. His hand slides along my thigh and my legs fall open without my permission. His tongue dances along my neck as Virghel continues to dominate my mouth.

Akhil’s hand slides higher until his fingers brush along the outside of my panties. I let out an unattractive squeak, trying to pull away from Virghel. In response, his tail tightens on my ankle and one of his hands comes up to my face, holding me in place.

Akhil’s fingers continue to tease me before suddenly pulling away. Virghel releases me and I gasp, looking up at him. My brain feels fried, but my pussy knows what it wants and that’s Akhil’s fingers back on me.

Virghel’s lips pull back into that condescending smirk and I glare at him.

“Want to get off, little angel?” Akhil asks.

I don’t answer verbally but the way I move my thighs together on instinct isn’t missed by Virghel or Akhil.

“On your knees,” Virghel demands, pushing a hand against my shoulder. His touch isn’t forceful but I get the point, and his warning that they’ll take half of my money runs through my head.

Swallowing, I sink down to my knees, the tile floor cool against my skin. Virghel’s tail releases from my ankle and I finally get a good look at it. It’s smooth, almost looking like skin, yet thicker and tougher.

Footsteps sound from behind me before Akhil stands next to Virghel and I see his face for the first time.

It’s just as hauntingly beautiful and scary as Virghel.

His eyes are a vivid green that seem to swirl as he watches me. His nose is blunt, his lips a dark plum color. His cheekbones are sharp and the black hair that falls to his shoulders has a slight curl to it. He leans forward and I feel breathless as I rise a little higher to my knees, wanting to meet him halfway.

Fuck.

It doesn’t even feel like I have free will, like I can’t choose if I want this because suddenly I need it.

I’m going to fuck two monsters.

Akhil is tall like Virghel, so he has to bend completely at the waist in order for him to lower his face right in front of mine. “You’re beautiful.” The compliment seems to wash over my skin, sending tingles through my body. “We’re going to ruin you.” The statement completely kicks the compliment out of the way. Akhil brushes a soft kiss against my lips, mummering, “Open up,” against them.

Like a puppet, my lips fall open at the order.

Akhil’s tongue traces along my lips, briefly dipping in my mouth. He brings his hand up, cupping my chin. His thumb brushes my bottom lip before shoving inside and pulling my mouth open further until it aches from stretching so wide.

Akhil pulls back, keeping his grip on my mouth. I don’t have time to look up at him before something is forcing its way into my mouth. It’s rigid, hard, and wide, Akhil’s thumb having to pull out to make room for it.

I gag as it slides in deeper, a salty taste exploding in my mouth.

Is that…

I shift my gaze, looking right in front of me and finding that the thing protruding out of my mouth is in fact the largest dick I’ve ever seen in my life. The dark appendage is thick and there’s little ridge like grooves on it. My tongue dance along the ridges, exploring. A hand cups the back of my head and I’m thankful that Virghel doesn’t thrust any deeper or else I’d probably suffocate.

My eyes dart to the side when Akhil moves but Virghel gives my jaw a tap as if to remind me to keep my attention on him.

He pulls out of my mouth before thrusting back in a little quicker, but not to the point that I can’t take it. I close my eyes, breathing through my nose as I try to keep pace with his rhythm. Something touches the top of my spine a moment before I hear a zipper being pulled down. My dress pools down around me.

Virghel pulls out of my mouth long enough for Akhil to pull my dress over my head and toss it to the side. This time when Virghel pushes back into my mouth, it’s a lot harsher.

I gag.

I raise my hands to his thighs, trying to push him off but there’s no give. “You can take it,” he tells me at the same time that I feel him hit the back of my throat.

The thing is, his whole dick isn’t even in my mouth and if he tries to force the rest of it in, it just may get stuck in my windpipes.

He’s going to kill me.

I tell myself to stop freaking out, that clearly the man isn’t here to try to kill me with his dick, but from the way he’s already cutting off my airway, I’m not sure that isn’t the truth.

He locks his hand around my throat and my eyes begin to water.

Finally, he pulls out and I gasp at the same time that I feel my panties viciously ripped off of me. I turn, trying to see what Akhil is doing but then Virghel is right back at my mouth.

I jolt when something brushes against my pussy. My knees skid across the floor. There’s another touch against my pussy and I let out a faint whine.

My entrance is stroked a moment before something pushes inside of me. I gasp against Virghel’s dick and he takes that as an invitation to thrust deeper.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

I’m dying, my body feeling like it’s on the verge of both ecstasy and despair.

Whatever is pushing into me is taking long slow strokes that are starting a fire deep in the pits of my core.

This time when Virghel pulls out, I take the opportunity to look down and find out what’s fucking me. I only have enough time to catch a glimpse of Akhil’s tail driving into me before Virghel forces my head back. The head of his cock slides against my lips and I notice that it doesn’t quite look like a human dick, the tip wider than the rest of his dick and more of an odd squarish shape than round with curved corners.

“Open up. I’d hate to bust your lip,” he says and I don’t miss the bite of malice in his tone.

I glare up at him, just daring him to do it.

This time, the tilt of his lips is less of a smirk and more of a genuine smile. “Have it your way then, Angel.”

His tail whips towards my face and I shrink away, closing my eyes as I anticipate it striking me. I’m still frozen in place when I realize it has yet to hit me. Instead, I feel it land gently on my neck, teasing as it trails down my body.

When he stops a couple of inches away from my pussy, his eyes meet mine, and I’m suddenly even more aware of the fact that it’ll probably only take a few more strokes of Akhil’s tail before I come.

Virghel raises a brow and then his tail continues its tract. The second the tip of his tail touches my clit, my body goes slack. A moan escapes my mouth at the same time that Virghel’s cock sneaks in.

He doesn’t even try to give me the energy to suck his dick myself, doing all the work as he starts a relentless assault on my mouth. The force and the pressure only serve to take my body higher, and when Virghel’s tail moves away from my clit to push deep inside my entrance, right beside Akhil’s, my orgasm explodes out of me.

I gasp and tears are leaving my eyes as Virghel continues to choke me on his cock. My pussy clenches around their tails and one thrusts even deeper into me, it ramps up the wave of euphoria moving through my body.

My limbs feel like jelly and it’s all I can do not to fall to the ground as both tails leave my body. Virghel pulls out of my mouth and I slump slightly. He reaches out, snatching my bra off of me. The cloth stretches tight across my skin before it’s in shreds just like my panties.

I look up at him through a blurry gaze before turning to look at Akhil. He’s still standing behind me and when my eyes meet his, he smirks. “We’re not done with you yet, Angel.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Virghel drops to his knees in front of me, his lips brushing across mine before sliding along my neck and down my chest where he pulls a nipple into his mouth. My back arches and my eyes fall closed. The first orgasm seemed to drain some of my energy but it’s made me even hornier.

I hear Akhil drop to the ground behind me and I realize he’s gotten naked as well, when I feel his hard cock pressing into the cheeks of my ass.

I distinctly remember listing anal as something I’d be willing to do, but that was before I found out I’d be fucking not only one person but two, and that neither would be human.

There’s no way I can fit Virghel’s cock inside of my ass and from how Akhil’s feel against me, it’s just as big.

“Don’t worry,” Akhil says. His hand wraps around my body, his fingers pinching the nipple that Virghel isn’t sucking. It’s painful but it feels so damn good. “Don’t worry,” he repeats, thrusting against me, “if we rip you up, we’ve got doctors who can repair you.” And then he’s pushing me forward, right into Virghel who lets go of my breast to capture me.

I let them shift and move me around like a rag doll, until I find myself partially laying flat, ass up in the air. Akhil is still kneeling behind me and I can feel his cock rubbing along my lips, gliding through the remnants of my orgasm.

Virghel is still sitting in front of me and he wraps a hand in my hair, pulling my mouth back down onto his cock. “Focus on sucking my dick and it’ll be like Aghil isn’t even tearing you apart,” he lies.

As if to prove that his friend is lying, Akhil moves his cock from my pussy up to my pucker. He pushes against it, not entering quite yet, but the pressure is enough to have me tensing up.

Akhil laughs.

He places a hand in the middle of my back, holding me down. The arch it forces in my back is painful as Virghel continues to fuck up into my mouth.

Akhil slides back down to my pussy and he doesn’t give me time to think as he pushes into me in one solid thrust.

I scream around Virghel’s cock.

My pussy has never felt so full before. Akhil isn’t gentle as his hips slam into me. If it weren’t for his hold on me, my body would be skidding across the floor.

Virghel lets out a moan a moment before his dick hits the back of my throat and his cum floods my mouth, hot and bitter. He holds my head down until he’s done and Akhil never stops slamming into me.

I gasp when Virghel finally releases me, some of his cum sliding down the corner of my lip. Akhil grabs my cheek, turning my head and his tongue coming out to lick up the stray remnants of cum.

My pussy tingles and I realize that I’m definitely moving closer to another orgasm.

I let out a whimper when Akhil pulls out of me.

“Such a little slut,” he whispers.

“Of course she is,” Virghel says. When I look at his dick, I can see that it’s still hard, despite the fact that he just spilled what felt like a gallon of cum down my throat.

He reaches forward, dragging me up until I’m sitting on his lap, his dick sliding along my pussy. “Hang on,” is the only waning I’m given before he lifts me and slams me down on his cock.

The scream that rips through my throat doesn’t even sound like it belongs to me.

A tremor runs through my body and my heart is racing.

Virghel tucks an arm around my back, pulling my body flush against his as he lays back against the floor. When I feel Akhil’s dick pushing at my entrance as well, I know exactly what’s going on.

“No…”

“Yes,” Akhil says, pushing inside of me.

It fucking hurts.

He doesn’t move quick, sliding into me smoothly and slowly. Virghel lets out a grunt as Akhil’s dick slides against his and I swear I feel his cock twitch inside of me.

When Virghel bottoms out inside of me, I’m almost convinced that I’m going into cardiac arrest. My body is shaking, my breaths are unsteady, my heart is going wild, and tears are leaving my eyes again.

Somebody, at this point I don’t know whose, tail slips between Virghel and I to brush against my clit. Pleasure shoots through my body and I relax slightly, but I’m still aware of the two cocks lodged deep inside me.

One of them moans and I’d be more embarrassed by the mewl that leaves my lips under other circumstances. Instead, all I do is take Virghel’s advice and literally hold on as both cocks start to move inside of me.

It still hurts but it isn’t all consuming anymore, pleasure winning the battle in a way I would have thought impossible.

My clit is throbbing as it’s stroked and my pussy is pulsating around the cocks inside of me. The two men are both letting out little sounds of pleasure that only serve to make the mix of ecstasy inside on my pussy more intense.

I feel Akhil’s hands grab onto my cheeks spreading them wide a moment before I hear him spit and something wet lands on my pucker.

“Hold her open,” he tells Virghel and I feel Virghel’s hands replace Akhil’s keeping my ass open while my pussy is still being battered.

Akhil’s thumb brushes along my pucker.

“Fuck,” the word sounds weird coming from my lips, like it takes too long for it to come out.

“Give me your tail,” Akhil orders Virghel.

“My pleasure,” Virghel says.

When the tail at my clit continues to tease me, I realize it has to be Akhil’s, because there’s now one being pushed into my ass and it has to belong to Virghel.

The tears rush down faster and when Virghel’s tail wiggles inside of me, it’s enough.

It feels like my orgasm tries to drown me, my breaths short and gasped out. The tears come harder, the words leaving my mouth a string of confusing bullshit. My body goes completely light.

Virghel and Akhil continue to fuck me through my orgasm and somehow, through the cloud of my brain, a key detail sticks out.

“Con… condom,” I manage to get out.

“No condoms,” Virghel says.

“It was clearly stated in the contract that we wouldn’t use them, Angel,” Akhil says.

When I try to protest, the tail that had still been stimulating my clit leaves, shocking its way into my mouth and down my throat to shut me up.

Akhil slams into me harshly and Virghel lets out a curse a moment before he goes still, his cum flooding my pussy. It’s enough to send Akhil following him into the throws of bliss, the man’s nails biting into my skin as he comes.

I don’t know how much time passes before I feel them pulling out of me. Someone lifts me and the room is spinning as I’m carried.

I’m placed onto a bed and I sink into the soft sheets, exhausted. The bed dips and I look over to find Virghel stretched out beside me, still naked.

“Here.” Akhil climbs onto the bed and he presses a glass to my lips. I drink, cool water rushing down my throat.

It helps cool me down but I’m worn out.

“How long do you think it’ll take for her to start growing round?” Virghel asks as his fingers dance along my bare stomach.

My brain spins as his words dance through my head.

There’s no way.

“I don’t know, probably not long. The litters will probably be big since it’ll be her first.”

Litters.

Virghel grins and his eyes meet mine as he forces a finger into my pussy, still full of their cum. He pulls the finger back out, licking the cum off of his finger. “I can’t fucking wait.”

“I’m not pregnant,” I say slowly. “And if I do get pregnant, I’ll get rid of it.”

“You’re not paying attention, Angel,” Akhil says. He places the glass of water on the nightstand next to the bed, his body crowding mine from the front as he forces me onto my side. Virghel presses into me from behind.

“There’s no human method to abort a baby of our species,” Virghel informs me. “You will be pregnant. Our cum is already doing its job. And there won’t be one baby, there will multiple. It’s why out kind breeds in pairs. Right now, your body is working to create both mini Akhils and mini Virghels.”

“It was all in the contract which you decided not to read,” Akhil says. “But don’t worry, Angel, we’ll take good care of you and our children. Now open your legs, we’re not done for the night.”

The End For Now.

Thanks for reading Monsters Captivated!

To continue the Monsters Associated Series and learn more about this world, pre-order Rachel’s book here.

Also by the Author

Brutal Winter

Of Fae & Hate

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Quirah Casey is a young author with more dreams than she’s capable of handling, but that doesn’t keep her from trying to make them come true. She writes any and every genre of romance with characters of all races and sexualities. She rarely sleeps, and she lives off of Starbucks. For some reason, people keep leaving their kids on her doorstep, and she keeps taking them in. She has one fur baby, Dean Ambrosio Casey, who is basically a reflection of his human. You can typically identify her from her huge, colorful fro, facial piercing, shorts, leather jacket, and shit kickers that get her crazy looks in north Louisiana.

If you enjoy Quirah’s books, she would appreciate that you leave reviews on Amazon and anywhere else that you can. It helps get the word out about her books and motivates her on days when she needs it.

Her email is always open and so is her inbox on Facebook!

MY MONSTER

maeve black

Tell the monsters, I’m home.

—

ANONYMOUS

CHARACTER AND LANGUAGE INDEX

Ángel (On-hell) – MMC Human turned cthilios.

Raith (Ray-th) – cthilios who has been seeking for his mate for a long time.

Cthilios (Thill-ose) – Sea creature species, much like merpeople.

Dios mio – Oh my god

Mierda – Fuck

Estrellas – Stars

Tritón – Merman

Mamá – Mom

Abuela – Grandma

Él Pulpo – Octopus

Quién eres tú? – Who are you?

Eres mío – You’re mine

¿Entiendes? – Do you understand/comprehend?

CONTENT WARNING

There will be scenes with praise, condomless sex, choking, anal penetration, tentacle usage, orgasm denial, and oviposition (eggs).

Note:

You won’t see any homophobia in my story, as I live under the guise in my books that it simply doesn’t exist. While recognizing it does in reality, it doesn’t have a place in my stories.

Social expectance isn’t something I like to focus on either.

Yes, my male, female, trans, and nonbinary characters can get pregnant. All races, sexualities, orientations, and identities are welcome here.

Enjoy this quick nonsensical love between a lover of the ocean and the creature beneath the surface.

CHAPTER ONE

a’ngel

They warned us not to go into the depths. There were creatures there. Unseen. I didn’t listen. I think I was born with water in my lungs and fins for my hands and feet.

It’s the only explanation.

I try to stop myself from traveling to the beach, especially at night, but how can I resist the draw?

It calls to me.

My feet dredge the byway, the sand softly indenting around my feet as my journey continues. It’s so beautiful. The sky is dark, ridden of all light except for the stars above.

Mamá always told me they had stories. Estrellas. The guides to our future.

As I walk, I tilt my head, my eyes directly staring at the stars and their unique patterns. They’re stunning in all their glowing glory.

The waves crash around me, and the whoosh of them hitting the shore plays on repeat in music to my ears, a calming sort of comfort I've always felt from them.

The birds chirp softly, the crickets and cicadas humming as I reach the rocks.

There's a specific one. Its onyx, almost like lava and water, made love and created a masterpiece. Spending time here, whether it's fishing, dancing, swimming, or diving as far as I can before my air runs low, is my favorite thing to do.

Now, I can see the reflection across the waters only lit by the moon and the sky.

The ripples are calm. Soft, even. I can’t seem to look away, and each time they mesmerize me, I get addicted.

The wind sends a shiver down my spine as the salty freshness of the water draws me closer. It’s something so addicting, and while I’ve never been able to place what attracts me to it, nothing will stop my ascent to the rock which homes my happiest moments.

Once near the edge, I climb the little rocks, knowing each step to take because my journey stays the same while the water washes the sand away. So each stone, while shifting from high and low tide, I know each direction.

With one final boost up the tallest boulders, I find my flattened stone. It’s spotlighted from the moon, a ray of light pointing directly at the obsidian color.

“I promised you I’d come back,” I say, patting my favorite spot. It can’t hear me, but Abuela always told me to speak to nature, to nurture it, and in our time of need, we’d be given help.

I sit, hauling my backpack into my lap as my body shudders in anticipation. Exhilaration is best explained as the way I hold my breath right before jumping in the water, not knowing whether I’ll make it out alive in the end or meet my lover at sea, forcing ours forever beneath the surface.

The wind welcomes me, swirling around me as the water shows vibrant colors. Only twice a year do our shores light up; for some reason, it’s early this year. The glow is not supposed to be here until June.

Yet, my eyes focus on the luminescence, absorbing its stunning color.

How is something so magical real?

I remove my shirt, stuff it into my backpack, and wait for the most significant wave to crest so the water is at its most vibrant.

Sometimes, I feel like they created The Little Mermaid with my soul in mind, something for me to connect to. Ever since I was young, I've wanted to live underwater, beneath the blue abyss. It continues to entice me as I get older.

Maybe Ariel and I can switch places? She can be a human, and I'll take her tail.

Wetting my toes, anticipation climbs me like an octopus in the bay, putting each porous arm on me as it nestles me closer.

Come closer, little tritón. Come to me.

The genderless voice meets my ears, soft and demanding, charming and addictive.

It's all in my head.

Mamá told me so.

She doesn't know I'm near the waters, but she told me voices in the empty don't actually exist.

Abuela would argue that it’s the creature of the deep, the one who wants me for its own.

I smile, standing with assuredness. “I’m coming,” I respond with humor. “Keep me safe in the darkness.”

Unlike many, the dark doesn't frighten me. It doesn't alter my journey or love for exploration. Sharks and other monsters of the deep aren't my enemies. They seek nothing but their own freedom.

Diving deep, I hold my breath, knowing I will enjoy this. As I push my feet, swishing them to go deeper, each movement of my arms has the water glowing with light.

My eyes dance with the bit of microbiome, swimming around me like they're hugging each limb. I continue my descent, knowing precisely what I'll hit soon.

There’s this massive rock below, shaped like a castle, as if a child had one built of stone, just to give it up and let it decay beneath the sea.

It’s too dark to see before me, other than the light the bioluminescence offers.

Something akin to fear hits my spine as my body free-dives. I'm unsure what to make of it, but my entire skin crawls with little shivers.

It’s as if a bunch of spiders took residence across my skin, webbing their way around my limbs and heart, a warning.

I close my eyes, willing myself to calm down. When one panics, their ability to hold their breath weakens, and I can’t have that. I’ve been able to be beneath the surface for six minutes, which is apparently inhuman.

By the time my eyes open again, I’m hit from behind. It’s a behemoth type of movement descending in the dark, knocking me off my axis.

Knowing there’s something creeping beneath the water has me pushing my legs up, swimming, hoping to reach my safe place, my rock.

As I go to kick once more, knowing I’m so near breaching, I’m tugged by my leg. A stinging sensation burns at my ankle, but I keep thrashing.

My mamá always told me to avoid this water. Abuela warned me too. Yet here I am, struggling beneath the blackened water, glowing with the shrimp in the water, struggling to make it back home.

I told them the ocean would be my fall, I’d lose myself here, but it’s such a peaceful way to go, in the place I love most, with the creatures that I’ve never once feared as my only company.

My only wish is to know where the voice comes from, the one that allures me so, convincing me water is where my life makes the most sense.

My chest aches, the burning inside forcing my lungs to expel what they can. A cough escapes me, and it doesn’t stop once it starts.

To death, my love.

CHAPTER TWO

a’ngel

Blinking several times, I have to force myself to accept my surroundings. Nothing makes sense. It's blue, so vibrant my eyes struggle to describe it. It's light like there's electricity, but it's impossible.

I’m… underwater?

The rocks surrounding me are bright. Dark but somehow illuminated by something. I’m addicted to how it’s drawing me from my place on the ground.

Moving my hands through the air, I realize it isn’t air but water. Somehow, I’m breathing underwater. Somehow, I’m not dead.

Is this a dream?

A nightmare, perhaps…

“What is this place?” I hollowly ask the open room. I sound normal, not underwater at all. My mind can’t seem to conjure up a reality where this makes sense.

Nothing answers my question. Nothing greets me but brightness and confusion. Nothing reassures me that I'm not crazy. The nightmare I imagine this is doesn't seem to scare me, though.

Sure, it’s frightening to be unsure, but it’s also welcoming to know I’ve somehow forced myself into my dream world.

I’ve always imagined being underwater, free, and with the fish.

Suddenly, my mind clicks to my legs, and as I look down, they’re still toned. Human. I trail my gaze up, realizing I’m no longer in my swim trunks but completely naked.

On my thighs are pucker marks from what I can only describe as octopus ones. They’re circular, dancing up my thighs like a tattooed hug.

“Oh wow,” I note, reaching down to them. Gingerly, my fingers trace them, swirling like a marker on a canvas. They’re real but don’t seem hurt as I continue to touch them.

My chest feels lighter for some unexplainable reason, but I don't question it. Instead, I only look at my body and assess it. There are bruises between my thighs, on my hips, and across my torso. I look like a beaten and bruised patient at a hospital, and it makes me wonder what I experienced as the darkness took me under.

Walking around the area, I note how I'm somehow in an underwater room. There's a bed. It looks plush and comfortable and not wet. Near that is a bedside table, and my mind can't help but wonder how not everything is covered in seaweed and moss. It's like it is above water, yet I can feel the water around me.

As I travel to each area, nothing makes sense, feeling more and more connected to this room. There’s a comfort here like I’ve been here before.

I suck in and wonder how water is coming inside me, but it doesn't feel like I'm swallowing anything… and I'm somehow still alive. Suddenly, it starts to overwhelm me as my mind questions everything.

Calm, little tritón. It’s okay.

That voice.

The one that comforted me softened and reassured me. It's here.

“Who are you?” I ask, my voice traveling. It doesn’t take long for my body to prickle with awareness. Goosebumps cover my flesh as my body heats. My cock begins to harden, and shock flitters through my mind. Because in my twenty-one years on Earth, I’ve never had a boner.

I’ve never felt attraction or masturbated. Sex is off the table, and the thought of anyone touching me makes me uneasy.

Yet, my cock throbs, and I want to reach out and touch it. I want to trace the veins down my abs that lead to it, stroke it until ropes of cum release from me.

Gods, my balls ache.

It makes no sense, yet I crave it.

It took me all of fifteen seconds to recognize that I felt someone near, but my cock hardening distracted me. As I turn, my body flushes with anticipation. I want to be fucked or to fuck something. May it be a hand or not, I need to ease the pressure building in my balls.

“Little tritón,” he rasps. He. A man. I’m not attuned to my sexuality, never have been. But as my eyes rake over the monster standing so close, my body burns with expectation.

“Why do I feel this way?”

His lips curl cruelly like he knows so much but won’t tell me. “Because you’re mine. My mate.”

My chest beats faster, moving like it’s reacting to the words. Get closer. Touch him. Ours. I want to hush it, but intrigue pulls me.

He’s not human, not at all. He’s… el pulpo? I’ve heard stories of sea creatures, none of which were described as an octopus man.

My gait doesn't falter, but I don't stop my perusal. He has a man's face. Chiseled jaw, strong cheekbones, and messy hair floating around him in swirls.

He's a reddish-purple shade with tentacles all around him. His legs aren't human. They're merman-like, a complete tail like how I imagine mine would be like if I were Ariel. They seem to support his weight just fine, allowing him to float all menacingly. He's naked like me, his cock the shape of a tentacle without the suckers on them. It's long, thick, and I swear it's veiny, throbbing for me.

“Quién eres tú?” I rasp, thinking of how my body hums the nearer we are. His limbs move about as his eyes narrow. He appears cruel, but somehow, I know he won’t hurt me.

“Yours,” he replies. One word. In English, not Spanish. Yet he understands me.

I'm only a foot away now, and I don't get a second to breathe before one of his arms reaches out and chokes my cock. My eyes as a groan escapes me. It's too good. It sucks the sensitive skin on my erection, not stroking me at all. Yet somehow, it feels like twenty tongues trace each inch of me.

“Such a good tritón,” he encourages as his body surrounds me. Each one of his limbs wraps around me, and when he lifts me with his arms—which are human suddenly—he traces my entrance with his cock. “I’ve waited so long for this.”

His voice is arousing, making me quiver with desperation. “What are you—” I begin, and he slowly presses into me.

It’s not hard or painful, somehow, it’s slick and wet, and his journey is slow and kind. “You’re taking me so well,” he praises with a grunt, his one tentacle finally moving up and down my length. I moan as his movements increase, soft then hard. Fast, then slow. Over and over.

He leans forward, his face nearing mine. “You’re so beautiful, tritón. Eres mío,” he growls, switching into my mother tongue. I groan as he fills me. I’m not sure why I feel so enamored and not scared. He’s massive, hulking, and using my body for his own pleasure.

“Why does it feel so—” I begin to question, and he pulls the hair at the nape of my neck, exposing my throat. His mouth leans in, clamping down on my vein.

I howl out, euphoria consuming me at whatever feelings overwhelm me. Sensations build ardor, and my cock pulses before releasing.

“Mierda!” I yell as my first orgasm escapes. I’m limbless as he fully seats himself inside me. With his mouth on my throat, I can’t stop the tingling, and then he’s fucking me without remorse.

His cock fills me, and he continues to push and pull, his one tentacle still holding mine in a vice.

“I-I can’t,” I mutter, feeling like jelly. My ass clamps down on him, pulsing with constant ecstasy.

"You can," he encourages, pulling back to show me his blood-covered lips. Then, leaning forward, he takes my mouth, pressing against my teeth.

Unwilling to fight him, I open, and he strokes my tongue with his own. He tastes of cranberries and sugar. Two things I’d never think I’d find so appealing.

He commands me with his movements, and I fold like a pretzel, unbidden as he fucks me without remorse.

“More,” I whimper as he runs his tentacles up my chest, teasing my nipples. He doesn’t stop his thrusting, and I don’t want him to, even if none of this makes sense.

“Come for me, mate. Let me see you fall apart once more.”

He sucks at my neck, dragging his teeth down as he goes. I shiver, my body letting loose as he rails me.

His hand grips my shaft and strokes. The feel of his hot skin has me moaning obnoxiously, falling apart with each movement.

"That's right, tritón, you fall apart so beautifully.”

I nod and push back onto his cock so he’ll thrust harder. Being a virgin before this moment, I would never have considered this reality.

Lowering me to the rocky floor, he widens my legs, wrapping himself all around me. It gives him leverage, somehow letting him go deeper. His movements grow harder and shakier, but that doesn’t stop his hand from rubbing me exactly how I need it.

“I’m going to come, tritón, then I’ll fill you with eggs. You’ll bare my children.”

My heart stops, I swear it. Eggs? Fill me up… my body shakes as fear starts to settle in. “What?”

"You're my mate. You'll take my seed."

This is just a dream. Go with it. The inner voice tells me, and I just let him continue. My body is being rubbed up and down, every inch of me caressed.

I clamp down on him, wanting more.

“So impatient,” he chides, sliding his other hand over my cock. He strokes the base while a tentacle suctions my tip.

Before I can tell him how good it feels, I whimper my release, and he roars his own. The sensation of something significant entering me has my softening cock pulsing. It's round and big, pressing into me.

Then I swear his cock largens, putting pressure against my prostate as he’s locked behind me.

“What’s happening?” I tiredly rasp, my body pulsing with pleasure. He rumbles behind me as he holds me. My eyes shutter, closing and opening in rapid succession.

Behind me, my monster morphs into a more human form. His tentacles are still there, coming from his back, while his torso down to the tail turns into human legs.

"I'm knotted inside you," he says as if it's simple and not wild. "My eggs are releasing into you, and then they'll grow."

“I can’t get pregnant,” I respond, not knowing how it is possible. I don’t have a uterus.

“You can,” he confirms. “You’re capable.”

Instead of questioning, I allow sleep to take over. And maybe I'll wake up and be on land once more.

CHAPTER FOUR

a‘ngel

Okay, maybe it isn’t that scary. I have a freaking tail! My heart hammers with excitement, but my body feels so different. Aside from the new attributes, I can feel what he put inside me somehow. I’m pregnant with babies. Little monster ones.

Knowing he’s letting me see my mama and Abuela shows me he cares. He did kidnap me, and apparently, I died too.

There’s too much information to consume, and I’m not prepared for when I finally absorb it all. Will it destroy me?

We finally breach the surface of my rock. It's still night, low tide, and I climb atop it. My body immediately begins shifting, and my eyes are stuck on how it's possible.

This has to be a nightmare.

Why give me everything I want just to scare me?

Reaching into my pack, I grab my backup shorts and tank top. Placing on top of me, I notice my monster climb behind me. He's fully human looking now, his tentacles gone. His cock is the only thing that stays monstrous, and I can't stop the way my mouth waters at the thought of putting it in my mouth.

His eyes narrow at me. “Later,” he growls. Leaning down, he kisses my forehead. “I’ll lick every inch of you.” It’s a promise and not one I want to argue.

Clothes appear on him, a similar fit to my own. My awe must be apparent because he closes my jaw. "Don't get used to it. Human clothes are not my favorite." His voice is so deep, somehow more so above the ground, and my cock thickens at it. I'm so confused about what my body's doing. I've never reacted this way to men or women, but somehow a monster from the sea turns me on.

"Why do I constantly want to…" I pause, heat hitting my face. It overwhelms me, making me want to hide. His lips turn, a smirk. Then gripping my jaw, he brings our mouths together.

“We’re mates, we fuck,” he rasps as he pulls back. He says this as if it makes perfect sense and isn’t unnatural.

“I’ve never had… sex,” I awkwardly respond. I’m not sure what to say. I’m not a prude by any means, but using the words he uses will take some time.

His palm smacks my ass, hauling me closer to where we’re chest to chest. “We will be fucking regularly,” he confirms, nodding. I shake my head, feeling too many things.

"My family doesn't know you're a man," I add, wanting to make sure that part is laid out there. My family has never seemed to care who or what I dated, as long as I give them kids.

Guess they'll be getting what they've always hoped for.

I lead us towards home. Luckily, dressed like this, I can say I was on a date when they inevitably ask me who this man is.

Well, guys. He’s not a man, he’s a monster, and I’m pregnant.

How the fuck do I just come out and say that? My chest tightens with worry. I’m suddenly scared they won’t love me anymore. Are they going to love me still?

“They’ll always love you,” my monster rumbles from beside me. His hand grips mine, lacing our fingers as we head that way.

“How do you know?”

"I've watched you for a long time," he admits with a shrug. Human customs aren't typical to him. There's no way. If a human said this, I'd run, call the police, and hide. Somehow knowing my underwater creature followed me around makes me feel comforted. It makes entirely too much sense why I always felt safe, living life blissfully.

The lights are still on when we get to my home. They may act as if they don’t worry about me, but I know they do. They always seem to stress about me.

They must’ve stayed up to make sure I didn’t die.

"Ángel, is that you?" Abuela yells out as my hand turns the knob. I haven't even entered, and she's already aware of me. She may be seventy, but her hearing is impressive.

"Yes, Abuela," I return, entering. My monster follows, still holding my hand for support. I don't have to search for them because they both enter the front room as I enter. Mamá's hands are on her hips, and Abuela's smiling.

“Mijo, who is this?”

Before I can embarrass myself and stumble over a reason for my person standing here. The one I haven’t even had a name for, he speaks.

“I’m Raith,” he introduces himself, offering them his hand. Mama shakes her head immediately.

“We hug in this home,” she offers, pulling him into one of her sweet embraces. No one offers love quite like mama.

“I’m Ruby,” she explains, then points to Abuela. “This is my mama, Xylina.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Raith offers, and I’m still stuck on his cool name. It’s so fitting, and I’m immediately obsessed.

“Who is this man?” Abuela immediately questions, and the way her strong eyebrows hike downward as she’s judging him lets me know she’s analyzing him.

“He’s—”

“His partner,” Raith interrupts me. “He’s my other half.”

The way he says it so nonchalantly makes me melt. He could’ve said friend or whatever, but he spilled the beans legitimately.

“Yeah, that,” I mutter, my face warming again. He’s so sweet and the way his arm wraps around me, protectively, like he knows I’m nervous, has me falling a little faster.

How can I already be pregnant and loving someone I’ve just met? How is this real life?

“Is that true, Ángel?”

I nod and peer at her. "He's the love of my life," I admit and shake as the words spill. Of course, that was not what I intended to say.

Turning to Raith, his face lights up as if he’s melting too. “We’re in love.”

Abuela narrows her eyes and taps her chin. “Why have you not mentioned him?”

“Didn’t know if being gay would make you hate me,” I say, not entirely true. Sure, that worry came about twenty minutes ago, but not once has it crossed my mind.

She seemed to accept this and came to me, pulling me into her arms. "Oh, nieto, I could never hate you. I'm happy you've found someone."

“Me too,” I admit on a cry, not knowing why emotions were overwhelming me.

“Well, are you staying?” she seems to ask Raith, not me. He leans in, kissing my cheek, warming my face some more. It’s both comforting and awkward to be this public with affection, but I don’t say anything.

“If you’d allow it,” he offers, being ever the gentleman. He wasn’t a gentleman when he had me stuffed with his massive cock, impregnating me.

I shiver at the thought, and mama seems to accept his answer. “No sex under my roof, ¿entiendes?”

“Yes, mama,” I answer before Raith can say anything. My body shakes, and I feel like I’m about to die of firsthand embarrassment. This is not something I ever expected to tell my family.

“Then go ahead and head up. We’re getting ready to sleep,” mama responds, shooing us away. Raith grabs my ass on the way up the stairs, and I wish the entire place would eat me whole.

CHAPTER FIVE

raith

He's adorable when he's ashamed, and the way he doesn't know what to do or say is also cute. Finally, we make it to his room, and it's exactly what I expect.

Clean, blue, and homely. Ángel's everything I knew he'd be, and now he's mine.

He leads me around his room, showing me his books, guitar, and the art on his walls. Ángel always draws and paints. I've seen him with art at the beach or wherever he finds peace.

It’s beautiful.

“No sex,” he repeats as he removes his shirt. My body hums with anticipation. He may think there will be no fucking, but I will enter his body tonight. I’ll be devouring every inch of him.

“You’ll be quiet for me, right tritón?”

His eyes gloss over as he licks his lips. I’m not even using my thrall on him. He’s just that enamored. Waking up sexually can be such a maddening experience, and he’s slowly learning his love for pleasure. He’ll want my cock soon enough.

Removing his shorts, his hardened length pops free, and I already knew it would be that way. He’s desperate for my touch, and I’ll give it to him.

Maybe now that he’s seen his family, he’ll come to our home and be with me forever.

Maybe my mouth will convince him further…

Dropping to my knees, I hit the carpet, ensuring there's no thud. His eyes home in on my mouth, and I lick my lips to show him how absolutely positive I am about sucking his dick.

His expression darkens as my tongue leaves my mouth.

Licking up his head, I taste him and the aphrodisiac type of strawberries and cream flavor he offers.

“Dios mio,” he groans, and I nip at his tip.

"I'm your only god now," I rasp, taking his entire length into my mouth. He nearly falls and only is stopped by my arm.

Leading him toward the bed, I force his body up against it. His knees fold as I come between them, fervently going up and down his cock.

Hands grip my hair as I bob freely. My cock feels enormous with the need to release. I need to be inside his tight body and fuck him.

Gripping his balls, I massage and continue my movements, licking him on every brushstroke.

His head falls back, exposing his throat, and I immediately spot the mating mark I gave him.

If he knew or remembered, he’d probably be more embarrassed at it showing to his mom and grandma. His fingers tighten as he humps my face, craving his release, but before he can finish, I pop off.

He lets out a sad little whimper in response, his flushed face so kissable that I take his mouth with my own.

His moans ring in my ears as I press him back onto the bed. He's flattened, and I'm hovering over him. Unwilling to waste more time, I make my clothes vanish and lift his legs simultaneously.

“I didn’t get to watch you fall apart before. I want to see every expression,” I demand, licking up his chest. He wiggles, and I’m not sure if it’s in anticipation or anticipation, but I make sure to take extra care of his nipples. He hasn’t said so, but the way his eyes roll back as I lick the furled flesh lets me know he enjoys it immensely.

“More,” he whispers, much like before. My little tritón doesn’t know how to use his words yet.

“More what?” I urge, stroking his cock. He shakes, and I nip his throat. “Use your words.”

“Fuck me,” he let out, and I reach between us, making sure to feel his slick. He doesn’t understand what he is yet, but my little tritón can create his own lube, ready for my cock. He’ll fall apart when he discovers it tastes like heaven, and I want to lick up every drop too.

He doesn’t have to offer twice. I stretch him slowly with my cock, ensuring he’s filled and satisfied. Once I’m seated, I thrust. The bed creaks a little, but I don’t stop. My balls throb as I continue my pace.

“Yes, like that,” he whimpers, clutching my arms. His fingers dig into me as he arches, wanting me deeper.

I lengthen my cock, filling him until there's no wiggle room, and he releases the most satisfied garbles of thank yous.

"You take me so well," I praise, licking the beads of sweat on his throat. His head bows back, and I lick up it too.

Shifting for one of my tentacles, I tease his cockhead. He whimpers.

“Please let me come,” he begs, his eyes hitting mine. Tears start to form there, and I grip his length and slide up and down. He moans, and I shift again to cover his mouth.

His eyes flutter as ropes of his cum hit my chest. He bites me, his teeth dipping into me as I thrust over and over. He wiggles, and I wonder if he wants to ride me.

Flipping us so he's atop me, he uses my chest as leverage and rides me messily. His abs flex, along with his thighs, and it's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

My tentacle still holds his length, working it up and down, and he’s still hard as a rock. “Look at you taking my cock,” I encourage. “Such a good boy.”

His eyes light up with pleasure. “You’re so big,” he rasps, rising and lowering. “I’m so full.”

Pumping my hips into him more, he whines, and I continue as he attempts to use my abs for leverage. I stroke up and down him, shifting myself for another tentacle. With it, I wrap it around his throat, watching as his eyes roll back.

And while he clenches around me, shuddering, he cries out loudly, and I release inside him. “that’s fucking right,” I growl as my seed seeps from me. It fills him so much that it leaks down my cock and balls from his hole. I don’t care if they walk in and see me fucking him. He’s my mate, the father to my children.

He has them in his belly, and he’ll soon bring us happiness. “I love you,” I rasp as I continue to release inside him.

“I love you too,” he cries out, his cock spraying me with his own release.

While we've only met, we have forever to get to know each other.

CHAPTER SIX

raith

I've waited my entire life for this... for my mate. It's been so long since I've searched the world for him. He's here now, he seems confused, but that's okay.

For months on end, I followed him.

He sat upon the rock, watching the water, exploring, and I swam near. When he searched for new items below, I protected him from predators, ensuring he didn't get eaten.

They all want my tritón, his beautiful chestnut hair, and how it curls when wet. He's fit and strong, and he'll carry my kin easily.

He tastes so sweet too.

Sleeping in my arms, which I've shifted for his comfortability, I stare at him. When we find our mates, they only have to die in their human form before transforming into underwater ones.

My kind, the cthilios, can birth in any gender. Social and human norms don't exist for us, and, understandably, Ángel's mind struggled.

He won’t understand for a moment, but he will bare my children.

We both wake later, him first. His eyes blink several times before he recognizes me. Fear doesn't reflect back, only confusion.

“This is… real?”

“Yes,” I confirm, bringing him closer. “You’re mine.”

He shakes his head as if to grasp what I'm saying. Then, he slowly disentangles himself from me and stands. "How is this possible?"

“The goddess gave me you, so we can create a family and bear children. We’ll rule my kingdom and be happy.”

"But my mamá—" he begins, sadness in his brown eyes. His chin quivers as emotions overwhelm him.

"You can visit," I reassure, standing and putting my hands on his shoulders. He looks so depressed, and my heart aches at the visual. "Do you want to leave?"

He nods and then shakes his head no. “I do, but I also love the water. They’ll be sick knowing I’ve been gone for long.”

"To them, it's been minutes," I reassure. "In this realm, we're in a time lock. We don't age the same, and you're a part of me too."

“How can I breathe under here?”

"Oxygen isn't the same," I explain, cupping his jaw. His lips are big, and soft, and their taste is unreal. "Your humanity is gone. It died with you."

His body shudders, and his eyes close. "Died?"

“You’re no longer human.” It’s hard to explain my customs, to show him what life should be like with us, but his fear is apparent.

“Can I see them? Before I live here forever.”

“Yes, you can visit as often as you like, tritón.” I lean forward, kissing his forehead, hoping he can feel how I care. It doesn’t make sense, he’s only now met me, but I love him endlessly. I’d do anything to wipe away his sadness.

He pulls back from me, eyes red with emotion. “Will you take me?”

My chest lightens at the question, of course, I’ll help him. I’d never leave him to fend for himself. Grabbing his hand, I lead him out of our living space.

Once we're in the atrium, we swim. Shifting back into my fins, I assist his ascent upward. He doesn't peer at me once, but the awe at everything around us gives him pause.

It's a vibrant blue with buildings, a city, and so much nature. We have animals, an entire ecosystem outside of Earth.

He’s naked, and I’m sure he’s unused to that, so I change his lower half into fins before both of our eyes with my abilities to shift.

“Is this really happening?” he questions, his palms tracing the scales that were just skin. Spinning, I assist his twirl. “This is wondrous!” The boyish glee on his face is something I want to soak up and keep forever.

Also by the Author

Incubus Promises (Aegan and Drew)

Incubus Destinies (Alios and Viantra)

Incubus Paramores (Coming Soon)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maeve Black writes fantasy, paranormal, and monster romance that they’ve always wanted to read. As someone who is queer, fat, and Latine, Maeve tries to be diverse and inclusive with all works, helping others see that the world isn’t just a social construct. They love reading, playing fantasy video games, and drawing in their spare time. Maeve wants to be known for their spice and unique takes on the monsters they choose to write.

ONCE UPON A SLITHER

dani carr & tia fanning

BLURB

Lord knows I’m not a scaredy cat. I purchased this home despite the numerous paranormal complaints that the realtor felt obligated to disclose—everything from wailing spirits in the attic to aliens abducting visitors from the backyard.

Maybe there were ghosts here. Maybe there were extraterrestrials out in the field. But I couldn’t pass up this fully furnished, move-in ready house when it was bargain-basement cheap…

But—ugh. Why did my basement have to be haunted by him? Stupid demonic dryer, just letting sexy snake monsters into my life like it knew I was lonely or something… And even if I weren’t hallucinating, dreaming or delusional, how would we ever make it work?

…read more to find out…

CONTENT WARNING

This MF Monster Erotic Romance features discipline themes and fetish elements as found in power exchanges. These various themes and elements may include but are not limited to…

Dubious Consent / Non-Consent

Abduction

Bondage

Breath Play

Forced Breeding

Edging

Odaxelagnia

Corporal Punishment

Romance tropes found in this work of adult Paranormal Romantic Fiction include…

Alpha Hero / Mythical Monster

Multicultural Heroine / Person of Color

Fated Mates

Forced Proximity

D/s Power Dynamics

Domestic Discipline / Spanking

Please be advised that this love story contains explicit descriptions of intimacy, mature themes, and narratives that are only suitable for mature readers. Enjoy!

DEDICATIONS

To My Husband

To My Misfits

Without you, I would not be writing.

—

Dani Carr

To My Father

To My Aunt Celeste

To My Brother, Duane

And My Precious Baby, Clyde

I miss you all so freaking much. If I make it out of 2022
without dying from a broken heart, it will be a miracle.

—

Tia Fanning

CHAPTER ONE

I was sure my dryer was evil. Possessed even. I could hear it… slithering.

Lord, help me.

Exhaling a heavy breath, I stood atop the basement stairs in my favorite fuzzy slippers and the cutest Rick & Morty pajamas ever, looking down into the shadowy space that mysteriously oozed with blacklight radiance. …zssss. Every night. Every fucking night, without fail, the sun would set, and the slithering would begin.

Always the sounds of sifting sand, shifting scales, and sssss zssss ssiisss sssss. The noises came accompanied by an eerie ultraviolet glow. Strangely, the teal-blue illumination emanated from the dryer. I never could find the source of the light or the noise. Random as fuck. Might come from under the dryer, or behind it. Sometimes the weird phenomena radiated from inside the dryer, or from the air above it, shining like some unseen supernatural lightbulb had switched on.

…zsszsszss. And the fucking slithering hiss… Some might reason the sound away as water sizzling on a hot pipe, or white noise from a hidden exhaust fan…

But I knew better.

And the stronger the light, the louder the slithering.

I had mostly ignored the ghastly noise and weird glow the whole month I had lived at the house—until last night. Last night, the paranormal nuisance had escalated into a full-blown supernatural encounter. And I couldn’t deal with it.

Yesterday evening, I had gone down to the basement to move wet clothes from the normal washer to the glowing, haunted dryer. But when I’d reached the bottom of the stairs, the illuminated appliance creaked opened as if the door were pushed ajar—from inside the tumbler. Before I could process the how and why of it, a gigantic shadow with yellow eyes poured out of the large machine like some Japanese horror movie. I turned and fled for my life, taking three stairs at a time. I slammed the basement door shut and locked it behind me once I’d reached the top.

No lie, I was so freaked out by the incident that I’d called the police from my car. It took them a whole hour to arrive. I could have been strangled and swallowed whole by the time they bothered to show. Of course, when they searched the basement, they found nothing out of the ordinary. Not even a blacklight effect.

“Just a trick of your mind from you being out here all by yourself,” the officer had soothed. “If you’re having trouble with critters in your dryer, I can give you the name of a guy in town who can come fix it right up—remove the vermin and such.”

I had sheepishly agreed. My crazed statement had seemed so silly in hindsight. A yellow-eyed shadow monster? What had I been thinking calling the cops for that?

Yet, here I was again, tonight, looking down into a glowing blue basement, listening…

…zssssssssss…

The sound reminded me of a snake I once heard at an exotic traveling zoo. A carpet viper? A saw-scaled viper? Something like that. Highly venomous. I had been fascinated by the snake’s defensive sound, which was made by rubbing its scales against each other. The keeper was thrilled to impart to the crowd that some fifty thousand people a year would succumb to the venom of that particular snake…

…zsssssisssss…

Slithering. Sizzling. Slithering. Sssss. Silence.

I shook my head. I had initially thought the old house was priced so low because it was located in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. But once I saw the place in person, I understood why no one had bought it. A heavy, foreboding atmosphere hung over the property like a M. Night Shyamalan plot device.

Lord knew I was no scaredy cat by any means. I had purchased the home despite the numerous rumors and paranormal reports that the real estate agent felt obligated to disclose—everything from wailing ghosts haunting the house to aliens abducting the previous owners from the backyard.

Maybe there were ghosts here. Maybe there were aliens in the field. But I couldn’t pass up this fully furnished, move-in ready abode when it was so freaking cheap. Avoiding haunted houses was a rich person’s luxury. The rest of us common folk often had to deal with unwanted roommates. For some it was roaches, for others, it was poltergeists.

Though the antique furnishings in the home appeared as old as the house itself, the rest of the home had been updated with modern conveniences, including the refurnished laundry room.

And that right there probably should have been my red flag. That beautiful, high-end dryer—easily worth two thousand bucks with all its fancy bells and whistles—was left behind along with the matching washing machine, also worth a couple grand.

Ugh. Why did my basement have to be haunted by a snake demon?

Sometimes I wonder how things might have played out if my entire family hadn’t died all at once. Like, how I might have been able to afford somewhere less haunted to live if a couple relatives had survived.

Like some lazily contrived plot from a bad b-movie, my immediate family—and a good amount of my distant cousins who had the misfortune of attending the family reunion—all tragically perished together during a bad afternoon thunderstorm. Freak accident, act of nature, sheer stupidity on all those involved, call it what you will. All I know is that lightning took out the whole family in one direct strike. No one made it out of that get-together alive but me.

They were silly, though. They all hid together under the large event tent rather than seek out real shelter. Not my ass, though. The odds of a lightning strike are the same as being eaten by a shark, they all claimed, laughing at me as I headed toward the parking lot.

So the black sheep of the family, the “too good for them” while simultaneously “not good enough” relative, the eccentrically evil “devil-worshipping sin-hippie” cousin who’d apparently turned her back on God just because she wanted to sleep in on Sundays, blah, blah, blah,—aka me—she took her ass back to her car.

I didn’t care if I got a little wet if it meant I would be safe. I might have been a struggling artist by trade, but I knew enough freaking science to not hide under a metal-framed tent in the middle of an open field during an effing thunderstorm.

Why?

Because contrary to what they all thought, while the odds of being eaten by shark were 1-in-3 million, getting struck by lightning was more like 1-in-15,000. And that tent was the tallest structure in the center of that field.

They had made fun of me. Tittered to themselves as the rain saturated my clothes. But who was getting the last laugh now? Me—because I’m the only one left alive.

I loved them all, but they were all assholes, and I’m just saying that if I hadn’t had to spent most of my inherited money paying burial expenses for a dozen or so people, I might have been able to afford a less haunted house. That’s all. I guess I’m not really laughing. More like crying over being broke as hell.

So, they now have a family plot together, and I had a vintage home with a slithery phantom roaming the basement, apparently held to this plane of existence by an overpriced dryer—which, by the way, would occasionally eat my clothes. One month living here, and I’d lost half my socks, my favorite bra and underwear set, and some other random shit that I had only noticed missing when I consciously went looking for them.

I’ve thought about going to the laundry mat, but the cost was outrageous, and the drive to town a pain in the ass. I wondered if my house insurance would cover the cost of a flooded basement if I accidentally left my garden hose running, near the old egress window. Maybe that would drown out my unwanted visitors.

Shhh—Bam! Thud.

The house vibrated.

Holy fuck! What the hell was that?

CHAPTER TWO

Wham—pong!

Startled by the sharp bang that tore through the air, I nearly tumbled my way to the basement when my slipper lost purchase on the nosing. I threw my weight back, shifting my bulk and collapsing hard on my ass. The ruckus below was immediately followed by more clattering.

Holding my breath lest I wheezed myself into an anxiety attack, I grabbed the landing wall to steady myself and willed my pounding heart to slow. Fuck, the top tread had scraped my back. Could this night get any worse?

Suddenly, a good-sized critter scampered past the stairwell.

“Oh, hell no!”

I spun to my feet and, my pain now forgotten, rushed to the kitchen. I dug out two potholders from the drawer then grabbed a huge stock pot with lid from the cabinet. With weapons in hand, I return to the basement door and peered down the stairs. I searched the glowing darkness for the animal I’d just seen. A ghost wouldn’t keep me away, but rats? Hell to the no. Having a rat in the house would have me sleeping in my car tonight.

“Fuck,” I muttered. Demon snake be damned. I would have to go down into the basement again. I was not living in this house with a giant ass rat. Hell, I wasn’t even staying one night in this house with a rodent running around it. Two rats could easily become fifteen thousand in a year.

Maybe there wasn’t a rat down here, a small voice countered. Maybe it’s just more poltergeist shit.

“Need to check to be sure,” I quietly answered myself as I took another step down toward the haunted basement. “Ghosts I can do, but not rodents.”

I honestly hoped my mind was playing tricks on me and that I didn’t really see a furry visitor skedaddling across the floor. I instead prayed that all this noise was being caused by a mischievous spirit or a curious alien.

“Could be ghosts, right?” I believed in the paranormal. When I was young, I was positive there was a spirit living inside my great Aunt Tilda because she spoke in tongues. Apparently, she didn’t have any spirits inside her—unless counting the ones she poured down her throat.

A dash of fur ran by again.

“Oh God!” I shuddered.

I was a grown-ass woman, so I forced myself to press on. However, I was a grown-ass woman with OCD and an irrational fear of dying from hantavirus. Or rat-bite fever. Or bubonic plague. These three diseases were literally listed in my journal under WAYS I DO NOT WANT TO DIE.

I slowly descended the stairs, talking myself up for what I had to do. With each step, I tried to associate the slithering sounds to the skittering of vermin. “Maybe it’s just snakes hunting my rodent infestation.”

Perhaps this wasn’t a paranormal problem at all, so once I caught the rat, my house would stop sounding like a reptile farm.

“But that doesn’t explain the light,” I reminded no one.

When my foot hit the ground level, a giant kablam echoed from a dark corner opposite where the rat ran.

“Shit!” I jumped in surprise, holding my pot lid out like a shield.

“Sssssss.”

“What the hell?”

That was such a big sound for the kind of snakes found in this area. Was it many snakes? A snake family?

Fuck it. The snakes were most welcome to stay. Might as well let them shack up with the demonic shadow ghosts haunting the glowing dryer. I usually wouldn’t let anything live in my house that didn’t help pay the mortgage, but if these slithery reptiles helped keep the scurrying vermin away, they were free to stay. As for the poltergeists, that was an issue for another time.

A shiver raced up my spine. The dryer was acting up again, as if it heard my thoughts. It suddenly glowed brighter.

“Look,” I said, “I don’t know how things are in Hell, but on Earth, nothing is free. If you want to stay here, you to need to produce the right currency or expect to be exorcised at first opportunity. I don’t do squatters.”

The blacklight effect flickered.

“Nothing personal. My pottery business didn’t take off the way I’d hoped. People just don’t appreciate hand-crafted urns these days.”

Ugh. Why was I explaining myself to unwanted critters?

Something scampered past me, squeaky quick, running over my slipper. I jump around on my tippytoes with a scream and drop the lid to my broth pot. It bounced on the cement with enough clatter to wake the freaking dead.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“Hssssss.”

Apparently, me and the snake were trying to find the same fucking rat. That furry fucker was probably the size of my head. That’s how big it looked when it darted past.

Panic was setting in. What was I going to do? I couldn’t live in a place that’s infested with rats. The females could reproduce every three weeks—at least that’s what Google said. If there was one rat, there were probably a hundred more. Isn’t that how the saying went?

“Zsssssss.”

The basketball-sized rat rushed past again and dove to hide behind a stack of boxes, but…

Was that a fucking rabbit?

Oh God, I didn’t want to get tularemia either.

“No, it couldn’t be a bunny,” I reasoned. It skittered too fast. Rabbits hopped. It was a rat. Maybe a deformed one, but a rat all the same. I was sure of it.

Rather than retrieve the top I dropped, I threw down the stock pot and removed my potholders, deciding I needed to instead arm myself with a classic weapon used for these types of issues, if the cartoons were to be believed.

I collected a nearby broom.

“Sssss, ss, zssss.”

“Feel free to step in at any time, snake.” I used the broom to push some of the boxes of Christmas ornaments out of the way. “Hiding your ass in the corner, hissing shit at me, while I must act like the predator here, hunting down whatever this is. You should be ashamed.”

I kept poking and prodding, mumbling under my breath, while scenarios of this furry asshole jumping on top of me like a bad internet video about caused me to hyperventilate.

I got closer to my appliances, and the largest fucking rat I’ve ever seen scurried by, which had me jumping in place like a kid hopping Double-Dutch. Then that little bastard ran at me again, obviously emboldened by my distress. He tried to lunge at me!

“Fuck you!!!” I screamed, swinging my broom.

It squeaked as the bristles connected, and the words that followed stopped me dead in my tracks. The broom rose in my hand like a bat, but I didn’t swing. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Holy shit.

I blinked hard to see better in the blue glow of the dim room. It wasn’t a huge rat at all, but it wasn’t a large rabbit either. What the hell? It was some creepy hybrid of rat and rabbit and reptile with a scaly face, a chubby body of fur, and bunny ears and…it had spoken when I had swatted it.

“Wh-what did you just say?”

“Fuck you, too,” it squeaked. “I hate this realm.”

Stumbling back, I fell into the boxes. What the actual fuck was going on?

The creature stood on its back hind legs and shook its head. Its long ears twitched as it regarded me cowering on the ground.

Ack! “Woman down,” I cried to the universe as I tried to right myself so I could crawl away on my hands and knees. “Lord, help me! I was safer in the ghetto,” I whimpered into the cement. “I should have stayed there.”

The staircase might as well have been an ocean away for how far it felt. I should have kept my small apartment in the hood. It didn’t have rats or aliens or haunted appliances. This was obviously a punishment for being bougie and wanting to be a homeowner.

CHAPTER THREE

“Sssssstaaaaay,” a creepy voice said from behind me.

Squealing, I scrambled toward the bunnyrat. “Please God, tell me this isn’t a big ass spider monster behind me,” I prayed without looking up. “I will burn this place to the ground.”

“She’s funny, I’ll give you that.” The bunnyrat grumbled. “Not a spider. He’s a snake.”

I peered to the darkness I had just fled but saw nothing. “Where?”

“Taaaaaaaste,” the snake hissed, as if its tongue was tasting the air. “Sheeeeee tassstesss ssssweeeet.”

“She does smell delicious” something panted in my ear.

The sound came from beside me. Trembling, I turned my head slowly, afraid of what I might see. A huge dog like creature panting right next to me. I screeched and almost pissed myself. It had tusks! TUSKS! And skin like a rhinoceros.

“It’s not real. It’s not real. They aren’t here.” I muttered to myself.

“Oh, we are very real, sweetheart.” The bunnyrat corrected.

The rhinodog, larger than any Great Dane or English Mastiff I’d ever seen, sprinted around me and tried to bite the bunnyrat, but the rodent jumped back just in time. The scaly fur-vermin sprang on top of my dryer like a goddammed armadillo leaping in front of headlights. The giant appliance rocked as the rhinodog slid into the machine and battered the metal with his tusks.

“Not my dryer!” I cried out, jumping to my feet.

“SssSTOP,” the unseen snake demanded.

We all froze.

After a moment of silence, I finally spoke, “Look, I don’t have any money. If that what’s you’re all after, you’re going to be disappointed. I’m a starving artist.”

“Oh, it’s not your money he wants,” the bunnyrat said with a chuffing laugh.

“Why did you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like that! With some kind of emphasis.” If reptilian rat bunnies could smile, then this one was shooting me the biggest grin.

“You’ll see,” it said, mysteriously.

“I don’t want to see,” I protested.

“Doesn’t matter what you want,” The dog chimed in. “You aren’t in control. Master is always in charge. We all must do what he says.”

“That’s your master. Not mine,” the bunnyrat grumbled. “I’m apparently prey.”

“Master?” I echoed. “You mean the snake?”

“Yes,” the rhinodog concurred.

“You might be prey too, lady…or something for him to devour.”

I was sick of the overtones and insinuations. “Look, you all need to go.”

“Why?” the bunnyrat cut in making my neck hurt from bouncing between them. “This isn’t even your house.”

“This definitely is my home. You all are trespassing.”

Both the bunnyrat and the rhinodog shook their heads, the chase between them long forgotten. They shot me equally pitying looks. Was I hallucinating? How was I even talking to aliens? Were they Aliens? I didn’t even know.

“If it’s not my house then whose is it?” I crossed my arms waiting for an answer.

“It’ssssssss miiiiiiiine.”

A slithering sound was followed by boxes tumbling out the way as if it were the cardboard version of the parting Red Sea. I gasped and took a step back into the snake’s tusked companion. My neck craned to look up at the giant snake man that decided to reveal himself.

If not for the long and thick snake tail that seemed to grow and swell and coil around the space, I might have thought he fell off a fireman calendar. He was pure human male muscle from the waist up. He almost looked like a genie rising from a lamp, but instead of smoke, he rose on jewel-toned scales that radiated in the dryer’s blacklight. But then the tip of his tail rose as well, and I nearly fainted. Rather than a rattle, it was a stinger…wicked deadly, like the one on a giant deathstalker scorpion.

Rats with lizard skin and bunny ears? Dogs with rhino skin and elephant tusks? Humans with snakeskin and scorpion tails? I couldn’t with all this.

The snakelike creature slithered towards me at a speed my mind couldn’t comprehend. Like a deer in headlights, I froze. If I didn’t move, he couldn’t hurt me. Predators couldn’t detect their prey if they stayed absolutely still, right?

His nostrils flared as he drew close and his forked tongue flicked toward me, tasting the air. It grazed my cheek and I shuddered. The shame of it all was that my panties grew damp. He caught my gaze and I found myself falling into the pools of honey that shimmered in his gaze.

I whimpered, growing uncomfortable. I couldn’t seem to pull myself away from him no matter how much I wanted to run. He smelled of wood and spice, of cedar and cinnamon. His breath of pine and mint.

“You fear me, yessssss?”

Tears pooled in my eyes, and I nodded my head slowly. I was trapped between a dryer and a rhinodog, and now a fence of scales that separated me from the staircase.

“Good,” he rasped. “I am the guardian of this gateway, and you are in my realm.”

“But—”

“Shhhhhhh.” He placed a finger over my lips. “Just because you and your houssse intrudes into my realm does not give you claim to thisssss land—as it did NOT for those before you.”

“What if I never return to the basement? I can brick up the doorway. Just let me go.”

He smiled and tilted his head to assess me. “When one breaks-sssss into someone’s home, one mussssssst pay.”

I looked at the bunnyrat. “Ar—are you going to eat me?”

He flicked his tongue out again and lowered himself to my pajama pants and tasted the fabric at my apex. “Mmmm. Yessssss. I thinksss I will.”

My eyes grew in surprise. “You want that from me?”

“Yessssssss.”

CHAPTER FOUR

I lashed out, kicked my feet, and hit the top of his nose. The snake hissed and reared away from me. In the sudden madness, I raced to the stairs of my basement.

Remember that movie from back in the day, Child’s Play, where the Chucky doll grabbed the kid’s legs from the stairs? I had nightmares every night about that happening to me. So it was fitting that my demise would go down just like that.

Because when I reached for the railing, scales wrapped around my ankle and pulled my weight from under me. I hit the steps hard.

Dragged on my stomach, back into the bowels of the haunted basement, I screamed in terror. My nails tried to get purchase, but all they did was crack upon the cement, ripping the skin and breaking a finger or two.

I was suddenly flipped over onto my back, the force of which knocked the breath out of me. Stunned, I laid upon the cold concrete and struggled to regain the ability to draw in air. Above me, the snake loomed like a handsome demon ready to devour me. He smiled at my distress, as if he enjoyed watching me hyperventilate. Spots formed in my watery vision.

“Would you like meeeee to make…” he signaled my heaving chest, “thisss all sssstop? Would you like to feel…sssafe?”

Stop how, I wondered. Safe how? Without the ability to actually voice the question, I simply nodded. I don’t know why I did so. Surly nothing good was going to come of this. Was it too much to hope that he’d stop fucking with me and just let me go?

Apparently so.

He lifted my bloodied hand to his lips and sucked a broken finger into his mouth. The pain disappeared and he moaned.

Then I felt the bite.

I tried to snatch my hand back, but he held fast.

“Please,” I wailed.

It had to be poison.

And it was.

My limbs instantly grew heavy and sluggish. The only part of my anatomy that seemed to be working in this moment was my libido. While my muscles were dead weight, fire raced through my veins, and my thighs grew sticky with arousal. What the fuck was happening? I now wanted nothing more than to fuck him silly. The pulse of my need caused my pussy to clench and throb in need. My skin tingled with hypersensitivity, and my nipples tightened to painful points that ached to be soothed.

The snake pulled my finger from his mouth and licked his way to the skin at my wrist. But when he bit into it, I shuddered with pleasure, my orgasm imminent.

My legs opened in offering. I couldn’t help myself. “Please,” I panted. “I need you.”

“Good girl,” he praised. “Sssso brave to ssssssubmit yourssself to me. Tell Master what you want him to do?” He returned to sucking on my injured fingers while he awaited my answer.

“I…I…I want you to…” The word that popped into my head could not be right. There was no way in hell.

“Yessssssss?”

His lethal tail swung into my space, and froze, holding my breath to see what he would do. He smiled and snapped his tail. It was so quick. A flick really. For the speed he used, his aim was alarmingly accurate. He devested me of my Rick & Morty pajamas with the skill of sushi chef. The edge on the underside of his stinger was sharper than a knife and parted the fabric like a hot blade through butter. My brain couldn’t comprehend it. By the laws of physics, surely it was impossible for him to cut that close and cleanly by eye alone.

“You were sssssaying?”

I went from shocked to impressed in the same amount of time it took for him to slice my clothes off. Less than a second. That move was so fucking hot. He was so fucking hot. Fuck! I had never been into knife play before, but the fear and arousal were fucking with my mind. I never felt so alive and scared and horny all at once. I was fucking panting.

“I…want you to…I want to have…”

“Ssssay it,” he encouraged.

Sobbing, I shook my head. I couldn’t say the words aloud. I just couldn’t! That would be crazy. That would be desperate. That would be ridiculous. What was wrong with me?

Despite the refusal to speak my mind, the bizarre plea pounded through my brain anyway, threatening at any second to spill from my lips. I so wanted to please him. I so wanted to share the one thing I wanted most in the world at this very moment. I needed more than sex. I wanted to be used. I wanted to procreate. I wanted him to…

No. I shook my head again. No. Just no.

“Brat.” He wrapped strong fingers around my waist and lifted me into the air. He turned me around and drew me close so that my bare ass rubbed against his scaled crotch, or where his penis would have been had he been a full human.

I shouldn’t be so wet from how freakishly strong he was, or how hot this was getting when it was damn near bestiality, but hell, he could make a woman feel tiny with that move. How strong was he, just holding me up like I was as light as a pillow? Moisture dribbled down my thighs, as if preparing me for a fucking unlike any I’d ever had. Never had I ever been so aroused—or flooded with desire.

His hand cupped my mound. “Rex. Go.”

“But Master,” the rhinodog whined. “I have yet to catch my prey—”

“Oh, please don’t kill the poor bunnyrat,” I mumbled as I bent my head to offer my neck to his fangs. My brain didn’t understand why I suddenly felt so kind and…compliant. Yet it hurt my heart to think they were going to eat the critter.

The snake chuckled. “Templeton. You’re ssssafe…for now. Go with Rex. You have an admirer, it seems.”

“Woot!” Templeton the bunnyrat cheered.

“Were you really going to eat him?” I whispered, grinding my ass against the smooth scales.

“No,” the snake breathed, his wicked tongue flicking against the shell of my ear making me groan. “Templeton was caught sssss-stealing again. His kind like shiny thingssss.”

When he lips grazed my pulse, I sighed. I apparently had a death wish tonight. I wanted him to bite me. He licked the vein, and I cried out in want.

“Yesssss? Will you tell me now?”

“I love the soft cadence in your words,” I panted instead. “I’m surprised you all know English.”

“Hmmm,” he vibrated along my neck. “We do not know your local language. All creatures sssss-speak the Creator’s language, as you do.”

“I am?” I could feel his fangs nibble my skin and nearly orgasmed in his arms. He could drain my blood at this point, and I wouldn’t care. This was a death I wouldn’t mind.

“Yessssss. You are in my realm, and thisssss is the way we communicate. All creatures are born with the knowledge to sssss-speak the universal language.”

“So we wouldn’t understand each other if we were upstairs?”

“No. Though humans know the language, the Creator had withdrawn access of that knowledge from your realm.”

The Tower of Babel came to mind. Didn’t God take away a universal language in that story as punishment?

My attention was brought back to the here and the words he wanted nearly tumbled out my mouth when his thick tail curled up from between my thighs, forcing my weight to shift, and rubbing and rattling and vibrating on my pussy like a Sybian.

His beautiful jewel-toned scales had me mesmerized as they slid between my thighs and lifted me from his arms. I was turned again, this time facing him, supported by his massive, muscular length.

“Eek,” I squeaked as his tail moved in a way that had me reclining on my back like I was on one of those s-shaped sex lounge chairs.

My legs parted easily as he ran his hands up my naked inner thighs. I swallowed a big gulp of oxygen when he raised me further into the air and slowly brought me closer to his flickering tongue. His fingers parted my folds.

“I could drown in your pheromones,” he said. “I neeeeeed to tassste you.”

And God, I wanted him to. I wanted him to suck me and fuck me and take me any and every which way he could. And more than that, I wanted him to…

I couldn’t face it. I couldn’t.

I was startled at the first touch of his forked tongue, feeling warmer and stronger than I’d expected. He licked both sides of my folds at the same time before diving deep into my pussy. I’ve never had a tongue so deep inside me. When I was just about to come, he withdrew.

“Oh, holy hell. Don’t stop,” I whimpered. “Please, oh, please.”

“Tell meeeee what you want? What is your deepest desire?”

“No, I can’t! You’re not…you’re only half human.”

He chuckled. “Do you think I could not breed with you? That is what you want, yesssss?”

I shook my head in denial, but it was true. That was what consumed my thoughts, what shook my biology, made my pussy spasm and my womb ache and made me mad with need. This sudden craving to procreate, to take his sperm and produce powerful children who could rule this realm and mine. And they would be so perfect.

But the logical part of my brain, mostly suppressed by instinct, drummed at my psyche. This was not real. And if so, it was magic. I had been essentially roofied by a demon snake into thinking sex would be an awesome idea. His venom must be like liquid ecstasy or something.

“Why do you fight thisssss?” he asked, still amused.

This is how I knew I was under the thrall of an aphrodisiac. I was barely fighting it. Hell, I was enjoying it too much! The only thing holding me back was the logistics of getting pregnant by a snake. How would that even work? Would I lay eggs?

Oh God!

“You are thinking too much,” he mused. “Let meeeee occupy your mind with sssss-something more pleasurable.”

He buried his head between my thighs again. I writhed against his scales as his magical lick stick flicked madly against my clit, vibrating faster than any battery-operated toy I’d ever owned. It was sinfully delicious, and I yelped like a porn star under the thrall of his wicked tongue.

“Tell meeeeee,” he encouraged.

“Fine! Fine!” I cried. “I want you to breed with me. Okay?! Breed me. Are you happy now?”

“Yessssssssss.” He then rose up.

CHAPTER FIVE

I’m shocked silent when I watch—not one—but two cocks immerge from the underbelly near the end of his tail. Even more peculiar, the heads of these wide shafts had blunt rosettes on the ends rather than the smooth mushroom tips I was accustomed to on human men. How the fuck was that supposed to fit inside me? That thing—those things were not going anywhere near my pussy.

“Oh, hell no! This is getting too freaky for me. Even with your wicked tongue.”

“As if you have a choice, little human.”

I knew I should be alarmed by his reply, but I was too fascinated by his strange reproductive organs to care. I couldn’t stop staring at his penises. Peni? No, definitely penises. I’d never seen such a bizarre sight. Was I seeing double? I knew I should’ve gone to that eye appointment.

“Um…you-you seem to be missing something.”

He chuckled. “I am not. Mine are just tucked away, nice and safe, protecting my sperm to insure the future of my sssss-species.”

Weirdly enough, I found myself getting off on the oddness of it all. I always thought men’s balls were unattractive, so I was okay with his being put away somewhere unseen. If only human testicles were that easily hidden.

“I don’t think you’ll fit,” I whispered. His penises were thick and bulbus. How would this even work? Was I fucked by one and then the other? Did he shove both in there together? Oh God—was it one for each hole? Was I about to be double penetrated by these thick snake cocks?

“Do not humans say, ‘two isss better than one’? Here. Get a better look. Better yet, get a tassssste.”

I shrank away when he moved up higher to give me a closer view. But where could I go when trapped in his embrace. He rubbed both heads across my cheek, as if to coax me to open my mouth.

“Tassssste, little human.”

The cockheads smelled okay. Like grass and rain. Not being able to help myself, I gave an experimental lick. The taste wasn’t unpleasant. I actually kind of liked the flavor. It reminded me a little bit of salted avocado slices.

I think my body was inhabited by one of the ghosts that shared the basement with Mr. Snakey. Because surely it wasn’t my own hand reaching out of its own accord to wrap around the silkiest yet hardest dick I’d ever had the luxury of feeling. I was strangely excited to try it out.

I licked around the bulbous head of one penis while my hand pumped the second one in a tight grip. It was strange and thrilling. The one I explored with my lips was almost too large for my mouth, yet more interesting to the tongue. I had never licked or sucked anything like it.

He moaned. “That isss it, little human. Sssssservice your master.”

His words rumbled through the thick tail holding me in the air, and I must admit I was digging the Dom vibe.

At his encouragement, I opened my mouth as wide as it would go and sucked him in. There was so much girth to take in that my lips stretched to discomfort, and I could barely move my tongue.

When his fingers entered my overly wet cunt, I nearly wept in pleasure. His fangs sank into my inner thigh, causing me to buck against him as my body responded to the sweet agony. If his saliva healed wounds, then his venom was surely an aphrodisiac that was stronger than any known to Earth. I wanted him inside me so badly. I wanted his cum. I wanted to bear his children. I wanted to die for the pleasure of him. No human had ever made me feel that way.

His sly tongue worked its way around his fingers into my pulsating pussy. It flicked rapidly against my g-spot as his fingers rubbed the slick channel. I moaned against the hardness still filling my mouth. Fuck. I wouldn’t last if he kept that shit up. Could one die of pleasure?

He withdrew his hand from my pussy but didn’t go far. Without warning, he spread my juices against my ass and sank a finger deep inside. The girthy shaft and petaled tip effectively worked as a ball gag as I cried out in painful surprise. He used the opportunity to shove his thick cockhead further into my throat.

I gagged as saliva flooded my mouth and my eyes watered. And further still he went, until my face smushed against the soft scales of his tail.

My lungs wanted me to fight against the lack of oxygen, but his devilish forked tongue was back on my clit, and I didn’t care if I died. I humped his hand and mouth like a bitch in heat even as I suffocated.

He added another finger and the sweet burn to my ass only made me gush on his tongue. I would have screamed my extasy if I could breathe, but I fell backwards into the darkness, plummeting down into the carnal abyss, and succumbing to my deepest desires.

I awoke with a gasp and sat up in my bed, my heart pounding and my head spinning. Holy fuck. I frantically searched my room but didn’t see any of the creatures I had encountered earlier. Was it a dream? A nightmare? A hallucination?

Groaning, I flopped back onto my pillow. God. I hadn’t had a climax like that in a long ass time. If it were a dream, why did I have to wake up? That dick—those dicks—were so fucking awesome that I’d be willing to live in that basement forever with my snake master, worshipping him as some sexual demigod.

And hell, I had woken up before he fucked me. The experience of his domination of my senses, of the high he gave me as my pussy wept on his tongue. Just the thought of tasting and touching his cocks had me creaming myself again.

Strangely, I didn’t remember going to bed last night—and I definitely did not remember going to bed naked—but considering how wet my sheets were beneath me, I was glad I didn’t have my favorite Rick & Morty pajamas on. I wouldn’t have wanted those ruined with my nocturnal emissions. And fuck, it was quite the wet dream, too. The seeping moisture between my thighs screamed “best orgasm ever”.

Which was really sad, in a way. My dream dick was better than anything I’d ever had in real life, and we didn’t even get past third base. I didn’t know if that meant my choice in men sucked that freaking bad, or if I were just that into reptiles.

I laid there in the quiet of my bedroom, a little sad. I wished some kind of mythical creature would whisk me away to places unknown.

Zsssssssss.

There was that sound again. No wonder I had dreamt of a snake lover. Shit had gotten louder, and now it was making this fucking noise during the day when the sun was up. There was nothing wrong with my dryer other than the ghosts haunting the basement, or whatever that blue glow was. Aren’t they supposed to wait until evening?

I was kind of disappointed I had ghost or aliens or rats, and not some double-dicked snake demon from my dreams, waiting to breed me for offspring. I wouldn’t have minded that.

Zsssssssssssss.

I hated that it was a dreamy twelve-foot (plus tail) snake guy that gave me the best sexual encounter of my life. He wasn’t fucking real, which meant there was no one on the face of this fucking planet who could give me what I longed for. No human could live up to the fantasy, surely. I guess I was destined to be alone for all eternity.

Zsssssssssssssssssssssss.

Sore, I rolled out of bed with a grumble. “Fucking rats, I swear.” I couldn’t remember if I caught the one from last night. I must have fallen at some point chasing the fucker, hit my head or something. I couldn’t remember anything past chasing after it with a broom.

I dressed in an old pair of yoga pants and smooshed my breasts into a crop top. Good enough. It’s not like I have anyone to impress.

I headed down my basement steps, stopping on the last step with bated breath. Nothing moved. Sighing, I picked up the fallen broom and started poking the boxes, a sense of déjà vu washing over me.

Haven’t I done this before? Was this the last thing I did before I fell? Or maybe I didn’t fall. Maybe something fell on me. That must be it. There were boxes scattered all over the place.

Zsssssssssssssssssss.

With a gasp, I spun toward the dryer. That was definitely where the sound was coming from. But being that it was daylight, there wasn’t the usual blue glow I was used to. Or was there? The dryer door was closed. Sometimes the blacklight came from inside the tumbler. But I wasn’t about to find out. I just needed to find a rat, not a ghost.

I approached my demonic appliance and peered into the back. It didn’t look broken. I took my broom and poked some of the cords, but nothing skittered out.

Zssssssss.

The dryer rumbled and I jumped back. The hinges creaked just a bit as the door opened itself. The rat couldn’t have gotten in there, could it?

Just to be sure, I used the broom to pry open the door all the way. There was nothing in the dryer, though the interior seemed to be glowing again. Fucking ghosts. With a huff, I moved the baffles around. I forgot to move the wet clothes over from the washer the night before. Crap. Now I’d have to rewash those. I didn’t take chances with mildew.

Just as I was about to close the door, something small and sparkly way in the back of the massive appliance caught my eye. Feeling a little vulnerable, I looked around the basement. I didn’t wear jewelry.

Strangely, my dream came to mind, and how my reptile lover had complained that the mutant rat was a thief who liked shiny items.

Cursing myself for acting like the stupid chick in horror movies who die in the first five minutes in some really fucked-up awful way, I lowered myself onto my hands and knees. I tried to reach into the tumbler to retrieve the ring but couldn’t quite reach.

Only a rich person could have afforded a high-tech dryer this size. Hell, maybe the blue glow was just a feature.

Zssssssssss.

Well, I knew for a fact that hissing wasn’t a factory setting.

“I’m going to die. I just know it,” I muttered as I stuck my head and torso into the massive appliance. As I moved myself further into the large tumbler, I understood why people on the internet uploaded videos of themselves getting stuck. It really did seem possible. It took some core strength to maneuver in this awkward position.

What was that hilarious meme? Or was it a porn?

“Help me, stepbrother. I’m stuck in the dryer and can’t get out,” I cried out in a ridiculous high-pitched voice. God, this was so stupid.

When my fingers finally reached the gold ring, the dryer started shaking from side to side. I held onto the closest baffle. A chill race down my spine like someone had walked over my grave.

I tried to struggle my way back out, but there was no stopping myself from falling forward, as through I was pulled through the space. I was not a petite woman, but I could have sworn I was lifted up.

I tumbled through darkness and ended up falling onto a cushioned surface.

CHAPTER SIX

My ass sank into a sea of plush pillows. With flailing arms, I crawled my way to the surface of the stuffed fabrics then searched the dim, blacklight-esque surroundings. Soft cushions took up the entire rounded-out space, like I had fallen into a fucked-up episode of I Dream of Jeannie.

“Oh my God. Is this a sunken living room?” Did I fall back in time to the 60s and 70s? Or get sucked into an Arabian Nights story?

I suppressed a horrified gasp when the demon from last night’s sex dream rose up above me. “You, little human, are in my ssssssnake pit.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” I blurted. “A fucking snake pit? That doesn’t even sound sexy.” I attempted to get to my feet but slipped back to my knees, thwarted by all the silk and satiny material beneath me.

“Sssstay. Relax,” my host encouraged.

Rolling my eyes, I ignored him and instead clawed my way out of the cushioned trap with the same difficulty one would endure trying to escape a half-deflated bouncy castle. I was incredibly annoyed and out of breath by the time I found myself free. “There shouldn’t be this much work in a dream,” I muttered to myself.

“You should have lisssstened to me,” he chuckled, slithering around the pit.

I waved him off and tried to catch my breath. I looked in awe at the snakes…bedroom? Dungeon cave? It was a cavernous space that seemed both natural and luxurious at the same time. Since I was stuck in some supernatural oubliette, there would be no leaving the same way I came. I would have to wait to wake up.

I made my way over to a small recess near the pillowed snake pit. The mysterious alcove glowed with the most beautiful but eerie sparkling. For a dream, everything was incredibly detailed. My attention was captured by the intricate mosaics covering the cave walls. They appeared to be made of gems—diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topaz and amethysts—all detailed with gold and silver. Many of the jewels were in shades that I had no name for. They possibly didn’t exist in my realm.

The scenes featured half man, half snake people in various poses, all with crowns on their heads. The elaborate art was far more eye catching than the popular stained-glass mosaics I was used to and seemed to capture important moments and events in this civilization’s history.

The epic tales seemingly mimicked aspects of the legendary Naga creatures I had learned about in my World Religions in the Humanities class. The Nagas were semi divine serpent gods that ruled the underworld.

I wondered how much more amazing the art would be if displayed with natural light rather than this pseudo-rave lighting. The whole UV vibe reminded me of a blacklight glow-bowling alley or the fantasy midnight miniature golf course I used to play at as a kid, except this cave had more shimmer and twinkle.

“Why the fuck is everything glowing?”

The snake gestured up. I tilted my head back to see the top of the cave was covered in glowing icicle shaped formations. What are they called? Stalagmites? Stalactites? Something like that. However, these were translucent rather than opaque rock.

“Wow.”

“You humans focus on technology and miss-sssss out on all the natural beauty that ssssss-surrounds us.”

Ugh. The arrogance. I dealt with enough discrimination in my waking life. I didn’t need to add speciesism to the list. If he weren’t so hot, I might have tried to wake myself up. However, I also didn’t want to miss out on this fantasy world my mind had conjured. I was astonished with own imagination.

My head swiveled from one direction to another. There was so much to see, I didn’t know what to study first.

“I know my cave is impress-sssss-sive, but you will have much time later to admire it. I have neeeeed of you, little human. Come ssservice your master.”

“Pass,” I automatically replied. “Wait. Let me say in a way you’ll understand. Passsssssss.” Honestly, dream sex would be awesome, but my desire to explore the amazing cave took precedence. I loved art so much, especial tactile art that could be felt—like pottery. I wanted to rub my fingers over the bejeweled walls.

“What do you mean passss? It isss your duty. Come to meeeee.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so. Maybe you should sssservice yoursssself insssstead,” I mocked.

He was by my side in an instant. “That isss enough of your impertinence. You will obey meeeee.”

“I think the fuck not.”

His thickly muscled arms wrapped around me, pulling me tightly against him. His breath fanned across my face as he lowered his head to my neck. Before I could object, his fangs sank deep inside my tissue, and the feeling of euphoria spread through my trembling body.

My skin flushed, my muscles weakened, and I yielded to his hold as my inner core throbbed with arousal. I then pressed my ass into him, wordlessly begging him to fulfill me in ways I was sure only he could.

He lowered me to the soft bed of cushions. The wickedly sharp blade of his tail sliced through the front of my crop top, allowing my breasts to spill out. His mouth was on me in an instant, licking and sucking until I was a quivering mess. And God, how much I wanted him. I could not get close enough, even when I threaded my fingers into his hair and pulled him to me then down, as if begging him to give me the orgasm I knew only his flicking tongue could provide.

“Please,” I begged. “I need you down there.”

“Ssssay ssssorry, and maybe I will oblige.”

“I’m sorry, Master. I should be better behaved in your presence.”

“Mmmm…yessssss, you should.”

A distant voice deep in my brain protested my submission to the aphrodisiac of his bite, that I would beg and degrade myself just to satisfy my body’s hedonistic desires, but the objection was moot in comparison to the carnal cravings of my reproductive organs.

His tail pushed my yoga pants past my knees and pulled the bunched material off my ankles. I hadn’t bothered with panties, so there was nothing between us when he pushed against me. His scales moved up and down was like mini massagers, all working together to drive me insane.

He kissed his way down my stomach slowly, teasing me with each nibble and lick. I nearly hyperventilated from expectation.

Finally—God! Finally, his lips reached my clit and sucked the swollen nub into his mouth. And it was fucking glorious. The climax hit me hard—blinding. It stole my breath. My brain buzzed with it.

When his deliciously wicked tongue slipped into my pussy, gliding down the slick labia before delving into my quivering channel and massaging my g-spot, I knew I would shamelessly worship this serpent man-god forever. If Mr. Snakey could promise me this level of ecstasy every time we joined and could guarantee that we would “join” often, he would have my eternal devotion. I would be his devotee. I would be his cumslut—his personal whore—his sex slave—whatever the fuck he wanted me to be.

The back of my brain again demanded that I wake from my drug-induced hypersexuality. It was as if I were intoxicated with pure lust. But like an addict, I didn’t care. I just wanted my fix. I just wanted to feel good.

I yelped my pleasure like a porn star as I gushed into his mouth. I was caught in a cycle of multiple orgasms, and while I knew snakes liked water, he had to be drowning in cum at this point.

Too quick, weak and whimpering, throwing my head side-to-side, my strength waned. I wanted to come more but didn’t know if I had the ability to do so. Perhaps he sensed my fatigue, because he slithered his way back up my body, lavishing attention on my breasts before capturing my mouth and sweeping his tongue in deep, allowing me to sample my own essence. For a dream, it seemed so real—from sensation to taste.

I moaned into his mouth when he bit my tongue. The pain quickly dissipated, but the whole kiss renewed my need for him to fuck me silly. And again, with restored strength, I found myself begging for more of him the moment I came up for breath.

“Master, Master, Master, please—”

“What do you neeeeeed from your Master, little human?”

“I need you to—” fuck. There were those awful words again.

“What do you neeeeeed?”

Lord, forgive me for being so fucking pathetic.

Swallowing the lump of what little pride and dignity I had left, I voiced the worst of myself—my humiliation, now complete.

“Master, please, just use me. Take my body. I need you to fuck me hard, everywhere, and come inside me. Breed me. I am yours to do as you will.” I wrapped my legs around his waist, humping against the hard tale with its magical scales. Holy fuck. I felt an orgasm building from that alone.

“Your wish issss my command.” His tail appeared in front of my face, and I watched in horrified fascination as his two penises push through the slits that protected his reproductive organs. “Open up, little human. My cockssss have an urgent neeeeeed to be sssss-satisfied.”

Yes, this was perfect. I had longed to taste him again.

I was now referring to his cocks as Dick 1 and Dick 2, kind of like a kinky version of that Dr. Seuss book. The snake man rubbed his bottom cock—aka, Dick 2—against my lips. When I dutifully opened my mouth, he pushed Dick 2 deep into my throat.

He controlled his thrusts, keeping in time to my hands jacking off Dick 1. It was so cool to have him right there, watching me, while I pleasured him. Unlike humans, his cocks were not as his waist but rather further down his massive tail. While he fucked my mouth, he sucked and strummed my nipples and rubbed his scaled groin upon my sex. Damn me if I weren’t coming again.

I lost all focus when he flipped me over and yanked me up his body to have me sit on his face. His talented tail moved with us, allowing Dick 2 to stay in my mouth as we repositioned. His wicked tongue then burrowed deep into my dripping slit, as if to drink every last bit of my latest orgasm. How one could survive coming so much, I didn’t know. I didn’t even know it was possible to come that much.

Once I had ridden out the climax on his lips, he withdrew his forked tongue and shoved his thick fingers in, finger-fucking in time with Dick 2 thrusting in and out my mouth. “I am addicted to your ssssss-scent, little human.” He stuck a finger in my face. “Ssssssssssuck.”

Drunkenly, I released his cock with a pop and took his finger in my mouth, tasting my tangy essence. I wrapped my tongue around his fingertip and pulled hard until he groaned. then took his hand and suckled on more of his fingers like I had his cock.

He then licked his own penis. Oh. My. God. Hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen.

After he returned his cock to my mouth, his long tongue flicked against my clit. I groaned against his shaft as the sting melted into pleasure, akin to snapping the swollen bud with a tawse. And—Oh, my God—his scales. Those little fuckers rubbed against my breasts. It’s almost as if I had hundreds of little suctioning mouths pulling against me. I drowned in the unique sensation.

He withdrew his slick fingers and his tongue returned to my core, filling me to the brim. Strong and flexible, my pussy quivered on the plunging forked muscle that was more pleasurable than most of the human penises I had the misfortune of sampling.

Having now filled my mouth with his cock and my pussy his tongue, I was not surprised when his fingers move along the crease until his met my most taboo entrance. Without care, I pushed back into the delicious burn of his fingers penetrating the tight ring of muscle.

I never considered myself a masochist, but I wanted my lover to hurt me as much as he pleasured me, to use me as much as he cherished me, to leave no part of me unexplored or hidden from him. I wanted him in ways I had never wanted another. I wished only to live for his attention.

Could one fall in love with a dream demon?

When I began riding his face and fingers, striving for my next peak, Dick 2 pressed deeper into my throat and cut off air. An alarm went off in the deep recesses of my mind, a logical alert to the danger I now found myself in. But my id was like “fuck it”. It was lost to the primal demands of copulation that would lead to procreation, and I was going to enjoy every bit of the biology that allowed this to be an orgasmic experience.

I now eager to wring out the same amount of cum from him as he was had from me, even as my death approached. I worked Dick 1 with one hand, palming the length, squeezing tight and pumping the cock as if to milk it, and used the other hand to grip the base of Dick 2 and massage the swelling girth that threatened to literally choke me.

I was about to die.

I didn’t care.

My lungs screamed for relief.

My pussy gushed in the most powerful climax of my life.

I could die in peace.

Unlike the first dream, my serpentine lover pulled out of my windpipe right before I succumbed to the darkness from lack of oxygen. This did not stop me. I parted my lips wide and vigorously pumped him in and out of my mouth while swallowing large gulps of much needed air as I did. It had to look obscene, me drooling and slurping on his schlong like I’d been starved for it.

I turned my head to give some love to Dick 1. I sucked and licked every piece of his rosette before I swallowed as much of Dick 1 as I could. How I longed to take both into my mouth at once, but the girth of both made that impossible.

Much like Dick 2, Dick 1 also slipped deep into my throat, continuing the breath play. I was destined to suffocate on his cock. But what a sweet death that would be.

When he withdrew, saliva poured from my mouth, and I gasped in huge gulps of air while his tail disappeared from view.

Oh. My. Fuck. My hips continued to gyrate against the fingers in my ass and the tongue deep in my pussy, but then he also withdrew those. However, his tail was there an instant later, rubbing my cum all over us.

“Yessssssss, little human. Shower me with your nectar. I want to bathe in it. Good girl. Ssssss-such a good girl.”

Those compliments were enough for me to start pleading with him to fuck me already. I wanted him to put his cocks inside me—my ass, my pussy—both, together, at the same time. I had never been double penetrated before, but I was consumed with the need of him.

“Breed me, Master! Fuck me hard. I want you to take every hole.”

His tongue dragged over my netherhole. “Heeeeere too, little human?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” I chanted.

With his dexterous tail, he flipped me over again, and when I settled, both large cocks shoved inside me. Deep. Hard. Brutal and wonderful. I cried. The pain was ex excruciating, but I wanted him more than ever.

He must have sensed my discomfort, or noticed my tears, because he leaned down and pierced the inside of my thigh with his fangs. He repeated the motion on my other side.

Two bites for two cocks meant twice the pleasure. The thrall of his venomous aphrodisiac sent me flying into an endless sea of bliss. I screamed. One long, low wail of elation and rapture.

Now I sobbed, but because it felt so good it hurt.

His tail humped against me, forcing his dicks in and out of my holes. The blunt rosettes speared and spread me, causing me to buck against him. How I was taking these massive dicks, I would never know. But was that not the fun of a dream? The ability to do things you could never do in waking life?

He increased his thrusting, fucking me like I’d never been fucked. And when he came, I screamed my own orgasm, my greedy cunt and tight ass milking him, quivering and clenching and clamping on to him as to not lose a single drop of his semen.

I collapsed upon him in exhaustion.

I found myself still dreaming, but now in the muscular embrace of my dream snake man: sated and sore, and a bit irritated to have been roofied yet again, regardless that it had been the best sex of my life—awake or otherwise.

What the hell. I apparently had a dub-con/non-con fetish to keep replaying this over and over. And fuck, I kinda wanted to do it again. Something to see a counselor about, perhaps.

My partner appeared to be resting as well. He was beautiful in his slumber—and by far the most handsome man I’d ever been with, even with the splattering of scales high on his cheeks and across his brow. If not for the fact that his bottom half was a snake tail, he could have been a model or movie star or social media influencer.

I think to myself that this would be a good time to sneak away, maybe explore his cavern, maybe find a bathroom and some clothes.

But when I try to move off him…

What. The. Fuck.

I tried to wiggle away, but I’m stuck in place.

Panicked, I pull harder but was rewarded with a sharp stabbing pain in my pussy.

He tightened his hold on me. “Calm down, little human. My key isn’t ready to release its lock.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“My hemipenis-sssss will release when I’ve sssss-spent all my sssss-sperm into your womb. You will have many babiessssss, if the Creator wills it.”

I wanted to tell him, “no fucking way do I want snake babies, thank you very much.” But my tongue had grown thick and was stuck to the roof of my mouth…just like my body was stuck to him.

Oh God.

I was hyperventilating. That much I knew. The ringing in my ears prevented me from understanding a single word he was saying to me. Sparks dot my vision. The claustrophobia was stealing my sanity. I needed to move. To be free. But I was trapped to a monster, connected at the gentiles.

It was too much for me to process, so I let the encroaching darkness envelop me.

CHAPTER SEVEN

When I opened my eyes, I was back in my bedroom. I groaned against the harsh light filtering in from the window. God, that was an intense dream. The sex... God, the sex was fucking amazing…

Too bad it wasn’t real.

Though, someone needed to remind my body of that fact. Hell, even my ass hurt.

My stomach suddenly decided to protest whatever it was that I ate yesterday. Fuck, had I been drinking? My last memory was of me waking up naked—the same as I was now—and going into the basement to chase down a rat.

“I must have hit my head,” I grumbled. I remembered all the boxes scattered about in the basement. Apparently, I had a brain injury.

Considering how upset my stomach was, I was thinking that injury was a concussion. It would also explain the missing memories. Maybe I needed to drive myself to the hospital. Yes, that was what I’d do. I just needed to get dressed.

But when my toes touched the floor, bile rushed up and burned the back of my throat. I smothered my lips behind my palm and rushed to the bathroom on trembling legs. I barely made it to the toilet before I hurled.

The pain of retching made me was to curl up into a ball on the floor. Instead, I crawled my weak ass into the shower. I smelled funny and felt…sticky. And I ached. Everywhere.

Was this flu? COVID? I would have thought food poisoning, especially with my stomach being so distended, but I didn’t even remember eating a meal yesterday. Other than my wild dream, I didn’t remember jack shit from the day before.

“Shower, then straight to hospital,” I whispered.

I could do this.

I turned on the faucet spray, waited for water to heat, then carefully put myself under the stream. Too dizzy to stand, I sat on the tile bottom and let the water cascade over me. If my effort counted, I lathered and rinsed, conditioned and rinse, then half-heartedly grabbed the soap to wash myself. Shaving would have to wait for another day.

As I spread suds across my sore body, I started noticing unexplained marks on my skin. For example, two sets of light pricks on the inside of both thighs. Almost healed, yes, but it also brought to mind the sweet pain I felt when my snake-god-demon-lover bit those exact areas during my dream when we were intimate.

His saliva had healing properties, right?

Feeling stronger, thanks mostly to the shot of adrenaline that flooded my system after seeing my unexpected injuries, I got out of the shower and dried myself. I looked in the mirror, examining every mark on my body. My imagination connected the dots. My logical side insisted it was not possible.

But then I saw the simple gold ring on my finger.

“Impossible,” I whispered. “Just…no. That is probably when I hit my head.”

After brushing my teeth, I made my way back to my bedroom to get dressed. However, I then noticed how bad the bedsheets were. Beyond being wrinkled, they looked stain with sweat and, if I didn’t know better, I would have thought, dried jizz. Eww.

Did I really cum that much in my sleep?

Rather than soil a whole-ass outfit carrying damp, dirty linens to the washer, I threw on my short robe and stripped the bed. I bundled up the sheets and blankets then made my way to the basement.

There were no slithering noises or funky lights, to my relief. When I opened the washing machine, I found last night’s load, still wet. Or was it the night before? I couldn’t clearly remember. I picked up an article of clothing and gave it a sniff. It didn’t smell moldy.

I grabbed an armful of the wet clothes and opened the dryer.

A movement from the back of the machine, a shadow with yellow eyes, startled the fuck out of me. Reacting like a horror movie jump scare, I screamed and dropped my load. I tried to flee but was pulled into the tumbler by two hands, somehow defying the laws of physics with how many adult-sized bodies can fit into a tumbler.

Slithering. Hissssss. A loud woosh. A bright blue light. I fell through the void. Then nothing.

I opened my eyes to something sniffing and licking my face.

A blue glow tinged my vision, but it’s light is interrupted by all the love being showered upon me by a gigantic dog. He’s licking my face with a thick tongue.

“Hey, hey,” I groaned, wrinkling my nose with distaste at the warm saliva being smeared across my chin and cheeks. Chuckling, I gently move the animal away so I can draw in air, hopefully free of dank canine breath. But then I notice tusks glowing in the blacklight. Holy shit!

“She’s awake!” Rex announced, bouncing in place.

“Ack, no, no, I’m not,” I insisted with a squeal, shaking my head and pushing him away. I scramble back over pillows until I reach a wall and can go no further.

“Yes, you are!” The rhinodog then raced around the cushions in his excitement.

I look around, frantic. Motherfucker. I was back in the snake pit, trapped again in the same effing nightmare from before. It was said that you couldn’t return to the same dream, yet here I was—proving that belief wrong. Dammit, I must have slipped and hit my head on the dryer. That had to explain it. Maybe this wasn’t a dream, but a hallucination. Or maybe I was in a coma.

“Thank you for saving me,” came from above my head. “I appreciate it.”

I squealed and lurched forward, grateful for the pillows that cushioned my sore ass. Bunnyrat was here. What was his name? Templeton?

sssss zssss ssiisss sssss.

I froze, noting the shift in the massive cavern’s atmosphere before I even saw him. So large and commanding of time and space, it was as if the very air swelled to accommodate his length and girth. His sheer muscular mass and the opalescent scales indicated a mythical god, for sure. But stranger was the hypnotic vibration his scales produced when they rubbed together. What I once identified as a sizzling, slithery haunting now sounded more soothing, like soft white noise. My limbs felt heavy, and like I couldn’t move.

He came near the snake pit and flicked his forked tongue, tasting the air. My pussy quivered as I remembered the sheer pleasure that tongue brought me.

Sensing my regard, his amber eyes captured mine, and suddenly I was drowning, drowning, drowning in his gaze that enveloped me like warm honey. And as if I had been dropped into a pool of the sticky stuff, I found myself immobile. I had no desire to flee. I had no will of my own.

“Master,” I whispered, awed by the power and masculinity he displayed. If I could move, I might have fallen to my knees to worship at his feet.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, like a gong had fallen and a vase had shattered. It was enough to snap me out of it—whatever it was. My head snapped around to see Rex chasing Templeton around the room.

A growl emanated in front of me.

I swung back to see that Mr. Snake Demon Lover was annoyed.

But I was grateful. I needed that wake-up call. Did that motherfucker hypnotize me like I was prey?

While demon snake dealt with his wayward pets, I quickly searched for a way out of this nightmare. I actually had sex with the snake in last night’s dream. And it was good. Beyond good. Too good. Holy shit. But I needed to wake up. I needed to get to the hospital. I needed to get my head checked. And get my bloated stomach looked at.

It wasn’t falling asleep that moved me between the wakefulness of my world and hallucinatory dream state of this one. It was obviously my demonic dryer. When I woke up, I was going to blow that motherfucker up. But I had to get back to the waking world first.

I snuck out of the chamber, following the wall. I wasn’t sure where I was going, or how this would help rouse me from my slumber, but I just knew I couldn’t stay here. My snake lover was too hot. I wouldn’t want to wake up if I let him seduce me again. I would want to be forever in his arms. I needed to turn away from the light, so to speak.

When I heard the fast gliding of scales closing in on me, I started to run.

Of course, I did not get far. Like the dumb girl running from the serial killer in high heels, I was slow as shit, and he was supernaturally quick. He slithered around the wall, circled above like he was on a curly waterslide, then dropped in front of me. With him before me, and his tail blocking my retreat back, I had no choice but to cease my escape. I looked up into his angry gaze.

“Where are you going, little human?”

“Home. —My home. I need to wake up. I need to go to the hospital. I’m sick.

“You are not sssick, and you are not leaving again. You carry my off-ssssspring.”

“The fuck I do.” For real, the audacity of this dream. I couldn’t even with it. “Even if I were pregnant with some snake human demon monster hybrid, I would need to see a doctor about Rosemary’s Baby too.”

“You are in my realm. Weeeee will tend to you here.”

“But this is not my home.”

“You will come to seeeeee it as sssssuch.”

“Why the hell would I stay here?”

“Because you, my little human, are my mate. And you will do as you are told.”

I shook my head vigorously. “Fuck that. I don’t even know your name. Last night was a one and done. Nope. No repeats. No sir. You’re a dream anyway.”

“Oh, I like that. You may call me Sir if not Master.”

“Umm no. Think I’ll pass on the mate thing. If you would kindly direct me to my dryer, I’ll just get out of your hair.”

“There is no passssss. You locked meeeee in your tight embrace last night. That proves you are, indeeeeeed, my mate. You carry my offspring.”

“Stop saying that! I didn’t lock you in anything. I’m not pregnant. I have a fucking concussion.”

“Yesssss, you did. Your body isss my lock. I am your key.”

I attempted to bypass him, but a strong hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. “Enough of thisssss. You are mine,” he growled, lowering to look me directly in the eyes. “And I have neeeeeed of you.” He inhaled deeply and smiled. “You sssmell deeelicious. —Come, you must service meeeee.”

I pulled my arm back and slapped the smug bastard across his smirking face. While I doubt my strike actually hurt him, he looked incredibly pissed.

“Perhapsss a couple of days in the tower will change thisssss attitude.”

I shrieked when he lifted me off my feet with his tail, wrapping around my arms and legs in bridal fashion, leaving my ass hanging bare. Why hadn’t I thrown on my long terrycloth robe instead of this short silky one?

We moved quickly down the long hall then sped-slithered up a circular set of stairs, around and around and around, way too fucking fast. Ugh. To my upset stomach, this was just like that one time when I was a kid and got stuck on some sick, sadistic carnival ride in which I couldn’t get off because the operator was drunk and passed out. The Tilt-A-Whirl?

I swallowed down the rising bile. No matter what, I could not vomit. I didn’t want to choke to death in my sleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT

When the blacklight cavern gave way to harsh sunlight, I blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the pain in my eyes. Where was this motherfucker taking me.

“Let me go, you shit for brains.”

He suddenly adjusted his hold, tightening the coils around me like a python, then drew me closer to him so we were face-to-face. “Offspring or no, I will not tolerate your disssrespect. Apologizzze. Now.”

He looked pissed. Like, his pupils became thin, and the slits on his mouth grew to reach his ear like a closed-mouth Cheshire grin—or more disturbing, a smooth and evenly cut Glasgow smile. Would he unhinge his mouth and swallow me whole?

“I’m sorry—”

“Who are you addressssing?” he demanded.

“Sir,” I croaked. “Master.”

He turned me onto my side and unfurled his tail, which rolled out of his embrace and onto the massive bed. “You should be comfortable here until you learn manners and disabuse yourself of any thoughts of escape. I will not have you harming my offspring with your tantrum.”

“But this is just a dream,” I wailed in frustration while still trying to catch my breath. “I need to wake up and—”

“Human, while my world might be fantastical to your kind, I assure you that thisss is not a dream. You carry my offspring, so you will not be returning tooo your realm. It issss too dangerousss for you there, and as I am King of thisss land, you will now be my Queen.”

“But…” I started to cry, “I don’t want to be a queen. I want to make pottery and—and…” Actually, I wasn’t sure what more I had than that. “…and live in a world that has Chick-fil-A and Starbucks.”

“That issss not your life anymore. Your life here will be much better.”

I looked out the window of the crazy tall tower we were in. We were in the middle of nowhere. Not only were we high, but the land beyond showed nothing more than dunes of sand as far as the eye could see.

The rock walls of my prison were tinged pink. A small table with a single chair sat across from the round bed I had been dropped in, which was situated in the middle of the room.

My dream captor glided over to a half wall that appeared to act as a partition of sorts, sectioning an area from the main room. “The washroom, as you humans call it, isss here. Pull thisss lever to release water.” He pointed to a metal chain that disappeared into the stone.

“I can’t do this,” I suddenly blurted. I started to panic. Like, full-on hyperventilating. “I need to wake up.”

He crossed the room so quickly that he blurred. He pulled me off the bed and into his arms then planted his lips on mine. I squealed for release, but he used the opportunity to shove his forked tongue into my mouth. It was an aggressive and titillating kiss. I struggled against him, scratching my nails down his arms. Since I couldn’t knee him in the crotch, I instead sank my teeth into his bottom lip, and tasted blood.

He pulled back, annoyed, and licked his bottom lip. “Little human, you need to learn who isss in charge here. It isss time to listen to your master.”

“No—”

Before I could run away, he struck like a cobra, and his fangs pierced my neck. With the same echo of a person falling into a ravine, the will to fight left my body.

No. No. no. no. uh…

“Go clean yourself,” he ordered as he left the bed. “I’ll be back when I have time to deal with your bratty attitude. Someone will bring food. I expect you to eat every bite.”

“But, but—” I point between my legs, as if he could see the painful throbbing. Did he not know the need I had of him now?

“Let thissss be a lesson, my little human, on why you should behave. Thisss could have ended very differently.”

“Please don’t go, Master.”

“What isss your name, human?”

“Sabina.”

“If you eat as you are supposed to and behave, maybe I will vissssit you soon, Ssssabina.” And then he was gone. The door locked behind him with a medieval clank.

My body was aching, wet, and overheated. How was he going to venom roofie me again but not do anything? Sexually frustrated, I marched across the polished rock floor, throwing off my robe as I did so.

When I stepped around the wall, I was surprised to find a bidet toilet. However, it didn’t have a tank on the back, so I had no idea how to flush. Deciding that I would worry about that later, I pulled the lever that was strangely labeled Magic Well then stepped over a ledge into a shower stall.

A heated lamp turned on and hot water rushed from the staggered rocks above my head. Couldn’t quite figure where the lamp was shining from, but I could feel the warmth radiating from the light.

I stepped into the stream and allowed the water to flow over my body, and I moaned in pleasure. I wasn’t sure how a hallucinatory shower could feel this good, but my muscles were thankful. The water was soft, unlike any water I’d ever felt awake, even at the fancy places that had those expensive water softeners.

Once soddened, I wondered how to properly clean myself when there was no soap to be seen. Then suddenly, like magic, the hot water was replaced by a warm woodsy scent. I looked up to see bubbles cascading from the spout. I rubbed it against my skin and loved the lavish feel of the suds. But how did the shower know that I needed soap?

Holy fuck. Was this a mind-reading bathroom?

I lathered my hair and body, spending a little extra attention on my aching nether regions. My pussy was slick and swollen, and I actually regretted my poor behavior. Fuck that guy. “Now how do I rinse?” I asked no one.

Again with the enchantment, the soapy stream turned to crystal clear water. I gasped in delight when the spray hit my over-sensitized breasts. And as if the rock-shower knew how good it felt, it seemingly increased the stream and—Lord, help me—aimed for my nipples.

A long sigh escaped me as I cupped my heavy breasts, rolling the nipples and pinching the hard peaks. One hand moved lower, and I spread my legs and cupped my mound. The throbbing in my pussy was driving me insane. I needed relief.

Suddenly, a spray came from the wall, hitting me right in the clit.

I ran my fingertips through my folds, finding my hard nub and circling around it. I then reached lower, easily slipping two fingers into my wet cave of wonder. I bucked against my hand, desperate to come, and—fuck me—the shower accommodated, upping its spray to stimulate my erogenous zones.

My harsh breathing and loud moans echoed in the round stone room, and I couldn’t even bring myself to care who the fuck heard me. My yelps of pleasure along with the obscene wet sounds from my dripping pussy make this tower sound like the set of a porno film. Who needs a man when there is a shower like this.

Needing a little pain with my delight, I added a third finger and humped against the flat of my hand, rubbing the heel of my palm against my clit whiles using a come-hither motion to caress my g-spot. The magical shower stream rams into my asshole, and my knees buckle as I roar my climax.

Holy shit that was good. And it would show my piece of shit captor that I can take care of myself. While I missed the sheer masculinity of Mr. Snakey and his dual dicks, this fap session was nothing to complain about. Actually, I’d had more orgasms over the three dreams than I’d had in a year.

Now cleaned, I stepped out of the shower area. Fuck, no towel. Hate this effing place!

I walked toward the bed, ready to use the blanket to dry off, when suddenly a small rose gold pigasus flies through the tower window with a fruit basket clutched in its snout. I freeze, my brain malfunctioning as it tries to understand what my eyes are seeing: that a cherub-looking cupid pig with wings like a mini-Pegasus has landed before me, bearing gifts.

When my shock finally wore off, I sprinted back across the room and crouched behind the partitioned half wall so my lady bits were out of sight. Oh my God. Is this where the saying “when pigs fly” came from?

I peeked around the corner. Sunlight glinted off its smooth hide, and down feathers frame yellow diamond-colored eyes. Feathers also flow from its knees… Do pigs have knees? …down to the tips of its cute hooves, making the adorable pigasus appear to be wearing boots.

The uninvited guest dropped the basket onto the floor. “Oh, I do apologize, Mistress,” a deep yet feminine voice called. “I brought you some clothing as well as some food. I’ll just turn around if you’d like to get dressed.”

“Yes, please,” I squeaked out.

Once a cute, corkscrewed tail faced me, I darted out and snatched the basket up. I ran back to my hiding place. There, I’m shocked to see my favorite bra and panty set—the very one that my haunted demonic dryer ate—sitting atop a folded sundress that had disappeared about a week ago.

These motherfuckers had been stealing my shit!

I hastily threw on my clothes over still damp skin but find myself surprised by how tight the dress fit. Did it shrink? I looked again at my stomach that, unbelievably, seemed larger. Holy shit. Dream or not, I needed to lay off the chips and ice cream. I looked fucking pregnant.

“I’m decent,” I said as I walked to the table with the basket and placed it on the smooth surface.

“Allow me to introduce myself, Mistress,” the pigasus said. “I’m Rose, your delivery pig. If you have need of anything, I’ll be happy to assist you.”

“Uh, I’m Sabina. Nice to meet you, Rose.” I moved closer to shake her wing when the strong scent of roses met my nose. Maybe I should pat her on her cutsie little head? Or scratch her behind her ears? Fuck. I don’t know how one should greet a cherub like pigasus.

She saved me the guess work by holding out one gorgeous wing. The colors reminded me of an intricate butterfly I saw several years ago. I was mesmerized by the multiple shades of browns, golds and creams mingling together. Gingerly taking the tips of the wing in hand, I gave it a gentle shake. I’d never felt something so soft.

“I brought you some food. Master is very insistent that you eat it all.” Rose crossed the room to the table, then indicated I should follow. The pigasus was surprisingly graceful, her four hooves making clickity-clack noises similar to stilettos on marble flooring.

Since I’d felt rather hungry, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at what was being offered.

Rose gestured for me to take a seat and search through the basket.

With a shrug, I pulled out a variety of fruit, some recognizable, some not. The bright red strawberries had my mouth watering, so I took a bite. I was shocked when a sour taste filled my mouth. I knew it was too good to be true. Fucking nightmare. But not wanting to hurt the pigasus’ feelings, I chewed and swallowed quickly.

“Maybe try the apples,” she offered. “It has a sweeter flavor that may be more appealing to your human taste buds.”

I reluctantly picked up the yellow apple. I took a small bite then breathed a sigh of relief when a sweet flavor hit my tongue, very close to the apples of the waking world. However, once I chewed and swallowed, a ravenous hunger overcame me, and I devoured the rest of fruit like a starved madwoman. I then had another. I looked for more, but those were the only two in the basket.

“Try the berries’,” Rose encouraged me. “They are also sweet.”

I popped one of the small blue berries into my mouth and moaned in delight. I didn’t waste time finishing the rest of them.

“Thank you, Rose. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

She glanced down at the stone floor. “You don’t need to thank me, Mistress. Master mentioned maybe a nap would be in order. Would you like me to turn down the bed covers?”

I shook my head. “I’m not taking a nap. Naps are for children, not grown ass women. Anyway, I’m already asleep. There would be no point.”

She looked confused for a moment, but then masked her expression with a serene smile. “I just won’t mention you said that to the master. Please, Mistress, do not anger him. He’s a fair and honorable ruler. Give him a chance.” Rose patted me on the shoulder with her wing. “I better go see to my other duties. Just call my name if you have need of anything.”

Before I could say another word, the pigasus jumped out the window. I rushed over to watch her beautiful wings spread wide. She flew in a small circle, waved, then dove toward the ground. I couldn’t help the jealousy I felt over her ability to fly. I knew that I’d sure love to get the fuck out of this tower.

Knowing it was a lost cause to try to scream for help in a kingdom that apparently loved their “fair and honorable ruler”, I instead focused my attention to prying open the dungeon door. Of course, with no success.

There was no escape.

“Wake up, wake up, wake up,” I chant to myself. I pulled my hair, pinched my skin, smacked my cheek. Nothing.

I flopped down on the bed with a frustrated sigh. How was I going to get home? Purple and grey clouds floated by the window without glass. It apparently didn’t rain in my dream land, or get cold, or have mosquitoes. At least my dream had ultra-soft pillows.

When my tired eyes shut out of pure boredom, I didn’t fight it. It had nothing to do with what Master wanted.

CHAPTER NINE

It felt like I’d barely closed my eyes when I’m jerked awake by sharp pinpricks against my neck. “What the fuck!” I tried to sit up, but I’m trapped in Mr. Snakey’s embrace as he lies next to me.

I narrowed my eyes, pissed that I was still stuck in my fucked-up dream. Was I that thirsty for dick in my waking life?

“Time to wake up, little human,” he said, his scorpion tipped tail raising the bottom of my sundress. “You were a very naughty human while I was gone. I can sssss-still tassssste your delicioussss releassse on the air. I thought I made myssself clear that I bit you as punishment, not for enjoyment in the shower.”

The shift from irritation to lust was quick. I didn’t know if I loved or hated his power to seduce me. Could someone get addicted to dream orgasms?

“Hey, stop that,” I said while I lazily rubbed my hand over his muscled shoulders. It seemed my hands had a mind of their own. “I can make myself come whenever I want.”

I moaned low in my throat when he tugged the top of my dress down and exposed my lacey bra. “That isss where you are wrong, little human. All of your orgasms belong to meeeee now. And sssss-since you were a brat and didn’t obey your Master, another punishment is neeeeded.”

I squealed when he used his tail to flip me over, lifting my panty clad ass in the air while my head hung low, and coiled around me so I could not move my arms. I squirmed against the feel of his scales brushing against my skin while he tightened his hold and then carefully pulled my panties to my knees. I felt my cheeks heat, knowing that he would see the evidence of my arousal, how I was glistening wet for him.

His hand carefully pulled rubbed across my ass, back and forth, lulling me into a false sense of security before smack!

The fucker actually spanked me like I was an unruly child.

And he didn’t stop at just one.

His palm continued to work my bottom, drawing painful heat to the skin’s surface. “This is for your own good. Next time, you will know better than to disobey your mate.”

I lost count of how many slaps landed. All I knew was the fierce pleasure and pain, and the blinding need for both mercy and cock. I struggled to reach my hands back to protect my poor ass, but his tail, holding me immobile, made that impossible.

“Please master. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Just let me go—or let me come.”

His tail flipped me back over. “Have you learned your lessson, little human? Who owns this pussssy?” He cupped my damp center.

“You, Master.”

“Who isss the only one allowed to bring you pleasssure?”

“You, Master.”

“You, my ssweet Sssabina, are going to ssstay awake this time. There will be no doubt that I am your Master, and that you belong to me, by the end of our mating dance.” His nimble fingers made quick work of divesting me of my bra.

I thought it was cute that my dream lover called our fucking a mating dance. My breasts felt overly sensitive and seemed to have grown a whole cup size. Weird. But being that this was a dream, why not have bigger breasts? Right?

My nipples instantly peaked, begging for his attention. He leaned down and sucked one into his hot mouth. Oh, holy hell. He stared up at me as he released my breast with a loud pop.

“Never.” I bit down on my bottom lip. “I am my own master.”

His tail had been busy, working my panties down my thighs while I’d been distracted. The first nudge of his penises against my swollen lady lips had me arching off the bed. My brain screamed no, but my overheated body was all for it. Liquid heat seeped out of my pussy.

“Never say never.” The snake man swiftly rose up and covered my lips with his. He kissed me deeply. He then pierced my lower lip with a fang.

I felt no pain.

When he pulled back, he ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Only I am allowed to bite this luscious lip.”

I sucked in a sharp breath when his top penis started working my pussy. The nubs on his tip were moving independently, rubbing, tapping and thrusting against me. I moaned and writhed against him.

His tongue plunged in-between my lips and caressed mine. “Are you ready to call me Master yet, little human?” he growled against my lips.

“Mh hmm.” I gyrated against the cocks still bringing me closer to rapture. I spread my legs further, needing more friction. “Fuck me. I’m so ready for you.” I breathed out.

“You know what you have to do, Sssabina.”

When he used my name, I knew he meant business.

My orgasm drew close. His penis slipped inside my dripping pussy. The position forced his nubs to rub against my g-spot. But just when I was about to come, he pulled out.

Nooo!

“Sssay it, Sssabina. And you can have your orgasm.”

Was I really willing to bend to his will? Accept the craziness he’d spewed at me? Could I really be his mate?

My body needed release, literally craved it as one did a drug. If calling him Master brought me there, I’d give in. But I’d do it my way.

I reached down to grabbed the dick closest to me. I gave it a hard couple pumps. His groan was music to my ears. I might call him Master, but he would belong to me just as much as I belonged to him.

I looked into his eyes, refusing to cower. “Master.”

“You ssssaucy little brat. Another lessssson so soon? Just know that I will enjoy every sssss-scream I pull from your body.”

Faster than I could compute, he’d stood me up and pressed me against a cold stone wall, with me facing the pink rock. “Do not move.”

Once my dress was a puddle at my feet, a firm hand landed hard across my bare ass. His tail wrapped around me, just under my breasts, holding me in place. He struck me again.

“Ouch. You asshole. What the hell are you doing?”

Another hard swat had landed. “Teaching you a lesson.”

Another one. I screamed out in frustration as pain radiated across my tender butt cheeks.

“Thisss can all ssstop, Sssabina You know what I want to hear.”

One. Two. Three. Four.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed out.

Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

“Master, please stop!” The unbearable pain had me begging for mercy. “I’m sorry, Master!”

He spun me about and hauled me against his hard body. I wept against his naked chest.

He’d made soothing noises as his hand ran through my hair. “Sssshhh. You did so good, little human.”

When he gently laid me on the bed, facedown, I had no fight left in me. His tongue laved over the globes of my ass. The paid faded everywhere his tongue made contact. I moaned in sheer relief, pushing back against him.

He spread my legs with his hands and his fingers found my pussy reigniting with the flames of desire. He took his time working me back up to an orgasmic state. His hands moved up my back and kneaded my sore muscles.

I was furiously humping against the bed. “Please, Master. Please, Sir, I need to come.”

“Good girl. The lesson has taken hold.” His cocks plunged into my holes.

I screamed out in pleasure and pain as he furiously pounded into me. The sounds of our harsh breaths and loud moans of our passion filled the air. His hand reached around to the front of our joined bodies and rubbed against my clit. Before I could warn him, I screamed out my climax.

“Yesssss. That’s it. Coat my cocks with your liquid gold.”

His fangs then sank deep into my shoulder blades and, before I’ve recovered from my first orgasm, another is upon me. “Oh God. I can’t take any more.”

“Yesss, you can, my little lock.”

At the reminder of the lock and key bullshit he’d been spouting, I experimentally tried to pull away from him on his next backward stroke. I can’t get away.

He goes still above me. “Don’t panic, little human. This isss natural for mates. We will separate once I have ssspilled my ssseed.”

I took a deep breath and rolled my hips back against him. It’s not like he was hurting me, but how much longer could he keep this up. I may never walk the same again.

“I’m calm now, Master. I want to ride you. I want to bring you as much pleasure as you’ve brought me. But I’m not sure on the positioning. Will you help me?”

“I would love nothing more than to sssee your beautiful breasts ssswaying above me.”

He hugged me tightly against him and flipped our positions, so he was the one on the bottom. He’d moved me up his body, his cocks remaining buried tightly inside me as his tail had followed along. When he’d stopped moving, I was sitting on his abs with his tail tucked snuggly between my legs.

I’d given an experimental shimmy. His cocks had felt even larger with the new angle. He’d pulled me forward so my breasts hung over his face and immediately started sucking on my sensitive nipples. I’d raised up and sank down rapidly. The enjoyment was almost unbearable on my pussy. I was determined to bring about his climax.

Up and down, I pounded, my panting breath loud even to my own ears. It made me feel better to look at his handsome face and note the sweat glimmering against his skin and scales. Yes, he had a spattering of beautiful iridescent scales across his forehead, but it only added an air of exoticness to his good looks.

“Yessssss, little human. That isssss perfect.”

He’d grabbed my hips and slammed me down before going still. The oddest thing had happened. Liquid. Over and over, liquid bumps flow along his cocks and then exploded into me.

I was thrown into my own orgasm. I lost all sense of space and time as I succumbed to euphoric bliss.

CHAPTER TEN

When I woke up still in the stone tower, panic set in. What the fuck? Why wasn’t I back home?

I sat up quickly, too quickly. Dizziness overcame me, so I laid back down, trying to dispel the urge to vomit when my stomach rebelled against the sudden movement.

Shit. Was I dead?

My lover’s cool tail wrapped around my hips and pulled me closer to his warm chest.

“Good morning, little human. I trussst all is well with you and the babies. Can you feel them move yet?”

I pushed against him. “What the hell are you spouting? I’m not pregnant.”

“Yesss, you are. Why do you fight againssst the obvious?” he asked while stroking my extended belly.

I huffed out a short, agitated breath. “Even if I were pregnant, it wouldn’t matter because none of this is real!” I’d let out a short scream of annoyance. “Why didn’t I wake up at home?”

“I have told you, thisss isss your new home. The sssooner you understand that the eassssier this-sssss will be on you and the babies. Your new life as my future wife and queen isss very real.”

As if to verify his claim, something moved in my distended stomach. “Please be a parasite,” I whispered. I couldn’t be pregnant. Not even for a dream.

My captor lounged on the bed, hands folded behind his head, and chuckled at my distress.

The faint fluttering quickly morphed into a series of rapid kicks…from inside my stomach. Panicked, I shot up from the bed, then instantly regretted it. With a palm smothering my mouth so I didn’t vomit, I breathed heavy through my nose until the nausea passed, then shot a longing glance at the tower door. I would make a run for it, but I knew I’d never get far.

Desperate, I began pacing, holding my head tight as if I could yank my brain out and shake the shit out of it. “Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.”

When nothing, I squeezed my eyes closed tight and clicked my heels together. “I want to go home. I want to go home.” I slowly peeked through my lids before opening my eyes wide.

Nothing.

“Fuck! I’m dead, aren’t I?” I wanted to cry. As if the dream babies sensed my distress, my stomach twisted in pain. I grimaced and clutched my abdomen tight. I could feel them…slithering…inside me. Oh God!

“Enough of thisss sssilliness,” my snake lover commanded. “You are not dreaming, and you are definitely not dead.”

I erupted with a vacant laugh. “And how are you going to prove that? Eh, Mr. Snakey?” Clenching my fists to summon fortitude to deal with the pain, I rolled my eyes. “Look, just fuck off already. I got shit to do.”

“Sssabina. Ceasssse with the bratty attitude.” He got out of bed and scooped up my clothing. “Thisss neeeeeedless stresssss and worry must sssss-stop. It isss not good for you nor the babies.”

He tossed away the undergarments and then pulled the dress over my head. Once I had squeezed myself into my sun dress—and I did mean squeeze as it seemed to have gotten even tighter overnight—he lifted me off my feet. Without warning. He opened the door and slithered down the spiral staircase with his super speed. I buried my face in his neck, if only to not upchuck all over us.

When I bothered to lift my head, I found we were back in the snake pit. With me clutching tightly to his neck, he extended his length to reach the strangest sight on the cavern’s ceiling. It was a swirling mass of black nothingness. Like what I imagined a black hole to look like, it was the blackest black I’d ever seen, ringed with a glowing edge of blacklight blue.

Suddenly, with a leap, we traveled through the dark tunnel.

Our trip was over in the blink of an eye.

We had been spat out into my basement.

Except, my basement looked slightly different to me from when I’d last seen it. There was a swirl of blue light where the door atop my stairs should have been. Fog crept around the edges of the basement, coming from nowhere.

“Sssssseeeeee. Your old home isss ssstill here.”

“Put me down,” I demanded with a whisper of confusion.

He let me down to stand shakily on my feet. It wasn’t a dream. Oh God, it wasn’t a dream. I really had fucked a snake.

I looked behind me at my demonic dryer, marched over and kicked the glowing piece of crap. How dare it betray me.

“Sssabina.”

I suddenly heard a scratching noise in the corner by the boxes. “All this and I still have rats!” I screamed out in frustration while storming across the basement floor. For some reason, focusing on a rat infestation seemed a lot easier to deal with than demonic space travel.

“Sssabina.”

I ignored my not-a-dream snake lover to pick up boxes and throw them aside. “Get out here and face me!”

“Sssabina!”

I kicked a box out of my way only to find a mutant bunny-rat-armadillo hybrid cowering in the corner, sitting on a pile of…

Wait. Was that my stuff?

“What the fuck, Templeton!?” I screeched. “Is that my jewelry? And oh my God! Is that my jeweled vibrator?”

“Rex!” Mr. Snakey bellowed.

“I’m sorry, Sabina,” Templeton stuttered out. “You weren’t going to use it, and I just couldn’t help myself.” He looked thoughtful, well as thoughtful as a bunnyrat could look. “What’s a vibrator?”

My face flushed bright red. “Nevermind.”

Rex came bounding out of the dryer. “You called, Master? –Oh! I see him! I will get him, Master!”

“Okay. Enough with the “master” crap,” I demanded. “What the hell’s your name? Don’t you think I should know your freaking name if we’re having a baby?”

He chuckled. “You mean babiesss, little human. Definitely more than five going by the sssize of your belly.” He smiled indulgently down at me. “And I am Aculeus.”

Babies? Like, plural? Like, I was pregnant with snakes?

Fuck.

I felt myself falling backwards, the world going darkening in my peripheral. Double fuck. I was going to faint like some wussy ass princess.

Lucky my snake man was quick.

He lowered me down to sit on his tail. What the hell? Now his tail was doing a weird recliner thing. Its coolness helped me regain my wits. Huh, kind of handy to have a multifunctional tail.

“Did you say more than five?” I gasped out.

“Yesss, little love. Isn’t it wonderful? Don’t worry. Next time, we’ll mossst likely have more.”

“Oh my God. What kind of babies am I going to pop out? Holy shit! Am I going to lay eggs?” I looked down at my stomach in astonishment. “Are these little eggs hopping around inside me?”

“They will be perfect little Nagas. Delivered the sssame as humansss.”

“Ack! How will I bring them home? How will I introduce them to my family and friends?” I stopped, thoughtful. “Well. I guess I don’t really have any of those. But still.”

The ruckus of a full-on chase filled the air, complete with spilling boxes and shattering glass.

“Rex. Templeton! Can you not hear we are trying to have a ssserious converssssation? Ceasssse your foolishness.”

“Sorry, Master. It was Templetons’s fault,” Rex said.

I glanced over to see his huge paw pinning Templeton to the floor of my basement, Rex’s teeth chomping the air in front of the bunnyrat’s face. How cute. They were playing.

“They will live in my realm, little human,” Aculeus finished. “Where they belong.”

“What about my job?” I whispered. “I love my job.”

“Templeton tells me you are a potter. It isss a noble employ in my realm, but you will have no need to work, little human.”

“Yes, I will. I love my work. I am an artist. Asking me to quit would be like asking you to, I don’t know, stop being whatever it is you do.”

“I am a gatekeeper. I protect the realm. The mossst noble work of all.”

“Well, Mr. Noble Job, my work is my life. I’m not willing to give it up.” I crawled off his tail.

“That won’t be a problem. My realm hasss the many talented artisansss who could help you hone your craft. Or you could teach them new techniques. You’ll have the best ingredients to make your pottery. Our sands are wanted by all potters in our land. And the best jewels to decorate them with.”

“What about my house? It should belong to the children one day.”

“They’ll inherit all I have. I hardly think a little human house will matter.”

I placed my hands on my hips, my lip curled in anger. “Listen motherfucker. I’ll have you know that this house was all I could afford when my entire family dropped dead all at the same time! And it’s a nice house. Except for the stupid dryer. My home has sentimental value to me.”

He stroked his hand through my hair, petting me like I was, well one of his pets. “I think what they ssssay isss true. Your hormones are getting the besssst of you, little human.”

I gasped in outrage at his stupid comment. Men, snake men, everything with a penis was apparently fucking stupid. “How dare you. It’s not hormones. You are asking me—no, telling me—that I have to give up everything to be with you in some weird alien land. Hormones haven’t even entered into it at this point.”

“Let me go!” I heard the bunnyrat complain.

“Rex, stop tormenting Templeton. Sssabina would be upssset if he were to die.”

“Yes,” squeaked Templeton. “Tell them, Sabina. It would make you cry, right?”

At this point, everything was about to make me cry. Like angry cry. Like, the kind of crying a woman does right before she commits murder. Though my eyes watered, my fists clenched in rage. It’s not really murder if the victim isn’t fully human, right?

Aculeus’ brows lifted. “Be calm, Sssabina. I did not mean to upssset you. All this excitement isss not good for the babies. We should head back to my realm so you may relax.”

Knowing it would be a useless fight, I prayed for patience and exhaled the heavy breath I’d been holding while contemplating weapons “worthy” enough for “noblest” snake. “I need to go get my things if I’m leaving for a while,” I whispered.

Aculeus’ tail wound around me. “No, little human. It’s not sssafe for you to leave the basement. We wouldn’t be able to communicate. And it may not be sssafe for the babies.”

“But I need my stuff. My clothing. My pottery equipment. My family heirlooms.” Okay, admittedly there weren’t many of those, and the ones that I had weren’t worth much. But still. It was the principal of the matter. They were mine, and I didn’t want some thief coming into my house and taking them while I was gone.

“Templeton. Rex. You will bring your Mistress’ belongings to her in our realm. If you need help, you have my permission to gather other servants. Templeton. If anything is missing—”

Templeton lowered his little bunnyrat head. “I understand, Master. I won’t steal.”

Aculeus pulled me close to his chest and gazed down at me. “Is everything clear now, little human? You undersssstand you are not dreaming? You are not dead?”

I looked around my basement, then curled into his chest. A few tears trailed down my cheeks. Not sure why. It wasn’t like I was leaving much behind. “I understand.”

“Everything will be fine,” Aculeus said as he cuddled me against his warm chest. “I will be the bessst mate you could ever hope for. You will have a good life. Trussst me.”

Said the spider to the fly, I thought. Well, what did I have to lose? At least the sex was out of this world. Literally. “Okay, big guy. Let’s go.”

He slithered toward the dryer. “I have much to show you, Sssabina. My world isss a wonderous place where beauty abounds.”

“Wait! Stop!”

Aculeus jerked at my sharp outburst.

“You have to agree to something first.”

He gave me an indulgent smile. “Yesss, little human. I will give up all my other women for you.”

“Um… That wasn’t what I wanted, but you bet your fucking ass you’ll give up your other women.” I lifted my head from his chest and glared up at him, waiting for his nod of agreement before continuing on. “I was going to say, I want you to promise to stop biting me every time I disagree with you. In the bedroom, well, then it’s okay. But that’s it. You can’t bite me to get your way.”

“But what if your being sssss-stubborn and it’s for your own good?”

“No. That is absolutely not okay.” I glare at him sternly. “Only in the bedroom.”

He stared down at me, searching my face. “I sssseeeeee you’re very sssserious about this. It will be difficult for me, as it isss our way of dealing with unruly mates-sssss. But I will endeavor to follow your wishes if it will make you happy.”

I snuggled back into his muscular chest. “Okay. You may take me to your snake pit. I’m feeling a bit hungry, so I’ll need more of those apple things.”

He paused outside the dryer. “You will make an amazing queen.”

What felt like only a few seconds later, we we’re falling back into his snake pit.

“Aculeus, why me?”

He gave me a questioning look, his brow raised.

“Why did you choose me? How come you didn’t already have a Queen?”

“Little human—”

A sharp screech, like a nail on a chalkboard, mars the air from a corner so dark in shadow that I couldn’t see what was there.

“You,” Aculeus growled. “How did you get in here?”

A woman—well she had breasts, but I wasn’t sure if that was the correct word for her—stepped out into the light.

“Ah, hell. I didn’t sign up for any more weirdness. Can we just table this for now? I’m starving.”

The spider woman—monster?—looked over at me then down to my stomach. She smiled. A huge fang-filled smile.

“Uh, guys? I don’t feel so good.” I tried to fight the encroaching darkness, but it was taking over my vision. I felt the soft cushions of the snake pit rush up to meet me. “Think I’ll just take a nap.”

Right before my vision went dark, I saw the spider skittering towards me.

AUTHOR NOTE

Dear Reader: Do you want to read more? Do you want to know more about Aculeus, Sabina, and their offspring?

Please let us know if we need to expand this story, and how you’d like to see us wrap it up! We’d love to hear from you!

Find us on our Facebook Reader Groups, TIA’S DIGITAL TEATIME and ALL REVVED UP w/ DANI CARR, and drop us a comment or message. Thanks!

Acknowledgements

We must take the time to thank Author Selena Michaels for all her help in making this story happen when we were too under the weather to do so. We love you. We’re grateful for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Author Tia Fanning has discovered that she always writes a little of herself into every story, and in that vulnerability, is committed to writing the best stories she can, challenging herself and her readers to experience the full range of emotions in every adventure presented. Be it love, lust, humor, grief, or even pushing cultural boundaries that might be deemed shocking (or uncomfortable) by many mainstream readers, Tia believes that it is her responsibility to tell the story as honestly as possible without letting her fears, societal pressure, or the possibility of censorship shackle her creativity. Life is a spontaneous, thrilling journey filled with highs and lows and unexpected twists and turns, and Tia wants her stories to reflect that awesome reality.

Author Dani Carr lives on a farm in Manitoba, Canada. She married her high school sweetheart many years ago. With five kids, two dogs, cats, horses and a feisty donkey, her life is very busy. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, crafting, playing board games, kayaking and watching movies. She’s shamelessly addicted to coffee and potato chips.

RUTHLESS MONSTER
a dark mafia monster romance

selena michaels

BLURB

Revenge is so much sweeter when they don’t see it coming.

Carlton Chee is a monster hiding in the real world. After the brutal slaying of his family, he infiltrates the cartel with one singular plan – to kill the man who ordered their execution. Anything beyond that is a threat or distraction that must be eliminated…immediately.

So why did he spare her?

The woman whose life he saved when she was just a girl is now a spirit who haunts his dreams, whose sweet essence whispers that the monster within him can be tamed.

When she falls under the Cartel’s radar once again, Carlton is forced to make a decision. Save the woman he loves or avenge his family. Which will he choose?

CONTENT WARNING

The term Skinwalker is offensive to anyone of indigenous descent. This is why the male protagonist reacts a certain way. This book is in no way, shape or form trying to glorify that. Nor is it in any way trying to offend anyone descended from the Navajo tribe. Skin peeling, murder, stalking, gang violence, child death and much more will be in the next pages. Reader discretion is advised. Please see my website for the full warning as I didn’t want to get thrown into the sin bin on the Zon: Selena michaels

GLOSSARY

Diné Bizaad Translation:

Shimásání: Grandmother

Shizhé’é: Father

Ak’éí: Family

Diné: Proper address for the Navajo People

Shimá: Mom

Shiʼáád: My woman

Sheʼatʼééd: A person very much liked or loved by someone else

Yee naaldlooshii: Another way of saying skinwalker, but it’s an evil witch who has the ability to turn, possess, or disguise themselves as animals.

Ayóó anííníshní: I adore you

PROLOGUE

Long ago, evil witches ruled the lands. They wielded great magic and could take the shape of any animal by wearing their pelt. The extent of their powers were unknown but greatly feared. Then everything changed when the Great Nation Wars began. The evil vanished and only the Diné survived.

Years later, the descendants of the people were oppressed with the rise of the Cartel. The leaders tried to heal the community but failed, and ultimately were assassinated for their efforts. Out of this tribulation rose a power not seen in many generations, the practice of dark magics thought lost to history, now resurrected in the name of vengeance.

Evil to vanquish evil. Those wielding this great power sacrificed their souls to master the ability to wear the skin of other humans rather than the pelts of animals. They could be anyone. Infiltrate anything. They became legends, stories told at bedtime to scare naughty children into obedience, for their victims were skinned alive, the flesh stolen to be worn by another.

But this tale was about him whose reign of blood terrorized the Cartel in New Mexico. None knew his true name or had ever seen his face, except one lone girl who had seen his true form and lived to tell the tale. She’d seen through his monstrous mask and unveiled the broken man beneath.

This is their story.

CHAPTER ONE

carlton chee

New Mexico | Ten Years Ago

Bad omens come in threes. Something my shimásání used to say.

Hefe’s acrid breath blew across my face as he nearly choked the life out of me, having found me at the corner store when his men drove up. He roughly pinned me to the dirty window outside of the small shop, his fingers cutting off air as they pressed into my throat. My small bag holding a container of milk slipped from my hand and spilled out at our feet. His soldiers loitered near us, laughing at my plight.

“Where is it?” he yelled, spittle hitting above my eye.

Wincing, I shook my head in ignorance, not knowing what he was talking about. When it came to my father, it could be anything. Money? Drugs?

Hefe shook me against the wall of glass. My head banged harder and harder. “My money. Where is my goddamn money?”

Money, again. I whimpered in distress, and strained to answer. “Shizhé’é said he would give it to you, Hefe. He promised,” my voice croaked out. “Yes?”

I was only fifteen years old, but my ak’éí was always wrapped up into something I didn’t understand. Apparently, it was money this time. Shizhé’é loved to hit the casinos, and lately, he had more money than usual. He bought me new shoes, a new backpack, and even took me to the dentist for the first time in years. I figured he’d hit it big down at the casino and this was his way of giving back for all the abuse he doled out over the years. But with Hefe in my face like this, in public, I knew Shizhé’é must have done something really bad.

“I’ll give you one chance to redeem your family,” Hefe said, releasing his stranglehold to straighten my clothes. “Tonight, I want you to hit the streets. Steal anything you can. Swindle everyone you can. Come back with what Chee owes, and I’ll overlook this slight.”

Something told me he was lying. I could get him money as he demanded, but I knew the minute I turned my back, he would likely pull his gun out and shoot me in the back of the head as a lesson for all the Diné about not paying up when it was due. But I didn’t have a choice. If not me, it would be another to suffer. The cartel had been taking from us for years. If I could be useful to them, then maybe they would leave the rest of us alone.

“How much does he owe, Hefe?” I coughed.

“More than you could earn back tonight. But you could make better money if you loiter outside of the casino’s your father loves to frequent.” His lips said one thing, but his eyes told a different story. He didn’t mean for me to steal it, but for me to earn it with my body.

Hefe was a dangerous man. The worst kind of man. But I didn’t have many options other than to find a way to pay him something.

I wanted to show my baby sister that I could be the best brother. I hoped soon I could be the provider for our family. Where my father consistently failed, my shimá worked two jobs. As soon as she had her baby, she was at work not even three days later. She always provided for us through hard work and grit. But I could see this life wearing on her. What once was a beautiful woman, became a shell of her former self.

I wanted to be a man for her. If I had to get dirty in order to do it, then I would. No one could make that kind of money pick-pocketing in New Mexico. Not even if I stole from everyone in this city. But maybe I could get enough money to get my ak’éí out of state. We could flee and find a haven away from the Cartel. I just knew it.

“Enough stalling. Go! Now!” Hefe shoved me away from him.

I stumbled and fell onto the ground, but quickly scrambled to my feet and ran, never once looking back. I kept running until I got home. I needed to change my clothes. Besides spilled milk, I pissed a bit while struggling to breathe during Hefe’s interrogation.

The wailing of a baby drew me to the nursery before I could get to my room. Her tiny hands were clenched into angry fists thrashing in the air. She was hungry. I lifted her out of the dresser drawer she slept in. She wouldn’t be fitting in it much longer, but we never had money for a crib or a playpen. This was the best my shimá could do. I noticed her diaper was heavy. Like me, she needed a change too.

Carefully, I walked her over to the bed that my shimá would collapse onto night after night. She never even took off her shoes because she was so exhausted from her day. In comparison, my father was rarely in it, wasting time and the money we didn’t have on alcohol and cheap women. When he was home, he was usually passed out on the old couch in front of the crap television.

Humming an old song that had no lyrics, I changed my baby sister quickly. Then I warmed up a bottle while holding her. She wasn’t screaming mad anymore. She was whimpering from the hunger pains I’m sure were hitting her stomach, but when her light brown eyes looked up at me, I couldn’t help feeling an outpouring of love for her. She was the youngest. The most precious. I would do anything for her. Even if it meant hurting someone else. This was what family did.

It killed me to leave her alone while our father was unconscious in the living room, but I had to go. Nightlife started right as the sun was setting in this area with the opening of the tourist restaurants. I walked to the first casino with my hands shoved in the pockets of my rattiest jeans. I had to make sure I looked no different from any kid on the street. If my shima ever found out I was working for Hefe, she would gut me.

I walked through the crowd, brushing up against unsuspecting victims. I didn’t root around. As I fished in their jackets and purses, my grubby hands grabbed anything they could.

After an hour or two, my pants were sagging, and I had to unload. I saw a homeless kid younger than me hanging around the restaurant buildings. His eyes big as saucers and his nose flared as he took in all the scents.

“Hey, kid!” I called.

He looked around like he was going to run, but I grabbed his arm.

“I will not hurt you. I need a favor. If you do this and don’t fuck with me, I’ll make sure you have a full belly tonight and money to spend on more. What do you say?”

He looked me up and down suspiciously. “I ain’t no drug smuggler, mister. I ain’t putting nothing in my butt”

He was talking about the kids who were talked into stuffing drugs up their ass and smuggling them onto planes or trains or wherever else the fucking Cartel needed them. Hell, sometimes the kids had to swallow the drugs and smuggle them into Mexico. How fucked up was that?

The likelihood of surviving the baggies bursting inside of you was almost a negative percent. “Naw, it ain’t like that, kid.” I slipped into his accent.

It was something that came too naturally to me. Mimicking, they called it. Anytime I ran into someone who spoke different from me, I could adapt their tone, mannerisms, and accents. No one knew where I got the skills from, but it helped me blend in when I needed it. Some say that mirroring and mimicry is a trauma response, but my shimásání used to say it was a gift from my ancestors, a sign of magic in my blood.

“Then what?” He jutted his chin at me.

“Need you to watch some of my shit. In return, I’ll give you a part of the loot and buy you any meal you want from around here.”

His eyes grow wide as he takes in all the surrounding restaurants. “Anything?” He breathed.

“Any fucking thing.” Hopefully, I wasn’t lying to this damn kid. That would break my heart for sure.

He was so young. I wanted to give him more hope. Tell him I’d take him somewhere where he’d meet an excellent family. People that would care for him. But that would not happen. The best I could offer was a meal and some pocket money.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” The kid spit in his hand.

I spat in mine, and we shook. “What’s your name?” I asked as I stuffed what I’d acquired in the black backpack the kid had been wearing.

“Raphael.”

I grunted. “I’m Carlton.”

A hysterical cry rose over the crowd of people milling about and I looked around thinking it could be someone I know. A little girl wearing a floral print dress was screeching in a fearful meltdown. She had her hands clasped tightly to what I assumed were her parents. She wanted them to run. To run away from the danger coming.

The mom knelt down, uncaring that her own dress was getting dirty from the sidewalk. I was too far away to hear what she was saying, but I imagined it was soothing words as she tried to calm her child down.

The little girl wasn’t having any of that though. She shook her head, her dark curls flying as she threw a tantrum in front of all the onlookers. She cried that everyone needed to run away now or everyone would get hurt.

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed at her. She would need to toughen up to survive this world. If she saw danger in this benign crowd, how would she react when she met the real monsters?

As if she heard my thoughts, she looked up and her watery dark blue eyes locked with mine.The smile fell from my face as guilt tugged in my chest. In a few years, my sister would be this age, and I would not be this cruel to her, nor want anyone to be so mean as to blatantly laugh at her distress.

The squealing of rubber burning cement marred the air.

Ripping my gaze off hers, I saw a dark Cadillac rushing down the street. Normally, during this hour, that alone wouldn’t be suspicious, as there were many reckless drivers in this town. But when the sedan screeched to a halt and the windows rolled down, I knew. I could’ve sworn I saw the muzzle before they even pushed it out the window.

I ran through the crowd, shoving people out of the way, trying to get to the child who’d pronounced her own doom. But as soon as the bullets began to fly, screams rose like a crescendo and chaos ensued.

Finally, as seconds felt like an eternity, I caught the angelic creature who wailed like a banshee in my arms and cradled her head as I forced us to the ground. She screamed and tried to pound free with her small fists. Pain unlike any I’d ever known lanced my legs and arms, like fire boring through muscle.

When the streets cleared and the car had peeled away, I could hear the sirens in the distance, and gasping sobs–not only of the girl sheltered beneath.

“Took them long enough,” I muttered, rolling off the kid and flopping onto my back. A searing white flash let my brain know that my body wasn’t happy about the movement.

“Mommy! Daddy!” The girl scrambled away from me, apparently unscathed, and rushed to the two bodies lying in a pool of blood in front of us. I didn’t need to check them to know they were gone.

The agony I felt seemed to be caused by two bullets that had grazed my legs. There was blood, but no entry hole. Just torn fabric and flesh. The wound would likely need stitches to heal properly, but I’d live.

Grunting through the suffering, I turned over and crawled to where I’d last seen Raphael. He was a street kid who knew how to hide, so he’d probably dipped out to a safe spot, but I was curious if he’d dropped his backpack or stayed nearby.

I saw a pool of blood where we last stood and felt my stomach sink at the implication. I climbed to my feet, fighting off nausea as I did, and followed the trail down an alleyway.

Not too far away, Raphael sat propped up against a brick wall, his hand covering his stomach. Blood oozed through his fingertips.

“N-no. Raphael, buddy? You’re going to be alright. We’ll get you help.” I stumbled as my eyesight grew hazy. Fuck.

I knelt beside him and shoved the backpack out of the way so I could assess the damage. Suddenly, someone was there, hovering over me. I looked up to see the young girl I had saved, her dress dirty and stained with blood, her once bright blue eyes dull and glazed over.

“I can’t find my mommy and daddy,” she said in a hauntingly sweet voice.

She was obviously in shock. Even at such a young age, she had to know they were gone. She just wasn’t ready to face it yet.

“Here. Put your hands on his stomach and hold down,” I commanded her. She dropped to her knees and did just that, never once questioning why. “I’m going to get help. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded.

I looked into her sad blue eyes and knew this night couldn’t possibly get any worse. But when it was all said and done, after the kids had been taken away by ambulance, and I had declined emergency care as like a random adult in the wrong place at the wrong time, I slipped away from the bloody scene without giving a statement and headed home with my stash, only to find out just how wrong I was.

I was very wrong indeed.

It got worse.

Because as shimásání always said, bad omens come in threes.

CHAPTER TWO

angela diaz

Present day

Rather than leave after I overheard the nastiest conversation about my assets, I stayed late at work. Rent was due, and I guessed in my mind I hoped Mario Mendez would never have the nerve to see it through. Locker room talk, I’d told myself.

I regret not trusting my gut.

I had worked as Mario’s office assistant for only a month, but he’d had wandering hands since day one. I should have turned him in back then, but sadly, I was pathetic like that. I didn’t like conflict. I didn’t like making waves. I was that person who ignored things in the hopes they’d just disappear.

Tonight, me and Mario were the last people in the office. It was unfortunate that the security guy was out sick. As if he knew the kind of predator Mario was, security always lingered nearby. Today, an underling was filling in, and he would do anything the boss said, including going home early.

“Look, it’s Friday. I can lock up,” I heard my boss say to him. “Go on and get out of here.”

“Thanks, Boss!” the fill-in replied. “Appreciate that.”

I cursed my rotten luck.

My ears homed in on Mario’s heavy footfalls. Rather than acknowledge his presence in the copy room, I studied the papers I was scanning, hoping if I ignored the looming heat and stagnant smell lingering behind me, Mario would just leave me alone.

It was not meant to be.

He pressed his erection into my back as his sweaty palms ran along the curve of my thighs and hips, slowly dragging the material of my respectable pencil skirt over the curve of my ass. I hadn’t had time to sleep, let alone do my laundry this week. If I had, I would’ve been wearing a pantsuit. I knew better than to wear skirts.

My brain screamed for me to make him stop, but my limbs felt encased in ice. The skirt bunched at my waist, revealing my panties to my molester.

Time slowed, my breathing turned shallow, and I managed to get my voice to work. “Please, don’t,” I whispered.

“You know you want this,” he chuckled, his heavy breath wetting the skin on my nape. His sausage-like fingers followed the curve of my groin to cup my mons. He squeezed hard. “

I swallowed the bile rising to my throat.

“I’m begging you to stop,” I whimpered.

“You’ve been teasing me all fucking day with this skirt. Did you wear it just for me?” His rancid breath tickled my neck and I shuddered in revulsion.

“I-I’m just here to make my copies and then I’m leaving for the night.” I tried again to remind him that we were at work.

“I promise I’ll have security delete the tapes.” He chuckled into my hair. “Though, it adds to the fun, don’t you think? That we are being filmed? Maybe I’ll ask for a copy of the tape instead. My own personal porno of you, the assistant, seducing your manager he’ll fuck you good and hard in the copy room like a filthy whore.”

Me seducing him!?! What was he talking about?

Why was this always happening to me? Was I truly going to stand here and allow him rape me? And then allow him to keep a copy of my assault to brag to his friends.

I was surprised by my own sudden nerve to fight back.

I stomped on his insoles and followed through with a swift elbow in the gut. As he wheezed in pain, I spun and pushed hard, and off balanced, he toppled over.

Then I ran like a bat out of hell.

“Get back here, you bitch,” Mario roared.

I fled down the hall like I was in a horror movie. Even the fluorescent lighting flickered, as if to mock me. I looked back, and saw the monster grasp the hall corner before he began chasing after me, limping like an injured beast.

“You’ve disrespected me for the last time, Angela!”

I stumbled, but my hands found purchase on the nearest wall, and I clung to it, catching my breath. My heart raced so fast I was sure it would beat out of my chest. I had to find an emergency exit. I tossed off the heels before I was off, running again.

The fire door was harder to open than it should have been, considering. I wasted precious seconds trying to make the bar push down so I could get out. It haven given Mario too much time to catch up. He was in arm’s reach by the time I bursted out into the dark alleyway.

Glass and other debris cut my bare feet as I raced down the street, with Mario close on my heels. Sweat poured down the sides of my face from exertion and fear. We weren’t in a good part of the city. I screamed, but wasn’t surprised that no one came to help. This was an area where people minded their business or risked retribution.

I was just about to reach the street when Mario managed to snatch me by my hair and pulled me backward. I fought him tooth and nail, even as the resistance ripped hair from my scalp. With a firm grip entangled in my long locks, he drew me to his chest and enveloped me in his swollen embrace. I shoved against him, but his pudgy body wouldn’t budge.

He panted in my face like a dog, and determination glinted in his gaze. “Where do you think you're going?”

“Let me go,” I cried. “Stop!”

I tried to resist, but his grip gave him all the leverage he needed to drag me down before him, forcing me to his knees. Once I knelt, he kept my face in his crotch even as he used his free hand to drag his gross penis out.

He shoved his cock against my lips. “Open your mouth.”

Keeping my lips sealed, I closed my eyes tight and tried to shake my head. Horrible flashbacks of a night I didn’t want to think about ever again flashed behind my lids. A night where a fallen angel covered me, sheltered me from harm. The carnage in the aftermath shook the foundation of my soul. A night my gift failed to save those I loved most. My dark hero who smelled of love and baby powder. He had a little sister, I knew. It was one thing my vision had shown me.

My eyes popped open when a loud pop sounded above me, which showered me with warmth in red. Shocked, I watched in horror as Mario fell to the asphalt. My brain screamed for me to run, but his damn fat fingers were still wrapped in my hair.

A man walked down the alleyway, his gun pointed at me.

“Please,” I begged. I wasn’t ready to die. Not now. Maybe never.

His broad shoulders blocked the inky alley lights as he got closer. I peered up at him slowly. I took in his slick suit, his goatee, and the gold tooth in his mouth as he moved the toothpick around. He had a gold chain around his neck of Saint Christopher. When my eyes finally reached his, I gasped. The familiarity haunted my aching soul. Like fallen leaves at the beginning of Winter, his eyes were warm in color but biting cold, ruthless as the season. My teeth clattered.

“Are you going to kill me?” I could feel Mario bleeding out, his cooling blood seeping into my clothing.

A minute passed, maybe two. Then he holstered his weapon. He sighed, “No, shiʼáád.” He swallowed a few times like he was unused to speaking.

“W-who are you?” I chattered.

“La pesadilla,” he rasped.

I blinked, because he’d just switched languages. He called himself a nightmare in Spanish. Who was this man that he associated with something so dark?

Judging by the widening of his harsh gaze he hadn’t meant to reveal so much of himself. Backing away slowly, he tipped his head down a bit to me. Almost like he was bowing out. He then spun me away and stalked off.

“Wait!” I cried, trying desperately to detangle myself from Mario. I freed myself and managed to get back on my feet so I could follow him, “I want to say–”

He turned the corner before I could finish my sentence.

“Thank you,” I whispered to the air.

I heard the sirens coming my way, obviously drawn by the gunfire, so I booked it out of the alley. Mario had been smart enough to prop the office’s emergency exit open with a brick. Once back inside, I closed and locked the door, retrieved my heels from the hall, then rifled through Mario’s desk to find the spare keys to the security office.

With shaking hands, I unlocked the security office to see where the cameras were. I studied the display screens. Was the mysterious vigilante who had rescued me from the assault caught on tape?

While company cameras might have caught me chased out of the building and into the alley, it did not appear to have a clear shot of the area where Mario had caught up to me and forced me to my knees. However, there was blood all over my clothing, my bare feet were bleeding as well, and my bloody return to the office had been recorded. Damn it. I thought of all the ways I could erase the evidence, but modern technology had become so advanced with back-ups in data clouds. Also, there was nothing I could do about whoever else might have had cameras outside, or witnessed the scene in the alley.

I knew I should phone the police, make myself known, but my anxiety would not let me make that call. I was that person who ignored things in the hopes they’d just disappear.

Shock. If the police came to me, I would claim I was in shock. Hell, there was more truth to that than not. How many more times in my life would I have blood sprayed on me from gun violence?

I gathered my purse, locked up the building as Mario would have, then went home. Even if I could just pretend tonight didn’t happen. If I could instead focus on the mysterious man with the haunting amber eyes that shined with both ice and fire.

Back at my apartment, I jumped in the shower and let the hot water cleanse my body. Sadly, it wouldn’t do anything for my soul. No matter. Tonight, I would ignore the knocks on my door. Tonight, I would not answer my cell. I had shut everything off and locked myself in the moment I’d made it back to my sanctuary. I could deal with it all tomorrow. Now, if I could just get clean enough to feel clean.

I scrubbed until the water ran cold. Naked, I toweled off and threw caution to the wind. I almost died today. I was staying in my birthday suit. Tomorrow, I would face the world, the accusations, the questions. Tonight it was just me.

After self-doctoring the worst of my injuries, I laid on my bed and closed my eyes. Was sleep even possible? My mind flashed back to the alleyway, but instead of Mario grabbing my hair, the stranger did.

Something vibrated in my psyche. I felt the pull of my gift, hovering along the outer fringes of my consciousness. In my mind’s eye, the gold tooth gave way to a regular one. The hair fell like a dark river down his back. And those eyes….

My mystery man. I knew him. He was one who’d saved my life as a child. His coloring was darker, and he kept saying strange words in a language I’d never heard. Mystical. Magical. Powerful.

But more than that was the heat that descended upon my body. The draw of him. A destiny. And the images my gift produced felt so incredibly real.

I reached in between the apex of my thighs and started rubbing clit in circles as he backed me against the nearest brick wall and began unbuckling his belt. He pulled his pants down, and a pierced cock sprang to life. I gasped as he thrust it into me. He whispered shiʼáád in my ear huskily while I cried out my orgasam, uncaring of the shadows that walked down that alley at that moment. I just wanted to be his.

In my bed, I gushed all over my fingers. I’d never come so hard in all my life.

With my body humming yet sated, I thought of the man who’d saved me twice. Maybe if I ever saw him again, he’d let me buy him a cup of coffee to thank him.

I could see it now. “Here’s your coffee, sir. Thank you for murdering my boss.” No, he looked so dangerous. He probably moonlighted as an assassin. The ease at which he executed Mario should have scared me.

No.

I could not be scared of the man who saved me. My dark angel. I could not even imagine what Mario would have done to me in that alley had my hero not come along and put him down like the rabid animal he was.

And his eyes. They made it all better. If I kept staring into them, I think I would lose my heart.

CHAPTER THREE

carlton

The next day, I was still kicking myself for my fuck up. I shouldn’t have called my angel, shiʼáád. She wasn’t mine. Even though I wanted her to be.

I’d watched her grow up from afar. Saw the sadness that followed her around like a dark cloud. The loneliness that called to my empty heart.

I couldn’t help myself.

She was ripe for the picking. A taste of forbidden fruit that I wanted to savor. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Not after everything that happened after that fateful night we met. Not since I changed the very essence of who I was.

I’m a monster.

No, not like the monsters on television. The sorry excuses that felt remorse in their actions. They moped around with their long hair and dark looks pretending. This wasn’t a game. I sold my soul to the devil in order to gain the power to take down my enemies. I honed those skills until I became a killing machine. Gaining the trust of the very men who stole the lives of my family members.

That night after I saved my angel from an untimely death, I ran home, hoping my father was gone and my shimá would be there. I opened the front door expecting to hear the cries of my youngest sibling.

Instead, silence reigned.

There hadn’t been a moment of peace in my home since my father lost his job and started gambling. Raised voices carried to every corner. The screams of a new baby that we couldn’t afford went on through the night. Cries from my other siblings usually due to hunger pains plagued us all.

That night, there was nothing.

I found fear in the silence. Terrified of the unknown, I crept further in. There were huge stains on the floor. Dark, red, and violent. I wanted to run away and hide, but I refused. I wouldn’t be a coward in my house. I walked through each room in a daze. Each body had a single bullet wound to the forehead.

Even my baby sister.

They spared no one. My brothers laid out like sacrifices on their beds. My youngest brother had a huge puddle of what smelled like pee below him. I went to the room my parents slept in.

There on the bed was my naked shimá. My father was fully clothed and laid out by the bathroom. A single bloody baseball bat laid next to my shimá’s body. It was as if Hefe knew I would come straight home. Like he delayed me so that his men could get ahold of everyone I held dear.

He didn’t enjoy getting his hands dirty.

I screamed and cried to the sky, begging God to bring them back. Not my father, the bastard could stay dead. But my shimá, sister, and brothers hurt no one. They were just trying to survive in this world.

I wailed until my voice gave out. Then I stopped grieving. I had no more time to mourn. It was time to get my act together and get revenge. Rather than calling the police, I left my tear stains where they were and ran to Hefe.

He pulled me into his arms and told me it would all be alright. Lying bastard. I knew he killed my family. It took everything within me not to pull a knife out and slit his throat. That would get me a bullet to the back of the head in an instant. It wasn’t the goal.

I didn’t just want to take down Hefe. No, I wanted to completely dismantle his entire regime. Burn the Cartel down so there would be no rising from the ashes. Those motherfuckers had to go. But I was too young. It wasn’t time yet.

Over the years, Hefe has only gotten more paranoid. He trusts no one. Sometimes, I thought I glimpsed humanity in his eyes, but it’s gone in an instant. I hardened my heart and trained until I was the best. My special skill grew with me.

Now, I can be whoever I wanted to be. My angel and Hefe were the only people alive in this world who had seen my true face. I slaughtered everyone else. Dead men and women couldn’t tell tales.

My angel went back to her place, and I watched her get comfortable. When she closed her eyes, I went around and climbed the fire escape that led to her living room balcony. I opened it and crept inside. I dodge the creaky floorboards. It wouldn’t do for her to hear me coming.

A cry sounded out, and I rushed to her door as quickly as I could. Her hands were between her legs and I grew hard at the site. Was she thinking of me? If so, which me? Did she long for the man in front of her or the monster who saved her life? Was she hoping that I would climb through her window and fuck her until she passed out? I hoped so.

I bit my lip and slowly backed away. I couldn’t stay here for too long. There was a job I had to do. Hefe had texted me when Angela’s boss was following behind her. I took my eyes off her for one second to answer my phone and when I looked up he had dragged her into that alleyway. I knew exactly what was on his mind from the way his beady little eyes widened in excitement. Over my dead fucking body.

I got about a block away from the meetup spot and changed forms. Groaning, I painfully shed my skin as I formed the image in my mind of the man I wanted to be. Armand Guitierez. A known ringleader of the Colombian Cartel. He had a seat at the table. His face would do well to cover my tracks tonight.

Hefe wanted me to take out a visiting Columbian senator. I chose Armand because a few years prior the Columbian Cartel investigated him for being a double agent. Nothing came of the investigation. But they hurt him grievously. I had to limp in order to keep up appearances.

If anyone saw me, they would think I was Armand Guitierez. Not a monster in disguise. The senator he was meeting had his hands in many corruptions. Child trafficking being his largest trade. He was scouting our lands, the home of the diné to smuggle children. I wouldn’t tolerate it.

The sex and drug trade were ruining our lands.

“You made it,” Senator Marquez rasped in his deeply accented voice.

I grunted. “Do you know what routes you want to take?”

He scoffed. “Straight to business, I see. No wonder El Presidente sent you.”

He didn’t even know who was standing before him. Pathetic.

“Presidente wants to expand into casinos. He wants to take down El Hefe and force him off the land. We will swoop in and use the hotels as legitimate businesses.”

“Money laundering, then?” He contemplated, rubbing his chin like he was mulling it over.

We both knew it was an act. He wanted this so badly. I could smell it on his skin.

I nodded. “We may house some of your products for you. Feed them and keep them until you’ve secured buyers.”

His eyes gleamed at the mention of kids. Sick fucker. “What would you want for that?”

“El Presidente is being benevolent. We will only take thirty percent.” It was a huge cut.

He choked, coughing and sputtering as he tried to control his reaction.

I hid a grin. Greedy sick fucker.

“That’s too much. Tell El Presidente I will give him fifteen percent and not a penny more.”

Before he could even move, I pulled my gun. “Not good enough,” I snarled.

Instead of pulling the trigger, I did what I always did. I shed my skin. The pain made me groan, but I’d trained my mind to ignore the need to fall to my knees. Horror glazed his eyes as he watched the flesh fall from my body in huge hunks to the ground before dissipating back into the earth. Blood and sweat trickled down my face. But the end result was the same. He’d seen me.

Now he had to die.

“W-what are you?” He whispered, backing away in fear.

The stench of piss permeated the air. I grinned, but it felt more like a sneer. I bet the boys he liked to play with at night wetted the bed in fear. Did that stop him? No, the sick fuck enjoyed every minute of it. Humiliating and degrading them until they begged for him to stop.

“La pesadilla.” I gave him the same response as I did my angel.

“No, y-y-you are just a legend. A monster walking upon men. A demon wearing the disguise of an angel.”

I laughed at that imagery and stalked closer. I pressed the barrel of the gun to his forehead and relished the look of fear on his face in the eyes of death. All my victims had seen my face. It made victory taste that much sweeter. But I couldn’t linger too long. I had a myriad of things to do.

I patted his pockets down until I found his hidden weapon. I tossed it aside, never taking my eyes off my prey. I hit him in the head repeatedly until he grew dizzy and dropped to the ground, giving me more access.

I pulled out my father’s hunting knife. I hated the damn thing, but it was a friendly reminder that on any day, life could change from one breath to another.

“P-p-p-please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything,” he sobbed. Big tears for such a little man.

“Beg me.” I smirked, knowing that he would and I still wouldn’t cave.

“I-I-I have money. A family!” His eyes shifted around like he was hoping someone would come save him.

No one would. Not in this neighborhood. Not when they knew I walked these streets nightly.

“Not good enough,” I snarled, truly angry about what he’d done to all those children buried in unmarked graves on his estate.

I cut deep to the bone on each arm and around his face. I wanted him to feel a modicum of the pain he put his victims through. It would never erase what they went through. But I was wiping him out of existence, anyway.

When I slowly cut his throat. He thrashed and tried to fight. An elbow to his concussed temple took care of that. The watch on my wrist started beeping. That was my alarm for my angel.

“I wasn’t going to make this quick, but I’ve got other places to be.” I swiped the knife the rest of the way across his throat. Watching in satisfaction as he gurgled on his own blood.

Drowning, what a way to go.

The lights in his eyes faded out, and I knew my job was done. I texted Hefe to tell him everything went smoothly. He sent me the middle finger emoji. I briefly wondered if my entire family hadn’t been slaughtered, would I still laugh at something small like this?

My smile had left me when they died. I remind myself it was murder. One of my trauma responses was downgrading the situation until I talked myself into believing the new narrative.

I left his body on the ground growing colder by the minute. Hefe texted that he was sending the clean up group. Knowing my job was finished, and I had more to do, I hustled back to my place. Its convenient location was one street up from my angel.

I saw the dot of Angela’s tracking device in the back of her leg moving. Where was she going? I followed her all the way to a new club that Hefe opened up. What the fuck was she doing here?

When I caught up to my angel, she was looking like a deadly siren standing at the front of it. I got here at the right time, but there was no way I could stop her from going inside without causing a scene which would piss off Hefe.

The bouncers let her in with no pushback. Of course, it didn’t help that she was a beautiful woman and everyone could see it. My angel walked through the front doors and I walked around the corner to change into something more appropriate.

Hector Garcia, the club manager, was currently underground. He did nothing wrong; he was just holding something precious to Hefe. I’ve yet to find out what it was, but once I did, I would destroy it. For now, I headed into this strip club so I could find out what the hell my angel was doing here. Then I might have to tan her ass so she wouldn’t ever return. This was no place for her. It housed some of the world’s craziest criminals looking to get their cocks sucked for a quick buck.

My angel was no one’s whore. Least of all mine.

CHAPTER FOUR

angela

A few weeks later

Today was shaping up to be an awful day. Mario’s death led to the CEO having to make some hard decisions. One of which involved selling the company to a competitor with a huge payout–for him. The rest of us got sacked.

The new company had our positions filled with other employees from their franchise. I lamented about it with my old coworkers while we got sloshed in the bar across the street from our previous job. One girl, Jolene, told me she already had a new job lined up where she was going to make a boatload of money in one night.

Knowing I would regret it, I asked her where. She told me about the new club called The Sweet Meow. An odd name for a bar. I brushed her off, laughing and saying I didn’t have any training to work in a club. Everyone went back to their complaints about the company and the idea went out of my mind.

That was until I came home and grabbed my mail. A red eviction letter sat on top of everything else. Shocked, I ripped it open and saw that it stated I was six months past due. That made little sense.

That brought me to now. I was pacing the hallway outside of my landlord’s office waiting for him to show up. Leonard showed up with a stained white shirt that had seen better days, a mug I could smell the alcohol reeking from it, and a beard with food dangling in it.

I held my breath, hoping I could make this painless as possible.

“Leonard!” I exclaimed with false excitement. “I was looking everywhere for you.”

“You found me, little darling. What can I do you for?” He waggled his eyes at me and my stomach roiled.

I gulped back what I was sure was vomit. “There’s been some mistake. I received an eviction notice-”

“Ain’t no mistake. You ain’t paid this here rent for months. I gave you a little bit more time on account of you being pretty, but looks only get you so far, little darling.”

The fuck was he talking about.

“Leonard,” I tried again with clenched teeth. “I’ve paid you every month except this one. On time and in cash. What are you talking about?”

He looked me up and down, licking his chapped lips. “I ain’t never received nothing from you. You got a receipt or something?”

Shocked, I numbly shook my head no.

“Then howse I ‘sposed to know them envelopes from you?” He grinned a smarmy gummy smile my way.

“I-I p-put the rent slip with my apartment number in the envelopes so you would know. I-I’ve been working a ton of shifts and couldn’t wait for you, so I slid them under your door. I’ve been doing this for years!” I snapped, anger coursing through my body so hard I shook with it.

“Naw, I ain’t get nothing like that. The way I see it is you owe me close to five grand. I wish I could let you stay, but if you don’t have it by the first you got to go.”

Tears welled in my eyes. He knew that money was from me. He stole it. Why the fuck would he do something like this?

“I ‘spose I could let you off and start fresh next month…” He trailed off, swirling his hooch like he was thinking.

“Really? What do I have to do? I won’t be late again, I promise.” This was my saving grace, but I hated having to own up to something I didn’t do. I could get a job and make sure that he got the new payment. I would wait until he gave me a receipt because the trust we had was broken.

“Get on your knees, little darling. You suck my cock every night ‘til the first and I ain’t gonna chuck you out on this here street.”

I stumbled back like someone had struck me.

“What the fuck? Ew! No!” I covered my gasp with my hand. I hadn’t meant to say that.

Leonard’s face goes from jovial to mad real quick. “Then you best get my fucking money, yeah?”

“R-right,” I whispered, before turning away and fleeing down the hallway.

What the fuck was I going to do now?

After wallowing in my bedroom for a few hours, I caved and called Jolene. She told me the name of the manager in charge and that auditions were happening this afternoon. Confused, I asked her why we needed auditions and not interviews. She giggled and said she would see me there before hanging up mysteriously.

Cunt. Jolene knew I hated being unprepared. There was nothing online about The Sweet Meow. Reviews from a lot of men said it was the hottest joint in the area. I pulled a ton of clothes out of my closet, but settled on a business power suit in red. I’d bought myself some sexy lingerie because I love wearing business wear with something naughty beneath it.

Lady in the streets, but will steal his soul in these sheets, indeed.

I pulled up to the club feeling more confident behind my armor. A prickle raised the hair on the nape of my neck to stand on end. I glanced around trying to see if there was anyone out of the ordinary. After a few minutes, I brushed it off and scurried inside. I didn’t have time to worry about someone watching me. For all I knew, it was a drug addict hoping I’d sell them their latest fix.

The lights were dim, but I could see a clear stage with a pole in the center of the room. Oh, no. What the hell did Jolene drag me into?

“What can I do for you, honey?” A woman in platform heels and a thong sidled up to me.

“I’m here to audition?” I squeaked out.

I wanted to smack myself in the face. I should be more confident or they won’t take me seriously.

She looked me up and down, skepticism written all over her pockmark made-up face.

“Sure.” She drug the syllables out. “Dee!” She waved over a hulking man wearing an earpiece.

“What?” His voice sent chills up my spine.

It was vaguely familiar, but I was too out of my element to meet his eyes. Choosing to stare at the floor instead while I awaited judgment.

“Can you escort honey here out? She doesn't belong here.” The woman looked back at me. “I’m not sure if you're lost or not, but this here is a strip club. Toplessness is a must.” She jiggled her breasts like I didn’t understand that concept.

“I know that,” I bit out, uncaring I was lying through my teeth. “I’m here to audition, same as everyone else.”

“Well, the boss-man is currently busy training some of the new servers, so I don’t know how long you’ll have to wait.” I glanced up and she had a twinkle in her eyes.

“I know! Why don’t Dee show you to one of the back rooms and you do your audition for him. If he says you’re good to go, you can start tonight.” She looked like she was going to turn away.

“Wait! How much is the pay?” I just stopped myself from reaching out and grabbing her arm.

“Oh, honey. Aren’t you precious? The girls make anywhere between ten and fifteen a night.” She smirked at me, but I was confused.

“An hour?” That seemed really low.

“Thousand, honey. Ten to fifteen thousand in a night.”

I gasped. What kind of club was this that they made so much? Why wasn’t I saying no?

The man named Dee made a choking sound when I took a step towards him. Stumbling, I looked up and stopped. His eyes.

They were cold and harsh, but the color fascinated me. As I shivered under his oppressive gaze, I wondered what were the odds that I met two men with the same unique eyes.

At first glance, his eyes were brown, but as I stared deeper into them, I saw small flecks of orange, yellow, and gold. There was no one color, but it was as if god himself created these eyes to match the aesthetic of autumn.

I walked closer to him and caught the scent of smoke. Was he moonlighting as a firefighter or something? The thought of him wearing a uniform made me cringe. His eyes were the only part of his anatomy I wanted. The rest of his hulking form made me want to vomit all over his shiny, black shoes.

“She doesn’t have what it takes.” He rumbled.

Oh, fuck. His voice was just as attractive as his eyes. It too was familiar. The cadence was off because of the midwestern accent, but it didn’t fit him when I closed my eyes and pictured him.

In my mind’s eye, he was my mystery savior with an added complexion. A smoky scent, amazing eyes, and a voice to die for. If I didn’t have better control, I’d drop to my knees and worship his cock. But that wasn’t me.

“I do so. Don’t judge me before you even know me, hombre.” I was so sick of this damn day. I wasn’t leaving until I got this job.

“Let’s go then.” He tipped his chin to the other woman and grabbed my forearm in a stronghold, almost dragging me towards the back rooms.

Wordlessly, I followed him into a dark area. He pulled me into a showroom with a pole and stage in the corner. He turned on music and sat on the chair across from the stage with a grunt.

“Dance,” he demanded.

The lyrical voice of the great Eminem blared through the speakers, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I figured he would have thrown on Cherry Pie by Warrent. Instead, my favorite song played and I tore off my suit with no finesse. I didn’t know how to dance, but what I lacked in knowledge, I would make up for in enthusiasm.

Down to my lingerie, I walked around the pole, lightly touching it. I pulled off my bra and dangled it, with one arm wrapped around my breasts. I prayed I wouldn’t catch anything as I stroked up and down the pole with my other arm picturing my dream guy’s cock in my hand. It was so vivid in my mind; I had to pull away before I licked the pole.

I spun backwards and wrapped my leg around the pole, slowly turning on my other foot. I hoped I looked attractive because I did not know what I was doing. Rather than technique, I listened to the beat and imagined my rescuer in front of me.

I touched my nipples and pulled them, imagining it was his hands turning me down. My breaths came in my pants as I ground on the pole, my pussy straddling it. I rode that pole, inching closer to my climax, forgetting the stranger watching me dance.

Lost in the memory of my ten-year-old crush, I fucked that pole like it was going to cuddle me afterwards. I shimmied and shook until I peaked then came all over my thong.

Dimly aware of the music cutting off, I slowly opened my eyes. My cheeks throbbing with heat. The stranger in front of me was gasping for breath like he’d just ran a mile even though he’d been sitting down. A wet spot appeared in the crotch of his jeans and I looked away trying to give him a little privacy.

Did he just come in his pants for me?

A rush of exhilaration I’ve never felt before ran through my veins. The silence stretched between us as we both tried to catch up on our breathing.

“So? What did you think?” I muttered, hoping I did well.

A beat of silence passed between us as he glared at me. His cock still hard and throbbing in his pants. He stood and stalked towards me, picking my clothes off the floor before shoving them in my chest.

“Needs work,” he snarled, before abruptly stalking out of the room.

What the fuck? Did that mean I didn’t get the gig?

Angry and disheartened, a sob lodged in my throat, but I refused to allow one tear drop for that asshole. He didn’t deserve them. At all.

CHAPTER FIVE

carlton

Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. What was my angel doing at The Sweet Meow? I wasn’t hiring her. There was no way I would allow these leering scumbags the privilege of seeing what was mine. Not mine, but not theirs either.

“Henny,” I cursed. This was all her fault. My angel shouldn’t be in this place. Why was she here?

“Yes?” Henny sidled up to my side. She didn’t touch me, but she batted her lashes coquettishly like she was flirting with me.

She didn’t even swing my way.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what you did. She isn’t fit for this life. She’s everything that’s good in this world and I won’t hire her.” I growled.

“It’s done. The head boss said her body fit in well enough.” Henny shrugged.

I gripped her up by her arm and felt a sense of pleasure from her terrified expression. “Listen to me, bitch. If anything happens to that girl, I will rip your head clear off your bony body. You got me?” I shook her until her teeth rattled.

“Y-yeah, I got you,” she muttered, rubbing her arm as soon as I left.

I would’ve held on and threatened her more, but my angel came stumbling out of the back room. Her eyes went wild as they looked around until they landed on me. She narrowed her gaze and stomped towards me, almost breaking a heel.

“Hey!” She yelled. “How fucking dare you? I will not stand for this shit. Who do you think you are? You can’t just tell me I need to work on it and leave. Work on f-”

“You’re hired.” Henny cut in, a smile on her face.

Angela stopped, her eyes rose in surprise. “I-I’m what?”

“I said you did good. You’re hired. You can start tonight at six, yeah?” Henny pulled out her phone to check the time.

“Y-yeah…I mean yes. I can get here by six, but I have nothing to wear.” Angela’s focus was on Henny now and I felt relief, but also pained that she could ignore me so easily.

The two walked off and I almost lost hope until my angel turned around and looked deep into my eyes. Hers were riddled with confusion as she stared back. She looked at me like I was a puzzle she was trying hard to solve.

She stumbled over a wire breaking our connection. I let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t recognize me. I’d tried to change my tone of voice and slouch more like the men I’d seen hanging around the club.

The only reason I was moonlighting as this body guard in the first place was because Hefe didn’t trust anyone. He figured someone was skimming money from the club and a bouncer would have an easier time seeing things they shouldn’t than a man working directly for the head boss.

Even though people hadn’t seen me, I was still too well known. My nickname was a legend in these parts. Amongst the made men, I was a tale they told their sons who didn’t fall in line. I wasn’t even supposed to be at the club right now. My shift didn’t start until six just like Angela’s. But Hefe wanted me there early.

He wanted me to go through the office and see if I could find any suspicious documents. He had a feeling that his manager here was playing both sides. Skimming money off the top and making underhanded deals with other organizations. As soon as I found proof of that, I was to report back so Hefe would make an example out of him.

I was always his weapon.

Since I was a little boy, Hefe has used my curse for his own gain. A monster living under the guise of a normal man. I was an identity thief. But instead of stealing credit cards and money, I sucked in the essence of my latest victims.

Angela came out of the dressing room with a bag and a new jacket. It wasn’t brand new, just new to her. Henny must’ve let her borrow it so she could have something to wear over her outfit. Maybe she would not change here at all.

I didn’t like the thought of her alone in the dressing room showing off what was mine. How was I going to get her out of this fucked up situation?

She started towards the door, giving me a wide berth.

That gave me an idea. I walked up behind her and she jumped like I’d scared her.

“W-what are you doing?” She looked around with these wide help me eyes like someone was going to step in and save her from the big, bad bouncer.

“My job,” I grunted.

“Your job doesn’t involve following me.” She crossed her arms over her chest which lifted her already perky breasts. Was she teasing me?

“If you are leaving the club to get into a car, you need an escort at all times. Club rules. Like I said, I’m doing my job.” I smirked at her. “Let’s go, shiʼáád.”

She gave me a look I didn’t understand, but walked ahead of me without another mouthy word. We headed out into the sunshine and I saw a rusted, old Corolla in the mostly empty parking lot when we turned the corner.

“Whose car is that?” Even though I knew the answer.

“Mine,” she bit out, stomping the rest of the way towards her death trap.

I chuckled, trailing behind her leisurely. When she bent over to open the door it squeaked slowly like it was minutes from falling off the hinges. I kicked it closed, uncaring if it fell off entirely.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” She screeched, slapping me in the arm. She shook her hand out. “Fuck, your muscles hurt.” She whined.

If only she knew.

My actual body was even bigger than this one. My muscles had muscles. I could pick her up with one hand and fuck her without breaking a sweat. At that thought, my cock rose.

Think clean thoughts.

Think of something else.

I imagined my shimá lying in her congealed blood and my dick went down like I’d thrown a bucket of ice water on it. Always did the trick. Not that I’d been getting hard for other women. Naw. I’ve had a woody for one precious angel since I was fifteen years old and that shit wasn’t changing soon. She was my one obsession besides revenge that got me through this life.

“If you think for one goddamn second, I’ll allow you to drive this fire trap waiting to happen, you’ve got another thing coming,” I growled.

“A-Allow me to?” Her mouth hung open.

I tapped her chin. “Close your mouth before you catch a dick in it.”

Flustered, she tried to say something, but I’d rendered her mute.

“I can take the train home,” she said.

“Nope.”

“The bus?” She pleaded.

“Fuck no,” I vetoed.

“Walk?”

“So they can drag you down a dark alley and you get raped in broad daylight? I think the fuck not.”

“Then, how do you propose I get home?” She crossed her arms.

Fuck if she wasn’t adorable sometimes.

I grinned and motioned to the black SUV three parking spaces over. As if I wouldn't park as close to my angel as I could without raising suspicion.

“We can take my safe car. I’ll pick you up for our shift as well.” I moved towards my vehicle.

“Our shift?” Sarcasm tinged her lyrical voice.

“Yes, little angel. Our shift. We both start at six so it’s like the killing of stones with one bird.”

She giggled just like I knew she would from the botched saying.

“That’s not how that goes.” Shaking her head, she waits for me to open the passenger door for her.

A better man would’ve called her a Taxi or an Uber, but I was hardly a man. I peeled out before realizing the mistake I was making.

“Where do you live?”

“Over by fifty-fourth street,” she mumbled. Her cheeks tinged red.

Ah, she was embarrassed by where she lived. She didn’t have to worry about that. I’ve spent many a night hidden beneath her bed jerking off to her breathing while she slept. I’d fondled her breasts as she tossed and turned, wriggling on top of the sheets, while her hips thrashed around searching for my cock.

Fuck, I was hard again. At least this time, I was sitting and could maneuver so she couldn’t quite see me standing at attention.

Making herself comfortable, she flicked on the radio. A well known Tejano song blared through the speakers and Angela hummed along. It made me smile knowing that she wasn’t afraid to touch my things. I hoped one day she wouldn’t be afraid to touch me, but I knew that dream would never come to fruition.

We pulled into the parking lot behind her run-down apartment building. I’d sat here many times, peering up at her window. Angrily pacing below worried someone else could see her too. Worse, I masturbated every time the lights would turn on and I’d see her silhouette. One night, I’d gotten so lucky, she had taken off her clothes right at the window. I rubbed my cock raw from her beauty even as I scowled at my surroundings daring anyone else to even peek up at my angel. Even with the curtains closed, I could see all her curves on display in the lamplight.

“Thank you for giving me a ride. I’m sorry I was so mean about it.” She smiled.

I groaned at that sweet look and before I could stop myself and say it was a bad idea; I leaned forward and kissed her.

For a brief moment, I thought she wouldn’t kiss me back. My shoulders slumped. She could never accept me as I am. Just as I was about to pull away, her lips parted with a gasp and she let me in.

Sweet and tart flavors hit my senses as I tasted her for the first time. Her tongue tentatively touched mine, and I couldn’t help letting out a groan of satisfaction. My body relaxed, and I took the kiss deeper. I opened my eyes so I could watch my little angel.

Her brow crinkled in confusion as she lost herself in me. I understood. She felt something for me, but it was the me from before. She didn’t understand, and I needed to make sure I held back a little so she wouldn’t catch on to my true nature.

Needing her closer, I pulled her onto my lap and let her grind over me. My cock was back to a full mast and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted my little angel. Even though I knew it would finish in tragedy.

She pulled away, “Please?”

At her sweet begging, I scrunched her business skirt around her waist, ripping it a bit in my impatience. Angela ground on top of me, her little cries of pleasure driving me insane.

“Yes, yes, yes.” She cried from above me.

I shoved my fingers in her soaked cunt and my head in her breast so I could hide my fangs. I hadn’t had them pop up unexpectedly since I was going through puberty. But now, just like my traitorous cock, I couldn’t get them to go away. Not when she was involved.

“Oh, my god. Oh my god,” she cried. I knew she was close. This would be the hardest orgasm she ever had. I’ve given her plenty, not that she knew that. But this one was where she was fully awake and consensual. I didn’t have to add lubrication, her body had done that all for me.

“Fuck!” She cried out as her legs tightened around my waist and her pussy started spasming. She shivered and shook above me and I let my teeth graze her nipple. I wouldn’t lose control although I wished I could sink my fangs inside of her and let loose my toxin.

It was something the witches had left my ancestors with. A fail-safe we never spoke of. I’d only used it for pain, not pleasure. I did not know if it would kill her or if it would get her off even harder. I just knew that deep down in my core, I wanted to possess everything she was. She needed to live and breathe for me. Once I was fixated, I wouldn’t stop. Not until I was dead and I wouldn’t take my dying breath until I had my revenge. My vow was clear.

Shoving her away from me at the reminder of my duty, I clambered out of the car. I’d come again in my pants like a wayward school boy. This had to end. No more meddling in her affairs.

I opened the door for her and grunted. “Get going.”

Shocked by my change of tone, she backed away from me.

“Now!” I growled. I stalked around to my side of the SUV and slammed the door behind me. As I drove away, I didn't look back. She was probably standing in the parking lot and wondering what had happened. I just couldn’t allow myself to care. I had too much to lose.

CHAPTER SIX

angela

After Dee left me in the parking lot with my skirt raised in the air like a prostitute, I headed inside and relaxed for a bit. I got ready for the strip club trying to keep my mind off the man giving me whiplash. One minute I thought I knew him and then the next he was lashing out at me for something he’d started. I needed to keep far away from him. It was those eyes that did me in. I kept imagining my mystery man.

It kept me up at night wondering what he felt like. Imagining him touching me. Dee was the closest thing I had to him. His eyes, voice, and scent matched. I could close my eyes and picture whatever body I wanted in place of Dee’s. He wasn’t normally my type, but I came so hard in that car I had to admit he did something for me.

Six o’clock rolled around quickly after I forced myself to clean my entire apartment. It may be a tad dilapidated, but it was home. I wanted to keep it looking new. Not to mention, my new neighbors had an unregulated amount of animals. Don’t get me wrong, I loved pets, but I think they didn’t take care of them well enough. Why couldn’t Leonard focus on them rather than me?

At five forty, I stepped out of my apartment almost gagging at the stench lingering in the hallway. It smelled as if someone had pissed all over my door. I reached the top of the stairs before my arm was yanked and I was pulled down the corridor.

“Hey! Stop!” I tried to gain the upper hand, by digging my heels in, but Leonard wasn’t having it.

“Where’s my money?” He spun around and spittle hit me right on the cheek.

Disgusted, I used my sleeve to take it away. “I’ll have it tonight.”

“I want it now.” He licked his lips while looking me up and down.

I could see his salacious thoughts written all over his face. Gagging, I took a step back, but didn’t get far because he still had his dirty hand wrapped around me. Tugging slightly, he let me go. I rubbed my arm and frowned knowing it was going to bruise.

Ready to give him hell, I looked up and saw all the blood drain out of his face.

“A-are you alright?” I didn’t care about him, but I was a decent human being.

“What do you think you’re doing out here?” A familiar dark voice came from behind me.

I spun around on a gasp. “How did you know I was up here?”

“I didn’t want us to be late, so I was coming to get you.I heard raised voices. Why isn’t there an elevator in this building?” Dee complained.

I laughed sharply, forgetting Leonard for a brief minute while I basked in Dee’s presence. “This is the ghetto, we don’t have elevators, your highness.”

Dee looked over my shoulder at Leonard and glared. “Why were your hands on her?”

“Dee, it’s fine.” I reached out to touch him, startled at the heat he was giving off.

“It’s not fucking alright. No man should touch what isn’t theirs.” He sent a pointed look at Leonard, then his gaze dropped to mine and softened. “Are you ready to go?”

I nodded, shocked by yet another change in demeanor. “Yeah, I’m all set.”

“Let’s go then.” He lifted my old, ratty gym duffle off my shoulder and turned to leave.

“I can carry that,” I told him.

“Not while I’m around,” he mumbled.

I melted. It was sweet that he wanted to carry my bag for me. No one had ever done that before. He held out a beefy paw and I looked down at it confused. I looked up at him, but he was focused on getting to the stairs. It felt awkward seeing his hand out, so I gave him a low five.

Startled, he stopped in his tracks.

“What?” I hesitated beside him. Did I do it wrong? Should I have slapped his hand harder?

“You’re supposed to hold it, sheʼatʼééd.”

I didn’t comment on the new nickname. Embarrassment flooded through me and I could feel my cheeks growing red. His were tinged darker as well. Was he feeling the same way as me?

The thought made me giddy as a schoolgirl as I slid my hand into his, marveling at the feel of his calloused fingers. We walked down the stairs in silence. Him in front, his eyes tracking back and forth like there was going to be some dangerous threat leaping at us on the stairs. Me trailing quietly behind him lost in thought.

At the bottom, I wondered if I should drop my grip on him, but he just pulled me close to him. Our bodies brushing together sending tingles of pleasure down my spine. This man. What was he doing to me?

It felt wrong, these newfound feelings for a man I’d just met. He wasn’t my stranger. I’d made a promise to myself that I would find the boy who’d saved me and lock him down. I’d get pregnant with his child so he could never leave me.

“Wait here,” Dee demanded when we reached the door.

Dutifully, I did. He walked outside and watched as he checked the perimeter outside. Did he think there was some kind of an active threat against my life? I shook the silly notion off before I even let it become a fear in the back of my mind.

This was what Dee did for a living. Maybe he couldn’t turn it off.

He came back inside and kept me behind him as we walked thirty feet to his SUV. Once he buckled me inside and got in on his, we sped away. Dee looked at all three mirrors like someone was following us. I ignored it. I’d met so many people in my life with unresolved trauma, that I didn’t question their habits anymore.

Dee escorted me all the way to the dressing room. I wanted to ask if it was necessary, but one glance at his ruthless gaze made me think better of it. I didn’t want to set him off. We were coworkers at best. I would allow him to do his job and then maybe find time to ask him more questions about his behavior tonight when we were off the clock. Drama at work wasn’t something I wanted to be involved in.

The girls in the back were all fluttering about in random states of undress. Some were doing their hair while others were putting on their stage makeup. Henny popped out from behind a screen and rushed me to a vanity that wasn’t occupied.

“You’ve got about thirty minutes to get ready before you have to be on stage. After you're done, you need to go out into the crowd and give lap dances. I don’t want you taking any private dances for the next few weeks. I know that’s where many girls get their money, but you will do fine on tips on the floor, until the other girls see your merit. Once we know you aren’t going to flake on us, I’ll give you more responsibility. We clear?”

Mutely, I nodded. This wasn’t the giggly Henny from earlier. She had a no bullshit attitude tonight. I could see now why she was in charge.

I turned to my vanity and started pulling stuff out of my bag. I wasn’t concerned about stripping in front of the other woman. I undressed and put on my costume. I wasn’t sure Dee would show up to pick me up. So, I hadn’t dressed for the stage. I wouldn’t have wanted to wear this outfit on the train.

Henny’s outfit was pretty tame from what I was expecting. It was essentially a bathing suit with chains that covered the lower half of my stomach. The bra size was a cup too small and I think it was done purposefully so I’d spill out of it a bit.

While I got ready, some girls left and I could hear the DJ announce them by their stage names. Henny told me earlier she would pick one for me, so I didn’t need to worry about it. I just had to stand by the wings and wait.

“Let’s go, new girl.” Henny ran through reminding me that it was almost time.

Cautiously, so I wouldn’t slip on my platforms, I made my way to the stage.

“Gentlemen, I’ve got a real treat for you tonight. We’ve got ourselves a bona fide virgin!” The crowd cheered as the DJ pumped them up.

Blushing, I waited for the stagehands to finish collecting the other girls' money.

“Her claws aren’t sharp gentlemen. Show some love to KITTY!”

I’d stepped onto the stage as the lights dropped and grinned at the basic name. The nostalgic sound of Foxy Brown’s Candy played through the club. The men ate it up as I cat-walked towards the pole. Rolling my body to the beat.

Just like when I was alone with Dee, I rolled my body against the pole and slid down showing my cleavage. I undid the straps along my neck and shimmied while holding up the cups of my bra. Blushing, I spun away from the crowd and pulled the bikini string in the back of my outfit. Giving them a glimpse of my nipple before turning with my hand over my breast.

I went to drop my hand and show my tits when a shadow blocked my entire body from the gaze of the paying customers in the crowd.

“Absolutely not,” Dee growled over the music.

“Dee, what in the hell are you doing?” I tried to yell over the music.

“You’re not showing them what’s mine!” He roared and scooped me off the stage over his shoulder.

I beat his back with my fists, cursing him all the way to the dressing room. My small hands didn’t even make him grunt in pain. It did not phase him at all. His sole focus was removing me physically from the situation.

As soon as he got me in the dressing room, he went a little mad.

“Out!” He bellowed at the half dressed strippers who were in the process of getting ready.

They all scrambled out of the room.

“You can’t just kick them out so you can have some kind of mega meltdown,” I cried. I was seriously fed up with his over possessiveness. He didn’t know me and I sure as fuck didn’t understand him.

Panting, Dee dropped me on the nearest chair with a thud. I think some of the bones in my back may have cracked from the force of it. Rubbing my throbbing spine, I glared at the beast in front of me. The silence stretched between us and I was partially aware of my state of nakedness.

“Well?” I crossed my hands over my breast, shielding them from his view. “Say something!”

“If you want to strip for someone it’s going to be me, sheʼatʼééd.” He stated it like it was a fact, but I would not be some docile woman who followed his arbitrary rules.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t push past you and get my ass back on that stage so I can pay my rent this month?” My voice raised to a screech.

“Because YOU. ARE. FUCKING. MINE!” He roared.

Wait, what? “I-I’m not,” I stammered.

His eyes snapped to mine and narrowed. “You don’t believe me? Let me show you.” With a savage grin he came towards me, his intent unknown.

Fuck, I shouldn’t have poked the beast. This wouldn’t end well.

CHAPTER SEVEN

carlton

A haze of red covered my eyes and I was trembling. My angel had bared her body to all the sick men in the club. She allowed them to see her slender form. I don’t care that it was hidden. I didn’t care that she faced the other way. The illusion that she would give them all of her drove me mad.

“If you don’t think you’re mine, I’ll have to show you.” I could feel the blood vessels pop in my face as the skin split.

Angela gasped, her eyes growing wide as she watched me transform before her. Blood oozed from my pores as I showed her my true form. Whimpering, she scooted back. I let out a manic laugh. Now, she feared me?

The skin plopped to the ground as my body reclaimed my natural shape. My clothes evaporated off my body. Panting, I stood before her, uncaring I was nude. As my body changed, my clothes ripped to shreds. My dark hair clung to the sides of my face. My fangs throbbed as they dropped.

“W-what are you?” She wheezed out.

I shot her toothy sneer. “I told you already, shiʼáád, la pesadilla.” She let out a frightened shriek when I lunged towards her. Too far gone in my rage, I grabbed her leg and yanked her towards me.

“No,” she screeched. Her nails tried to find purchase in the linoleum as she clung on.

I could smell the scent of blood in the air masking my angel’s natural musk. The slight loss of her cleared my mind enough to look up as I glimpsed myself in the mirrored wall to my left. I looked like a veritable monster. Blood covered my naked body and my eyes were slit on my face from my rage.

I let go of her leg. It was dangling between us in the air like a piece of meat. I felt like the witches of old. Taking women when they needed power. We all knew the legends. How they sacrificed the innocent, so that they could be strong.

Disgusted, I forced more calm through my body than I was feeling. “I’m sorry,” I growled.

Angela sat up and rubbed her ankle. “I don’t understand. What are you? Who are you? I’ve felt your eyes on me everywhere I go, but you wear an unfamiliar face. You are unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.” She blurted this all out underneath a sheen of tears.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I never should’ve let this farce go on for as long as it has.” I took another step until I backed into the wall and slumped over to the floor.

“D-do I know you?” Her fear was leaking out of her, but with a trembling smile, she crawled towards me.

I held my breath afraid of scaring her away. She was like a flighty bird. If I made any sudden movements, she would run as far away from me as she could.

“Yes.” Uncomfortable, I looked away.

“What are you and how do I know you?” She demanded, wrapping her arms around her legs.

“Yee naaldlooshii. Traditionally speaking it means something like going on all fours…” I trailed off, unable to say more with this big lump in my throat. Talking about my past was not something I thought I would do tonight.

“And non traditionally speaking?” She placed her shaking hands underneath her knees like it would stop them.

“I’m an abomination.” I tell her bluntly. “Hellfire has molded me to dole out my revenge.”

“Revenge on who? On me?” Her big doe eyes fill with more tears.

“No! Oh, no. Not you at all. You are the only thing that’s good in my life. You have been for a long time.”

“We just met, though.” Her tears had stopped. In their place was curiosity.

“You may not remember me, but I remember you, shiʼáád.” My fangs sank into my bottom lip as I worried it. “You were small then. You almost died. I shouldn’t have ingratiated myself into your life again. You don’t need my darkness dimming your light. It’s like a beacon that calls every dark predator around you.”

“You’re my mystery man!” She cried out.

Before I could brace myself for the impact, she flung her body at mine. I wrapped an arm around her back instinctively trying to give her support.

“Mystery man?” I rumbled in confusion. I could see the blush taking over her body.

“I dreamed about finding you.” Her lips brushed my skin as she spoke, causing heat to flood straight to my dick.

This was so not the time.

“What were these dreams about?” I grunted, moving away trying to adjust myself.

Angela just plastered herself closer to me.

“Some were about that horrible night while others were about seeing you for the first time as an adult. All of them ended differently, but never in my wildest dreams did I think this would be how I met you.” She placed a kiss on my chest. She didn’t shudder away from the blood. When her tongue peeked out and licked a drop, I lost what little control I had left.

Tilting her head up, I slanted my lips across her and pulled her in for our first genuine kiss. It was the only one I wanted to remember because I was wearing my own skin for it. She was accepting me, this monster, into her life. Her body and I was hopeful, her soul.

“You can’t strip here. I’m sorry, but I won’t allow other men to see what is mine.” I moved my cock in between her folds and she let out a little cry of pleasure. It soothed the beast deep inside that was overriding my thoughts.

“I need the money. My landlord is forcing me to either suck his cock or pay him by tonight.” Her ragged breathing told me she was just as affected by our close proximity as I was.

“I’ll kill him.” It was the easiest solution.

She giggled, burying her face in my sticky neck. I wasn’t kidding. I would rip him limb from limb and he’d learn never to fuck with my angel ever again.

“You can’t do that,” she said.

I guess she realized I wasn’t telling a joke.

“If I can’t kill him, then I guess you're going to have to live with me.” I was definitely going to kill that motherfucker, the first chance I got. But my angel needed me right now and nothing was going to stop me from giving her everything she needed.

“I can’t live with you. I don’t even know your real name,” she sighed like it was an option.

“I wasn’t asking.” I nuzzled her neck and she melted into me.

This woman. She was my biggest weakness.

“If I do this, it would only be temporary. I’m not taking advantage of your kindness.” She pulled away from me so she could stare into my eyes. “You’ve already done so much for me already.”

I held back a snort of derision. I hadn’t done nearly enough. I’d saved her, but I didn’t help her parents. She’d lived a hard life. Paycheck to paycheck. A rodent infested apartment in the worst part of town. I wouldn’t speak anymore of her parents or their chindi, the malevolent spirit, would make me their next victim.

Rising with Angela in my arms like a baby monkey, I brought her to the showers in the next room. Not all the girls used them, but we needed it. I’d gotten blood, guts, and skin all over my angel. She looked like she’d rolled around on the set of a horror film.

I ran the water as hot as we could stand it. Angela loved hot showers. Anytime I’d seen her step out of her bathroom from my perch underneath her bed, steam followed behind her. The wallpaper in her bathroom was falling down because of how hot she kept it.

“I have to sit you down, angel.” I had a go bag hidden in the locker here in case I had to take care of someone for Hefe. My toiletries were inside as well so I could get clean when things got messy. Not quite the situation I thought I’d need it for, but it did the trick.

I grabbed all my essentials and trotted back. I didn’t want to leave her for one second. Especially not when she was feeling so vulnerable. After the revelations from tonight, she needed as much coddling as I could give her.

“Up.” I helped her stand underneath the water and lathered her body first. I felt a sense of satisfaction as she got clean. I was also sad that she would no longer have my scent all over her skin. Oh, she’d smell like me because of my body wash, but she wouldn’t have my essence. My natural musk. Something that would keep the predators at bay. They recognized one of their own after all. I was the biggest one in town. They wouldn’t fuck with my sweet angel if they knew she had me around. Maybe late at night, I could come on her more often so she would wear my scent everywhere she went.

“I can do it,” she grumbled, trying to take the soap. .

I lightly tapped her hands. “It’s my right.”

Her shoulders slumped as I massaged her all over. When I reached her thighs, I couldn’t help dropping to my knees and rubbing my nose in her folds. Fuck she smelled so damn good. I could taste her arousal.

Pushing her against the wall, I stood underneath the water, hastily washing my body. She watched me with lust in her gaze. My cock was hard and throbbing, aching to slip inside of her. I couldn’t. She wasn’t ready yet. She needed to be brought to my home, laid on my bed as I fucked her into oblivion. After a few dozen orgasms, I’m certain she’d fall right asleep.

Feeling as clean as I could for a rushed job, I yanked her towards me. Growling when the slap of her wet body against my own. She cried out, gyrating against me.

“Lift your leg up,” I commanded.

She didn’t hesitate to obey me. I wanted to let out a roar of victory as I saw her bare pussy. Dropping my hand to her pussy, I rubbed gently, watching her face to see what she liked or disliked.

I was focused so intently; I hadn’t realized how close she was. She came with a shudder and grasped my shoulders, almost clawing me from the force of her release.

“Come home with me,” I pressed again.

“Tell me your name first,” she countered.

“Carlton Chee.” I reached around her and turned off the water. Then I lifted her in my arms again. I loved the feeling of her against me. I carried her over to a bench and used the only towel we had to dry her body.

“Carlton,” she moaned.

I wanted to fuck her right here, right now after hearing my name on her lips. But, I wanted to give her more than that. I wanted everything between us to be memorable. Angela reached between us and tried to wrap a dainty hand around my cock. I stopped her before she could touch me.

Hurt shone in her eyes, but I shook my head. “I can wait. This was about you, my angel.”

Disappointed, she yanked the towel out of my hand. She then dried me like I did her. A wave of satisfaction ran through me. She wanted to care for me. I liked that.

The beast inside had been quiet since we’d given into the sweet temptation of our angel. I hoped I could live up to her expectations. But the darkest part of my mind reminded me I’ve already let her down.

I was bound to do so again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

angela

I fell asleep on the way to Carlton’s place. The night had worn on me more than any other. I hadn’t even protested when he lifted me into his arms bridal style and carried me out of the club like he was my savior. I guess in a way he was.

Always the damsel in distress, never the hero.

A creepy crawly feeling over my cheek woke me up. I thrashed and shook my head back and forth trying to get what I knew was a bug off of me. The laughter I heard was so unexpected, I cracked open my eyes.

“What are you doing?”

I looked over to Carlton who wore a bemused expression on his face.

“I thought there was a bug on me.” Silly and immature I was sure, but they petrified me.

His white teeth gleamed in the darkness. “I brushed a flyaway off your cheek. It wasn’t a bug at all.”

Leaving me in the car with a gaping mouth, I watched as he walked around to let me out of his SUV. He opened the door for me and unbuckled my seatbelt. I didn’t dare move. Carlton seemed like the man who liked to be in charge. I wouldn’t let him walk all over me, but I didn’t want him to flash those fangs at me either. They were lethal.

He scooped me up and I would admit only to myself that I liked being in his arms. It made me feel feminine. My core clenched as he walked. I could feel his powerful muscles flexing as he carried my weight. I was a thick woman and he didn’t strain himself at all. For the first time, I felt dainty and small. Something I never thought I’d feel before.

“This is home,” he rumbled as he slowly placed me back on my feet to unlock the door.

It swung open and revealed the largest foyer I’d ever been in before. His house was enormous. A mansion really. How could he afford something so opulent?

“What the fuck do you do for a living?” I blurted, then covered my mouth. I hadn’t meant to say that.

“Kill people,” he shot back, deadpanned.

Dread bubbled in my stomach. Did he really do that? I looked over to him and didn’t see a smirk or a grin. Nothing to show me he was joking. He did murder my former boss in broad daylight. Not that I was sobbing tears over him, but still. He moved like a trained mercenary.

In my mind he did. I wasn’t sure what someone with lethal training looked like in combat. I could guess though.

I should be scared, shouldn’t I? I could run away, but the way his ruthless gaze tracked me was predatory. If I took off now, he’d chase me down, and I knew I wouldn’t like the consequences once he caught me.

Lost in my head, I didn’t realize he steered me towards the kitchen. My stomach made a loud grumble, and we both looked down at it. Me, with embarrassment willing it to shut the fuck up. Him, with amusement probably wondering if I was some kind of errant child who couldn’t feed herself.

“Hungry?”

“Starving, captain obvious.” I smirked.

Carlton walked by me, but instead of passing me, he laid his hand on the small of my back and forced me across the countertop. An audible smack sounded in the silence.

“Don’t get cheeky,” his husky tenor made my nipples perk up.

“I can’t believe you just spanked me on the ass like a little kid.” Letting me up, he went to the refrigerator and started pulling out all the fixings to make sandwiches.

“I’d do it again if you persist on acting like one.”

Shocked, I put my hands on my hips until I saw the small smile on his face. He was teasing me.

“Now, who’s being cheeky,” I scoffed.

“Still you,” he rasped. His dark gaze hungry as he looked at me over the open door.

“Do you need any help?” I glanced around, not knowing my way around his kitchen.

“You could grab the plates that are sitting in the cabinet to the left.” He waved a hand in that general direction.

I hopped off the stool and started grabbing them. Then I walked around opening cabinet doors until I found glasses, silverware, and even some paper towels that I was going to fold up into napkins.

“I’ll set the table.” I felt a rush of pleasure doing something for him.

This was my dream man. Even though he wasn’t the most law-abiding, he was still good to me. I needed a bit of light in my life. Even if it was from the darkest place.

“How many do you want?” He asked me.

“One please.” I murmured, my focus on the task at hand.

“Not nearly enough.”

I thought I heard him mutter underneath his breath about losing too much weight if I insisted on starving myself. But I ignored that. He couldn’t dictate how hungry I was. After everything he dropped into my lap tonight, I had little appetite.

I stood at the counter waiting for him to finish since I set the table.

“Stop hovering and go sit down. I’ll be finished in a minute.” He directed.

Nervous, I sat down and fiddled with the hem of my shirt. Carlton walked into the dining room and slid a plate in front of me. He sat across from me with three huge sandwiches on his plate. He didn’t touch his, though. I took a small bite of my food as he stared at me.

Flavor exploded on my tongue, and I couldn’t help letting out a moan of pleasure. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. Before all the stress of losing my job. I inwardly laughed about management making us work almost an entire day before they let go of more than half the staff. Pricks.

Carlton inhaled his food and then watched as I picked at mine. It was unnerving the way his intent gaze focused on my mouth. I couldn’t help licking my lips every three seconds trying to make sure there weren’t crumbs on my face.

“It’s awkward when you say nothing and just stare at me.” I blushed and looked down at the designs in the table's wood.

“It’s not my fault that you’re the most beautiful creature to roam the planet.”

Again a compliment he stated like it was a fact.

“You’re good for my ego,” I giggled. Covering my mouth so he wouldn’t see the food inside.

“Don’t hide yourself from me.” He growled, surprising me.

“I just didn’t want to show you my food. I was being polite,” I groaned. It was hard figuring out what was the right thing to do and what would set him off. He was a psychopath, but I lived in a glass house, so I wouldn’t be throwing stones his way.

“I love seeing everything you do. I want to watch you more. But I know that you need to eat.”

That was the oddest and sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Before I could open my mouth to respond, he continued on.

“When you’re finished eating I’ll run you a bath.”

My ovaries just exploded. Let’s give a round of applause for the bare minimum. I’d never had a man in my life who was as thoughtful as Carlton. So, he killed people for a living. It was better than selling drugs to kids or beating women in his spare time. I wanted to help. But I knew he wouldn’t go for that plan.

“I’d really like that,” I murmured, looking down. “But I would love it if you joined me.”

His cheeks turned dark as a hint of blush crept into them. He wanted to get in the bath with me, but he was too embarrassed to ask. If he snuck his hand down my panties they’d come back sopping wet.

“Good girl,” he praised when I finished my sandwich.

Sploosh. I could orgasm on the spot from those two words alone. The warmth in his gaze told me that he knew exactly where my thoughts were headed.

“Did you need anything else?”

He dropped his voice on purpose. He wanted to tease me.

Shaking my head no, I stood from the table and started collecting the dishes.

“Leave them. I’ll take care of it later.” He held out a hand to me, but I was glued to the floor.

A monster? This man was a god! If I could bundle him up and put him in my pocket so he could take care of me everyday I would. It wasn’t feasible. I mean I was out of a job now. At the thought, I grabbed ahold of his hand letting him help me out of my chair. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get up, it was that I wanted to let him take care of me. I needed it.

I wanted for one goddamn minute to feel cherished and loved. Carlton was doing everything in his power to help me get there. I was appreciative of that fact as he led me up his winding staircase to the bedrooms. He could’ve just killed me. Carlton could’ve killed my boss and then slit my throat for witnessing it. But he didn’t. He spared me. Just like he did that night.

In my mind, Carlton was a knight in tarnished armor. He made me feel things that no other man had ever made me feel. My heart pounded in my chest when we walked through a large bedroom. Carlton walked me into the bathroom and ran the water. His tub could fit three people in it easily.

“I’ll be right outside of the door if you need me.” He spun on his heel to leave, but I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.

“Don’t go,” I croaked.

His hooded gaze locked onto mine in the mirror. “Are you sure?”

I nodded my head. I was certain. This man had done what no man had seemed to be able to do. He’d gotten beneath my skin.

“We can share,” I said, coyly.

His eyes still on mine, Carlton started taking off his clothes. Frozen, I watched as he revealed his body. I saw it at the club, but that was when I was full of fear. Not full of lust like I was right now.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he murmured. Then he started taking off my own.

The intimate act made me blush. This man had literally seen me at my worst. He’d seen me naked and afraid. He’d seen me blubbering as a small child. Yet the heat in his gaze gave me a newfound confidence.

Pushing my shoulders back, I walked past him and sank into the water with a soft moan. The water felt so good. A bath wasn’t the same as a shower. I’m sure people relaxed in their showers, but I hadn’t had the luxury of having one. Not in that infested apartment. Now, I could.

Carlton gave that to me. It was time I gave something back to him. Preferably something that made us both happy.

CHAPTER NINE

carlton

Now that the tub was full enough, I turned off the running water and settled in the tub with a deep, satisfied sigh, pulling Angela towards me. I moved her dark hair back over the edge of the tub and relaxed. Her strawberry scent tickled my nostrils and my cock grew harder than it was before when I saw her naked body.

Idly, I began stroking her breasts with light fingers, tugging softly at her nipples before moving down to stroke her abdomen. She arched her back and moaned, spurring me on. I kept my strokes light and teasing, figuring my angel might have come too fast too soon if I kept up my ministrations.

Angela began to writhe in the tub, splashing water everywhere. Her soft moans echoed in the bathroom like the sweetest soundtrack. She tried closing her legs to hide how aroused I made her, but I held her legs open and forced her head down so she could watch me fingering her.

I expertly plucked at her nipples, just a little harder than I knew she was comfortable with, and would squeeze her breasts if she tried to wiggle away from me too much. I wanted to make her as aroused as possible because I planned on fucking her all night long.

By this time Angela was trying to play with her clit, her hand drifting beneath the waterline.

“Don’t touch my pussy,” I growled in her ear, grinding my cock against her asscheeks.

Smirking, I kneaded her breasts, groaning when she moaned and arched her back, fitting her breast more fully into my hand. I leaned forward and scraped my fangs across her neck nibbling her earlobe trying to elicit more moans from her. I could come right now from the sounds alone.

She tried to pull away, sucking in a breath to stop me, but I slung one muscular arm around her waist, keeping her in place with my legs and the other covering her mouth. I spun her around and laid my mouth across hers catching a small scream that escaped. I wouldn’t want the neighbors to call the police from her noises.

I thrust my tongue deep in her mouth, cutting her off and quickly converting it into a deep moan.

I pulled away enough to whisper to her, my voice deep and husky in her ear, "No more screams until I’m balls deep in my pussy. I don't want you coming until my cock is deep inside your womb."

Angela gaped up at me, "But—"

I kissed her once more, hard, cutting her off, "The only things I want to hear out of you are yes, sir and those sexy moans I was hearing earlier."

Unable to stand the temptation any longer, I pulled Angela out of the water and flipped her over, levering her over the bath tub's edge, her breasts pressing to the cold marble making up the big tub's edges. I hoped it made her nipples ache.

"Spread your legs, my angel. I want to see that pussy." When she hesitated, acting suddenly shy, I clipped her with my hand once, sharply, on the back of the thigh, surprising her into pushing her legs apart. I shoved them further with my hands, wider causing her to groan.

The sight of her spread open and soaking wet for me almost made me lose control and tear my fangs deep into her neck. I wanted to claim her mind, body, and soul.

"Look at that. My angel all warmed up for me." One of my hands gripped her thigh, making sure she stayed in place. The other boldly moved to her lips, spreading them apart and sliding a rough thumb across her clit, making her hips involuntarily jerk.

I squeezed her leg a little harder at that, "Don't you move, Angela." But my thumb pushed harder across her clit and she couldn't help but jerk again.

Laughing I said, "You just have the greediest pussy, it can't hold still more than a few seconds, always wanting something in it. I'll just have to teach it a lesson."

"A—a lesson?" Angela bit her lip after the question slipped out.

I guess she forgot she wasn’t supposed to speak.

"Mmmhm. You can’t always get what you’re begging for." I spoke directly to her pussy.

She groaned when I thrust two fingers into her suddenly, pumping strongly. She leaned back into the thrusts, arching her back.I removed my fingers and slapped her pussy, hard enough to sting and make her flinch away. I loved how she cried before groaning when I started pumping my fingers inside her again.

I alternated like that. Pumping her with my fingers and slapping her with my palm, until she couldn't take it anymore. The redness on her skin gave me deep sense of satisfaction as my fingers curled inside her. Her juices gushed down her legs and I had to take a taste. She was constantly moaning as I egged her on.

"That’s right my angel. Let everyone hear me make you mine. This pussy is mine. It’s so greedy, begging for my cock, but it’s only getting my fingers for now."

She whined in displeasure and I chuckled from her discomfort. The beast within me forced me to give her three sharp slaps, harder than the previous ones, directly on her clit. It was too much for my angel and she came suddenly, a quick but hard orgasm.

“Naughty girl. I didn’t give you permission to come, did I?”

“N-no, sir.” She whispered.

She rested her cheek against the marble, gasping, when I pulled her knees up onto the edges of the tub, just barely wide enough for her to balance on. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her ass high into the air. The best view of her twitching pussy. She twisted her head looking over her shoulder at me. Her eyes held a curiosity. Was she wondering what I planned next?

Instead of looking in her eyes, I stared at the pussy belonging to me, keeping my hands on her thighs and ass while I inspected her. I tsked, shaking my head.

“This needy little cunt needs my cock deep inside of it, right?”

Embarrassment colored her cheeks, "Y-yes, sir."

I spread her apart with my thumbs, exposing her pink inner lips and clit to the open air, making her shiver. "That’s too bad. Everyone knows that tongues are the best way to clean dirty pussies. Since this one is soaked, I suppose there's no choice but to go down on you."

Her eyes widened and I grinned ready to change it up again. If she thought she knew what I was about to do, she’d be sorely mistaken. I flipped Angela over onto her back, pulling her ass to the edge of the tub and pushing her knees up towards her head, exposing her all over again.

I looked up at the detachable shower head hanging over her. Snagging it, I hoped my eyes showed my intentions clearly.

"No—please, stop, I'm too sensitive—" She started to pull her legs together, but I put a stop to that by dropping the shower head and reaching forward, grabbing her ankles in one hand and delivering three hard slaps to her ass.

"You will take this punishment like a good girl and maybe afterwards I'll give you a nice fucking, understood?" I levered her knees high and wide again, giving her a look that dared her to move them. I knew she wasn't brave enough to try it.

After cycling through the different settings I chose one. I turned on the shower head and turned the mode to pulse. I was thoroughly surprised to see it randomly changed the pulsing rate of the water and could pound water for a long time. A sadistic streak shot through me. She would both love and hate this.

Chuckling, I moved towards her. I wasted no time, immediately latching my mouth on her pussy and sucking her clit hard. She screamed, her legs shaking as the pleasure showing on her face turned painful.

When she looked like it was really hurting her, I changed tactics, lining up the shower head with her entrance and letting it pound lukewarm water inside her, but keeping it away from her clit.

She groaned and I leaned over her, snagging her left nipple with my rough fingers and tugging at it, "See, angel? You like to have your pretty pussy pounded like this, don't you? Need to get it nice and clean for me so I can fill you up with my come, right?"

When Angela's eyes widened, I nodded, my grin turned devilish, "That's right. I’m going to fill you up with come, then empty it out again with this so I can do it all over again. Again and again. It’s like a challenge. My swimmers are strong so either way you’re going to end up pregnant by the end of the night." The thought of her swelling with my child made my cock weep from the slit. Fuck, I don’t know how much longer I could wait. I wanted to give her everything, so my dick was going to have to wait.

I angled the shower head to hit her clit and she squealed, trying to buck away from the pressure. I placed a big hand on her pelvis, holding her in place.

"Fuck! Please, let me go. I can't—I" She tried to cover her pussy with her hands but I knocked them away easily, trading the shower head for my tongue again as I lapped at her swollen, throbbing folds.

"That's right, my angel. Accept it; you'll learn to love this pain.”

Learn to love me. Crave me. Beg for me. It was all I wanted from her, but I didn’t want to push her too fast.

Angela groaned and her arms collapsed at her head. She was wrung out from the pleasure I gave her, but I wasn’t done. I worked her hard, sucking her clit and pounding her pussy with the shower head until she squirted everywhere.

Holy fuck! I didn’t expect her to do that. Grinning, I wanted to see her do it again. On and on we went like that. Angela came twice and I kept edging myself. I haven't come yet. We weren’t nearly done. This was just foreplay.

When it felt like she couldn’t take anymore, I slowed, putting the shower head back up and giving Angela a moment to catch her breath. Her gasps were loud and raspy from screaming.

She whined in the back of her throat when she finally caught a glimpse of my aching erection. “That’s never going to fit in me.”

Chuckling, my ego growing larger by the minute, “Oh it will. It fucking will.”

Exhausted, Angela tried to get away from me, but I scooped her up and looked down at her. “Let’s go back to the bedroom.”

Reluctantly, she gave me a wane smile, “Yes, sir.”

I carried her out of the bathroom. Exhilaration flooding my veins that I was going to finally claim the one woman who’d accepted me fully.

CHAPTER TEN

angela

I was barely able to calm my breathing before he threw me on the bed and grabbed his cock, rubbing it against my sensitive pussy, finding my entrance and starting to push in. I whimpered at the intrusion, my muscles flexing over his cock as he pressed himself inexorably deeper.

He whispered dirty words into my ears as he did so, his raspy voice making me shiver, "That's right, my angel. I can feel your tight pussy trying to hold onto my big cock. Take my cock like a good little girl."

Fuck, he was so damn dirty.

Finally, after what seemed like an agonizingly long time, he bottomed out inside of me, the head pressing hard against my womb. Groaning, I remembered I wasn’t on birth control and he didn’t even try to put on a condom. Could he get me pregnant?

"Is that all you can take? I think we can do another inch at least."

I moaned low, too worn out to respond. He dragged me down from the headboard, over the side of the bed, bending me backwards and tilting my ass just so he could push another inch deeper.

I swear he was obsessed with my backside.

"There we go. Look at you taking all my cock, what a good girl." His hands ran over my body with the praise, tweaking my sore nipples.

Then he began to pull out, making me cry out with the sudden loss, the pressure making my hips jerk a little. As soon as I was sure he'd pull out of me, he suddenly slammed back in, bumping my womb and making me squeal in surprise.

He began to fuck me in earnest, hard, deep strokes that made me see stars. He wrapped an arm around my waist and held me tight, giving me no room to change the depth or speed of his thrusts. The intimacy set off butterflies in my stomach.

After a few minutes he pulled a hand between us and began to roughly rub my clit with his fingers, making me realize that a massive orgasm was coming. Too fast, I felt a part of me explode in a rush around him, my pussy flexing helplessly around the intrusion of his dick. My vision clouded over for a moment and I slumped over feeling boneless.

Carlton kept fucking me, refusing to let up even for a moment, even as he praised me for coming all over his cock.

"You are so beautiful, my angel. Ayóó anííníshní. I want you to do that a couple more times and then I’ll breed you like you’ve been begging me all night."

When I went limp against him, exhausted from my all-consuming orgasm, he cursed, suddenly pulling me up again, his cock never leaving me.

I begged for it to end. His stamina was killing me. My soul left my body and floated above us.

Carlton didn’t listen to my pleading. He grabbed my thighs and spread them wide, groaning when my muscles fluttered involuntarily around him. His thumb began to rub my clit hard, his eyes daring me not to come again.

I began to moan, and then writhe on his cock, the deep penetration too much for me. When I tried to control the depth of his thrusts by pressing against his abdomen he slapped my breast sharply, causing me to cry out.

"No! My pussy. I'll give you exactly what you need, when you need it. Now come like a good girl all over my cock."

Just when I began to yell staccato Oh my gods with every thrust, he suddenly forced two of his fingers inside of my pussy alongside his cock, curling them up to rub roughly at my G spot. My hips jerked hard as I came again, this time enough that I felt a rush of liquid push his cock from my body.

Blinking back confusion at the suddenness of him leaving me, I began to squeal loudly as he thrust his fingers into me, dragging them against that sweet spot as fast as he could.

"Fucking hell, I want you to squirt for me again. I love that you came so hard for me. I won’t let up until you come again for me."

Tears left the corners of my eyes as I came once again, my hips jerking helplessly against his demanding hands. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Carlton let me down, stroking my sopping pussy with warm fingers.

"Good girl, coming for me like that. You are such a fucking good girl, my angel. One more time. I swear I just want to watch you come one more time and then I’ll give you what you want."

I shook my head in exhaustion, convinced I had nothing left to give.

Carlton turned me over gently onto my stomach, his cock entering me from behind on a slow thrust that still felt tight, even after all he'd done. His hand crossed my torso to grasp one of my breasts, his fingers expertly rolling a nipple between them. That bite of pain kept me from completely passing out.

He thrust harder into me, pounding my tender cunt with single-minded determination. Like clockwork I responded, arching my back so he would rub against more of me. I couldn’t get enough. But, even as I felt my orgasm nearby, I couldn't seem to grasp it again. Weeping, my pussy spasming helplessly around him, I begged.

“Please, sir. Please help me come all over your cock.”

“With pleasure,” he growled and changed the angle.

Finally, Carlton pulled me up against his chest while he took me from behind, his free hand coming down to cup me between my legs. He began to rub me again, his breath hot against my ear.

"Come one more time on my cock. Do it now so I can fill you with my seed. I’m never letting you get away from me again. After this you’re all mine. If you try to run, I’ll hunt you down and fuck all your holes until you understand just how much you’re owned."

At those words, I shook my head back and forth violently. “I’m not! I can’t be only yours. I belong to me.”

He growled at my defiance and sank his fangs into my neck. He slapped my clit sharply, causing me to cry out. Ripping his fangs out my neck, with a tear, I felt blood dripping down my shoulder blade.

"No? You don't want to come? Well too fucking bad, because you're going to take it and you're going to fucking love it. Why? Because you’re mine and nothing you say can change that fact.” He continued to slap me and rub me alternately, until I came with another scream, my hips jerking helplessly as he fucked me.

“Here comes my seed. I’m going to fill your womb until my baby is growing inside of you.” Just like that he came inside me.

Hot jets I could feel as I milked his cock for all I was worth, just like he said. I stilled against him as he slowed, stroking my breast with callused fingers and idly rubbing my sensitive clit as I stayed stretched wide around his cock.

I didn't know how long I’d laid there with him, catching my breath and feeling his come drip slowly out of me. After a while though, I had enough energy to raise my head and look deep into his eyes.

“I have never in my entire life had sex like that.” It hurt to admit, but no man had treated my body as well as Carlton.

He brushed a soft kiss across my forehead. “Good. That just means you’re meant for me.”

His phone rang, pulling us out of our intimate bubble. Cursing, Carlton shot up out of bed and started rushing around grabbing his clothes.

I clutched the bed sheets to my naked body feeling vulnerable.

Panicked, I cried out,“Who is it? What’s wrong? Why are you leaving?”

He turned to face me. His fangs out and his eyes hardening.

“Hefe has put out an order to kill.”

Gulping, I didn’t even ask what the hell he was talking about. My breathing grew shallow as dread pooled in my stomach.

“On who?”

Carlton stopped pulling his shirt on. Anger blazing in his eyes as he stared at me. My nakedness is not even slowing him down a little bit.

“On you!” He bellowed.

Well shit, that sucked.

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

The Sicilian’s obsession:

Book one of the Picone Crime Family Series

Deviant:

A dark stalker novel

Cold retribution:

Book one of the Tangled Revenge Series

After the Rain:

A charity Anthology Supporting RAINN

When the Bloom Burns:

A dark military Standalone

Darkest Desires:

A charity anthology Supporting Alliance for Hope International

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Selena Michaels is a local romance writer publishing out of Virginia. Selena writes romance books/novels with adult aged characters, adult aged content, and adult aged storylines. Her books/novels often stem from her own experiences growing up in the small town of Pennsylvania. Selena also draws inspiration from some of her closest friends and families. Selena does her research, and her books/novels are the proof. From owning hundreds of books and reading daily, Selena is abreast with the current, past, and future writing times, styles, and authors. Selena finds favoritism in books/novels written by Laurell K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, Jude Deveraux, Danielle Steel, T.L Swan, Pepper Winters, and more.

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SONGS OF WRATH

lea jade

BLURB

Run, little girl, run.

Every night, the Minotaur hunts me in the olive grove,
the one I inherited, overgrown with trees twisted and tall,
but it’s easy to get lost and fall.

It was supposed to be the Cretan dream,
but my elysian paradise turned into a Greek tragedy.

A mythological nightmare with a crazy maze and a Minotaur.

A beast who wants to claim me as his mate
in a game, I can’t win or escape.

And now that he has my scent.

And venom in my veins to call.

I’m his human,
the key to his heart,
to claim or maul.

CONTENT WARNING

Songs of Wrath is a prequel Ancient Monsters novella, a taster into the myths and monsters of ancient Greece, featuring enemies to lovers, why choose, paranormal romance with a touch of urban fantasy. Contains adult and dark themes, violence, swearing, steamy moments, and potential triggers.

Monsters, Magic & Mayhem

Lea Jade

❤

CHAPTER ONE

me’line

The olive trees and other greenery are twisted, knotted around the old house like they’re alive and trying to break in. Some of them have—several of the thin glass windows are cracked or shattered entirely, and the brick wall surrounding it is falling down. Even the door has holes where something has eaten its way in.

“Are you sure this is your grandparents’ place?” the cab driver asks me, concern on his leathery face. We’d bonded on the way over here, as he has a daughter my age. Even though he took me a long-winded route to get here, I was glad of a conversation that didn’t involve the other person asking me repeatedly if I knew what I was doing. I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want to be reminded.

I scan the run-down villa for something I recognize from childhood or from the pictures in Celine’s old photo album. We used to spend summers here. It all looks so different, so small.

Only the metal bull’s head door knocker looks familiar. It’s a scary-looking creature rather than a comical one, blackened with thickset eyebrows and a twisted snarl. The silver ring through its nose is the knocker. It used to fascinate me as a kid, so much so that I went crazy as a teen and got a few piercings of my own. As many as Celine would let me.

I’d remember that hideous bull anywhere.

“This is it,” I say back to the cab driver. He doesn’t look convinced, so I give him a reassuring smile.

“If I leave you here, you won’t get another cab for a while.”

“That’s fine,” I say, gathering my bags. “This is the place.” I’m sure of it.

He shrugs an okay and peels away, Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” blaring out of his radio speakers, leaving me alone in the arid Greek wilderness.And then there’s no sound, except for crickets chirping and the noise of cypress trees rustling in the wind. At least, I think that’s what they are. And it’s hot—so, so hot.

“Welcome to paradise, Mel,” I say to myself, lugging my suitcases up the crumbling stone steps and then fighting with the ivy and rust on the hinges to get the door open. A week ago, I found out my grandad on my dad’s side had died and left his granddaughters an olive grove in Greece. Since none of my sisters wanted it, I jumped at the chance to take it. The lease on my apartment in London was ending, and I wanted a change.

No, rephrase that. I needed one.

I had to get away from everything, just for a short amount of time. This isn’t permanent.

Just an extended holiday.

Inside, the house is in better condition, with white-washed walls now yellow with age and tiled terracotta floors covered in woven red rugs. There are rugs on the walls too. It’s not as small on the inside as it looks, either, with an archway that spans the entire main room of the house, a lovely galley kitchen and stone steps that lead up to three bedrooms, and a master bedroom with a terrace on the top.

After dumping my bags in one of the bedrooms and giving myself a grand tour, stopping to gaze out of the upper mezzanine windows at the sprawling grove that belongs to the house, I find my way back to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. I deserve one glass after the nightmare journey it took to get here.

There’s a buzzing noise as my phone reminds me I have a ton of messages. So, I take it and my glass of vino to sit outside in the small garden, complete with a table and two chairs on the patio.

What more could you need?

There are messages from my friends—Perry, Beau, and Margie. And one from my sister, Charlie. I snap a picture of the glass of wine in my hand with a view of the scenery and send it to my sister and to the group chat I have with my friends. There’s no signal, so the images show as pending delivery, but I’m hoping this place has internet; otherwise, I’m cut off.

I hoped Perry could come out with me, but her last message said she had to work. That was me a few weeks ago before I walked out of the office—a slave to my job. Maybe coming here was the wrong thing to do entirely, but screw it. I need this. Ethan getting married this week was the final nail in the coffin. I’m not even sure I’m going back.

That’s a lie. Of course, I am.

I take a sip of my wine and stare at the view. It’s primarily brown but dotted with silvery green olive trees. Most are gnarled and tall, but around them, the local foliage has gotten in and entangled with them. Oleander bushes are everywhere, like little pink bursts of cotton candy. Pretty as it is, it’s such a shame. Granddad used to make the best olive oil.

On a whim, I go back into the house and check the wine rack. There are a couple of dusty bottles there. I take one out and check the label, a warmth settling over me when I see that it’s one of his. It might still be good with some balsamic vinegar and bread. I dust it off and place it on the counter next to my groceries that need unpacking. I’ll try it later.

Banging and barking from the front of the house startles me. When I open the front door, there’s a strange man with dark hair, tanned skin, and thickset eyebrows, wearing a white shirt and dark shorts. The shirt is unbuttoned, showing off a manly strip of his torso. A big, black-and-gray dog has him pinned to the property’s gate.

He shoots a glance at me. “Can you call off your dog?”

I frown at him. It’s not my dog, but I don’t know this man, and he seems to think it’s mine. “Sammy,” I call, making up a name on the spot. “Here, boy.”

The dog looks my way and bounds up the front porch to me. I give his furry head a rough stroke but keep my gaze locked on the man coming up the path.

“You must be Georgio’s daughter?”

“Granddaughter,” I correct him.

“Ah yes, I’m River. I live next door.” He indicates with his head. “You and your sisters used to come and stay every summer.” He grins at me in a very handsome, almost too good-looking way, and a feeling of unease settles over me. Gorgeous men who wear open shirts and smile at me like that are likely to be untrustworthy. The dog next to me growls as if agreeing. “My mother used to give you ice cream.”

“Oh, right, yes, I remember now.” There was a small boy who used to live down the road. He was always so miserable looking, and he stole my candy once. I frown at that memory while digging my hands into the dog’s soft fur.

River nods, gaze darting to the bristling dog and then back to me. He holds up his hands. “I heard you were moving in. I just wanted to say hello…and that I’m just there if you need anything.”

I’m being rude. I give myself a mental shake. “Yes, of course. Thank you.” I smile tightly.

River grins back and takes it as an invitation to walk up to the crumbling door and inspect it. He runs a hand over the grainy wood without permission. “You should get that treated. We have a problem with woodworm around here,” he says, looking up at me.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” I grit out. Why won’t he just go away?

“If you want, I can come over tomorrow and replace it. We might have some spare wood in the shed.”

I shake my head. “I’ll call someone once I've settled in.”

River blinks and then sighs, straightening up. He glances at the sky, studying the sun for a few seconds, and then returns his gaze to me. “Okay, well, I must go now, so I’ll let you get settled in as you wish. But if you need anything, anything at all, just leave a note on my door. That’s how we usually communicate around here.”

“Oh, right, thank you.”

“Of course. Welcome back to Crete.” River’s eyes sparkle, looking up and down my body with an appreciative smirk on his lips. And then he says something in Greek that sounds like omorfiá mou as he turns and walks away. Open-mouthed, I watch him go, staring at his tight ass in those shorts before I realize what I’m doing.

No, Mel, he’s not for you.

He’s a fuckboy, that one. Too confident.

My sister, Charlie, is the one who gets all the attention, as well as my friend Perry, who was a model in her teen years. Men never look twice at plain old me, so when they do, it’s a huge red flag. Guys like that are just looking for one thing, and I’ve been hurt too many times before—used too many times. Assholes think because I’m less pretty that I’ll be grateful, an eager doormat to wipe their arrogant feet on as they come and go as they please.

Well, sorry. This doormat is closed for business.

Once he’s out of sight, the dog shrugs away from me and runs into the house. “No, no, Sammy, where are you going?” He pays me no attention and goes out the back door before dashing through the yard.

I head in after him, locking the front door behind me. Just a precaution after meeting my creepy neighbor. He’s probably just being friendly, but something about him feels strange, and I’m all alone out here except for the dog, which seems to have adopted me.

When I get to the back garden, the dog is nowhere to be seen. He must have run into the grove. I’m not even going to try to follow him. Instead, I return to my seat and take a large gulp of wine just as my phone buzzes.

It’s Perry, so I snatch it up.

“Mel.....I’ve been.....trying to get through to you all day.” Her voice crackles down the phone.

“I know, I’m sorry. The signal here is non-existent.”

“…sorry I couldn’t…come out to stay…”

“That’s fine. I know you couldn’t get away from work.”

“I’ll try…Ethan…” She cuts off again. Somewhere in the distance, the dog barks, and then there’s a beeping noise in my ear as the connection is lost.

What? What about my dickhead ex?

I try calling Perry back, but the dog is going nuts now, practically howling. I can’t leave him. What if the poor thing’s hurt or stuck?

“Fine,” I say out loud. “I’m coming, Sammy.”

I shove my phone into my pocket and head toward the edge of the garden, where a rusted-shut, rickety gate marks the start of the grove. It won’t open, so I climb over it. I can do this. It’s just a bit of a jump into the foliage. Ethan would tell me I couldn’t. He’d tell me my dress was too long and would get caught in the bushes and that I’d fall and get bitten by mosquitoes.

Fuck Ethan. He doesn’t own me. I push through a second gate and walk between the trees, trying not to think about all the bugs. The dog is going crazy now, yapping away somewhere to the right. I follow the sound, calling his temporary name.

It’s hotter than hell when I get to where the dog is. It took me a while since it’s a long walk from the house on a slope, and I’m wearing the wrong shoes. I’m also breathless and thirsty, regretting coming this far. The dry wind is stronger here, tangling my loose hair. But the view is stunning. The silvery trees have dipped a little, giving a view of the hills behind, with ruined walls and rocks scattered across the landscape.

This is not smoggy, stuffy London anymore.

A yip to my right reminds me why I came out here.

“All right, Sammy. What is it?”

The dog is crouched in fear, tail between his legs, ears back, and hackles raised. He’s barking nonstop at a group of cypress trees. As I get closer, a stone statue becomes visible in the center. It’s a pale white bull standing on a plinth, bowing its head as though it’s about to gore someone to death with its horns. Its black eyes are menacing, and the whole thing is quite large. The creature is also hideously well-endowed.

I don’t remember that as a kid.

I stare at it in shock for a few minutes until a wet muzzle nudges my hand. It’s the dog, licking and wagging his tail at me.

“Oh, now you stop barking?”

I walk over to one of the olive trees surrounding the statue and sit on the shrubby grass that covers the ground. The bull figure and the tall cypress trees cast a shadow over me, making it not quite hot and a little more pleasant.

Sammy comes and sits next to me. “Who do you belong to, eh?” When he doesn’t answer me—because he’s a dog—I stroke under his chin and lean back against the tree bark.

I stay for a while, enjoying the wind in my face and the feeling of being the only person on earth. When it gets cooler, I contemplate heading back. It was quite a trek from the house, and although the sun is beating down, it’s already late afternoon. Pretty soon, it will be dark.

Sammy whines as though he understands. I give the furry mischief-maker a proper ear rub. “Now I have to walk all the way back to the house,” I tell Sammy.

But I’m exhausted, and the walk back is all uphill. It’s so lovely here. I wish I could stay longer, but it will be dark by the time I get to the house. At least I have a light on my phone, just in case.

I get to my feet and stretch. Before I go, I walk over to the bull staring down at me. It’s like it’s looking right at me. There’s something etched on its forehead, so I step onto the plinth to take a closer look. Between the horns is a double axe carved into the stone. Unable to stop myself, I trace a finger over it.

Sammy barks loudly, scaring the life out of me. I half jump, half stumble back, my sandaled foot slipping on the marble. And then I’m falling off, whacking the back of my head on the dry, hard ground beneath the statue as the air rushes out of my lungs.

The last thing I see is Sammy looming over me before I pass out.

CHAPTER TWO

me’line

Night-blooming jasmine, combined with oregano and thyme, fills my nose, reminding me of how hungry I am. Dull pain lances through my head. It’s dark when I open my eyes. Hedges surround me while a cool breeze caresses my skin.....I’m dreaming. Only minutes ago, I was in a hot, sunny olive grove, and now it’s dark and breezy. I’m not in my grandparents’ olive grove anymore.

And I’m not alone. People with their hands bound behind their backs are all seated on the ground—men in white loincloths with shoulder-length or long hair and women in white skirts with tight bodices, hair loose and curled, surrounded by tall hedges with a metal gate at one side, making a corral. Some women are crying or look terrified. The men are less afraid, even stoic. Resigned.

This is undoubtedly a vivid dream, more so than I’m used to. The smells and sounds feel real, but it all looks so strange, it can only have come from my mind. Or, perhaps, from one of the dark fae fantasy books I’m reading, especially when I glance down and I’m wearing the same clothes as the women, right down to the leather sandals.

I try to sit up, grimacing at my sore head, and something coarse and biting, wrapped around my wrists, digs in. Whatever it is, it’s keeping my hands behind my back.

Okay, I’m bound as well.

Oddly, I’m calm. Maybe because I know it’s a dream? I yank at the rope binding my hands, trying to break free. But if this is my dream, surely I can wish them away?

A girl opposite me, one not bawling her eyes out, with dark hair and green eyes, shakes her head. “You cannot break free. Even if you were able, they would kill you if you tried to run.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Who would?”

“The Minoans.”

“Right,” I say, not really understanding. “Who are they?”

She frowns at me. “You must have hit your head badly if you’ve lost all memory.”

I stare at her like an idiot.

“When you fell off the boat as we landed here. You don’t remember?”

Slowly, I shake my head, unease spreading through me. I did hit my head, but on the ground beneath the statue of that damn bull.

“What are we—”

“Quiet,” a man by the gate hisses. “They’re coming.”

I look up as torches flare in the distance. More men are coming, but this time, they’re in brightly colored, belted loincloths, holding swords or spears, and wearing padded helmets with crests on the top. I’ve definitely dropped into one of my fantasy books.

A guard, because that’s what they look like, opens the gate. He shouts for us to get on our feet, so the group does, including me. It’s hard to do with my arms tied behind my back, but I manage it.

We shuffle into a line of ones and twos while the guards escort us through the darkness toward a torch-lit stone wall.

“What’s happening?” I say to the girl who was speaking to me earlier.

“We are this year’s human tribute.”

“Tribute to what?”

She doesn’t answer because the guards open a stone door set into the wall that has a symbol of a double axe on it. The same symbol that was on the head of the bull right before I fell and hit my head.

Suddenly, one of the female tributes cries out and tries to run. She doesn’t get far. A flying spear impales her straight through. My heart thuds rapidly in my chest.

This isn’t a dream—this is a nightmare.

Hopefully, I’ll wake up soon.

One by one, they cut the tributes loose from the ropes and then push them into the dark tunnel that seems to lead underground.

I’m the last one, held roughly while they slice off the ropes around my wrists and force me into the darkness.

Someone grabs me. I immediately freak out until I recognize her voice. “Shhhh, it’s me,” whispers the same girl I was talking to. “Don’t make a sound. It’s hunting us.”

Someone, possibly a woman, whimpers when they hear that.

“You’d think they would have left us a torch,” a man huffs. “It’s pitch black in there.”

In there? It’s pitch black here.

“I don’t care. I’m not waiting here to be slaughtered,” another male voice scoffs.

“But if we go in there, he’ll eat us!” a woman with light-colored hair wails.

Gradually, my eyes adjust, and I can make out the outline of the other tributes.

“Wait, where’s Idas?” the dark-haired guy complaining about not having a torch asks.

“He went in as soon as they put us in here.” A girl with thick braids in her hair gestures to a dark doorway, one as tall as the walls are, at the end of the passage. Inside, it’s as black as anything, devoid of all light. It looks like the doorway to hell.

Okay, brain, time to wake up now. This dream is getting weird.

“By Zeus! He’s going to try to kill it. Come on, let’s help him,” says the guy closest to the doorway. He disappears into the gloom, and the other men and a few women follow him. Only the girl with the light-colored hair, the braided girl, and the one with dark hair and green eyes stays behind.

I don’t go anywhere near the door, either.

“Where have they gone? What have they gone to kill?” I ask anyone.

The braided girl glances at me as if seeing me for the first time. “Into the labyrinth, Mel. They must go through it and kill the monster to get out again.”

I frown at her. “You know my name?”

“Of course, I know your name, Melite.” Her head whips to the girl with green eyes. “What’s wrong with her, Hesione?”

Hesione sighs. “She hit her head when we got out of the boat.”

“Well, she best gather her wits about her. The monster will hunt us soon.” With that, Braids stalk off into the dark, leaving only three of us.

Hesione looks at me. “Will you be all right?”

I nod a yes. “She’s got a stick up her ass,” I mutter. She called me Melite. Not Méline.

Hesione grimaces. “I don’t know what that means, but we should go too. Come on.” She takes my hand.

“Wait, don’t leave me,” the light-colored girl cries, but Hesione ignores her, looking back at me to roll her eyes as we move through the dark doorway. “I’ve been waiting to ditch that sister of cow shit since we left Athens.”

I keep my mouth closed rather than ask another stupid question. But I want to ask about Athens and sisters of cow shit much more than I want to ask about the monster they need to kill. My brain is going off like a speed train, thinking about what could lurk in the depths as we go deeper into the labyrinth. Even the stone floor seems to slope downward toward hell.

“What is down here?” I ask in a low voice, barely a whisper, when we reach the bottom of the slope.

“Here.”

I feel something placed in the palm of my hand. It’s sphere-shaped and warm. My first reaction is to recoil and drop it because it feels like an eyeball, but I hold on to it. “What is it?”

“Eat it,” Hesione hisses. “It’s fruit from the first grapevine. I’ve already had one. It will stop the beast from goring us to death.”

“What beast? You mean the monster?” I ask. “How does it do that?” We’ve come to a T in the passageway, splitting either left or right.

“Just eat it,” Hesione whispers back. “Come on; this way.”

I let her drag me left, and we walk farther. In the distance, there’s the sound of screaming. Mouth dry, I eat the grape in my hand. What can it hurt? It’s sweeter than anything I’ve ever tasted. Light glows at the end of the next passageway, and as I follow Hesione, I feel different, more relaxed, and a bit spaced out too.

“Did you drug me?” I slur at her.

The whites of Hesione’s eyes seem to shine as she looks back. “Trust me; you’d rather be out of it if it finds us.”

“You said it wouldn’t kill us.”

“It won’t kill us, no,” she sighs. “But it might do other things.”

Fear claws at my chest, despite the grape I ate. What other things?

As we turn the corner, we come into a central courtyard that looks identical to the one outside, except for the lack of stars above. On every wall are engraved double axes.

“I was right. I knew it was this way,” says Hesione as we enter the courtyard, finally letting go of my hand.

In the middle of it is a statue of a white bull, precisely like the one I fell off. Except, this one is a fountain. Water comes from the bull’s mouth and horns, collecting in a basin underneath. The double-axe symbol is etched all around it.

The girl with braids is at the foot of it, unmoving and hunched over. Hesione doesn’t call out to her, and I see why when we get closer—her eyes are sightless, staring down, and her face is a mask of blood, the entirety of her stomach ripped out and on display.

I look away, because it’s too gruesome. “She didn’t eat any grapes?”

“No, she didn’t.”

I glance at her. “Why didn’t you give her one? And the girl we left behind too?”

Hesione looks at me from under her lashes. “Because then there would be more competition.”

“Competition for what?” I exclaim just as a heavy snort sounds behind Hesione, like a horse blowing air through its nose…or a bull.

Her eyes widen, as do mine. She turns around and sucks in a breath. In the soft glow of the torches in the room, a heavily muscled man wearing just a black loincloth and standing over seven feet tall looms in the darkened doorway.

But it’s not a man. Not entirely. His bottom half is all bull. And so is his face. He snorts again and stomps, making the ground vibrate. A Minotaur. A man with a bull’s head. This nightmare is because I fell off the bull statue and banged my head. That’s all this is. It can’t be real.

Hesione takes a step forward.

“What are you doing?”

“Melite, just trust me. The grape I gave you will see that we’re protected…” she breathes out as she takes a few steps closer. The Minotaur doesn’t move. He stands there, snorting heavily, his onyx eyes narrowing as Hesione moves until she’s within arm’s reach.

She slips a hand under the hem of her skirt ever so slowly, her entire body shaking. “See,” she gasps. “The fertility spell is working. If we’re in heat, then he won’t be able to resist.”

I blink at her. The what? Heat?

As she reveals herself to be naked under her skirt, she grasps a hidden dagger. The beast grunts and sniffs the air.

I take a step back, because I’m also naked under this damn skirt, and until now, it wasn’t something to worry about.

“I think he’s aroused,” Hesione says, glancing over her shoulder. “I think I can get close enough to—”

She doesn’t finish; the Minotaur grabs her by the throat. It was so fast that I blinked, and it happened.

“Pathetic little girl,” he growls. “Trying to seduce me so you can kill me?”

It speaks! His voice is rumbling and deep and, against my desire, caresses every part of my body.

He strangles Hesione and lifts her as she struggles, her knife clattering uselessly to the floor. I watch in horror as he rubs at whatever is tenting his loincloth between his legs. “If you want my cock, I will give it to you. And then I will fuck you with my horns.”

I take another step back. Okay, I need to wake up now.

He jerks his head, looking directly at me. “And you! You’d better run, because you’re next after I’m done with her.”

He tosses Hesione to the floor and dives on top of her. I don’t stop to watch.

I run.

CHAPTER THREE

me’line

I wake up sweating and in a panic. It’s dark, but this time I’m not underground in a damn maze; I’m under the stars. The fucking stars!

Sammy whines at me and licks my face. With a half-laugh, half-cry, I hug the dog as though my life depends on it. He pulls away and barks at me.

“Yes, I know. I need to go home,” I say out loud, wincing as I get to my feet. The back of my head where I hit it still hurts, but at least I’m not about to get eaten by a man with a bull’s head.

Or fucked to death by his horns.

Shit, that was a crazy dream.

I take forever to get home using only the light on my phone. Sammy trots beside me the entire way, so I’m less freaked out. Finally, I get in, take a glorious bath, and then go to bed, sleeping off the uneasy feeling I have in my stomach.

“When are you coming back?” Charlie, my sister, asks me a few days later once I’ve set up a Wi-Fi connection with the local telephone company and can check in with everyone. There are tons of messages from my mother, Celine, and my other sisters. Emails from friends asking if I’ve dropped off the face of the earth after Ethan’s wedding. And from work. I’m on extended leave, so I ignore the lab emails, only answering those I want to and not because I feel obligated.

Though everything feels like an obligation these days.

“I’m not sure,” I answer her, packing my backpack for today’s hike with the essentials—water, a dog-eared paperback, sunscreen, maybe some candy, a notepad, and a pen. “I don’t know when I’ll feel up to things.”

Charlie sighs. “Okay, sis, I’ll come out one weekend to see you. Unless you come back sooner, which I hope you do. I have no one to talk to about shit now that you’re gone.” Out of all my sisters, I’m closest to Charlie, and I worry about her after the drama that went down with that guy stalking her. But I need to do something for myself for a change.

After she disconnects, I sit down to put my shoes on when my friend Margie calls.

“I spoke to Beau. So, you’re not coming back?” she fires at me.

I let out a breath. “You know I’ve been feeling burnt out for a while. I think I’m going to give this writing thing a go.” I’ve started scribbling down words in my spare time lately as something my therapist recommended to cope with the stress. Although I’ve only managed a few pages between my job and seeing friends, I love it. It makes me feel alive.

Now that I’m in the middle of nowhere, this is the perfect place to work on my novel. Right?

There’s a pause and then a sigh from Margie. “Writing? Really? You’re one of the lead researchers here earning a decent salary, unlike the rest of us, and you’re going to throw it all away to write a fairy book?”

I stiffen at her words. “It’s a dark fae romance,” I correct her, regretting that I gave her a few pages to read. “Hey, look, I have to go. My therapist said I need to take at least one walk a day outside,” I say, shaking my head. I’m annoyed at Beau for telling Margie; she knew what I went through with Ethan. Beau was the one who drove me to the airport. She must have called everyone the minute she dropped me off.

“Your therapist should be shot. You had a bad day—big deal. Beau agrees with me. No one cares. We all go through it. Think about what you’re throwing away.”

“Maybe,” I exhale.

I hang up, breathing in and out, trying to control my anxiety.

Ever since Ethan—one of my bosses and my ex—announced he was getting married, I haven’t been able to do everyday things like getting out of bed. Things like getting on the train daily to commute into the office, buying food on the way home, getting drunk in the local pub… going to bed all alone.

Margie is wrong. I wasn’t having a bad day—it was a bad year. Maybe even a bad life. I’d stare at walls, unable to move, feeling numb inside and out, crying at the slightest thing, and then being unable to shed a tear.

Burnout. Depression. Heartache?

Whatever it was, after coming here, it’s finally lifting, like fog clearing from a dark, dreary day to give a little ray of sun, the kind that warms your shoulders and face when you close your eyes and bathe in it.

I feel that sun now when I step outside.

I may be alone here too, but at least the scenery is to die for, and I can do whatever I want on a whim—like go for a hike. See, look at me. I’ve even packed a lunch so I can stop and have a little picnic.

It makes me never want to go back. And why would I? When I can stay here, hiding away from everyone.

I take a direct route out of the house onto the main road and then further down a small side road into the Greek wilds, passing by my neighbor's house. On my phone is a two-hour walk I mapped out online that meanders through the trails around the property. Somewhere along the way, Sammy, the dog, finds me and follows. I take tons of pictures and send them to everyone, making them jealous. It’s a good day.

About an hour in, I’m done. I can’t walk another step, so I head back, cutting through the grove. Sammy has already returned to his home, wherever that might be. The clump of cypress trees sticks out first, and then I see the bull statue. Seeing it sends a shiver up my spine.

I haven’t dreamed of the Minotaur since that first night. The absolute quiet and a bit of boredom—there’s no TV here, though I could watch something on my laptop—has given way to long hours of uninterrupted sleep. Instead of tossing and turning from the moment I put my head down, like I’m accustomed to. It could also be the large glasses of red wine I’ve been drinking every night, but I doubt it.

Now that the nightmare is just a memory, I shouldn’t be afraid to stride up to the statue. Still, I stare at the bleached white bull from a distance, not even taking my sunglasses off.

What am I afraid of? It’s just a stone animal.

Sighing, I turn away and start trekking back up the hill. It was such a bizarre nightmare. That’s why I’m freaked out. When I looked up on the internet what it meant to see a Minotaur in dreams, an article said it symbolized someone aggressive and horrible that I should deal with instead of running away from. Someone like Ethan. The article even said I should face my fear in my sleep, and it would help me overcome the situation in real life, which is ridiculous.

Is it, though? Isn’t that what I’m doing? Running away?

Maybe I should have done that. What would have happened if the monster had caught me? Nothing. You can’t die in a dream. What’s the worst that could happen? Maybe I should have stopped running and let the beast catch me.

I can’t even face a symbol of Ethan, never mind the real one.

That thought pisses me off, so I try to put it out of my mind.

Not everything my mind conjures up means something.

I spend the rest of the day and the next settling in. Now that I’m connected to the world, I order some essentials, like extra locks for the doors and cleaning products I know the names for. Then I go shopping early in the small nearby town to buy supplies and clean the house from top to bottom, finishing with a lovely salad for lunch with vegetables from the local market. Eating outside is so nice, especially with a book I’ve wanted to read for a long time. I try not to think about Ethan and his lies and that he’s on his honeymoon right now. I focus on what I need to do now, like eating and reading.

Nourishing myself like I’m supposed to.

A knock at the door just as I take my last mouthful startles me.

“Coming,” I say out of habit.

When I open up, the creepy guy from next door is standing in a pair of swim shorts and nothing else. I’m greeted by an eyeful of dark chest hair and abs so hard and defined that you could probably hurt yourself on them. It takes every effort to drag my gaze away from his body.

“I wanted to see if you’d like to join my friends at my place. We’ve got the hot tub going,” he adds with a smirk, taking in my old, ripped jeans and sweaty T-shirt, hair wrangled into a ponytail.

Hot tub? I can’t think of anything worse.

Plastering a smile on my face, I shake my head. “Sorry, but I’m having an early night tonight. I’m just about to put my pajamas on.”

“So early?” he teases as though he imagines me in them.

I fake a yawn. “I’m tired.”

“Next time, then. The tub is there if you need it. I’m not always around, but you’re welcome to use it.” He winks, too good-looking for his own good.

“Yes, definitely next time,” I say through gritted teeth.

I can’t shut the door fast enough, happy I can bolt the extra lock and retreat inside. But the encounter makes me restless, and when I’m finally tucked onto the sofa in my pajamas with my book, I’m unable to read. All I can do is listen to the rave happening down the street at River’s house. It’s so loud, the walls are vibrating.

I put earplugs in my ears, trying to block out the noise, but they make me feel sick, so I take them out again. Wine helps, although, after half a bottle, it’s all gone. I’ll have to get some more tomorrow.

Outside, I hear Sammy barking.

“Fuck it,” I say to myself. “I’m going for a walk.”

I grab my jacket, stuff my hiking backpack with everything I need, put on a pair of sneakers, and slip out the back door into the garden. It’s not yet dark, but the light is fading. The air outside is balmy, but it’s a thousand times better than being inside, even more so when I climb over the gate and trek off into the silence of the grove. Sammy comes over to greet me and trots beside me to the clearing.

The bull statue is hard to make out in the falling light. But once I’m close enough, I take the picnic blanket out of my bag and spread it on the ground. I brought electric candles for when it gets dark, my e-reader, and a pillow and blanket.

Everything a girl needs to face her fears.

It’s probably a stupid idea to come out here, but maybe I need to confront and conquer what I’m afraid of. I walk right up to the bull, gazing into the black depths of its eyes as its horns threaten to spear me. And it looks right back.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I say, taking all of it in, from its vast muscular shoulders to its bulbous nose, even the generous girth between its legs. I never got to see what was under the loincloth of the Minotaur in my dream, but I study the balls of this one now. Whoever carved this one went to great lengths to add every detail, even the grotesque parts, so that it almost looks real—a genuinely tortured soul. One that I can relate to.

Maybe that makes him easier company than River would be when I’m not a stunning supermodel myself—I consider myself quite the Plain Jane, in fact. Ethan is the only guy who is better looking than me that I feel comfortable around, and it took him months and months to wear me down. I didn’t think I deserved him.

I still don’t.

After I’ve stared down the bull, I go back to the blanket to lie down and read for a little while. The gentle chirping of the crickets is soothing, and I can feel all the tension and stress falling away.

For a few seconds, I close my eyes…

Heavy, suffocating darkness and the smell of dampness brings me to my senses…I’m dreaming again, back underground, where I left off, where the walls are closing in, and the beast is telling me to run. So, I’m running, long passageways stretching out endlessly in the dark to my left and right.

Which way? I place my hand on the stone walls, feeling for a way out.

Everything is heightened; everything is vividly real.

A scream rips through the air to my left, just over my shoulder, squeezing my heart with blind panic. Hesione! I stumble forward and to the right, but it’s no use. At the very end is another tunnel, and then another and another. I’m running from corner to corner. Round and round.

“Run, little girl, run,” the monster suddenly bellows from behind me. “You’re next.”

Fear spikes. Fuck. He’s so close.

It speeds up my body, faster and faster until all I can hear is the sound of my rapid breathing as I try to suck down the stale air. Everything burns—my lungs, my chest. My heart feels like it’s going to explode.

Tears prick my eyes as I force my body to keep going.

No.

I’m supposed to face my fear. What’s the worst he can do? It’s just a dream.

Abruptly, I stop, cheeks damp as I lean, holding onto the wall. There’s a rumble in it, a deep vibration as he roars, his hooved feet thudding as he gets closer and stops suddenly. I hold my breath, unable to move or turn around. All I can do is blink in the pitch black as he snorts and stomps closer, making the ground shake.

His deep chuckle shudders through me, and then I feel hot air on my neck like he’s right behind me. This is it. He’s going to kill me.

I can’t move.

“I smell you, little human,” his voice rumbles, and that, combined with the heat of hot air on my neck, has my entire body boneless. “You were going to seduce me too, but you’re too afraid.”

It takes everything I have to clutch onto the wall.

It’s just a dream, nothing but that.

“No,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.

He chuckles and steps in close. “Liar. Your scent calls to me. It smells like you’re in heat.”

I swallow as his human hand grips the back of my neck, yelping as he pushes my face into the stone, his enormous body pressing over mine.

“You stopped running, why, if not to seduce me?” he growls in my ear, grinding himself against me. Something big and hard presses into my ass, and every rational thought goes out the window as my body wakes up and throbs with desperate need.....like it’s been asleep for years.

The grape Hesione made me eat is making me horny.

I don’t dare move, though, not after what happened to Hesione.

“Please.....” I say shakily. “Let me go.”

He forces me harder into the damp brick, hurting my cheek, and eases his body off so his free hand can reach between my legs.

His fingers tease my entrance, finding the slickness there, sending spirals of pleasure shooting through my body. He rumbles a laugh in my ear. “You are in heat.” He bows his head, his hot snout on the nape of my neck as he inhales deeply. “You smell divine, little human. Like your body craves me. Do you want to be fucked by a monster? Is that it?”

“No.” It comes out strangled.

He slips into my wet folds. “Are you sure?” he grunts. “You’re so wet and primed; maybe you can take me. I’m as hard as stone since your friend fell and hit her head before I could play with her. I might rip you to pieces, or I might not.”

I swallow hard as he fingers me again, sending delicious waves to my core, tightening my stomach as a moan escapes me.

The beast laughs as he plunges into me, making me gasp. “Sly vixen, coming here and teasing me. Yes, I think you could take me.” As he stretches me, he licks the nape of my neck. His long tongue, wet and hot, sends shivers down my spine right to the pulse in my pussy.

Somehow, I find my voice, a small one. “Please,” I pant. I’m not sure what I’m asking him. Fear has heightened the throbbing between my thighs, so every stroke of his fingers on my clit has me writhing in agony. In need. The ache between my legs, a void that must be filled soon, or I’ll pass out, makes my legs part for him and my ass press back against him.

The growl in his throat becomes a laugh as he grinds my rear, iron-hard and monstrous underneath the thin cloth. “Please, what? Is this what you need?” He licks the back of my neck again, breathing scorching air under the bodice I’m wearing.

I don’t want to be fucked by a monster, not even in my dream, but my body has other ideas. It jerks against him, my face burning with shame as I nod. Why did I eat that damn grape?

The Minotaur chuckles, a warm sound that teases me from the inside out. “You want my cock so badly, I can taste your desire in the sweat on your sweet skin.”

His fingers speed up, pumping into me, sending me hurtling toward ecstasy. My breath comes in short pants as I rock against him, uncaring that I’m practically rubbing one out on his hand.

It’s just a dream. Face your fear.

I let go then, melting into him, and another moan is on my lips.

“That’s it, omorfiá mou,” he croons, his voice deep and penetrating as his fingers move to thrust further inside, stretching me as I clench around him.

Then, I come with a slight cry, my heart loud in my ears, shuddering at his hot breath on my shoulder. Pain blooms as he bites me there. And I fall back onto his solid chest, breathing hard, tears streaming down my cheeks.

CHAPTER FOUR

asterius

The human girl trembles beneath me, but not from fear. Her arousal fills my nostrils as she comes apart in my arms, exciting me more than anything. Women don’t find me attractive. They see me as hideous, repulsive. They’re afraid of me. This one is different.

I had planned to play with her, make her come against her wishes, and then rape her while she screamed in pain. No human woman could withstand my size. Not without my venom. But she surprised me with her moans, rubbing herself against me like that. So I bit her, covering her with my mark, injecting my venom into her.

She falls against me after that, quivering. The rage that lives and breathes under my skin—making me hate myself and this dark, stinking place and want to annihilate every living thing I see—slowly abates.

Just enough that I wrap my arms around her and hold her.

It’s the most human contact I’ve ever had, so I stay there with her lying on me until her breathing deepens and she is asleep. Deep in the labyrinth, I can hear the other humans still alive, clawing at the stone, crying, desperately trying to find a way out. I’ll deal with them later.

I lift the girl so she’s draped over my arms, head resting on my shoulder, and carry her back to my resting place. It’s a small room that used to house the architects of this prison, where I can sleep next to the courtyard with running water and light. I may be a monster, but I still need those essential things to survive, to stave off insanity.

I still want those things.

When she appeared with that delicious scent on her, it drove me wild. I nearly tore after her and killed her, just like the other girl. But something stopped me with this one. She didn’t try to kill me as they all seek to do. She didn’t run; she just let me touch her.

Let me pleasure her.

No woman has ever done that.

And then, amidst giving the tiny human pleasure, I did what I thought I’d never do—I marked her with my venom. By Hades, do not ask me why. I’ll be damned if I know. It just felt.....right. At least she should sleep for a bit. The bite will help her relax.

A deep growl emits from my chest as she stirs. Now that I’ve brought her here, I don’t know what to do. I watch her sleep, arms folded across my chest to stop myself from caressing her. There’s a strange urge to stroke her skin and move the strands of hair from her face, but I don’t know what will happen if I let that side of me out.

After a while, I grow restless staring at her, so I take a moment to get rid of the bodies in the courtyard. She might get scared if she wakes up and sees them. It’s important that she’s not afraid anymore; I don’t know why.

The beast in me wants to rut her while she’s out of it, so leaving her alone stops me from doing that. I’m still harder than a damn rock.

I wrestle with hunting the other humans down, but I decide to let them starve to death instead. There’s no way out of this place unless they come through my courtyard, and even then, the way out is lost. If they are deep in the maze, they will die there.

After I get rid of the bodies, I go back to my room and wait. She moans first; then, her eyes flutter open. She blinks in the low light, looking around, taking in the floor-level bed she’s lying on, the table in the far corner, and my collection of things neatly arranged about the place. Slowly, her gaze shifts and settles on me.

She gives a sharp breath, eyes widening, blinking at me. “I’m still here,” she croaks.

“Did you think I would kill you in your sleep?” I say gruffly.

She sits up, her soft brown orbs fixed on me as she shuffles back on the bed mattress so that her back is against the wall. “No, I….” She casts her eyes downward, but a second later, she’s looking right at me again, fists clenched by her side. “I’m not afraid of you.”

I cock my head, snorting. “I petrified you earlier.”

“You killed Hesione.”

“That girl you were with? She tried to kill me.”

“And the other girl by the fountain?”

I snort at her. “She also tried to kill me.”

“So you’re an innocent, misunderstood monster? Is that what my dream is trying to tell me?”

“What dream? And I wouldn’t say I was innocent,” I huff, shifting away from the wall. She tenses but doesn’t scream or run.

“What are you—”

“Are you thirsty?” I grumble, bored with talking already. The beast in me wants to make her comfortable. It’s infuriating that I’m even acting this way, but now that she’s mine...

Mine?

She nods, and I use that as a reason to leave her and gather my thoughts. I take a cup from my things and then use it to collect the water from the fountain. I offer it to her when I return, bending down.

She eyes it warily. “You drink from a cup?”

“The makers of the labyrinth left some human tools behind when they put me down here,” is my explanation. I don’t use most of what they left because I can’t, but I like to look at them from time to time. It reminds me I’m half human, even if I live like an animal.

She bites her lip as she reaches to take it from my hands. The beast inside likes that she accepted what I brought her, as does the human side. And as I watch her drink, the desire to fuck her grows harder between my legs with every passing second.

“Who put you down here?” she asks when she finishes, offering me the cup to take.

“My bastard of a father,” I growl, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice as I accept it from her hands. My fingers brush against hers as I do, making her jump, her gaze settling briefly on my groin before she looks away, blushing too sweetly. It makes me unsettled. “When I was born, he had this place built and put me down here before I could become too big for him to control.”

Her soft brown eyes search mine. “So, you can never leave this place?”

“No,” I snap.

Women don’t blush when they see me.

They cry, or they scream, or they run.

It makes me want to rut her in the bed, here and now. Instead, I walk over to where I keep the items I’ve collected over the years and dump the cup among them.

“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry,” I hear her say behind me.

“Don’t be. I rarely remember what it’s like to be above ground.” That’s true. When I’m a raging beast, I sometimes forget what I am.

“If you have a father, then you must have a name?” she asks as I turn around.

“Asterius.” There’s no feeling in my voice when I say it.

“Asterius, what a beautiful name.”

“And you’re Melite,” I say. I remember the other girl calling her it.

She gives me a soft smile. “Just Mel.” Suddenly, she looks around the room. “What is that? Why do I keep seeing it everywhere?” She points to the double-axe symbol on the wall.

“It’s called a labrys. It’s a sacred symbol, the key to this place,” I grunt at her.

She sits up. “Like a door key?”

“Something like that.”

She seems to contemplate this, brow furrowed.

“Why are you not afraid?” I grit out, unable to stop sounding harsher than I want to.

“Because this isn’t real.” She bites her lip again.

Ah, there it is. The girl is delusional. Anger fires my blood, and I can’t help letting out a snort. She tenses as I stride over to where she’s sitting. I crouch down until I’m at her level, my hand shooting out to wrap around that tender throat.

“If I rip you in half while I’m fucking you, will that be real enough for you, then?” I grunt at her.

Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t struggle, so I drag her down onto the bedding and climb on top of her. Her breathing quickens, brown eyes larger and round as they take me in.

“If I let you fuck me, will you let me go?” she squeaks.

No. I will never let you go.

“You ask that like you have a choice,” I say with a leer.

She frowns then, fighting against me. The thrill of the chase pulses through my veins. Suddenly, I want to hunt and find her in the depths of this maze, pin her down and fuck her hard, claiming her as mine. A deep growl emerges in the pit of my stomach at that, and I ease off her, just enough to let her scramble away from me and to her feet.

“You’d better run, Mel, because I won’t stop until I catch you.”

She sucks in a breath and stumbles backward. “W—why?”

“Because I’m going to make you mine.”

She turns and disappears from my sight, running from me as fast as her fragile body will allow. Sighing, I crick my neck and then get to my feet. I won’t hold back when I catch her. I can’t; the beast in me won’t be stopped. He will tear these walls down when I release him, and Mel won’t stand a chance.

And with my venom in her veins, it’ll be easy to find her.

Because she’s already mine.

CHAPTER FIVE

me’line

Because I’m going to make you mine.

I hear his voice as I bolt awake in the olive grove. Is it weird that no one has ever said that to me? Looking around, it’s fully dark again. The only light is from the moon as it shines down, allowing me to see where I am. I stumble home, trying not to fall and crack my head open on the rocks.

Still wired from running through darkened tunnels and getting intimate with a Minotaur, I pop a few sleeping pills when I get in. Then I sleep like a baby…until I’m woken by the sound of the door knocker going crazy.

Who the hell could that be?

Half asleep, I drag myself downstairs, cursing whoever it is. As soon as I open the door, Perry, practically glowing in an orange maxi dress that compliments her dark features, throws her arms around me. “You’re alive! Thank fuck for that,” she exclaims.

“You came?” I have tears in my eyes as I hug my best friend.

“Of course. I said I would. Now, where can a girl get a drink around here?”

Grinning, I extract myself and usher her inside, taking one of her heavy suitcases across the threshold before I decide my body can’t handle it just yet.

Behind her, Beau appears, looking her usual kitsch self but with different hair than when I last saw her. And Margie too, tall and stunning in a two-piece, her silver hair perfect as always. Beau removes her sunglasses from her face, grinning. Margie just scowls.

“Oh, there she is. We’ve been knocking and ringing for at least an hour,” Margie says, peering at me over her dark glasses.

“Don’t listen to her. It was only half an hour,” says Beau as she comes over and leans in for a hug.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” I say with a yawn. “I was out of it.” I blink at her. “Wasn’t your hair pink before?”

Beau laughs, tossing her marine blue ponytail at me. “I wanted a change. Do you like it?”

I nod at her.

“Is this where you’ve been living for the past week and a half?” Margie asks as she strides in, rolling her compact travel bag alongside, kissing me on the cheek as she glides past. “In this run-down shack?”

“Quaint shack to you,” I sass back. “No one told me you were coming. I would have rolled out the red carpet.”

I’m totally unprepared for their arrival, but they knew I would be, luckily. While my three friends make themselves at home, they take over my kitchen and stock the cupboards and fridge with everything they picked up along the way—like all the ingredients to make a killer cocktail. Even though it’s early morning, Perry insists on making us all a Bloody Mary. Margie goes off to find a room she can work in, and Beau chats away to me nonstop. It’s all too much, so I excuse myself to get showered and changed.

The last thing I expected was for my friends to turn up. And while I’m glad they’re here, I’m struggling. Even though I slept in the olive grove, I feel like I haven’t rested.

Last night was…

I don’t even want to think about last night. Because every time I do, I want to crawl back into bed and make myself come just thinking about it.

Talk about a wet dream.

I’m still in a daze when I get out of the shower and look in the mirror. I stop dead, cold dread spreading through my entire body. There…on my shoulder, a huge bite mark is already blossoming into a bruise.

“What the—” Tentatively, I reach up to touch it, wincing when I press on it. The dream from last night comes back to me—the Minotaur fingering me, making me come, and waking up in his bed.

“Asterius,” I say aloud. None of that was real. Was it?

I must have hit my shoulder when I fell and didn’t notice it until now. It looks like a bite mark and has dents where the teeth went in, but some of those rocks have pretty sharp, jagged edges.

It was just a vivid dream. I faced my fear, and the beast didn’t kill me. That’s all. I do feel better about things. Maybe it’s healed some part of me that needed to confront Ethan about what he did.

After I’m dressed, I go downstairs to see what the girls are up to, ignoring my body’s urge to crawl back under the duvet and sleep for a long time. I find Perry and Beau in the garden, playing with Sammy.

“Whose dog is this?” Perry asks me.

I give her a shrug. “No idea. He just started following me around.”

“He’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen a dog like this before. Beautiful coat.”

“Isn’t he a Labrador?” I ask, taking a cocktail off the table.

Perry frowns. “No way, he’s too big to be a Lab. A sheepdog of some kind?” Perry is a vegan chef who works at an animal shelter on weekends. If anyone should know, it would be her.

“So, what’s the plan?” Beau asks, looking up from her travel guide. “Can we go explore?”

I give her a tense smile. “There’s not much around—”

“Or we could go into the town? Get some delicious food?” Perry offers.

Margie comes to join us, and the votes fall to grabbing food. The last thing I want to do is trek into the town, but I push my reservations aside. My friends have come from London to see me. I can be social for a few hours now.

And then tonight…

I can see Asterius again?

All day, I’m like a zombie, yawning. I’m grateful that Perry hired a car, so all I have to do is sit in the back of it and stare off into space on the drive over to the main port town. We eat an amazing lunch and then stroll along the beach, but it’s all too much. I’m exhausted, and the sleeping pills I took aren’t helping me stay awake.

Perry falls back alongside me as we walk, linking arms with me. “Why are you yawning if you’re supposed to be on holiday?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night. Next door was having a hot tub party.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun. Any hot men?”

I roll my eyes at her. “I didn’t go.”

“What? Why?” she wails. “You’re twenty-five, not fifty-two. You should get out there after Ethan.” When I say nothing, she glances at me and sighs. “You need to get over that dickhead.”

She’s right. I need to get over him. But Beau doesn’t know, Margie either, how far it went. They thought it was only a crush and a few dates, but it continued. Ethan didn’t want anyone to know we were seeing each other. Only Perry knows it’s been three long, horrible years of sleeping with him when he was lonely or bored. I call him my ex, but we were never officially going out, so now that he’s done with me, I can’t even cry about it.

And I want to cry. I want to scream at him, throw things. I want to turn up at his wedding and tell his new wife that he was with me before he met her and was sleeping with me while he was dating her. That he would take her out for a romantic dinner, only to booty call me afterward. And every time, he would tell me he missed me and that he wanted me. The next day, he’d be colder than ice, conveniently forgetting his promises. And I would tell myself it was the last time Ethan Matthews would use me…until I fell for his lies and charms all over again.

But now he’s married.

He can’t hurt me anymore.

I faced the Minotaur. I’m over him.

We stop at a museum of Crete on the way back. Margie isn’t happy unless she’s getting her daily dose of culture, so Perry indulges her and drives twenty minutes out of the way to get there.

Most of it is boring—pots and coins from 1500 BC—until I turn the corner and see the double-axe head in the middle of the room.

“The labrys,” I say out loud.

“Ah, you know your Minoan culture.”

I glance over my shoulder to see a tall, handsome man with dark hair and green eyes that seem to sparkle.

No, thank you.

“Not really,” I say, turning away to read the plaque on the wall next to it.

“In ancient Crete, the double axe is an important sacred symbol of Minoan religion. It accompanies female goddesses, never male gods, as it is the symbol of the Mater-arche,” I read out loud.

“It means the source or origin of the Mother God,” the green-eyed man says, coming up behind me.

I glance at him, brow furrowed. “Mother God? Someone told me it was a key.”

He cocks his head. “If key meant women’s power in society, I would say you were right. In modern terms, we know it as the matriarch.”

“So, the axe isn’t an actual key? Just the power it represents?”

He winks at me. “It could be both? The ancient Greeks loved to play mind games like that.”

“There you are!” a female voice sings out. Saved by the Beau. She strides in, tossing her blue-green mane. “And who might this be?”

“Theo,” he says warmly, offering his hand. “The owner of the museum.”

Beau seems entranced, so I leave her and Theo to get acquainted, unable to shake the feeling that I’m being watched.

The girls make themselves more cocktails when we get back to the villa. I decline and head outside to sit in the shade of the tall cypress trees with a book. Beau and Perry join me, spreading their towels next to mine, to chat about their love lives.

I don’t feel like joining in, so I lie down with my sunglasses on, pretending to read. Secretly, I’m looking up Minotaur myths on my phone. Their chatter continues as I go down the rabbit hole of monster dildos, but nowhere can I find anything about sex with one or what it means if a Minotaur bites you.

Nothing.

Not a damn thing.

Just a story about a monster locked underground until the hero killed him. That part of the myth upset me the most. Why would they lock him away and then brutally murder him? His father was a gift from Poseidon. They should have treated him like a god.

That reminds me of something the museum owner said about the Mother God, so I quickly search for labrys and the Mater-arche to see what I can find on them. There’s not much except what I already knew from the museum.

“O-mor-phi-a-mu,” I hear Beau say.

I sit up, breathing hard. Beau has her nose stuck in her travel guide. “What did you say?”

She looks up and takes a sip of her cocktail. “My beauty. That’s what that means in Greek, according to the guide. If a guy calls you that, it means he thinks you’re gorgeous.” She nods with authority.

Omorfiá mou.

That’s what the Minotaur called me.

“Mel?”

“What?” I look at Margie strutting about on the patio in her bikini, looking like she just walked off the catwalk. I could never be that skinny or that elegant. I’m too short, for one. My Chinese grandmother on Celine’s side saw to that.

“Is there a pool here?” Margie sighs, fussing with her towel.

“No—” Why would he call me that?

“There’s a hot tub next door,” Perry gets in before I can finish.

“Oh yes,” I mumble, getting my brain in gear. “The neighbor invited me to use it whenever I want,” I say, switching off my phone. I’m done researching monsters. I faced mine. I’ll probably never see Asterius again.

Even though I want to.

“Can we go?” Perry asks.

Beau claps her hands. “Oh yes, please. I love hot tubs.”

I don’t want to, so I explain about the creepy guy, but Margie rolls her eyes. “Mel, you dislike any guy who is good-looking and interested. But I agree. Hot tubs make you wrinkly.”

“Who cares? Hello. We’re all single and only live once,” Beau sputters, tossing her silvery blue hair.

“I’m in.” Perry shrugs, raising her hand.

“Fine, we can go after dinner,” Marge sighs, closing her eyes and settling onto her towel.

“I’m not feeling well, but you three should go,” I say, excusing myself to go inside to get another drink before they can protest. Although I don’t want to ruin their fun, the last thing I want to do is put on a bathing suit and get into a hot bath with River and his friends staring at me.

I haven’t been to the gym in years.

Perry follows me. She comes up to me and leans her head on my shoulder. “You’re annoyed I invited them, aren’t you?”

I let out a breath. “I’m not. They don’t know about Ethan. They want me to be fun Mel, like I used to be, but I don’t even know who that person is anymore.” I wanted to heal without having to put on a brave face. It’s not Perry’s fault, though.

She wraps an arm around me. “Look, we’re here to support you. If you want to stay here and chill, let’s do that.”

I shake my head. “No, enjoy yourself. This is your holiday.” Perry has a minimal number of vacation days since she runs her own business—a vegan food truck and a catering service. Her time is actual money.

When Perry rejoins the others, I take a detour to the bathroom to hide. I run the water, pretending to have a bath, then I decide just to take one. As I wait for the tub to fill, I splash water on my face and stare at myself in the mirror. Deep down, there’s only one reason I want to be alone tonight.

Asterius.

I need to see him again.

I want to ask him more about the labrys and the Mother God. Really? That’s what you want to go back for? It would mean sleeping in the olive grove, and I’m not sure the girls would be okay with me doing that. I’m going to have to sneak out…

I’m going crazy.

I must be.....to be thinking of sleeping outside again so I can go back to an underground maze with a killer Minotaur to, let’s face it, get laid. But if I were going insane, I’d look it, right? According to my reflection, I look normal, like me—the same dark hair and brown eyes of my mixed heritage, at odds with the freckles on my face because I’ve caught a little sun, even though I’ve been slathering on the sunblock daily.

Do I look like this in my dream? Is this how Asterius sees me?

Omorfiá mou—My beauty.

I’ve never given a thought to my appearance in dreams, but right now, I look terrible. Exhaling, I take the ponytail out of my hair and run my fingers through it, puffing it up a bit. As I’m undressing, I see a dark figure, a Minotaur, standing behind me in the mirror, black eyes burning me where I stand.

Fear spikes and a scream catches in the back of my throat.

I grip my half-removed dress in shock and spin around.

But there’s no one there.

My heart is racing as I lean against the counter, taking deep breaths.

It wasn’t him. I’m seeing things.

They were only dreams.

Or were they?

They’d felt so real. Especially the mark he gave me, aching under my T-shirt now, reminding me he was close. That’s another reason I don’t want to get in the hot tub. The girls will ask me where it came from. And I don’t know the answer to that.

I wait until the girls have gone to my neighbor’s house before leaving. They were so happy to be going. Not as happy as I am, believe me. It felt like the day would never end, and they would never leave. They would be appalled if they could see me now, running as fast as I can to the grove, blanket under one arm, a bag of essentials in the other. I’m appalled at myself. Is this what Ethan has reduced me to?

I don’t want to think about it anymore.

When the statue looms, my mouth becomes dry, and my heart thuds in my chest. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t get back there?

It’s all too much. It’s like reading a book and not being able to finish the end. I have to see this through.

Just one more night.

CHAPTER SIX

asterius

Her scent floods my senses. She disappeared for a while, and it drove me crazy trying to find her. I slaughtered every other human lost in the maze, looking for her until I gave up. Occasionally, I’d sense her near the fountain where the water was running. But then she’d disappear again.

Now I smell her deliciousness close. Very close.

“Asterius,” she calls out.

Hearing my name on her tongue drives me wild. My cock hardens almost immediately. Why is she here now? Does she think I will be lenient with her? I promised her I would find her and catch her, and I will.

I move out of the shadows and into the light. She turns around, sucking in a breath when she sees me.

“You came back, little human,” I growl.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again.”

That stops me. Why would the human say that? Is she mocking me? I smell her blood, almost venom-free. The mark on her shoulder is healing. I must not have done it deep enough to take; that’s why the connection was weak, and I couldn’t follow her.

“You should run,” I snarl.

She frowns at me. “No, I’m not running again.”

If I could smile, I would, but the gods didn’t make me that way. Instead, I bare my teeth. “I will rip you apart.”

She lifts her chin, although it trembles when I stalk closer. “I don’t care.”

I snort, letting out a terrible roar. “You should care. I’m going to fuck you so hard and deep, I’ll split you apart.”

She bites her bottom lip sweetly. It tugs at some part inside me that wishes I could be gentle—I long for that. But it’s not my nature. I’m a monster. I’m going to destroy this tiny human with my sheer size.

“You said I could take you,” she grits, eyes fierce. I appreciate her strength.

I rumble a laugh. “I lied.”

“Let me try,” she says, shaking her head. “Please.”

“You are begging me to fuck you?” I ask her, stepping closer, head cocked to the side. The way she pleads sends a bolt of lust straight to my balls. My phallus is straining now, pre-cum moistening the tip as I grip the length of it beneath my loin cloth, stroking the shaft.

“Is this what you want?” I tear the cloth away so she can see me in all my glory. The gasp on her lips is what I want to hear when I make her swallow me whole. I give myself another tug. “Do you think you can take all of me?”

“I—I…” Eyes wide with fear, she takes a step back.

“No,” I sneer. “I thought not.” I take another step forward. “Now, run.”

The monster in me bellows.

She turns and flees, pure desire spiking as I watch her go. She won’t get far. Not this time. I pump my cock a few more times, imagining what it’d be like to sink into her soft wetness, and then I can’t hold the beast back any longer.

“Run, little girl, run,” I shout, so my voice echoes through the narrow passageways. “I’m going to fuck you so hard and deep, no human man will ever be enough afterward.”

This time, she’s mine.

CHAPTER SEVEN

me’line

He’s big, no…enormous. Of course, he would be. Why did I think he wouldn’t? The darkness seems to envelop me as I run. My breaths drag in the cold, dank air. It freezes my lungs. I slam into wall after wall, scraping my way around the dark maze. I don’t know where I’m going or if he’s behind me.

He said he’d kill me when he caught me, but the fear propelling me forward is muted by a thrill in my veins when I hear the beast howling like a hurricane, his hooves pounding behind me.

Asterius.

I stop running.

Mainly because I can’t run anymore, though I have a feeling it has more to do with the combination of sympathy and desire swirling through my veins—they kept him locked down here and then tried to kill him just for looking like he does. He’s not a beast. Not to me.

Not if he has a name or a past.

Asterius grunts as he barrels into me. I hit the ground front-first, breath slamming out of my lungs, and then he’s on top of me, pinning me to the cold earth with his body, his hot breath blistering my skin. Searing pain rips through my shoulder as he bites down. I shout and buck, trying to fight him off as his teeth dig in like he’s grinding against bone.

It draws a cry from within that doesn’t sound like me.

And then he pulls back, snorting, muzzle close to my neck.

“There, I marked you deep,” he breathes.

I can’t see him, but he’s heavy on top while he presses my face into the dirt. Asterius’s body is warm and solid, with rigid muscles almost everywhere. His huge cock is digging into my back as he grinds into me. My skirt must have risen when I fell, exposing me to him now.

There’s nothing between us.

Nothing at all.

He shoves between my legs, hot and huge at my entrance, nudging the slickness already there. “How primed and wet you are for me, little human.”

I whimper at that, and he roars, ripping off the back of my bodice, tearing at it with his teeth. Next goes my skirt. As he eases off with his body, I burst to life, trying to crawl away on my hands and knees, but he grabs me by the waist and drags me back, my hips up high. I gasp as he leans over and fists my hair, pinning me to the ground.

“Asterius,” I pant as he’s about to mount me.

I try to buck him off, suddenly frightened at his sheer size that doesn’t seem like it will fit, but he growls and locks his teeth on the back of my neck. Strangely, it calms me, even more so when he runs his hands down my body, groping me over my clothes. His hot tip pushes in enough to make me moan as he licks up my spine. The feel of him, thick and hard at the entrance to my folds, has me shivering from head to toe. “You desire this. You want my cock inside you. I can smell your heat.”

I can’t answer him.

His hand dips between my legs, stroking. “It’s too late to beg for mercy. Just wait. My venom will help.”

And it does; suddenly, my legs give way like jelly.

The feel of his fingers has me panting and moaning. White hot pleasure snakes through me, holding me in place, though the angle is painfully humiliating.

My legs spread of their own accord.

“See. You’re already mine.” He grunts and slams his hips forward.

He’s too big for me. Snorting like a bull about to charge, he doesn’t stop. I can feel him tearing me apart as he drives in. At first, the sensation of him stretching me to the limit burns, my slickness easing some of the pain, dampening my thighs, but then my body relaxes and adjusts. Somehow, he thrusts all the way in, rammed to the hilt, so his balls slap against me. And just when I think that’s all I can take, he jerks, and I can feel him extending, the curved tip making me writhe with pleasure.

Never have I been so full.

“Mine,” he bellows as he drags back and rams into me again, deeper. I can’t stop myself from crying out as he ruts me there on the floor, my hands pawing the dirt, ass in the air. My breaths are short, strangled at the relentless pace. “You are mine, little human. Mine to own and breed.”

I hear his words, but I’m too far gone.

Pain has already given way to mind-numbing pleasure. Every stroke sends bolts of raw deliciousness ripping through my body, making me a rag doll for him to use. His hand owning my clit adds to the sensation as toe-curling heat sparks a fire in my belly. I clench and clench around him. The slick, wet noise as he drives forward and the grunt as he bottoms out echoes up the stone walls until all I can hear is him fucking me—the Minotaur. The monster.

Asterius is fucking me.

And my moans, illicit sounds that I can’t stop myself from making, tell him I love it.

How can I go back to everyday life after this?

I don’t want this dream to fade.

His grip on my head loosens, and I feel him gather me back onto him, lifting me off the floor. The change in position has his cock dragging over different parts of my pussy. I’m a mess in his arms. One hand pinches and kneads my breasts, and the other strokes over my mound as he continues to fuck me, claim me, and do whatever he likes to me.

His warm breath is at the curve of my neck. “I’m going to fill your cunt with my seed. And then I will keep you impaled on my cock until you’re completely spent.”

It barely registers. My body tightens, tensing against him, as my orgasm hits like a tidal wave, shaking everything to the core. I’m lost in the waves of pure pleasure.

Asterius grunts and thickens, and then he comes with a roar. Hot streams of his release surge within me as he jerks and pumps. Just like he promised, it fills me up completely, soaking my pussy. And then he holds me on him while I shudder into oblivion.

Slowly, he lowers himself with his arms wrapped around me, still fully extended and sheathed inside me.

His muzzle kisses my head and the back of my neck.

“Asterius,” I say as I drift off to sleep.

It’s morning when I wake in the olive grove. Shit, I must have slept here all night. As I move to get up, there’s a deep ache in my groin and leg muscles, and I’m stiff all over. Stickiness between my thighs has me reaching between my legs. Utter shock has me rooted where I sit as I feel it, a thick, heavy substance that shouldn’t be there. Unless…

Fuck, I can’t deal with this. I need to get back.

I walk back to the villa in a daze, the wind doing strange things to my hair as I take in the reality of it all.

The Minotaur’s cum is inside me.

Was it real? Did I really sleep with a monster?

When I get home, the girls aren’t yet awake, so I quickly shower and get dressed. The mark on my shoulder is no longer just bruised; it’s now a deep bite wound, though mostly healed where his teeth broke the skin. I have no idea how it closed over so quickly, but I’m glad for it. The last thing I need is a tetanus shot.

Or maybe I do?

Confused more than anything, I take out my laptop and start researching more mythology, although I get nowhere. And by the time Beau and Perry are awake, I have no answers for what is happening to me.

I swear, every so often, I hear him snort in my ear and feel his hot breath on the back of my neck.

The morning passes slowly, to the point I’m looking at the clock all too often. Margie spent the night with one of River’s friends, Michail, so she returns at lunchtime with lots of kiss-and-tell. The girls want to visit another town in the afternoon, so I bail, saying I’m not feeling well.

I’m packing my bag for a hike to the statue when the door knocker sounds. Someone tall is standing outside as I peer through the frosted glass. Is it my neighbor back to harass me again?

Turns out, I’m dead wrong. As I open the door, the man’s salt and pepper hair and his deep, penetrating smile has my breath quickening—Ethan.

I close the door behind me and step out onto the path. “What are you doing here?”

He gives me an incredulous look. “Is that any way to say hello? I’ve missed you too, beautiful.”

I step back as he walks toward me. And that makes him frown. “No,” I shake my head. “You don’t get to do this.”

“Gina is visiting her sister. She doesn’t know I’m here.” I just look at him. “I had to see you,” he adds.

How did I ever sleep with someone so pathetic?

“Go back to your wife,” I snort at him.

“Wait—” He darts forward, hands on my shoulders.

No. I whip around and grab him by his tiny balls. Asterius was right. I can never have a human man, especially one this small, after having him. “I said go home to your wife. Better yet, go home and tell her what a lying, cheating bastard you are, or I will.”

Ethan’s eyes bulge out of his head, mouth hanging open.

Something did heal inside me when I faced the Minotaur and let him fuck me. I give Ethan a dig of my nails and a twist before leaving him there and going inside. Then I grab my bags and head out the back. I left the girls a note that I’m not coming back. I feel slightly guilty for it as I storm through the olive grove, but not completely.

It doesn’t take me long to fall asleep this time. I’m shattered from all the late nights Asterius has consumed lately. The Minotaur is waiting for me when I open my eyes.

CHAPTER EIGHT

asterius

“There you are, my mate,” I rumble at her.

She falls into my arms, and I hold her tight, then pick her up and carry her to the courtyard. “I don’t want to leave you again,” she says, eyes large and round.

“I’ve bred you now, so you can’t leave me, little human. The mating bite I gave you is binding.”

“But what about when I wake up?”

I carry her to the fountain; it’s the only way in and out of this place once you are locked inside. Daedalus showed it to me when he built it, although I could never pass through because I needed the key.

I’m holding her now in my arms, sensing her love for me

Melite is the key to the sacred transformation of this place, my permanent sun rising over the mountain. I step into the cold water, and it soaks us both. She clings to me, shivering as the stone shifts beneath us.

“This is the boundary between human and divine realms. Will you cross it with me?”

“Can I stay with you if I do?”

“You can.”

She nods feverishly. “Just don’t let me go.”

As the fountain floor unlocks, we plunge into a deep cavern filled with water. I swim with her in my arms, diving deep into the waters that bore my father, ruled by Poseidon himself. And then I’m kicking for the surface. Mel holds me tightly, her eyes squeezed shut and her head tucked into my chest.

Finally, we break through the waves, and the sun beats down as I swim us both to shore.

I drag us out of the water and carry my mate tenderly onto the sand. She’s soaked through. How quickly the wet contours of her body have me hard. When she opens her eyes, they widen in shock, but then she smiles.

“It’s you,” she says, brow furrowed.

“I tried to get you to come over to my hot tub.” I smirk at her.

She runs her hands through my wet hair, touching my human face. “Is this…is this what you look like?”

“When I’m in this realm, yes.”

“So, you’re not the boy who lives down the road?”

“There was never a boy who lived down the road,” I say, grinning at her. “I couldn’t tell you who I was. And I’ve wanted to kiss your beautiful lips since you came back to Crete.”

“Wait.” She sits up and pushes me back. “Explain. Now.”

“When I was a boy, the architect of my prison took pity on me. He allowed me to use the fountain to escape when the sun was rising in the sky. Asterius means of the sky, so I could take human form in the mornings just as the sun rises over the mountain, but when the sun breaks free of the earth, I become the beast again and would need to return. One hour a day, I have freedom.”

“But you had those parties.”

“That you never came to. You would have seen that I wasn’t there. My friends were. They party for me.”

She glances around. “How do you get from the beach to the villa?”

“I don’t always emerge here. It’s the reason I got the hot tub.”

“Okay, but how are you still a man now? The sun is already over the mountain.”

The tension in my body drains out of it. I’d been holding my breath, praying the goddesses would bless me if I found my true equal—my mate. The key that covers every part of my prison is a reminder of what I could not have, could never find.

Until now.

“You are the key; our mating bond has allowed me to keep this form around you because you are the sun rising over the mountain for me every second I’m with you. When you came back, it cemented into place.”

“But why me?”

“The sea witch who made you ice cream was like a mother to me. I chose this time and place as a boy to see her. And that’s when I first met you.”

“You stole my candy.”

“Trust me. I wanted to steal more than that.”

She shakes her head. “No, as the Minotaur, you didn’t act like you knew who I was. I’m not buying it.”

I let out a sigh. “The beast sometimes has a mind of its own. It’s hard to stay human down there and remember.”

She bites her lower lip, taking it all in. After a minute, she nods. “So, what happens now?”

The smirk is on my lips before I stop it. “I do what I’ve wanted to do for the longest time.”

I haul her to me and claim her mouth with mine. She tastes of the sea and smells of lost summers. Her tongue darts in. I devour that too. She melts into me until she tenses and pulls back.

“You were in my bathroom.”

“I had to see you. I came through the fountain and followed my venom in your blood to where you were. Luckily, you had filled your bathtub, but it was a risk because I was in my beast form.”

She slams a hand against my chest. “Never scare me like that again.”

I grab her hand as she goes to hit me again, a growl emerging deep from within my chest. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Leaning forward, I kiss her again. This time I’m not gentle. She moans into my mouth as she devours me back.

And then I peel back the wet clothes she’s wearing to fuck her delicious body on the beach, to claim her in my human form.

She watches me with lustful eyes as I move to straddle her. Her eyes glance down. “So, is your monstrous dick gone for good now or….”

I chuckle, a deep, throaty laugh. “I can change back any time you wish, key to my heart; you just have to ask.” As I move against her, my cock hardens and grows, elongating like that of a bull.

She wriggles beneath me with a sigh as I nestle between her legs. “Good, because I enjoy being torn apart now and again.”

“Don’t worry, my little human,” I say, nipping the shell of her ear with my teeth. She shivers as my breath warms her skin. “I’m going to breed you day and night in every way imaginable in my beast form.”

I slowly kiss her neck as I push into her soaking wet pussy with my tip. “This is mine to fuck, to fill, and do whatever I want,” I say, teasing her mercilessly with my cock. “Because I own you, and you can never escape me. Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will find you.” Then I bite down, releasing the venom that relaxes her muscles, allowing her to take all of me.

“Because of the venom?” she breathes out, eyes fluttering closed, shuddering as I plunge inside her.

“Because you faced me, didn’t turn away, and then released me. You accepted my monster. I belong to you now just as you belong to me,” I grit out, trying not to hurt her as I seat myself all the way in.

My mate seems to accept that and wraps herself around me, legs locking over my waist. Once she’s accommodated me enough, I move, dragging in and out of her, filling her completely. She bites down on my shoulder to keep from crying out.

I take it slow this time, my human side sensing that’s how she needs it to be until pleasure tightens in my balls, and I come hard and deep, roaring as I empty my load into her. The world trembles as my powers affect even this realm. And then she comes too, with a cry and a buck of her hips, clamping down around me, milking me dry.

After we’re spent, Mel lies in my arms as we watch the sunset, tracing her fingers over the muscles in my forearm, her head on my chest.

“Asterius,” she murmurs. It’s not a question, just my name on her lips.

“My friends call me Aster.”

“You said your name was River.”

“I didn’t lie. I’m of the sky and the sea. Ruis is my other name from my father. Ruis means river.”

She shifts to look me in the eye, her brown orbs in total acceptance of everything as she smiles. “Will I get to meet your friends?”

I cock my head, sitting up. “Your friends already have.”

“And they’re like you?”

“In a way. Why?”

“Margie stayed over at Michail’s.” Her nose wrinkles. “Please tell me he’s human.”

I grin at her as I get to my feet, reaching down to help her do the same. “Come on, let me take you back home, and you can meet them for yourself.”

“Just tell me…is he a Minotaur too?”

I snort and gather her in my arms. “My sweet, Melite. There is only one Minotaur, and you’re bonded to him.” Then I kiss her long and deep like I’ve dreamed of doing my entire cursed life as I carry her into the warm waters of my island home.

EPILOGUE

charlie

The gargoyle seems to watch me as I pick my way across the ruins. That’s foolish; it’s made of stone. I shake off the feeling of being watched and focus on taking my camera out of its case, changing the lens to the one I need for long-distance shots.

Though the wind has picked up, teasing my hair across my face, at least I’m alone. Thank God my sister Mel and her friends are back at the villa. The last time I let them come with me, Perry and Beau did nothing but talk. I enjoy good gossip like anyone else. But I’m an introvert. I need my alone time if I’m to be a decent human being at other times.

With a sigh, I look through the viewfinder and focus my camera on the dramatic scenery. I’ve always found Crete to be beautiful and mysterious, like a coy woman hiding her secrets from a lover. I tease her with my camera, trying to get her to open up.

Mel was the one who convinced me to come and summer with her before my internship in Paris. It’s crazy to think she just up and left her well-paying job to live in this remote place, as stunning as it is. And as nice as her new boyfriend, Aster, is. It would drive me nuts.....

“Hold on. What was that?” I skim back with my camera to the archway of the ruin that used to be a door. The stone monster draped over the ledge is looking at me now. It wasn’t before.

Shit. I’m tired. I was driving from 5 a.m. to get here. It’s time to go back. I need to get off this damn rock I seemed to have isolated myself on.

Frowning, I sling my camera over my shoulder and attempt to climb off. That’s when I spot it, a crevice between the boulders. I peer inside. It’s pitch black, but what looks to be eyes glow from within. Then they’re gone.

“Hello?” Maybe someone’s trapped. I swear I see someone, or something, moving in there.

There’s a bleating warning from the goat a few rocks over as it paws the ground. It’s been my companion ever since I parked and started exploring. It came over earlier and butted me a few times, trying to drive me back to the car. I even have a few pictures of the creature giving me dark looks, like my being here makes it nervous. Goats are funny animals.

It bleats louder as I step onto the lower boulder to get a better look. “Stop whining. I’m not going to twist an ankle,” I say, scowling at it.

A bird or maybe a bat shoots out of the crevice.

“You asshole!” I yell, clutching my chest. That scared me so much that my heart thumps loudly in my ears, and I have to suck in a breath to calm myself down. But then all balance is lost as my foot slips, sliding me on the abrasive stone down to the yawning gap.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My hands shoot out and grasp onto the rock.

Nervous energy zaps along my fingers and toes as I scramble to stay out of the hole, and I wedge my foot, twisting it to stop me from sliding down any farther.

As I lie on the warm rock, face down, holding on, I can hear the patter of hooves as the goat comes closer. I glance up, and it stares down at me, bleating—I told you so.

I grimace, spitting a mouthful of hair out of my mouth. “Yeah, fuck you too—” I don’t get to finish.

Something rock-hard wraps around my ankle, the one wedged, and yanks. A scream erupts from my throat, choking me as whatever holds me pulls me down into the crevice and drops me into the darkness.

I land with a thud, air vacating my lungs with a groan. Stunned, I lie there for a few seconds, feeling my body, checking it. Eventually, I roll onto my back and look up to see a crack of light above me. I can hear the goat going crazy.

Shit, I fell quite a way. At least nothing’s broken.

I’m aware of something shifting in the darkness, slithering, hissing. I scrabble to sit up, but there’s a flap of wings, and then something big and heavy presses down on my chest. Glowing green eyes peer down at me, a face carved from stone and a grinning mouth that opens to reveal rows of sharp, pointed teeth. I must be dreaming. I must have hit my head, and now I’m dead to the world.

And then the giant gargoyle speaks. “Look what I’ve found, brothers. A mortal to play with.”

Brothers?

The cave I’m in comes alive with more pairs of luminous green eyes, all looking down on me from the darkest cavities above, like alien stars scattered over a night sky.

Oh, fuck.

Thank you for reading Songs of Wrath.

For more Myths and Monsters, preorder the next book, Ancient Monsters, now.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lea Jade lives in London with her bean-shaped dog and the rest of her non-furry family where she writes paranormal romance with plenty of magic, mayhem, and monsters.

When she’s not pandering to the whim of her grumpy, jack-chi pup or beating up bad guys, you can find her word-wrangling her next crazy adventure and listening to Ed Sheeran while sipping spiced chai-latte at her local Starbucks.

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Or stalk her here: http://linktr.ee/leajade.

THE CRIMSON THRONE

l.k. reid

BLURB

They came from the shadows, in the middle of the night, tearing our world apart.

There was no warning, no sirens blazing through our cities, only a shooting star cutting through the clear sky, dividing us in two.

They called themselves Aelfuer, but we knew them as elves. As beautiful as the night and as deadly as the knife, they stormed in and conquered our world, dividing us in North and South, ruling over us as if our lives meant nothing to them.

Mranaelfuer and Swyaelfuer—the Dark ones and the Light ones.

But even though the people went crazy seeing them in our world, worshiping the ground they walked on, kissing their feet and begging them to take them even for one night, I knew better.

In the ruins of what used to be our world, my brother and I avoided them as much as we could, keeping to our part of the world.

But we forgot what they were capable of, and somewhere in the depths of our despair, we forgot that they ruled the world now. And in order to save the only person I had left, to save my brother, I did what I never should’ve done.

I gave my heart to the Beast.

CONTENT WARNING

The Crimson Throne is a dark fantasy novella that gives us an introduction into a much bigger world that will see the light of the day in 2023. The themes inside the novella are intended for mature audiences only.

DICTIONARY

Mranaelfuer - Dark Elves

Swyaelfuer - Light Elves

Aelfuer - An Elf

Nemehor - The Capital City in the New World

Dvornyii - Smaller city in the New World

Kingdom of Yreya - Southern Kingdom/Kingdom of Light Elves

Kingdom of Eroan - Northern Kingdom/Kingdom of Dark Elves

Grohyun - Monsters made by the Dark Prince

Menataar - Small village where Kaelin lived

Hiyat - Howlers, monsters from Elven world

CHAPTER ONE

“Goddammit, Kaelin!”

The hair at the nape of my neck rose as my brother’s voice thundered through the makeshift cottage we were living in. I wasn’t exactly expecting a different reaction, but there was a teeny tiny ounce of hope that he wouldn’t lose his ever-loving shit when he saw the mess I made.

To say that I sucked in the kitchen would be an understatement of the year.

On a scale of one to “run for your life,” I was definitely on the latter. The first time Hayden tried to teach me how to make eggs, I managed to destroy the pan, burn a cloth that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Hayden ended up with red blisters all over his palms, because he tried to contain the fire.

That was ten years ago. No matter how much I tried to get better, I was pretty much useless. If it wasn’t for Hayden, I would’ve probably starved by now. Bows and arrows were my friends, unlike pots and pans.

But today… Today, I wanted to try again. I wanted him to come home to a meal, so that we could celebrate his birthday. But I messed it all up.

One second. I turned away for only one second, and the goulash I was trying to make was all over the place, gurgling over the stove and stinking the entire place. Not to mention that I wasted a perfectly good rabbit I caught just yesterday, a bunch of peppers and zucchinis we managed to find, and I also had to throw away the only pan we had.

I was chaos walking, and it was no wonder that he never let me step inside the small kitchenette he made.

I could hear his footsteps as he crossed the length of the cabin from the kitchenette to the backdoor, and one, two, three—

“You!” He barged through the door and stopped right in front of me, pointing his finger at my face. “You are forever banned from that area of the house.”

With my lips pressed together, I tried not to laugh, but it was almost impossible keeping a straight, innocent face when he had a brown smudge on his right cheek, no doubt from the goulash that ended up all over his face.

“I told you a million times not to cook, and what did you do today? You cooked!”

“I’m sorry?”

“Dammit, Kae.” He huffed and sat down on the first stair. “Don’t look at me all innocent and angel-like. You know what you did.”

“I was just trying to be helpful.”

“Well, try less.” He smiled this time. “I know you wanted to help, I get it, but what if you end up burning down the entire cottage, huh? Winter is at our doorstep and if we have nowhere to sleep…” he trailed off. “Just, please… No more cooking.”

I knew it wasn’t the fact that I tried to cook and failed that made him upset. Ever since he came back from the Dvornyii, the city right next to Nemehor, the capital, where the Dark Prince resided, he’d been restless, constantly on the lookout. He kept reminding me where we kept our weapons, as if I could ever forget.

I was three years old when they came. When they tore our world apart, leaving nothing but ashes and pain wherever they went. Some said that they always lived among us, others that they came through the gates of hell, starting the end of days with them.

I couldn’t care less where they came from. I just wanted them gone.

We humans called them elves, but they called themselves Aelfuer—so beautiful, yet so lethal. Sometimes I had a feeling that just one single glance at them could kill you. But it wasn’t their beauty that destroyed our world.

It was their swords and arrows. Their filthy magic that tarnished the ground we walked on. It was the touch of the Dark Prince that turned people into monsters, and it was he who divided us into two sections, along with the King of Yreya, the southern kingdom. I was far too young to remember the world before, but Hayden remembered.

He remembered when Mranaelfuer, the dark elves, tore through the town we were hiding in, killing almost everyone in their path. Their legions didn’t care if the person in front of them was innocent or guilty. They used their swords all the same.

Hayden remembered when the same elves held our mother on her knees, her hair in the hand of the giant with a wicked grin and violence in his eyes. He only told me once what happened, but that one time was enough for me to see the pain on his face and to hear the terror he felt as a child when that monster pressed a blade to her pale neck, cutting through as if she never meant anything.

To them, none of us meant anything. It’s been twenty years since they shattered our world, and we still didn’t know why they came.

The war they waged between themselves was just the beginning, but the darkness surrounding every single one of us, the fear of the unknown and the monsters lurking in the shadows—monsters they created—was never ending.

I’d met an elf once. An Elven girl who looked at me as if I was a mere ant she could stomp. She probably could, given the opportunity, but her hatred for my kind was obvious in the way she sneered at my friend and me.

I never wanted to see another elf again.

I’d heard stories of what their twisted magic could do to us. I’d seen the proof of the madness Prince Waldran carried—The Dark One, the vile one, the poisonous snake slithering through our world. He was too close to our home, too close to this little cottage Hayden had built.

I hated that Hayden had to go to Dvornyii every now and then, but he was the only one who had permission to move in and out of our district. He was the only connection with the rest of the Districts, and I knew that the people living in this part depended on him, just like I did, but I still hated it.

“Okay,” I murmured, and crossed the distance between us. “I won’t cook.”

“Thank you,” he breathed out and dropped his head into his hands, avoiding my eyes.

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s bothering you? Is it—”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s easier said than done, Hayden.” I crouched down and pressed my hands on his knees. “Tell me,” I urged him. “Maybe I could help. Maybe you could take me—”

“No!” He lifted his head and looked at me. His red-rimmed eyes blazed with anger, danced with fear, and I pulled back, recoiling from him. “I told you already. You cannot leave this place, Kaelin. It’s too dangerous.”

“How is it too dangerous?” I asked, annoyed that he still saw me as a little girl. “It’s been months since we saw anybody passing by here. By all accounts, it seems as if they’re finally letting us go.”

“Letting us go?” Disbelief laced his tone as he asked, “Do you have any idea what Prince Waldran is doing now?” His voice rose in tone, and with it, he stood up and started pacing from left to right. “He’s creating an army, Kaelin. A fucking army! People are disappearing left and right, and he doesn’t care how old they are, or if they are male or female. He doesn’t know what compassion is. He is going to do anything to get what he wants.”

“What is it that he wants?”

“I don’t know!” Hayden roared. “None of us do, and no matter how many times we’ve tried to infiltrate their units, we’ve failed. He’s been turning humans into Grohyun, into those mindless monsters, and his court is loving it. They hate us with a passion, my dear sister. Don’t you ever forget that.”

I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.

But there was a part of me that wanted to forget. A small, innocent, and curious part that still believed in good. There was a part that wasn’t tarnished with the darkness our world was covering us with.

That part of my soul kept me awake at night while the stars played in the sky, telling me to leave, telling me to pack my bags and to explore the world while we still had it. That curious and adventurous part of me wanted me to pack my bags and get out of this district. And no matter how much I loved my brother, that part of me wanted him out of our lives.

I loved Hayden with all my heart, but I believed that we both knew… We couldn’t continue living like this.

“When are you going back?” I asked, breaking the silence that suddenly descended on us and changing the topic. I hated fighting with him and I knew that losing Dennis, his best friend, destroyed him, but still… He needed to calm down.

“Tomorrow.”

“So soon?” My voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, and this time I was the one avoiding his eyes. I didn’t want him to see the torment reflecting in mine.

“Kae—”

“How long?” I always asked the same question. I always had the same fear. My heart shattered in my chest every time he told me he was going to Dvornyii. Maybe if it wasn’t for the close proximity of Nemehor, I would’ve been able to sleep at night with him being gone, but I couldn’t.

“Three days. It’s not going to be long, but still.”

He just came back. That’s what he wanted to say. He used to go to the city once per year, then it turned into two times, then three, and this year, this would be his sixth time going there. Men and women were relatively safe in Dvornyii, but it was the trip there that had my gut in knots.

Grohyun weren’t the only monsters lurking in the dark corners of our world. Not to mention that many elves, especially Mranaelfuer, loved using humans for their sick games.

“Are you going to be okay while I’m out?” Hayden asked, pretending that it was normal for him to go to the city. I knew why he had to go. I knew that being a part of the resistance meant constant trips between the cities, gathering people, and spreading what little information we managed to get.

But it still fucking sucked.

“I’m always okay.” I smiled and looked at him. His dark hair was already long, falling over his forehead, and going into his eyes. If the way he’s been pushing it back was any indication, I’d say that it was time for another haircut.

“Your hair is too long.” I grinned.

“No.” He shook his head.

“Oh, yeah.”

“No. Absolutely fucking not, Kaelin,” he said, taking a step back from me. But we both knew it had to be done—for his sake and mine.

“You can run.” I laughed at the same time that he grimaced. “But you won’t be able to hide forever.”

“Please, don’t,” he pleaded, but instead of chasing after him, I turned toward the cottage and opened the door.

“You have ten minutes, Hay. If you’re not inside by that time, you know what’s going to happen.”

“You are fucking evil.”

“Sometimes you have to be.” I laughed, earning another groan from him.

I left him standing there with his hands on his hips and the grimace on his face. Hayden hated cutting his hair, but he had to. Long hair meant an additional advantage for your enemy. Besides, it was easier to maintain when it was shorter.

Now I just had to wait to see if he was going to come inside, or if I would really need to go out and chase him down.

CHAPTER TWO

The fog lingered on the edges of the forest, playing with the frost that held the leaves captive, jumping up and down with the little nightingale that came out of nowhere. Elves almost destroyed the human world, but since they arrived, our flora and fauna flourished, and even the animals that were once near extinction now roamed freely in packs, unafraid of the hunters.

I guess that when life presented you with an actual enemy, there was no time for the merciless killing of innocent animals. Take only what you need, Hayden always said. Never more, and never less.

Nature had its way of giving what you needed if you played by its rules. If you took too much, nature would turn against you, and no amount of guns or power could save you. And humans… we used to take too fucking much.

I often wondered what would’ve happened to our world if elves never showed up. Older people from the village argued that we would’ve evolved, that our kind would’ve found a way to save our planet, but I knew better.

The descent into madness was always brewing on the edges of the civilizations, waiting for the weakest link to show up, to infiltrate their mind. Many times it appeared as a good thing, as something that would help the nation, but the dark reality brewing behind closed doors was always far worse than what people wanted to see.

And those poisoned by madness, by greed that always went hand in hand with the dark claws of insanity, were the ones leading the people that didn’t know better. Wars, famine, devastation, total and utter destruction of everything that was pure—that’s what humankind carried as our legacy.

Aelfuer were monsters. Terrible creatures that came out of nowhere, but were they really that much different from us?

Hayden spoke of the monstrosities they committed. Of young girls taken in the middle of the night, but they weren’t the only monsters in this realm.

The monsters I knew didn’t have fangs or sharp claws. Their eyes didn’t carry the crimson, violet or yellow color. They looked just like my brother and me. They lived all around us, hiding their depravity behind crooked smiles and tongues laced with the sweetest kind of poison.

Every time I went down into the village, I could feel their eyes on me. I could sense their depraved thoughts and the sinister intentions touching my skin. And as I stood here in front of our cottage, looking at the Myaren forest, wishing for Hayden to suddenly appear, I also knew that if any of those men decided to come up here, they would know I was alone.

It wasn’t a secret that Hayden often went to Dvornyii, or that he was one of the rare people from our village who had official permission from the Dark One to do so, but so far, I was lucky to always have him with me whenever they decided to “just pass by”.

I gripped the bow in my hand tighter and looked up at the sky already darkened by the looming clouds, announcing the impending rain that would wash over us in a matter of hours. It wasn’t even midday yet, but the sense of the impending doom attached itself to my heart, and with every heartbeat, my blood rushed faster.

I was crouched down, picking up an arrow from where I left them in a heap at my feet, when the shadow of a man fell over me, sending my heart into a racing frenzy.

Without preamble, without waiting to see who it was, I pulled myself up along with the arrow, placing its metal head on the arch of the bow, holding the string with my other hand, with the feather tail of the arrow between my fingers.

My hair flew around me, dancing with the wind that picked up in a matter of seconds. As soon as I stood up, ready to shoot whoever it was in front of me, I halted, shocked to my core to see that it wasn’t a pair of vile, brown eyes staring back at me, but green ones, like the forest behind.

“Benjamin?” I asked breathlessly, still holding the bow and arrow, aiming it right at his chest.

His hands flew up into the universal sign for surrender, and the smile he carried wherever he went slipped off, leaving him with a blank but scared expression on his face.

“Whoa, Kaelin. It’s me, Benji.” His blond hair was swept back into a low ponytail.

Lowering down my bow and arrow, I kept them close to my body—just in case. It’d been years since I last saw him, and every time I asked Hayden about the boy that used to play with me, he would avoid answering. “What are you doing here?” My voice wobbled a bit thanks to the adrenaline still coursing through my body, and as my chest rose and fell with every breath I took, so did Benjamin’s eyes, following every move I made.

“My eyes are up here, buddy,” I grunted.

“Fuck,” he cursed and shut his eyes, covering them with one hand. “Sorry. I’m sorry, Kae. I—”

“What are you doing here?” I didn’t have time to be nice. I didn’t have the luxury to be nice toward men who had the tendency to disappear on me, least of all men who I didn’t really know. Not anymore.

“Can you lose the arrow, please?”

“No, I can’t. I won’t ask you again, Benjamin. What the fuck are you doing here?”

One day he was here, in Menataar, holding my hands, promising forever, and the next—poof. He disappeared. That was the first and last time I allowed myself to open my heart to somebody else.

“Let me explain, please.” He pleaded with me, his eyes shining with emotion I never saw before, but that young part of me, who loved the boy with forest-green eyes, died five years ago when he left without a trace.

“Then talk.”

He looked around as if he expected someone to be following him, and I squeezed the wooden part of the bow, ready to shoot if I had to.

“Can we talk inside?”

“No, we can’t. You have five seconds to start talking, Benjamin. Five fucking seconds and then you can skedaddle out of here the same w—”

“I was in prison!” he suddenly blasted, cutting me off mid-sentence. “I was looking for a way to get us out of here, to remove these runes from our arms.” He lifted the sleeve of his shirt, showing the rune similar to the one I had on my forearm.

The rune that kept us here in Menataar. The rune that the elves from the House of Menataar put on our skin when we were kids, so that they would always know where we were.

Only a few of us didn’t have one, and one of those people was my brother.

“That’s when they caught me. And Kae, Mranaelfuer are worse than anything you can imagine.”

“I don’t believe you,” I spat out. “If they really caught you in the village, we would’ve known. They always make it known.”

Silence descended on us as soon as the words came out of my mouth, and I knew.

“But we didn’t know because they didn’t catch you inside the village.” He shook his head and looked at his feet, avoiding my eyes. “You were leaving without me.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t as painful as I thought it would’ve been, but it confirmed what I knew all these years. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” His eyes were filled with remorse when he looked at me again. “I was young and stupid. I thought I would be able to get away from this place. I thought I could see the world, but I was wrong. Please believe me that I never wanted to hurt you. I just didn’t know how to tell you in person.” His face was marred with scars that weren’t there before, yet pity wasn’t what I felt for him.

Indifference held me captive, and all those emotions I used to feel for him were nowhere to be found. Narrowing my eyes at him, I lowered down the bow and arrow and took a step backward, closer to the entrance of our cottage.

“Thank you for telling me that. I’d say I’m sorry about what happened to you, but right now I can’t find it in myself to care. I’m sure you still remember where to find your house.”

“My house?” he asked as I turned toward the cottage. “Kae, wait! Didn’t Hayden tell you that I was coming? Is he inside?”

“Hayden?” I turned around. “He’s in Dvornyii, Ben. He’ll be here maybe tonight, but it’s still too early.”

“What are you talking about, Kae?” He looked bewildered. “I left Dvornyii with Hayden, but we split up at Taluneh crossing because I had to go to the magistrate. He was supposed to be here hours ago.”

“No,” I shook my head, but deep in my heart, I knew he wasn’t lying. “That can’t be.” Hayden never steered off the road. He always came home as fast as possible because he knew that staying in Myaren forest for longer than necessary was a sure death.

“Kae—”

“He never came home,” I all but whispered, looking toward the forest. Where was he?

CHAPTER THREE

“Kae… Kaelin, dammit. Will you stop?” Benjamin kept babbling behind me as I rushed through the cottage, trying to collect the things I might need.

With a makeshift backpack in my left hand, I went through the small space, collecting anything and everything that could help me to locate Hayden. He shouldn’t be too far away, but I couldn’t be certain.

“Kaelin, why are you taking a knife? For fuck’s sake, talk to me.”

“What?” I whirled around and looked at him. “What do you want, Benjamin? Why are you even still here?” I asked, wiping the blade of the small knife Hayden kept on the table on my pants. “Thank you for telling me about Hayden, but you can go now.”

“Go?” His eyes widened. “I can’t leave you like this. All alone, powerless—”

“Powerless?” I all but growled. “Do I look powerless to you, Ben?” I pointed the knife at him. “Just get out.”

“No,” he murmured. “I left you once. I can’t leave you again.”

“Too late for that, buddy.” I snickered and strapped the knife to my thigh. “Now get out before I stab you myself. You can come and visit maybe, but there’s nothing else you can do right now.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go and look for my brother, Ben.”

“No, you can’t leave!” he shouted. I dropped the shirt I picked up into the bag and turned to look at him. He looked panicked, afraid, but I didn’t have time to entertain his sick fantasy where he was going to come in and swoop me off my feet. “We should go to Lord Menataar. He will—”

“He won’t do shit, Benjamin. What the fuck is wrong with you? Did they drop you on your head too many times when you were a baby?”

“N-No, but—”

“But, nothing. For all they know, Hayden ran away. If it was up to them, they would let him die if he was in any real danger. Did you forget the whips and chains from our childhood? Because I didn’t. I still have scars on my back to remind me of their cruelty, so excuse me if I’m not so eager to go into the village to ask them for help.”

“But you can’t go alone. Just let me he—”

“I said no! Seriously, what is wrong with you?”

“N-Nothing. But you know that the moment you cross the edge of the forest, they’ll know.”

I took a deep breath, then another one, and slowly closed the backpack. “I know, but I also don’t care what they’re going to do to me. My brother is out there somewhere, maybe injured, possibly in trouble. I’m not just going to sit here and wait. If he’s fine but just sleeping somewhere, then I’m going to slap him myself, but until then, I need to find him.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but I was done listening to him.

I crossed the small area between my bedroom and the front door, leaving him behind. “You’re welcome to stay if you’d like, but don’t touch anything. And for the love of everything, please don’t follow me.”

I opened the door, ignoring the protest coming from him, and with rushed steps, headed toward the forest, with the sound of the slamming door echoing behind me.

The dark sky followed me as I neared the first line of trees, and that nightingale that I saw earlier stood on one of the branches, observing everything that was happening around him. The air whistled as the wind picked up, and my lungs expanded as I took a deep breath, ready for the pain that would no doubt attack once I crossed this line.

I’d only ever heard the stories of the pain that followed Marked ones if we dared to cross the invisible lines they drew around our cities, villages and compounds. My eyes flickered to the symbol on my left forearm, to the mark of the House Menataar—the house that owned me—me and many others. I knew that in a second or so, they would know I had crossed the line.

It wouldn’t matter to them that I only did so because I needed to find my brother. Elves had no mercy for us. They liked to pretend that they did, but their mercy lasted only as long as we followed the rules set upon us by the Dark Prince.

And I was about to break the cardinal one.

No humans outside of the Balyun District.

No humans outside of our villages, cities, and compounds.

And definitely no humans in the dark forests, haunted by creatures from our nightmares.

Unlike a lot of other people, I liked rules. I liked the order. I liked knowing that as long as we followed their rules, they would leave us alone. I also liked knowing that in all the years that we lived here, the Lord of the House Menataar only showed up twice—once to brand us and the second time to grant Hayden free passage throughout the land.

I looked back toward the small cottage I’d called home for many, many years, and a weird kind of sadness enveloped itself around my heart, squeezing my lungs and pushing the tears to the forefront of my eyes.

I could never come back here. Once I found Hayden, I would have to go somewhere else. I would have to find a way to remove this mark from my skin if I wanted to survive, and if I wanted to escape the guards.

But I’d have to think about all those things I would need to do later, because the only important thing right now was finding my brother.

Dried leaves broke beneath my feet as I marched through the tall grass, disturbing the lingering fog. My skin buzzed with a foreign energy—both excitement and terror—for this unknown world I was about to enter. I could already see the trail starting between the two trees in front of me, and with closed eyes, I took the first step forward—the leap of faith—and braced myself for the blinding pain.

But it never came.

The skin around the mark pulsated, my heartbeat going into a frenzy, echoing in my ears with a thump-thump-thump, but the pain many have described wasn’t there.

Had they lied?

But why would they?

If resistance was so keen on taking back our world, why would they lie about these things? Elves never said that the mark would hurt if we crossed the borders—humans did. But why?

My forefinger pressed against the dark ink marring my skin, and I started tracing it all the way to my palm, where the mark ended. I wasn’t well versed in their language, nor did I know their alphabet, but I knew that this was some sort of a rune.

Why didn’t it hurt?

I had thousands of questions, yet no time to seek an answer today. It would have to wait for another day.

I did know one thing—they could definitely track me with this. Maybe it didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t waste my time going over all the things the resistance had lied to us about. I would need to ask Hayden once I found him, but for now, it would have to wait.

My fingers wrapped around the grip of the bow, and I fastened my pace, leaving the village behind my back and trying not to think about the uncertainty of my future.

I’d never been on this side of the forest, since it was outside of the borders of the village, and I had no idea where to go, but from all the stories that Hayden had told, and from all those times that I waited just on the edge of the forest when he left, I knew he always followed the trail.

That was one thing he instilled in me since I was a child—follow the trail, no matter what. And I did.

I turned around, already unable to see our cottage, but in the silence of the woods and with all the creatures that were probably lurking in the shadows, I had to engage all my senses if I wanted to get out of here alive.

There was a reason why nobody traveled through the forest at night, and as I looked at the sky, halfway hidden by the foliage from the tall trees, I could see that the dark clouds I saw earlier were getting thicker and thicker, slowly announcing an impending rain.

We were already halfway through the autumn, and the days that were once long were now much shorter, darkening in the mid-afternoon, which didn’t give me too much time to stay here.

I should’ve waited until tomorrow morning, but there was no time to waste. If Hayden was in trouble or maybe hurt, he wouldn’t have been able to wait until the morning. He’d been there for me through thick and thin, and I couldn’t abandon him now. He was the only family I had. The only person I truly cared about. If finding him meant sacrificing my place in the village, I was going to do it.

My legs started cramping from the strain of the fast-paced walk and even though it felt as if I was walking for hours already, the landscape stayed the same. Until it wasn’t.

What caught my attention weren’t the two stone pillars that were placed on the right side of the trail, but the familiar backpack I helped sew.

“Hayden,” flew out of my mouth, and before I could stop myself, I rushed toward it, disregarding everything my brother had taught me.

The backpack was thrown on the ground, lying at the bottom of one stone pillar with elvish runes all over it. My hands itched to touch the carved inscriptions, but I stopped myself when I saw his jacket lying in the dirt, just behind the two pillars.

What have you gotten yourself into, Hayden?

CHAPTER FOUR

I should’ve stayed home. I should’ve waited until tomorrow morning to search for him. I should’ve done a lot of things differently, yet here I was.

Hayden’s items were scattered all over the place, but the further I went, the more I realized that there was something wrong with this side of the forest.

Autumn in our area wasn’t hot, but it wasn’t freezing cold either. Yet as soon as I stepped through those two pillars, the icy wind knocked into me from all sides, eliciting shivers all over my skin, and I wished I had brought something warmer with me.

I was armed with weapons, but what good were they if I was going to die from hypothermia?

Although, the cold wasn’t what had my teeth chattering or the hair at the nape of my neck standing up. It was fear.

Pure, scorching fear that took a hold of my body as soon as I stepped out of the forest.

I always thought that we were the only village in this area, but it turned out that I was wrong. House after house stood right in front of me on both sides of the stone road that led toward the wrought-iron gate not too far from where I stood.

There were no people outside. There were no kids running around, laughing, or playing with each other. Chimneys stood tall, but smoke never came from any one of them.

Like ants over my skin, the sinister feeling crawled all over my body, climbing over my spine, all the way to the back of my head. As if I could get rid of it like that, I scratched my hair, moving the ponytail that stood high on top of my head.

The thick fog lingered on the horizon, and through it I could see the rooftop of something—maybe another house? I couldn’t help but notice that it was much darker on this side, and I wondered where the time went.

Mere minutes ago, it was still visible, still daytime, but from the time that I stepped between those two pillars and now, it was already dusk.

“Fuck. Me,” I murmured and started walking down the stony pathway, collecting more of Hayden’s things along the way. Did he pass by here? Did he get captured by somebody?

Or something, my subconsciousness butted in.

Yeah, or something.

I passed between the houses, going as fast as I could while the claws of fear pierced through my heart. The doors were closed—some of them even sealed—and each of them had the blood-red rune splattered over the wooden surface.

What in the hell happened here?

I looked down at what once used to be flowers on the side of the road, but none of them survived. I wasn’t sure if it was frost or something else, but even the grass was destroyed, turned into a dark green, almost black, color.

My hand wrapped around the handle of the knife I took from home, and with steady but slow steps, I crept closer to the iron gate I saw from the distance.

And I wished I hadn’t.

The wrought-iron gate was ajar, one side of it moving in the wind, breaking the silence around me with the creaking noise it produced.

Should I go in?

I couldn’t see any more of Hayden’s items, but if the ones he left scattered around were any clue, he definitely went this way.

I crossed the small distance between me and the gate, and as if on cue, the fog that was hiding the house behind the gate started lifting, making my eyes widen at the sight in front of me.

It wasn’t a house at all—it was a castle. A smaller castle, but a castle, nonetheless.

Two tall towers stood at the very entrance, guarding the wooden door in the middle.

And were those… Holy fucking shit.

Two metal cages hung in the air, one on each of the towers, covered with crows feasting on whoever or whatever was inside.

“Holy fuck,” I murmured, fighting the nausea threatening to break through. The crows cawed while the sound of the tearing flesh mixed with the creepy noise from the gate echoed through the air.

I couldn’t see their eyes—couldn’t see if these were those feral crows Hayden spoke about—but I wasn’t going to take my chances.

Slipping through the ajar gate as quietly as possible, I started crossing the stone pathway leading to the tall wooden door, hoping that the crows weren’t going to notice me. They were too busy with the cadavers in those cages, and I just hoped that one of them wasn’t Hayden.

Please, please, please…

I stopped just in front of the doors and looked up, squinting, trying to see if there was anything familiar about those corpses. But both of them were stripped naked, and judging by the state of their bodies, they had been here for quite some time.

Who would do something like this? Aelfuer were merciless, but even they had limits when it came to their darkness. This… This was the deed of a pure monster, and I just hoped that Hayden hadn’t fallen victim to them.

The iron gate suddenly slammed closed, and I jumped as my heart raced, trying to see if there was somebody there. But the fog started thickening again, and the abandoned village I went through earlier wasn’t visible anymore. Neither was the forest.

Howling sounded somewhere from my right, and I knew that those weren’t wolves. No, the howling—this kind of howling—came shortly after Aelfuer appeared. This high-pitched sound seemed to go on and on and on, crying into the night.

The Hiyat, the Howlers.

Even Aelfuer refused to touch them, so what good would I be if I stayed here, waiting for them to appear?

I pushed at the wooden door and, to my surprise, it immediately opened, leading me into the dark foyer of this place. Candles flickered on the walls, but no one was inside.

“Hello!” I called out and immediately regretted it. Well fucking done, Kaelin. Now you can also sit on that sofa and wait for the monster to appear.

It wasn’t my finest moment, but judging by the state of this place, somebody definitely lived here. Maybe they weren’t home? Maybe Hayden just got lost. Maybe—

“Help!” somebody called out, their voice traveling from the hallway on my left. I knew that voice. I loved that voice.

That voice soothed my wounds and made me feel as if the world we were living in was normal.

“Somebody help me!”

“Hayden,” I muttered and started sprinting down the hallway, all the way to the spiral staircase that led to the upper floors.

This was probably one of the towers I saw from the outside, but as I ran upstairs as fast as I could, I quickly realized that this wasn’t just a random tower.

Cells lined the walls on every floor, and each and every one of them was empty.

What the fuck was this place?

“Please!” Hayden cried out again.

“I’m coming, Hayden!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Hang on!”

The stench of death plummeted around me as I ran up and up and up, my heart beating in the rhythm of my pounding feet, trying to find my brother. But the only thing I found were the skeletal remains in the now empty cells and the whooshing of the wind through the open windows.

“Hayden!” I yelled out, stopping in front of the ceiling-high window overlooking the abandoned village I came from.

“Kae?” His voice came from above, and I looked at the ceiling, thanking whichever god was there. “Kaelin! What the fuck are you doing here?” he screamed, but I was already running up the next set of stairs.

“Rescuing you, you idiot!” I panted. “Keep talking. This place is massive.”

“Get out of here, Kae!” he yelled out and the sound of metal slamming echoed around me. “If he finds you, he’ll kill you.”

“Shut up, Hay.”

“Kaelin, no!”

“Shut. Up!” I grunted.

I hadn’t had this much cardio in months, and all those pies that had attached themselves to my butt were not helping. I was blaming it on Hayden and his amazing ability to cook. Once I got him out of here, he was going to get the list of all the things I blamed him for.

Me getting fat.

Me having to run today.

Me now officially being a fugitive and possibly a dead person.

Who the fuck would go into an abandoned village and end up getting locked up? My brother, that’s who.

Fuck.

Another floor and another set of empty cells. Where did they lock him up? All the way at the top?

“Keep fucking talking, Hayden!”

“No,” he barely murmured, but I could hear him clearly now. I was almost there.

“Really?” I smirked and instead of running, I walked up the next set of stairs. “Would you like me to cook again?”

“Goddammit, Kae!” he shouted. “This isn’t funny. He could come back at any moment now and if he sees you here, if he smells you…” Hayden trailed off.

“Who’s he?” I asked as I reached the top stair. There he was, my brother. My only family. “Is this person responsible for you being here?”

Hayden’s head snapped in my direction, his eyes red-rimmed and angry. Angry because I came here, but there was something else there.

Fear.

The kind of fear that I hadn’t seen on his face since Aelfuer created borders.

“You shouldn’t have come,” he whispered, looking over my shoulder. His forehead pressed against the metal bar of his cell, his eyes shuttered closed, and the defeat in his shoulders told me that the situation was worse than I initially thought. “You shouldn’t be here, Kae.”

Seeing him like this—defeated, as if he’d given up, didn’t sit well with me. The newfound anger at seeing my brother bloodied with his clothes torn, pushed me toward the cell he was being held in. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my hand around his, just around the cold, metal bar. “Well, too late for that,” I murmured. “I’m here, and I’m not leaving without you.”

“You can’t free me from here, Kae.” He chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “He controls everything in this castle. The shadows, the objects, his servants… They all respond to him.”

“Who is he?” I bit out. “You keep talking about this person, but I haven’t seen a single soul since I came here.”

“Because you saw only what I wanted you to see, Little Girl,” a deep, dark voice grumbled from my left, freezing me in the spot.

Hayden’s eyes widened, focused on mine. Neither one of us moved as the cold gust of wind came out of nowhere, dancing around my hair, and playing with the scarf I had tied around my neck.

Cold tendrils of fear crawled up my spine, over my shoulders, and dove toward my heart, paralyzing me as they went. Hayden shook his head, never moving his eyes from me, but that wasn’t helping.

I could see the same fear eating me alive reflected in those orbs I loved.

“Don’t look at him, Kae,” Hayden whispered, but even if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to move.

My hands went cold. The tips of my fingers pressed harder against the metal bar, willing my body to stay motionless. What was that everybody said about the predators? Maybe if you didn’t move, they would let you go?

“Kae, keep looking at me,” Hayden murmured.

“Yes,” the voice purred next to my ear. “Keep looking at him, darling. Look at him. Look at the thief.”

A whimper escaped from me and my lungs seized just as the tears gathered in my eyes.

A feather-like touch ran from my half-exposed neck all the way to my ear, sending shivers all over my body. I whimpered, hating how weak I sounded, but even though my mind wanted to stand up to this force, to this man, this thing, whatever he was, my soul recognized the predator.

It recognized the power emanating from the force standing behind me.

Something wet touched the left side of my neck and I closed my eyes, unable to take the anguish I saw in Hayden’s.

“You taste like fear, Little Girl. Like the sweetest nectar sent to me by the gods.” His filthy voice kept whispering in my ear, enveloping me in the dark embrace of violence they carried within their syllables. “I wonder if your blood tastes the same.”

“Kae, look at me,” Hayden said, but I couldn’t open my eyes. My body refused to cooperate with my mind. “Kae,” he murmured again.

“Listen to him, darling.” The dark voice chuckled. “Open your pretty, little eyes.”

“Kae—”

“I can’t,” I cried out. “I-I don’t… I don’t want to.”

“Kae, it’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay,” Hayden mumbled, but his voice wavered. I knew if I opened my eyes, I would see tears in his. Tears of despair, of anguish… tears of our end.

My entire body trembled, the battle waging inside of me. On one side, I wanted to look at my brother and this… this creature. On the other side, I wanted to pretend I was back in our cottage, safe, secure and far away from the monsters running freely in our world.

But I didn’t want the last thing I would ever see to be the darkness behind my eyelids. I wanted it to be the face of my brother. I wanted it to be the memories we had together, no matter how painful some of them were.

I bit down on my lower lip and opened my eyes. Tears ran freely down Hayden’s face, creating a trail in the dirt and dried blood on his cheeks. Love shone from his eyes and his hand wrapped around mine, pulling them closer to him.

“It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

I nodded. “I know.” My forehead pressed against the bars separating us, and I wished I could hug him one more time.

I knew we weren’t getting out of this alive, but I would die, knowing that I at least found him. I would die, knowing that our last moments were spent together.

Many people never got a chance to see their loved ones again, forever lost to despair and anguish, eaten by memories and what-ifs. We would always have this.

“I love you, Hay,” I whispered.

“And I you,” Hayden responded.

“How touching,” the creature mocked, but he wasn’t next to me anymore. His voice didn’t rumble in my ear this time. For whatever reason, I found the strength to look at him.

I turned my head toward my left where his voice came, and I saw… nothing. There was nothing there.

“Hayd—”

“Don’t look at him, Kaelin. Do not fucking look at him.”

But I had nothing to look at. There was nothing there.

I glanced a look at Hayden who kept his eyes focused on the ground, and I stood up, now more curious than scared, and walked toward the stairs.

“Kaelin!”

“Shut up, Hayden.” That dark chuckle came back, but from the other side, where the other set of stairs led to the next floor. I swirled around, expecting to see him, but there was nothing.

“What the fuck?” I mumbled. Was this some sort of a trick? It was magic, I knew that, but I’d never felt this kind of magic. This dark, this depraved, this… intoxicating.

I pressed my hands to the wall and turned my back to the cells, trying to see if they were real, but as my palms encountered the stone, I knew they were.

“Looking for me?” came from behind me, and without thinking, I turned around, only to be met by the thing from my nightmares.

A pair of red eyes hovered above me, surrounded by dancing shadows, swirling around him. There was no face, no body, no hair, only the red pair of eyes.

An ear-splitting scream tore from my lungs and I stepped back to run, but I forgot about the stairs and the circular hole in the middle of this tower. I forgot about the path I took to come up here.

My foot slipped off the edge where I stood and I went down.

If I could’ve paused this moment, I would’ve just kicked my own ass and my own clumsiness. Here I was, in the castle of doom, and instead of getting killed by the monster, or whatever that shitbag was, I was going to die by falling through the hole.

I’d break my neck, a couple of more bones as well, get a concussion and die.

“Kaelin!” Hayden shouted from his cell, but I couldn’t answer anymore.

My body was free-falling, going through the air, and I suddenly understood what they meant when they said that your entire life flashes in front of your eyes during these moments—my childhood, running away from the soldiers, living in the woods, Hayden teaching me how to swim in the river near our camp. Sylvia, the red-haired girl I befriended. The girl that died in the same river he taught me how to swim in.

My first bow and arrow, my first animal kill. Hayden and I moving to our village. My first kiss with Benjamin. The stars in my eyes and the tightness in my chest when he disappeared. The happiness and relief I felt every time Hayden came back from one of his trips… All of them played in front of my eyes like a kaleidoscope, moving fast, reminding me of the life I’d lived.

It wasn’t the best, but it was mine. And it was filled with love and happiness, no matter what.

I closed my eyes and spread my arms. It felt like hours passed, but I knew it would be mere seconds and soon I would be forever gone.

And I was ready.

But just like with everything else, life had different plans for me, and just as I was getting okay with dying, something grabbed me.

Not something—someone.

A strong pair of hands pressed against my back and pushed my face into a strong chest, holding me to his body.

“I got you,” the same dark voice from above murmured.

I opened my eyes wide and my hands grabbed at the material of his jacket.

I never died. I never touched the ground.

But as he lowered us down, still holding me close to him, I remembered who he was when he opened his mouth again.

“I am the only one who can decide when you’re going to die, Little Girl.” That same mocking chuckle vibrated from his chest, and I knew if I looked up, I would see what he was. I would finally meet the monster that had Hayden terrified.

Maybe it was the adrenaline that pushed my fear aside, but I slowly lifted my head just as he let me go and took a step back.

I should’ve screamed. I should’ve tried running away, but there was no running away from him.

My feet led me further away from him, from this man, this creature, but I couldn’t move my eyes away from him.

The black jacket, or maybe it was a coat, hugged his wide shoulders, tight at his biceps, embroidered in gold at the ends of the long sleeves. The collar stood tall against his neck, covered by the same embroidery as the ends of the sleeves, and the crimson-colored shirt beneath gaped open, the first four buttons undone.

Dark shadows played behind him, touching him, caressing him, like a cat seeking attention from their masters.

But they weren’t the ones that had me feeling lightheaded. The shadows weren’t what awoke the fear inside my chest.

Full lips were spread in a mocking smile, and I wished that he had let me die. I wished I was far away from here now. I wished I had never left my cottage.

Arched, dark eyebrows cast a shadow over his bright, crimson eyes. His black hair fell freely around his face, and even though my heart thundered from fear, my fingers itched to touch it, to see if it was as silky as it seemed.

But the pair of pointy ears confused me and shattered everything I knew about Aelfuer. Their eyes weren’t this color. They never had these powers.

And they never had a pair of sharp horns, adorned with black and red crystals.

He took one step toward me, then another, until he stood mere inches away from me. Those crimson eyes swirled with something unfamiliar. Something I couldn’t quite place.

“What are you?” I asked, trembling from head to toe.

He wasn’t an elf. He couldn’t be.

One side of his mouth perked up, and a dimple appeared. His entire face was carved by the gods, made to mock us mere mortals, because no other being that I had seen had ever been this beautiful. This intoxicating. This mesmerizing.

This scary.

Yet, I still wanted to wrap my hands around those horns. I still wanted to touch his translucent skin to see if it was soft like I thought it would be. I wanted to play with his hair, to wrap my hands around his neck.

My stomach fluttered, my core clenched and the wetness between my legs responded to what the rest of my body was experiencing.

As if he could sense it, his nostrils flared, his eyes thundered, and the hunger I had only ever seen in the eyes of animals entered his.

“W-What are you?” I asked, whispering as if it was a blasphemy that I even dared to ask.

Tilting his head to the side, he closed the short distance between us and stopped in front of me. Tips of my boots pressed against his shoes. My chest pressed against his upper stomach and my nipples, already swollen and heavy, rubbed against his hard abs.

He towered over me, crowded me—him and his shadows.

They wrapped around us, cutting off all the light. In the darkness, I could see the blazing inferno in those crimson eyes. He lowered his head all the way to my neck and pressed his palm at the back of my neck.

He moved my head to the side, exposing my neck to him. My blood screamed, my heart clenched, and that’s when I felt it.

Sharp like the blade of the knife, his teeth nipped at my neck but he never broke skin. My eyelashes fluttered just as his tongue darted out to lick the spot he bit.

“I am Death, my darling little girl.”

CHAPTER FIVE

One moment we were standing there, pressed together, with his lips on my neck and my heart in my throat, surrounded by the same shadows that followed him. And in a blink of an eye, we were in a room so perfectly decorated that my heart hurt even thinking about all the little human girls that dreamed about rooms like this.

He immediately let me go, creating so much distance between us that you would think I was the monster and not him.

“A vampire,” I mumbled more to myself than him, but he heard me. His eyes narrowed at me and those fangs I felt on my neck were now fully elongated.

“Are you afraid?” he asked, almost hissing, but that violence I felt when we were in front of my brother’s cell wasn’t there.

“Yes.” I nodded and sat down on the Victorian-looking bed with the sheets made of clouds. My hands flattened against the plush surface and I wondered what it felt like living in such luxury where even the sheets felt like heaven against your skin. “And no.” I looked at him.

The surprise that registered on his face disappeared faster than you could say sex. He leaned on the wall and crossed his arms across his chest, staring at me as if I was a meal rather than a human being.

I guess I was. To him, I was.

“You should be,” he grunted. “You should be terrified.”

“I know.”

“Then why aren’t you?”

“Because…” I stood up and walked toward the dresser in the other corner of the room, right next to the tall window. “If you wanted me dead, I would’ve been dead by now.”

“And what makes you think that I won’t kill you now?”

I turned around and saw him approaching, slowly, like a predator approaching its prey. But he kept his distance. The shadows weren’t surrounding him now, and standing here in front of him, underneath the light, I could see every part of him.

My eyes landed on his strong thighs, and the thoughts I shouldn’t be having in the presence of my captor infiltrated my mind. These reactions weren’t normal, not by a long shot, but my body wasn’t listening.

“Darling?” His voice knocked me out of my stupor. When I looked up, I caught the small smile playing on his face. It wasn’t mocking. It wasn’t there to insult me.

It was a satisfactory smile, and I didn’t know what to think of it.

“Maybe you will kill me,” I answered, instead of dwelling on his otherworldly beauty. “Maybe you will slice my throat and drink my blood.” I slowly approached him. “Maybe you will snap my bones and throw my body to the Howlers.” I took another step, so close that I could feel the heat emanating from his body. “Maybe you will put me in one of those cages hanging from the towers so that the crows can feast on my mortal body.”

He didn’t like that. His mouth set into a thin line, and the smile that was there mere moments ago completely disappeared, and something much darker entered his face.

But it wasn’t directed at me.

It wasn’t the anger or the violence.

But I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Maybe,” I lowered my voice. “You will give me to the other Aelfuer, to different kinds of monsters who would tear my body apart. The other ones who would break my soul and my spirit.”

His jaw ticked at that, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes shuttered when I mentioned the others.

“Maybe you will give me to the Dark Prince who would turn me into Grohyun, and I would forever hate you.”

“How do you know that I am not the Dark Prince?” His voice was raw, quiet, but the swirling crimson in his eyes never calmed down.

“Because I saw him once and you’re not him. Because even though you are a monster, you are not that kind of a monster.”

Another bout of surprise flashed on his face, but he didn’t bother hiding it this time.

“You met Waldran?”

I flinched at that name.

Waldran Almaadrané, the Dark Prince, the destroyer, the pestilence. There were many names us humans called him by, but very few dared to say them out loud.

He was the first one. The original one that came from the shadows. The first one that drew his blade and the first one that killed a human.

He started this madness, and it seemed that he didn’t want to stop until all the humans died.

“I saw him.” I gulped. “I saw him as he turned my friends into monsters. I saw when he drew his blade and killed my mom. Do you think I would be standing here if I really did meet him?”

He shook his head. “No. Very few have managed to escape him.”

“It was because he never knew I was there.”

“Oh, he knew.” This asshole laughed and stepped back. “Waldran always knows everything. That’s his nature.”

“He would’ve killed me if he knew,” I argued.

“Not if you were a kid,” he answered and sat down on the bed.

“You don’t know shit!” I spat out. “You have no idea—”

“How much you suffered?” he asked lazily. “Don’t talk to me about suffering, Little Girl.”

“I have a name, asshole.”

“I know you do.”

“Then stop calling me Little Girl. I am not little and I am definitely not a helpless girl.”

“I can see that.” He smirked and dragged his eyes over the length of my body. “But I also wanted you to tell me your name. So, what is it?”

“Kaelin,” I muttered after a minute of silence. “And you’re wrong. If the Dark One knew I was there, he would’ve killed me. I’ve seen—”

“You saw nothing, Kaelin.” My name on his lips sounded like danger, but it wasn’t anger he was lacing his words with. “You mortals think you know everything about our kind, but did it ever occur to you that we are not so different?”

“Oh no, Beast. We are not the same.”

“Are we not?” He stood up. “If your world was in danger, wouldn’t you do everything possible to try and save it? If your brother was dying, wouldn’t you do everything to find the cure for his disease? And if your world died, wouldn’t you do everything to find a new one? Weren’t humans exploring space and all the possibilities of living on other planets?”

“That’s not—”

“The same?” He chuckled and stepped in front of me. “Isn’t it? We are the conquerors now, but you’ve been killing each other for centuries over things that don’t even matter.”

“You’re not even an elf. You’re not one of them. Why are you defending them?” I always asked the wrong questions, and in a blink of an eye, he had me pressed against the wall with his hand tightly wrapped around my neck.

The color of his eyes turned darker. His fangs once again appeared and the shadows he left behind reappeared again, swarming us.

“Shut your fucking mouth, mortal,” he bit out. “For a moment, you started forgetting your place, didn’t you?” He squeezed my throat again as if to prove a point. “But we’re going to change that.”

He pulled me away from the wall and pressed me against his front, pushing me toward the window.

“Look.” He pointed toward the atrium of this place. “Look down.”

I pushed aside the newfound anger and bravery and looked. “Hayden!” I tore free from him and pressed myself against the glass, hitting it with my hands, but the sound never came.

He was held between two guards, fully armored, holding their blades on both sides of Hayden’s neck.

“No!” I wailed. “Let him go. Please!”

“Hmmm,” he murmured against my hair. The guards pushed Hayden to his knees, toying with him. “He looks good on his knees. Quiet, obedient, powerless, unlike his girlfriend.”

Girlfriend? Hayden didn’t have a girlfriend.

“What girlfriend?”

“Don’t play dumb.” He laughed. “You.”

It was my turn to laugh. My belly clenched, and I pressed my hand against my eyes, half wiping away the tears from seeing Hayden like this and half from disbelief coursing through me.

“What’s so funny?” he grunted next to my ear.

“You.” I smirked. “I’m not his girlfriend, you big dumb idiot.” I completely turned around and pulled him down by his neck. “I’m his sister,” I whispered into his ear and bit down on his earlobe.

His palm spread on my lower back, and as if he couldn’t help himself, he pulled me closer until his hips aligned with mine. And I felt it.

The hard length pressing against my hip and I suppressed the moan threatening to erupt at the mere thought of him at my mercy.

“Please, let him go.”

“Why should I?” he asked, his voice raspy and dangerous. I shouldn’t have been playing with fire, but I always loved how bright it burned.

“He’s the only family I have left,” I murmured and licked down the path from his earlobe to his Adam's apple. “I will do anything.”

“Anything?”

“Okay, almost anything.” He chuckled at that, but his grip on me never lessened.

“You would stay here forever, just so that he could be free?”

“I am a dead woman either way. If I leave, they would kill me for crossing the line, and—”

I never got to finish the sentence because he pushed me away and held my hands with a ferocity I hadn’t seen yet. The anger shone in his eyes and those fangs I wanted to lick pressed against his lower lip.

“Who is going to kill you?”

“As if you don’t know.” I scoffed and pulled my hands away from him. I rolled up the sleeve on my left arm and showed him the sigil they branded me with years ago. “This is how they track us.” I pushed my arm toward him. “And since I basically ran from the village, which is just a fancier name for a human camp, they’re going to find me. The probability of me surviving them is close to zero. So you see,” I pressed my back against the window and rolled down my sleeve, “it’s all the same to me—dying by their hand or yours.”

“They would kill you?” he bit out, still looking at my arm.

“Most probably, yeah.”

His hands started shaking and as if to hide it, he fisted them and swiftly turned around and started walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked. Seriously?

“Your brother is free, Kaelin. They’ll escort him all the way to your cottage.”

“My-what?” I started walking toward him when he turned around and raised his hand.

“No, you’re staying here.”

“W-What are you—”

“You said anything.”

I did. I wasn’t confused about that, but what—

“Where are you going?”

“That doesn’t concern you.”

“They’re going to look for me,” I mumbled. “And they’re going to kill m—”

“Over my dead body!” he thundered, scaring the ever-loving shit out of me.

His head hung low, his hands on his hips, while his chest heaved as if he just ran a marathon.

“You’re staying here and none of them are going to touch you.” He lifted his head and looked at me. “That’s a promise.”

I drew the sleeves of my shirt over my hands and hugged myself as if I could eradicate the cold seeping into my bones.

“And what about you?”

He kept looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face. “That’s a promise I cannot keep.”

With those words, he turned around and headed toward the door.

“Wait!”

I rushed after him, but still kept the distance, not trusting myself enough. Not after the small episode from just a couple of minutes ago.

“You never told me your name.”

He looked at me over his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Erix,” he murmured. “Erix Almaadrané.”

All the heat left my body and the indescribable cold wrapped around my bones.

Almaadrané, just like Waldran.

Just like the Dark Prince.

CHAPTER SIX

His words kept echoing in my head even when the sky turned into a crimson hue instead of the darkness I was used to back in the village. I didn’t have it in me to even turn around and see where the redness was coming from.

I was paralyzed.

Terrified.

And I still had no idea if he let my brother go or not.

His feral, hungry eyes were imprinted in my mind, and no matter how many times I urged my body to move, I was still stuck next to the window, more scared of his relation to the Dark Prince than the fact that I was a captive now.

I was a captive.

I traded my miserable life so that my brother could live, but I had no guarantee that the beast would honor that agreement. But what was I supposed to do? Let my brother die? I wasn’t in a position to negotiate, nor was I in the position to demand anything. Erix could’ve killed both of us. He could’ve slit our throats, but he didn’t.

That was something, wasn’t it?

God, I hoped Hayden was okay. I hoped he made it home, and I hoped he would keep his mouth shut and would forget about me and this place. There was nothing he could do, nothing to save me.

We knew how Aelfuer operated, but Erix wasn’t an elf. Erix was a vampire.

I fisted my hands and pressed them against my stomach, fighting the nausea swirling through my body.

What was he going to do with me now?

Was he going to feed on me? Would he throw me to his men to do with me whatever they wanted? Why did he leave me in this room and not in the cell where Hayden was kept?

All the questions I had were swiftly forgotten when a knock sounded on my door, sending my heart into a frenzy. I almost didn’t respond, but I had no doubt that whoever was on the other side would come in no matter what.

“Come in!” I bellowed, or at least I tried to, but my voice sounded weak to my own ears.

The door creaked, opening slowly, and I braced myself for the next monster to come in. But it wasn’t a monster.

A girl, not much older than me, stood at the threshold with fabrics draped over her arms. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, accentuating her high, regal cheekbones. Plump, red lips pulled into a smile, and I only winced slightly when I saw the sharp fangs.

“Oh, shit,” she murmured and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting others aren’t used to this yet.”

She carried herself like royalty, and for all I knew, she might have been. But where elves I’ve met were full of themselves and looked down on us humans, she wasn’t behaving like that.

She closed the door with her leg and entered the room hastily and dropped the clothes on the bed.

“Who are you?” I asked, still keeping myself firmly next to the window. If Erix sent her to kill me, at least I would be able to control the situation.

She was no doubt faster and stronger than me, but when the adrenaline kicked in, even humans were capable of inflicting great damage. I eyed the candleholder on the small table not too far away from me and moved an inch toward it, when she stepped right in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

My body stiffened and each and every muscle screamed to get as far away from her as possible.

“You are so pretty.” She smiled again and pinched my cheek. “And your heart…” she trailed off and leaned down toward my chest, pressing her ear to my breastbone. “Marvelous. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a human heart pitter-patter like that.”

“Who. Are. You?” I gritted out and took a step back. In a blink of an eye, she was behind me, pushing me toward the chair and the makeup table on the other side of the room.

“I’m Allegra,” she almost sang and dropped me into the chair. “You can think of me as your fairy godmother. I mean, I’m not an elf anymore but… Oh, shit,” her complexion paled even more, and the honey-brown eyes turned worried in the mirror.

Wasn’t an elf anymore? What in the fuck?

“Let’s forget I said that, yeah? You’ve never heard me say that last part, okay? I am very fond of my head and I’m pretty sure that our prince wouldn’t take it so kindly that I told you what you aren’t supposed to know in order to break the curse.”

“Uh–”

“Fuck!” She cursed and started pacing from one side of the room to the other. “Forget I said that as well.” She tightened her ponytail and turned back toward me. “Let’s start from the beginning, yeah?”

I solemnly nodded while my mind whirled around her words. Curse? Used to be an elf?

“I’m Allegra and it is very nice to meet you, Kaelin. Now, I’m here to get you ready for dinner tonight.”

“Dinner?” I whirled around and looked at her. “Am I the main course?” I blurted out. Her entire body started shaking and laughter I had never heard before from any of the humans erupted from her.

We were told to be seen, but not heard. Smile with tight lips, don’t laugh out loud, and never talk in the presence of supernaturals, no matter what they were. Royals often passed through our village, but none of them ever behaved like Allegra. None of them ever spoke to us, nor did they look at us.

They behaved as if none of us existed. As if we were nothing more but vermin in this world, created to serve them.

“Of course you’re not the main course.” She kept laughing. “You’re the main attraction.”

“Main attraction?”

“Oh, yeah.” She grinned and lifted my hair into a low bun. “Tell me, is your hair naturally curly? Because I have an idea.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

A stranger stared back at me from the mirror.

It was me, yet it wasn’t.

My midnight black hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of my head, arranged artfully with two curly strands framing my pale face. The black mascara opened up my usually dull silver eyes, and the pinch of blush on my cheeks made me look like I’d been running for the past thirty minutes and not sitting in this chair for at least three hours.

“I look—”

“Like a goddess,” Allegra squealed. “I can’t wait to see his reaction.”

She kept going on about the shock they would all be in once they saw me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off myself.

I looked nothing like the poor girl from the village. Allegra painted my lips with the color of blood, and for the first time today, I didn’t feel repulsed by the mere mention of the substance traveling through my veins.

I’d heard stories about human girls in big cities who worked in brothels that welcomed Aelfuer. Girls that were able to change their appearance with the strokes of their makeup brush and the girls that looked so beautiful that your heart stopped beating every time you saw them.

I was never one of them.

I wasn’t beautiful or overly attractive. I was just… me. I was me until today. Until the beast imprisoned me and his friend, cousin, whatever she was, transformed me into one of the pretty girls.

“Stand up, stand up.” Allegra ushered me, too excited to contain her emotions. “I want to see the dress again.”

But I was in shock.

It took me a moment to get up from the chair and when I finally saw the dress—really, really saw it—my own heart stopped beating for a second.

“Allegra,” I whispered.

“You look beautiful, Kaelin. So, so beautiful.”

She took my hands into hers and twirled me around like a princess. A midnight black dress, the same color as my hair, whooshed around me, dragging over the floor.

Allegra pushed me again in front of the mirror and moved the chair away. The corset that came with the dress pushed my boobs up, making it seem like I actually had something to offer in that department. My collarbone was bare, as was my neck, but my arms were covered in black lace, all the way to my hands.

The dress hugged my hips and then spread down my legs. I loved the feeling of silk on my bare skin.

“I don’t know what to say,” I murmured, holding my hands on my stomach, my fingers dancing over the golden swirls that adorned the piece, so similar to the golden swirls on Erix’s clothes earlier.

“Thank you would be enough.” Allegra chuckled. “But I always knew you would look otherworldly.”

Yes, that was one word to describe me right now. Otherworldly and—

“What do you mean you always knew I would look otherworldly?” I narrowed my eyes on her.

She started backing away toward the door. “I-I didn’t—”

“Allegra?” I moved toward her.

“Shit. Fuck,” she cursed and looked up at the ceiling. “He’s going to lock me in one of the cages,” she murmured.

“Who? What are you talking about?”

Allegra shook her head and looked at me with a big smile on her face. “Forget I said anything. You look beautiful and you’re going to drive him insane looking like this.”

“Allegra!” I all but growled, but she wasn’t listening to me.

She grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the door. Fighting her was futile and every time I tried pulling back, she just tightened her grip.

“I can carry you to the dinner.” She looked at me over her shoulder as she opened the door. “Or you can walk on your own. It’s your choice.”

“I’ll walk,” I spat out. “But you need to let go of my hand and tell me what fucking dinner am I going to. I thought I was a prisoner.”

“A prisoner?” That laughter of hers came back and without looking at me, she walked outside of the room and into the brightly lit hallway. “Darling, you have a lot to learn about our kind. Now, come on. He doesn’t like to wait.”

“Well I hope he likes to be stabbed with a knife, whoever he is,” I muttered.

“I heard that!”

“You were supposed to!”

Her laughter traveled all the way to the room, and as I stood there, gaping at the open door, I knew I had two choices. I could stay here and wallow in self-pity, or I could follow her.

Maybe this was my chance to escape? Maybe I could pretend I was going along with whatever it was that they wanted from me and the moment they weren’t looking, I could slip out?

Yeah, I definitely could.

Without a second to waste, I crossed the threshold of the room and turned left, right where she stood, waiting for me.

“Smart little kitten.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” I grunted.

“As you wish my lady.” She smiled and bowed down. “Right this way.”

I followed, but into what, I had no idea.

CHAPTER EIGHT

When I first saw this castle, I thought it was completely abandoned, or at least haunted. Oh, but how wrong was I?

We passed through several brightly lit hallways, some of them adorned with portraits of unknown-to-me elves, others decorated with pictures of landscapes I had never seen in my life. It all looked too… homey?

The cold I’d been feeling when I had arrived was nowhere in my body now, and a weird energy buzzed through my veins, pushing me further and further into the castle. At first, it didn’t seem like such a big building, but I could see that Erix spoke the truth. He made me see only what he wanted me to see.

There was so much more to this place than met the naked eye, and with Allegra leading me to God knew where, I itched to explore these hallways. I wanted to touch the naked bricks that were used when this building was created. I wanted to know the history lying behind each and every wall and I wanted to ask who the people were that we had passed and why every single one of them lit up like a Christmas tree when they saw me.

Allegra babbled about the dinner and the lords and ladies who would be there, but I couldn’t focus on her voice with so much going on around me.

The castle felt like a maze, and I worried that even if I succeeded in getting away from the dinner, how would I get out of this place? And even more, how would I get out of the village?

It didn’t take a genius to realize that what I thought was an abandoned village was just another mirage Erix made me see. I had no doubt that those empty streets I saw earlier were now filled with creatures I wouldn’t want to see in the middle of the night.

Not to mention the Howlers who would want nothing more than to feast on my flesh. Would it be so bad staying here? If I knew that my brother was safe and that Erix really released him, I would be happy.

I wouldn’t even try to run if it meant that the one person I truly loved was safe and sound and far away from this monstrous castle.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Allegra said, and I noticed she stopped in front of a tall, wooden door. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Are you seriously asking me that question?”

“Okay, okay. I know this wasn’t what you had in mind when you woke up this morning, but trust me, you’re going to enjoy it here. And you would never have to be afraid anymore.”

That irked me. “And what do you know about fear?” I came closer to her. “What does your kind know about the paralyzing fear when you know that you’re about to die and there is nothing you can do to stop it?”

She shook her head and grasped the handle on the door. “You would be surprised, Kaelin. Don’t be blinded by what you think you know. Just remember that everybody needs somebody to blame for something, and humans are not that much different from my kind.”

I didn’t want to listen to another round of “humans are just like us.” Erix made a similar comment today, and I didn’t want to hear it from her as well. “Just open the damn door already.”

“Just one more thing.” She grinned and showed me a golden mask. “You’re missing one final piece.”

“A mask?” I looked at the beautiful piece and then at her. “Why?”

“It’s a masquerade,” she answered in a “duh” tone. “Turn around.”

I could feel her behind me and her cold fingers as she touched my face, putting the mask in its place. My hands had a mind of their own and pressed against the smooth surface of the golden mask, tracing the black swirls on it.

She quickly fastened the mask and turned me around. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, almost tearful. “Now, you’re ready.”

Was I? Was I really ready?

She didn’t wait for me to gather my courage or to find the determination to run away. I wanted to see what was behind the doors. I wanted to see him, even if the other half of my body fought against the pull he had on me.

He was related to the Dark Prince, which should’ve sent me running already, but it didn’t. For whatever reason, it wasn’t fear I felt when she opened the door.

It was the excitement that buzzed through my bloodstream.

I expected a blood bath once I entered—maybe slaves on their knees, dismembered bodies and monstrosities all around.

What I didn’t expect was a… ball? They were having a freaking ball?

Who were these people?

Men and women lined the dance floor, all in dresses and tuxedos, dancing with each other. A haunting melody filled the space and only then did I realize that I couldn’t actually hear it from the outside. Was this magic as well?

Servers walked around, carrying silver trays filled with drinks of various colors—see-through, orange, yellow and red. I didn’t have to guess to know what the red one was.

I could feel eyes on me as Allegra pushed me deeper into the room, and as if on cue, my eyes landed on the dais slightly elevated above the dance floor.

There he was, seated at the golden throne, with the crimson crown on top of his head. His mask was black with the golden swirls breaking through the darkness, and his hair was pulled back. I quickly noticed two things—our outfits matched, and the music had stopped.

“By the Goddess,” somebody whispered on my left, but I couldn’t move my eyes away from the beast coming down from his throne and toward me.

The sea of people split in two until they created the free passage between him and me. As if my body knew what it needed to do even though my mind fought against it, my legs carried me toward the dance floor, until I reached the middle, right where he waited for me.

His lips were pulled into a frown, and even though I couldn’t see those high cheekbones or those dark eyebrows, I could see the hunger flashing in his eyes.

Erix scanned me, head to toe, that upper lip pulling over his elongated fangs. But the fear? Fear was nowhere to be found inside my body.

My heart thundered, slamming violently against my ribcage, pushing me closer to him until the tips of our shoes touched, until his hand landed on my lower back, pulling me even closer to his body.

I thought his touch would be cold like Allegra’s, but where hers sent a chilling sensation through my body, his warmed me up. When his hand wrapped around mine, I found myself falling deeper into him.

“You look—” He cut himself off mid-sentence, and something inside of me yearned to hear him say it. I wanted him to find me pretty. I wanted him to desire me. I wanted to drive him crazy because I myself couldn’t understand this attraction I felt.

I was in a relationship with Benjamin once, but what I felt for him was child’s play compared to the pull I had for this man. This monster. This… I couldn’t even put into words what he was.

“Is my appearance satisfying, my lord?” I asked cheekily, but the reaction I got out of him wasn’t what I expected.

The shadows I saw earlier crowded us, coming out of nowhere and hiding us from the eyes of the curious onlookers. Their featherlight touch felt like… It felt like a caress filled with promises. Like filthy poetry created only for me.

Like forbidden fruits I never thought I needed but now I couldn’t live without.

There was no violence or promises of damnation. This was something else. Something I had never felt before.

“Erix?” I whimpered when he didn’t reply. Instead of speaking out, his head went down and his lips pressed against my throat, against my pulse point. As if it was what I had been waiting for, I bent my head to the side, giving him full access to my naked neck.

“You look good enough to eat,” he growled, and those fangs brushed against my bare skin. “You look like mine, darling. You feel like you’re mine.” He squeezed my hip as if to prove the point. “I have spent a lifetime searching for you, yet here you are, in front of me, looking like everything I ever wanted.”

Oh God. “Erix—”

“It’s okay, darling,” he murmured against my neck. “I just want to hold you without them looking at you. I don’t want them to look at you. I don’t want them to look at what’s mine.”

“Y-Yours?”

“Yes, mine. You have always been mine, Kaelin.”

Warning bells rung somewhere in the back of my mind at the words possessively rolling off his tongue. Questions lingered at the tip of my tongue, my eyes looking for the truth in his.

What did he mean by this?

Was this just random, crazy talk or did his words hold meaning beyond my comprehension? But everything I wanted to ask, all the uncertainties swimming in my mind, disappeared in the blink of an eye when he pressed his palm to my lower back, bringing me closer to him.

Lightheaded, powerless against him, I let go of everything I ever knew. Everything they taught me about monsters flew out the window and the desire I felt for him took over. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled at the loose strands of his hair.

He growled, the sound traveling all the way to my core. As his nostrils flared, I had no doubt that he could smell how much I wanted him, how much I wanted this.

“Then take me,” I mumbled and looked at him. “Take me.” I pulled his head down until his lips were mere inches away from mine. “Take what’s yours, Erix.”

An animalistic growl tore from his chest, and before I could even take my next breath, his lips were on mine—devouring, taking, drinking me in.

His hand wrapped into my hair, letting the masterfully arranged bun down, while the other gripped my hip, no doubt bruising me there, but I welcomed it. I felt free for the first time in my life, taking what I wanted, what my body needed.

I felt wanted, desired, cherished, and I bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood.

“Fuck,” he cursed and licked the small droplet of blood that appeared there.

His hands were everywhere—on my neck, my back, my hair and hips, but at the same time it wasn’t enough. I wanted more—I needed more—and I wasn’t going to get it standing in the middle of some ballroom, surrounded by people I didn’t know.

“I want to take you away from here,” he murmured next to my ear. “But we need to give them at least one dance. Can you do that, darling? Can you wait until this one dance is over?”

Could I? I could. But did I want to? Definitely not.

Yet when I looked into his eyes and saw the same need reflecting there, I knew I wasn’t alone in this whirlwind of emotions coursing through me.

I nodded. “Okay. But only one dance.”

“One dance.” He grinned, and as he did, the shadows that were dancing around us, shielding us from the curious onlookers, dissipated, leaving us completely exposed.

I could feel their eyes on me. I could feel their curiosity between my shoulder blades, and even though I couldn’t hear their whispers, I knew they were talking about me. But there was no malice in the air. There was no danger I needed to shield myself from, and standing here, holding his hands, I suddenly felt more powerful than ever.

His touch woke something in me that I never knew even existed. I would be a fool not to explore whatever it was.

The music picked up again and only then did I see the entire orchestra lined up not too far away from where he had been sitting at his throne. From piano to forte, the melody of a nostalgic waltz filled the room, and before I could even ready myself, Erix had one of my arms draped over his shoulder, while my right hand laid firmly in his.

His fingers wrapped around my much smaller hand, and the palm of his right hand went to my lower back, pulling me closer to him.

“Are you ready?” he whispered, his breath dancing with the loose strands of my hair.

“Always.” I smiled, and we danced.

Magic coated the air, brushing its warm fingers over my exposed shoulders, pushing us over the dance floor. I knew I wasn’t supposed to look at him during this dance, but I couldn’t help myself.

The first time I saw him today, he was nothing more than a monster who was about to hurt my brother and me, yet now… Now I didn’t know what to think.

Was I a prisoner?

What was happening between us?

His eyes found mine, holding me captive throughout the song, changing shades from vermilion red to black. My feet knew what to do even though it was years since I last danced.

It was only us in the room and nobody else mattered. I knew that if it wasn’t for him holding me, I would’ve been on the floor from the very first beat. My body knew what it needed even when the logical side of me fought it every step of the way.

The song finished way too soon, leaving us standing in the middle of the dimly lit dance floor, with hundreds of people or maybe creatures around us, clapping and hollering, but I didn’t dare move. I didn’t dare to look at them because I feared I would lose the magic of this eternal moment that would always be engraved in my memory.

He handled me like I was a delicate flower, unlike others before him.

I was never allowed to be fragile—fragile got you killed in my world. But something… Some part of me knew I could trust him, even if it went against all of my beliefs.

“Take me away,” I breathed out, winded from the dance. But it wasn’t the physical strain that had me catching my breath.

It was the filthy promise hiding in his eyes that had me panting from anticipation. It was the way he flexed his hand on my lower back and the way he moved it to my hip, squeezing the fabric there as if he too couldn’t help himself.

My hand traveled over his neck, his mask, and all the way to one of the horns I found scary before, but not anymore.

A groan tore from his chest and in a blink of an eye, he had me wrapped in his arms. “Hold tight,” he murmured. It was the only warning I had before we descended into the shadows again, but I could feel we were moving this time.

And I was ready for whatever it was that he had planned for me.

CHAPTER NINE

I was lightheaded when he stepped away from me and as my eyes finally adjusted to the light in the room, I knew we weren’t in that ballroom anymore.

Turning around, the first thing I noticed was the king-sized bed with the sheets the same color as his eyes, and the black pillows masterfully arranged at the top.

He didn’t waste one second, and before I could take another breath, his lips were on my shoulder, his hands wrapped around me and pressed against my stomach.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment for so many years,” he mumbled between kisses. “I’ve imagined you so many times, going crazy over who you would be, but I never could’ve imagined that it would feel this strong.”

He turned me around, letting me face him. “I need you out of this dress, darling. Like, now.”

His eyes were crazy, frantic, searching for a way to free me from this corset and I didn’t want to wait. I moved my hands to the back of my dress and started pulling at the strings Allegra tied earlier, but he was too impatient, too close to snapping, and before I could say anything, he had me turned around again and moved to the wooden desk in the corner of his room.

His hand landed between my shoulder blades and gently, almost as if he was afraid I would break, he pushed me down until my hips lined up perfectly with his and my chest pressed against the hard surface.

“You look… I have no words.”

Cool air hit the back of my thighs as he lifted my dress and the growl that followed satisfied the sick part of me, because I knew what he was going to see. Me, completely bare and so wet that I could feel the stickiness running down my thighs.

I felt empty, so fucking empty, and I needed him to fill me until I screamed.

“Erix,” I moaned as his hands traveled up my thighs and all the way to my quivering core, waiting for him to take me.

“Fucking hell,” he cursed before he dipped one finger between my legs. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look like this, spread over my desk?”

“Erix!” I yelled, yearning for more of his touch.

His finger traveled from my needy clit all the way to my opening, leaking with my juices. I needed him to move faster, to do something. My knees shook and as if on instinct, I spread them wider, giving him more access to my core.

My erect nipples rubbed against the rough fabric of the corset, sending small shocks of pleasure straight to the pit of my stomach, mixing with the languid strokes he kept on making.

“Erix!” I screamed when he entered me with two fingers instead of one, my back arching off the desk.

“You’re soaking wet,” he murmured. “And so warm, darling. Is this all for me?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Do you want my cock inside this pretty pussy, Kaelin? Do you want me to take you?” he asked. I could hear the strain in his voice. I could feel his hard dick pressing against me as if he too needed more, just like I did.

“Yes. I need it. I need you.”

I couldn’t recognize this girl in front of him, and I didn’t care. I needed him. Needed him to fill me up, to show me everything I’d been missing. I needed him to make me forget about everything else.

He leaned down and nipped at my neck. “Be a good girl and beg,” he murmured.

“I would rather die.” I laughed, but we both knew that was a lie. Ever since I saw him, there was only one thing on my mind, and we both knew I was at the breaking point.

“Would you now?” I could feel his lips pulling into a smile, pressed against my bare back. The corset fell open as he tore off the strings holding it together, and with it, he pulled me up, pushing down the rest of the dress.

I stood in front of him as naked as the day I was born, the only thing on me the golden mask.

He approached me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, and with a slow caress, his hand traveled from my hand all the way to my shoulder, until it wrapped around my throat. He pulled me to him, to his waiting lips, devouring the whimpers and needy little pleas escaping from me.

Soft lips molded to mine while his hand flexed against my throat, never to hurt but to bring me pleasure I didn’t know I needed.

His other hand snuck behind my head and untied the mask hiding me from him. He moved back, letting the golden piece fall to the floor. He removed his as well, for the first time letting me see the shadows dancing over his handsome face.

With a mind of their own, my hands reached up, touching his cheekbones, traveling over his eyebrows and all the way to his hair. I untied it, letting it fall around his face, making him seem more like a beast than a man. But instead of the fear I felt when I first saw him, it was the desire that skyrocketed through my body.

I pushed off his jacket first and then unbuttoned the silky shirt he wore. Tattoos I hadn’t seen before ran in swirls from his shoulder, over his left pec and all the way down his arm. Runes I knew nothing about adorned his olive skin, and he looked like a piece of art from one of the many books I’d managed to find throughout the years.

Sculpted by gods, too much for us mere mortals, but he was all mine, even if it was probably only for one night. If my people saw me like this, desperate for this dark god, they would burn me alive, but I wouldn’t mind.

I wouldn’t mind dying if this was the last thing I would feel.

“You are magnificent,” I mumbled, running my hands over his strong abs, his pecs, and his shoulders. “Beautiful,” I croaked and looked at him.

The sense of urgency rushed through me and I knew I couldn’t wait anymore.

“I need you inside me, Erix,” I said. “I’m so wet. So needy, plea—”

But I never got to finish that sentence. I was airborne within seconds, and in a blink of an eye, I was on top of his bed, with him hovering over me.

His eyes turned darker and the black veins I hadn’t seen before traveled from the swirls on his body, over his neck, climbing toward his face.

I looked down and saw that he somehow lost his pants already and my eyes widened at the sight of his hard cock.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out.

I’ve been with other men before him—human men—but I had never seen somebody as perfect as him. His dick was a shade lighter than the rest of his skin, and I worried if he was going to fit inside of me.

But it wasn’t only his size that had me widening my eyes or that purple vein running on the underside of him.

On top of his dick was a line of round protrusions that looked rather scary to me.

“Erix?”

“They’re for your pleasure,” he grunted, barely holding himself still. “Do you trust me?” he asked, looking down at me.

There was so much hunger in his eyes, but also patience I never expected to see. I knew if I said that I didn’t, or that I didn’t want this, he would stop. But I didn’t want him to.

I nodded. “I do. And I want this.”

“There’s no going back after this, darling. You’re mine for eternity.”

Eternity sounded like a long time, but if it meant having this, I wouldn’t mind staying. “Okay.” I nodded and smiled. “I am yours for eternity.”

Something snapped in him as soon as the words left my mouth, and without preamble, without warning, he entered me in one swift thrust, sending my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

“Eyes on me, Kaelin,” he grunted, but I had a hard time keeping them open.

I was full, so fucking full. I didn’t know where I ended and where he began. Those little beads I feared just a second ago, pressed against all the sweet spots inside of me, and I had a feeling I would combust from pleasure.

“Fuck,” he growled and dropped his head into the nook of my neck. “You’re killing me, darling.”

“Uh-uh,” I mumbled, trying to open my eyes.

I squeezed my inner walls, trapping him with my vagina and earned another bout of curses from his pretty, filthy mouth.

“If you keep doing that, you’re going to embarrass me, Shiohan.”

“Shiohan?” I opened my eyes wide at that. Did he call me by another girl’s name?

“No, no.” He laughed. “I can see those wheels turning in your head and it’s not the name of another girl. It’s a term of endearment in my language.” He pressed his lips against my cheek. “It means my loved one. My only one.”

My eyes teared at that. What the fuck was wrong with me?

“Don’t give me that face, Kae,” he mumbled and wiped the wayward tear from my cheek. “I don’t want you to cry.”

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” I bawled and covered my face with my hands. “I’m sorry. This is so not how I imagined things to go.”

“You’re crying,” he started, pulling my hands away from my face, “because on some level, you feel this just as I am. You might not be one of us but your soul knows. Your body knows that it has been waiting for me all these years, just like my heart knows that it will always belong to you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about soulmates, Shiohan,” he said and moved out only to slam back in, sending my nerves into overdrive. “I’m talking about fated ones, darling.”

Oh God, if he continued swirling his hips like that, I was going to come within seconds.

“I’m talking about you being mine on more levels than just the physical one.”

He pistoned inside of me, my back arching off the bed.

“Erix!”

I was so fucking close. So, so close.

But soulmates. Fated ones? I’d never heard about it.

“Tell me you understand. Tell me you can feel this between us and that I’m not crazy.”

“You’re not crazy,” I breathed out. “I don’t know why or how, but my body knows it’s yours. My soul finally feels at peace.”

I wrapped my hands around his horns and pulled his face closer to mine. “But if you don’t fuck me like an animal right about now, I just might stab you in the eye.”

And he did. With a small smile on his face, he increased his pace, while his hands played with my breasts, my nipples crying for his touch. His lips meshed with mine just as the familiar pressure started building at the bottom of my spine, preparing me for the supernova explosion.

“Erix!”

“I know, darling. I know.”

The dark veins that were climbing over his face were now all around his eyes as well. His hand snuck down and flicked over my clit and I was dead.

Flying.

Going to another universe.

My body convulsed, almost jumping off the bed. If it wasn’t for him holding me down, I was pretty sure I would’ve ended up on the floor.

With a final thrust, he emptied himself inside of me. I could feel his cum coating the walls of my pussy, and there was something filthy, something that sent a rush of excitement as he collapsed on top of me, stroking my hair.

His dick was still inside of me, pulsing along with my pussy.

“Are you…” I laughed. “Are you still hard?”

“It would take a lot more for me to stop wanting you, darling. A lot, lot more.”

He pressed a kiss to my lips as soon as he lifted his head. Before I knew what was happening, he was flipping me over on all fours, inspecting the mess he left behind. His skilled fingers smeared his cum over my pussy and he started pushing in what started leaking out.

“I hope you’re ready for this.”

Oh, he had no idea.

CHAPTER TEN

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before I knew it, it'd been a year since my beast captured me. Or well, since I quite literally walked into his castle.

My brother was free and happy from what I could gather since I last spoke with him. There was a point where I thought that he would start a war in order to release me from Erix, but once he saw how happy I truly was, he let it go.

Erix wasn’t happy when I kept insisting to see my brother, to talk to him, but I wore him down. It took him three months to let me even speak out about leaving the castle to walk outside, as if he feared some invisible force would take me away from him. But I succeeded, and soon after those first three months were done, he invited Hayden back here.

Things would never be the same, and I would never be able to go back to the village to visit him, but we were both living our separate lives. For the first time in years, I didn’t feel like a burden.

Erix was everything I never knew I wanted. Being here with him in this castle, in this village, opened my eyes to things I never knew before.

I thought he was just another monster set out to kill Hayden and me that day, but I was wrong.

Erix was Dark Prince’s brother, but they were as different as day and night. Where one ruled with an iron fist, never allowing any mistakes, imprisoning humans, and killing without remorse, Erix kept to his part of the world, to his domain and never wanted to be a part of the war that Waldran started.

And he was the one to pay for Waldran’s crimes when he pissed off the wrong witch.

The cursed prince, the darkness embodied in a ruler of dark elves, condemned his own brother to the life of a vampire when he refused to release the daughter of a powerful witch. A part of me refused to believe that such things as witches even existed in this domain, but it turned out that elves weren’t the only ones that crossed into my world when the veil thinned.

They were the only ones that decided to continue their wars on our soil.

Damned to walk the night, Erix removed himself from the Court and settled here—far enough from Waldran, yet close enough if he was needed.

I had no idea if his curse could be lifted, but I decided months ago that I wasn’t going to dwell on things I couldn’t change.

He never fed off me, but lately something changed. Something stirred inside of me and every single time we would be together, that little dark voice in my mind kept whispering, pushing me to ask for the one thing I promised myself I never would. I promised my brother I wouldn’t become one of them, but it was getting harder and harder keeping my mouth shut when I knew that the time would come where I wouldn’t look as I do now, while Erix would.

And that bothered me.

I wouldn’t live forever. I couldn’t live forever. I was a mere human in this big, wide world of supernatural creatures, but I wanted to stay.

I wanted to stay by his side, because even though I never said those words out loud, I felt them.

I loved him, with all my heart, and I worried what would become of me once he realized that I wouldn’t look like this in a few years. Would he leave me? Would he decide that mate bond or not, he couldn’t be with someone that could die?

I knew he felt this turmoil inside of me. He didn’t have to say the words for me to see that he worried about me. He didn’t have to ask, I knew, but I wasn’t ready to talk.

What would I say? Should I ask him if he would still love me in fifty or sixty years when my skin turned ashen and my eyes stopped having the same glow?

He said I would live for as long as he does but that must have been a lie.

I could feel myself getting older. I could see the new blemishes and small wrinkles around my eyes. I couldn’t live forever, and one day, I would have to leave him. I just wondered if maybe I should’ve done it already.

Maybe it would’ve been better, living on my own, knowing that I had him even for a little while, than leaving him one day when the soft touch of death finally became too sweet to resist. He was vulnerable with me by his side and we both knew it.

But if I voiced any of these concerns, he would go ballistic. I knew him well enough by now to know that he refused to leave my side most of the time.

Especially in the past couple of weeks. It was almost painful leaving him even for a few hours and I knew he felt the same. Every new morning became harder and harder, untangling myself from him, and I had no idea if it was the bond or just a habit, but something had to give.

I had to get away for a little while, and that’s what I did today.

There was a festival in the village. Humans called it Halloween, Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve, but creatures from the village called it Naethyun. The street leading from the castle right through the village was decorated in fall colors. Red, orange and dark green banners were everywhere as were the stands on which locals gave away their pastries, trinkets and an array of other things native only to locals.

Erix wasn’t the only Aelfuer turned into a vampire thirty years ago. His entire village, this village, was turned as well, and all the traditions they had were the remnants of what they had in their world.

I wanted to ask about that world. I wanted to know more, but every time I broached the theme, Erix would stop me. We never got to talk about his time in Elven lands. I didn’t even know what the name was, but I knew that none of them could ever go back again.

The sky turned darker as I walked down the street, and unlike that first day when I had arrived, looking for my brother, this time, everyone was out, and they welcomed me as if I were one of their own.

It wasn’t something I could say that humans would do as well, and it wasn’t like I could blame them.

There was too much bad blood between our species to be able to look at each other without at least a hint of fear, but living among them for a year, showed me that not all of them were like Waldran. Most of them wanted to stay in their world, but once the Dark Prince ordered them to move, they had to regardless of their wishes.

In a way, we were all prisoners in this world. Some of our cages were a bit more comfortable, but everyone had metal bars around their souls, blocking them from living the life they truly wanted to have.

Children ran in front of me, chasing a makeshift ball down the street, usurping others standing around and celebrating, when somebody pulled at the sleeve of my shirt.

I turned around and looked down, seeing a small girl, with platinum blonde hair tied into pigtails.

“Are you a princess?” she asked, making me laugh immediately. If anyone looked like a princess, it was her, but I could see why she would think that.

I always wore the colors of Erix’s lineage, of his royal line, and today was no different. I didn’t have the tiara, but the ruby pendant around my neck was enough to tell them who I belonged with.

“I’m not,” I kneeled and held her hands. “But you could be.” I smiled at her.

She looked like a typical Elven child, with her round eyes and eternal beauty, but the red eyes staring back at me told me she wasn’t an elf at all. At least not anymore.

“Kaelin!” Somebody yelled my name and as I looked above the little girls head, I saw Allegra running toward me.

The smile I wore slipped almost immediately when I saw her face.

Worry, fear, something close to crying, all marred her beautiful face, and I immediately straightened up and left the little girl behind as I started walking toward her.

“Allegra? What’s—”

“I need you back in the castle, right fucking now.” She huffed and puffed and started pulling me toward the castle.

“Castle? What’s going on? You look like you saw the devil himself,” I said, rushing after her. Even after a year, she forgot I couldn’t move as fast as she could.

“Well.” She laughed nervously. “You could say that. I mean, he does look like Satan himself, or at least what your people consider to be Satan.”

What?

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s Erix.” She stopped and looked at me. “He’s gone, uh, how do I say this without you running away. Feral?”

“Feral?”

“I mean, not really, but he went crazy, okay? I don’t know if it’s the full moon or…” she trailed off and looked at the sky. “Fuck.”

“What? You’re scaring me.” I pulled my hands away from her and started walking toward the castle.

“Wait.” She stopped me. “Kaelin, you need to know something.”

“If Erix is in danger, I need to go home.”

“He’s not in danger, but we all might be. Well, all of us except for you.”

The look on my face must have said everything. I was beyond confused and concerned.

“I’ll explain on the way.” She smiled. “Come on.”

***

Heat? “No way, Allegra.”

“Way.” She laughed at the expression on my face.

“I’m not an animal.”

“I know you’re not. I don’t know how to explain it, but, darling, you reek.”

“Me?” I exclaimed and lifted my arm, smelling my armpit. “I do not. I took a shower this morning.”

Allegra bent down, laughing. “That’s not—” She wheezed. “That’s not what I meant. Your pheromones, Kae. I’m surprised no one’s attacked you.”

“I am completely and utterly—”

And then I heard it—an earth-shattering growl as soon as we stepped through the foyer of the castle. I knew that growl, but it was much louder, powerful, and it hit me straight to my core.

“Fuck.”

My stomach clenched painfully and my core quivered, sending jolts of small pleasure through my body. But it wasn’t enough.

“Erix,” I moaned.

“Oh this won’t do,” Allegra mumbled from my left, but it felt as if she was miles away. “Hold on.”

Her arms wrapped around my back and my legs and within seconds, I was airborne, flying through the air as she rushed through the castle.

Each time he growled, my stomach clenched, but I felt empty. So fucking empty.

My skin burned, and the clothes I had on me felt too tight, too uncomfortable.

“Too hot,” I moaned and writhed in her arms.

“Almost there.”

Voices came around us, and I could feel him, almost as if he were right next to me.

“I need—”

“I know, I know.”

Something shattered, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. I wanted out of my skin, out of my body. I needed a cold fucking shower and him between my legs.

“Get away from him!” Allegra yelled, making me open my eyes.

There he was—imposing, powerful, terrifying and the only thing I wanted in that moment.

He seemed taller, larger than life. He was shirtless, while an array of guards stood between him and us.

As soon as his black eyes landed on me, he started crossing the room. The room that was completely thrashed, except for our bed.

Black veins lined his entire torso, his face, while his horns looked elongated, sharper than they usually were.

“What’s happening?” I whimpered as Allegra set me down on my feet.

“You need to go to him,” she urged and softly pushed me forward.

Erix didn’t like that and in a second, he was in front of her, with his hand wrapped around Allegra’s throat.

“Erix! No!” I rushed toward him and wrapped my hands around his arm. “Let her go. She didn’t hurt me.”

My body convulsed as soon as I touched him. My knees gave out, but I never hit the ground.

He picked me up like I weighed nothing, and I could see everybody scattering out of the room.

“Erix? What’s going on?”

“Shhh,” he soothed and slowly lowered me down onto his bed. His body shook as soon as my hands landed on his skin, and his head disappeared in the crook of my neck. I could hear him inhaling me, my scent, and the floodgates opened from my core. “You smell so good,” he grunted, his voice more animal than man. “I can’t stop this, darling. I can’t not take you.”

“It’s the heat?” I asked, unable to stop myself from touching him.

“Yes, but we have a different name for this. It’s normal for my kind, but I thought we wouldn’t get to have this since you’re a human.”

“Then why is it happening?”

His hand disappeared beneath my pants and as soon as his fingers connected with my clit, my back arched from the bed and my front pressed into his chest.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think that I’ll be able to stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop,” I whispered. “It’s okay.” I pressed my palm to his cheek. “I want to experience this with you.”

He didn’t need anything else.

His clawed hand tore through my clothes, discarding them to the side. I didn’t manage to take the next breath before he lost his pants and was back on top of me, pulling me to his mouth.

“You have no idea how much I love you, Kaelin.” His lips pressed against mine, stopping me from answering him.

His dick nudged at my opening and as if on cue, my legs opened by their own volition, allowing him entrance. His lips demanded, took. His teeth bit down but never drew blood.

My hands roamed over his back, over the trapezius muscles I loved, his tattoos, but we never broke the connection.

He stretched me almost painfully, but it was the pleasure pushing through and the need to be filled by him.

“Deeper,” I urged, mumbling against his mouth. “Please.”

He obliged, just how he always did. Those little beads on top of his dick pressed against that sweet, sweet spot inside of me, and every time he pulled out, I could feel small shocks of pleasure rushing through my body.

His skilled fingers flicked my needy nipples, and it was too much. All of it was too much.

“Erix,” I moaned as he increased his pace. I knew what I wanted, and I knew what he wanted. If this was a onetime thing, I wanted to give it to him. “I want you to bite me.” I looked at him.

Shock crossed over his features before softening into a look of pure love. I trusted him. I wanted to give him this memory of me.

“Are you sure?”

“More than anything.”

I turned my face to the side, exposing my neck wider to him. I could feel my heart thundering in my chest, my body getting ready for the explosion only he could give me. He lowered his head down to my neck, pressing a kiss to my skin.

“I will forever love you, Shiohan,” he murmured, and I tightened my hold on his neck.

His hips never stopped moving, sending me closer and closer to the edge I wouldn’t mind falling off of.

“Please,” I begged.

His fangs grazed my skin and my eyes fluttered closed. As he bit down, breaking through my skin right where my neck met my shoulder, I screamed.

It tore from my chest, but it wasn’t from pain. My orgasm snuck up on me, sending me into the stars. Pleasure mixed with pain from his bite sent me straight into oblivion. I could feel my blood flowing through the wound right into his mouth. I could feel him tightening his grip on me.

And I knew.

I would never love anyone as much as I loved him.

His hips increased their pace and as I opened my eyes to the blurry world around me, I pulled him closer to me, putting my mouth right next to his ear.

“I love you, Erix. I will always love you, no matter where I am or how old I am.”

“Kaelin!” he shouted, his moves jerky. As I clenched my core, his dick jumped, emptying himself inside of me.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

His entire body shook in my arms, but I never let go. I refused to let him go.

He stilled, stroking my hair and when I looked at his face, I could see the love shining from those crimson eyes.

“You love me?” He smiled.

“For quite some time now.”

He leaned down, his face inches from mine, when a look of pure pain flashed across his features.

“Erix?”

He pulled away from me. “Fuck!” He stood in front of the bed, his entire body strung tight.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t—Ah!” A scream tore from his chest and he crumbled in front of my own eyes.

“Erix!”

I jumped up from the bed and dove to the floor where he lay, writhing in pain.

“What’s wrong?” I pressed my hands to his clammy chest. “Please, please, talk to me.”

He wasn’t responding. His eyes fluttered closed and open, those black veins throbbing in front of my own eyes.

“Erix,” I murmured. I moved his hair from his face when he stopped moving.

“Erix!” I started shaking him, fear splitting my heart in two. His chest wasn’t moving, and I knew. I fucking knew.

“No, no, no, no.” I shook him but I never got a response. “Help!” I wailed, holding him to me. “Please. You can’t leave me.”

My eyes watered and tears fell freely. “Don’t leave me, Erix. I love you. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Please.”

I dragged my hand over his cold cheek, but those crimson eyes never opened to look at me. His lips stayed pressed together, the grimace of pain still visible on his face. “Please,” I cried out and pressed my face to his neck. “I love you.”

I had no idea how long I stayed there with him in my arms, when a blinding light burst through the room, but it wasn’t coming from the outside.

My eyes squinted, trying to locate the source, when I realized that the light came from him.

Magic, filthy, cursed magic lifted him away from my arms, while the blinding light kept shining from his entire body.

He floated in the air, right in front of my eyes. If it wasn’t me who was seeing this, I never would’ve believed it.

The horns I got used to disappeared. The black veins that were spreading over his body just a few minutes ago vanished, and as his eyes opened, looking straight at me, I could see that they weren’t crimson anymore.

Violet stared back at me. As he slowly came down to the ground right in front of me, I knew something was different. His skin glowed, and the brilliant, blinding smile he flashed me with confirmed my suspicions.

He wasn’t a vampire anymore.

“Erix?” I asked, my voice small and timid.

“By the Goddess.” He laughed and came closer to me. “Kae, darling.”

“Are you okay?” My hands roamed over his body, over his face, his silky, black hair. “What happened?”

“You broke the curse.” He smiled and pulled me into an embrace. “You broke the curse, Shiohan.”

“I… What?”

“Your love was stronger than the curse she put on me.”

“But.” I pulled back. “How?”

“I thought it was impossible. I thought—” he stopped himself. “You saved us all.”

The door suddenly burst open and on the threshold stood Allegra, but it wasn’t quite the Allegra I knew.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “She did it?”

“She did,” Erix confirmed. “We’re free. We’re finally free.”

“Thank you,” Allegra cried, looking at me. “I don’t even know how to thank you.” Her lower lip quivered.

Erix pulled the blanket off the bed and covered us both.

“I didn’t do anything,” I murmured.

“You love me,” Erix mumbled and pressed his lips against mine. “That’s enough.”

“Your eyes have changed.” I smiled. “I think I might miss the horns though.”

“Do you now?” He smirked.

“Uh, I know it’s not the best time,” Allegra interrupted, and both of us turned back to look at her. “But your brother just arrived.”

His brother? “Waldran is here?” I asked and looked at Erix.

“And his generals.” Allegra gulped, and I knew.

I fucking knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Erix?” I looked at him. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s getting ready for war,” he grunted, his grip on me tightening. “And he wants my help.”

I knew there would come a day where I would have to face Waldran and the past that haunted me. I just never thought it would come so soon.

“Get dressed.” Erix pressed a kiss to my temple. “You’re going to meet him today.”

THE END

for now

THE HUNGER OF THIEVES

yd la mar

BLURB

Agatha

In a time of darkness, survival was all that remained.

Existence uprooted by the swath of destruction all around me, the screams quickly became our lullabies in the night.

With death constantly at my heels, the fear left in my heart led me to isolation.

That only made me a more tempting target for the darkness.

I should have known it would find me again.

Obsideo

In a time when human remains littered the ground as easily as fallen leaves, the breath of life was a rarity.

Yet, here she was, alone in my woods, and curiously alive.

Bored of the wandering souls around me, I found pleasure in her screams.

Her nightmares drew me in, but it was her darkness that kept me there.

The mysteries of this little female leave me enthralled.

Little did I know, she would be my own downfall.

CONTENT WARNING

This book may contain triggers for some. Triggers include but are not limited to dub-con, depressive thoughts, violence, bloody scenes, suicidal ideation, scenes that may be disturbing to some readers.

PROLOGUE

“Sir, they’re falling like flies in the city. What would you have us do?”

My father looks to our family currently huddled in the entryway of our home. My mother’s arms wrap around me and my little sister tightly, her trembling rattling our bones.

Father’s hard and weary eyes soften as they take us in. With a sigh, he tells the steward, “We leave; there’s only death to be had here. Nothing good will come of this place. How fast is it moving?”

My mother whimpers as she holds us tighter. I can barely breathe, but I don’t want to push her away.

“It’s already taken over the town twenty miles east of here—Old Lytle. A messenger was seen leaving in the night, and the travelers knew. News flew fast.” The steward looks pale, almost sickly, and my heart beats faster.

“Papa…”

“Not now, Agatha. Times are dire. I need to start preparing.” He looks at us again. “We need to start preparing for the worst.” He looks into my mother’s eyes and says what we knew was coming. “We’re leaving the city. We need to find sanctuary far from the populace. Gather your things, and make sure you and the girls are ready in ten minutes time.”

Like that, my world tilts on its axis. From one extreme to the next, we find ourselves in a frenzy, running to our rooms and pulling everything we can into trunks. I thought leaving France would have been enough.

“Agatha, I’m so scared.” My sister, Agnes’s voice shakes.

I stop my hands, stand up, and head over to hug her. She’s crying silently, trying to be brave through this major change in our lives. We’ve only just moved to this city, starting school and making friends anew. The last town we traveled from was taken over, and father was barely able to get some of our servants out with us.

“Agnes, don’t fret. You have me. Now, hurry before time runs out.” I gently push her away from me and back to her side of the room to finish packing.

“Girls! We leave now!” Father’s voice booms through the walls and we both jump. He’s not a man who raises his tone, but the situation has put us all under distress.

“Girls, come on!” Mother yells as she drags her trunk behind her. One of the stewards helps her with the other side as they cross our shared doorway.

“Agnes, let’s go!” With one hand on the handle of my trunk and the other grabbing my sister, I start pulling.

“Wait! Dolly!” she exclaims in panic.

Growling, I let her grab her old ragdoll off the bed and we both finally make it to the carriage that’s waiting on us.

“Up you go, Miss.”

We lift our skirts as one of the servants helps us in while the other secures our trunks to the back.

“Thank you, Reynald.” No matter how dire the situation, there’s always time for gratitude.

Once we’re both inside the carriage, Agnes scoots close to mother and buries her face in her bosom. I sit on the opposite bench, staring out the window, watching the sun sink into the horizon. We will have the cover of darkness while we escape yet another home.

Again, I find myself wondering if this was how my mother felt when father took her from her home in Brazil. Was she scared of leaving everything she knew behind? But things are different now; they weren’t running from death, only angry countrymen who didn’t approve of their union.

It saddens me that these are the thoughts that cross my mind, rather than grief over the loss of the life we’ve already built here. Have my emotions become numb to everything that’s happened these past few years?

“Take the backroads; it will be less crowded there,” my father instructs the driver.

The roads become bumpy quickly, and I fall out of my seat and onto the floor of the carriage. My mother helps me up and we all sit together on one side.

The sounds of yelling float through the window, and suddenly, a rock shatters the glass and lands at our feet. We all scream in terror. What in the bloody blazes?

“It’s all because of you rich pricks that this is happening! My wife died because of you!”

“Leave the roads for those that need it! You all want to leave us to die!”

“Tackle his horses!”

“You shouldn’t be able to escape faster than us just because of your riches!”

It starts again. The accusations, the false rumors that it is the upper class that spread it far and wide, for who else is able to travel between cities and towns so easily? My heart beats erratically as I hold onto my mother and sister. I need to protect them. Haven’t we all suffered enough equally? The darkness does not discriminate. We all fall at the hands of death, despite our age, despite our status.

Our carriage stops abruptly on the road and begins to shake dramatically from side to side. My mother and Agnes are thrown to the floor, their eyes full of fear.

What do we do? There will probably be pitchforks and potential murderers out there, waiting for us to emerge from the carriage for their retribution. The carriage continues to shake, throwing us every which way until my knees hit something hard, sending a spike of pain through me.

Looking down, I see there’s a dark metal latch at the bottom of one of the benches. My eyes scan the rest of the floor while we try to prevent ourselves from rolling around, and I see another identical latch.

It’s a hinge. It has to be a door.

“Mama, Agnes, grab my hand!”

My sister is in tears, clutching her doll. My mother’s nerves are frayed and there’s fright that’s in her eyes, but she crawls toward me anyhow, dragging Agnes along reluctantly.

My fingers scratch and claw until I finally reach the ledge of the opening. I lose my grip a few times as the people outside continue to scream and shout obscenities. My nails feel like they are about to be pulled off the nail bed when a gunshot goes off, and suddenly, the shaking stops. My heart pounds out of my chest, hoping father is alright, but right now I need to save my mother and sister.

Quietly flipping the trap door open, I crawl out first, squeezing myself through the hole until my feet touch the ground. My dress catches on something, blocking my view, so I pull it. It rips but no one hears the sound as my father begins to yell at everyone to vacate the vicinity for the good of us all.

“We need to move, now, before it reaches us here on this road. Have you all no sense of self-preservation? Move!”

I reach up and grab my sister, placing her next to me, then turn to grab my mother.

She shakes her head and I grow concerned. What does she mean, no?

With my back bent, I try to wave my hand to call her, but she whispers, “I cannot leave your father. Go! We will find you.”

“Are you mad?” What is she talking about? How is this a logical decision?

My mother has bouts of low moods that trap her in herself, unable to participate in everyday living. My father is the only one that can pull her out of the self-imposed darkness in her mind. She’s become utterly codependent on him, something I admire and hate in the same breath—especially in this moment, when it could mean life or death for all of us as a family.

I cannot fend for my sister alone, she knows this! How could she do this to us?

“Mother! Please!” my sister begs. Agnes is in distress.

The screams around us pick up enough for our voices to hide among the commotion. The longer we stand here, staring at Mother and willing her with our eyes, the more our position becomes uncomfortable. The sound of a skirmish nearby pushes me to make a decision. I reach up and grab hold of my mother’s arm, forcing her through the hole. She screeches, but I clasp my hand over her mouth when she’s on her feet again and drag her away from the carriage towards the back. It looks like the crowd has now gathered towards the front where the horses are.

This family will stay together if it’s the last thing I do!

“We need to go! Stop it, Mother! For the love of the family, we need to survive!”

She actually bites my hand and I yelp, right before she screams my father’s name.

I can see Father standing at the front of the carriage with a weapon in hand. His head snaps to her, as well as half of the crowd.

“They’re getting away!”

“Bloody stop them!”

I run the moment I see part of the crowd coming after us in full sprint.

“Abigail! Leave my family be!”

My mother pulls at my grip when she hears father call out her name, making me turn my head to berate her. That’s when I see my father knock the head of a man with the butt of his rifle and then lift it to aim at the people running after us.

Another gunshot goes off with a boom. Screams and curses float into the air as some of the people scatter, giving us just enough time to escape into the nearby woods.

“Mother, we need to go, now!”

She’s a tearful mess but finally stops fighting me. Agnes has been quietly sobbing this entire time, holding to her doll for dear life. The sounds of screams and voices fade into the distance the further we run into the darkness of the trees. The only light that gives us a sliver of clarity is the full moon above our heads that peeks through the leaves.

I don’t know how long I pull them for, but my calves scream at me in pain when I finally decide to slow our run to a walk.

“We need to go back for him. We can’t leave him there!”

My mother’s voice is in hysterics, and I turn to glare at her.

“Will you be quiet? We need to survive first before we can go back to save anyone. Father has a gun. We have nothing! Will you see some sense, please?” A daughter shouldn’t talk to her mother this way. No one should. But I’m at my wits end when she’s like this. The spiral of her darkness is taking her, but she’s going to have to hold off a little while longer until we can secure safety.

If not for her sake, at least for my little sister, who still hasn’t said a word.

The light of the moon gets covered by the clouds and we’re guessing our steps. The light peeks out every so often, but not enough to let us see far enough ahead.

Our breaths come out in white puffs as the chill of the night seeps through our dresses. We huddle together as we move, and I trip over a rock I couldn’t see. Falling to my hands and knees, I hiss in pain, rubbing at my injuries.

“Agatha!” Mother cries as she and my sister help me up and dust me off.

How did this become our life? Why must we always be running?

I trudge forth with a slight limp and a voice inside of me tells me to look up. When I do, it’s as if the sudden fog around us lifts, and there in front of us… is a dark cabin that looks abandoned.

CHAPTER ONE

obsideo

Humans are strange beings. With their free will and their perchance for sin, it is a wonder they stayed alive this long.

The breeze rustles the leaves on the trees as I move through the quiet streets. Their lamps have all burned out, the living vacated some time ago. The remaining populace scatter on the stone cobbled roads, some with skin peeling off their bones. The creatures of this plane emerge from ruptured entrails, leaving blood splattered in their wake. The scent of decay weighs heavily and cloys the air like the perfume of the underworld.

I haven’t ventured on this side of the world in some time. The sight of their majestic cathedrals still fascinates me with their pointed roofs and large archways. My mind ponders whether these temples were originally made to worship demons such as myself. Why else would the doorways be so large, while humans never grew beyond the first that came before them?

Their statues of humans with wings baffle me. Where do these creatures get such strange notions? Perhaps their lies placate their fears in the face of truth. The strangest statue of all is the one they kneel to. The image of a man, tortured and hung on a cross. Do they lift up suffering and death? Or are they warding off enemies by leaving an example of how they rid themselves of threats to their simple-minded kingdoms—for what else can it be when it’s a statue of a man with a crown of thorns? Yet they still choose to go to their fellow humans in order to rid themselves of self-imposed sins. How does confessing change their free will? What is it about this side of the world and their beliefs?

Chitter chatters of sprites who’ve breached this realm fade in and out, but it matters not to me. I continue my path out of the city and onto the next.

It seems Death has already made his way through here as well. The petrified bodies strewn on the muddy roads are the first signs of what lies ahead. It was no surprise when I was met with the smell of rotting carcasses, half-devoured at the gates.

Decay is stronger here, thicker—as if some of their souls refuse to leave the mortal plane, trying to make their way back to bodies ravaged with boils and sickly pallor.

The humans have named this series of events something or another—an epidemic. They always have a need for names. As if it would make the reality of their mortality any clearer than what it already is.

The rise and fall of man. A cycle that continues every so often after a mass reaping by the master. Hovering around the outskirts of this town, I find myself wandering to the next. It’s the same. It’s always the same. I’ve lost track of time. Their predictability bores me to no end.

How Death deals with the monotony of his duties, I will never understand.

A spark of something catches my attention—the low strum of a heartbeat to the east of here. My body returns to mist as I travel through the trees. There’s an energy that calls to me. An untouched darkness…

The surrounding woods camouflage the cabin that sits strategically at the heart of it. Darkness encompasses the small building under the light of the full moon. A strange mist surrounds its walls as if purposely placed there. A figure’s silhouette in front of a candle flickers, as if the shadow itself were alive.

As I move closer, the fog dissipates as if expecting my arrival. Something is familiar, but I cannot put my finger on it. Have I been here before? The walls of the home are covered in moss and vines as if the surroundings once attempted to swallow it whole, but thought better of it, leaving behind the evidence of a past left untouched, until…

She stands in her kitchen, humming a tune. Through the cracked glass, I see that her hands are busy with a mortar and pestle as she sprinkles what looks like green skins of a root plant. Her dark dress sways with each grind, hypnotizing me with her repetitive motion.

Seeping through her walls, I peek over her shoulder to take a closer look at what she’s working on. The hairs on the back of her neck stand, and her breathing becomes shallow. I tilt my head and watch as her skin pebbles, reminding me of the pustules left on the flesh of the dead back in the city. Does she feel my presence? Not many do…

My interest is piqued.

Grabbing her pestle, I throw it against her sink, and she screams. My fangs elongate with mirth right before I blow against her neck. She steps back with a hand over her heart, and I circle her. Her fright pulls me in, makes me hunger. The way her heart pounds in her chest is loud in my ears—reminding me of the drums of war in the continents to the south. Her skin pales nicely each time it comes in contact with my mist.

Yes, perhaps a small pit stop would do me good.

Her fear feeds me with enthusiasm for what else she might be able to provide me. I continue to circle her like a predator, waiting to devour her soul. With emotions this strong, her soul would be most delicious.

She doesn’t see me, no. Her eyes are glued to the stone pestle that continues to roll back and forth with a harsh grating sound against the porcelain.

She’s young in the eyes of man. Looking around, I find no one else in the cabin with her. Interesting, indeed. How does a single female end up out here in the middle of nowhere, away from the swarm of other humans? Are they not sociable creatures? Do they not crave the company of others?

“You’re seeing things. Your hand slipped, that’s all. Stop acting like a lunatic, Agatha. Get back to work,” she speaks aloud to herself.

I’ve only come across such things near their place of worship—places where their religious leaders punish whom they deem are the wicked. Sometimes they do it in these strange boxes divided by curtains.

Is this why this female is here? I lean in, my right upper limb going right through her flesh as I attempt to constrict her heart. Her breathing hitches and tears drip out the side of her eyes. I smile at her response.

Leaning in, I take in the smell of her perspiration. It is fear mixed with something else, something very, very interesting indeed.

“Are you wicked, Agatha?” I whisper.

A piercing scream erupts from her throat as her hands go over her ears and she falls to her knees with a loud crash. Maniacal laughter from my own self joins her as I watch her fall on the ground in a fetal position, shaking in distress. The flying creatures outside leave the haven of their branches, covering the night sky with their raven wings.

“We’re going to have fun, you and I. It’s been so long since I’ve been this entertained.”

Chitters echo around the cabin as I jump into her being, nestling under her skin and burrowing my way across the flesh of her neck, toward her tumultuous mind.

The sweet sound of another scream erupts, cutting through the darkness, welcoming me to my next victim.

CHAPTER TWO

agatha

Agnes never did take to bathing in the river out back. I don’t mind it, especially not during the warmer months. Scrubbing my body with a rag, I wring out the water and do it once more. I never realized how much grime a person can pick up when they’re out searching for ingredients.

Once done, I dry myself off with the clean part of my dirty dress and don a fresh one. I unadopted the fashion of the times and chose instead to only wear half the amount of fabrics to save for other things … like creating an extra set of clothes.

Mother won’t mind me borrowing this set. Squeezing the water out of my dark locks, I bend over to grab my oils to rub into my skin before reclothing myself. I wash the dirty outfit against the stones of the river, but a branch snaps nearby, stopping the motion of my hands. Another snap and I’m on my feet, forgetting the washing. Birds the color of death fly up ahead, and I don’t know whether to be grateful that it was just the ravens making all that noise, or if I’m lying to myself in an effort to reduce my fears.

Memories of the prior month flit through my mind and goosebumps raise on my exposed skin. It was all just a horrible nightmare, wasn’t it? Surely, my muscles twitched and tossed my pestle aside.

Breathing in slowly, I listen to the sounds of the woods, but nothing else seems out of place. I quickly turn to finish my washing and wring out the fabric roughly, tossing it into my basket over the cherries I’ve found.

The walk back is slow and precise. Keeping my eyes open for more ingredients, I fill my basket with some lemons and rosemary.

The sound of a whisper against my back makes me jump, but when I turn, there’s nothing there. Quickening my steps, I think I hear chitter chatters and my heart races. With a tight grip on my basket, I run as fast as my feet can carry me. The crunch of leaves beneath my shoes and twigs snapping behind me make me shake with fear.

It’s the echoing laugh that finally makes me whimper as I make it through my front door and slam it shut, locking it with a wooden beam.

“What is going on with you, Agatha? You’re driving yourself insane.” Rubbing my hands on the front of my skirt, I place my basket on the table and cross my arms. “It was probably just the woodland creatures. You probably disturbed one of their nesting grounds.”

Yes, that has to be it.

But what was that laughter?

Stop it! It’s broad daylight for crying out loud. What could possibly be happening under the bright morning sun?

Shaking my head to dislodge silly notions, I head over to the kitchen area and prepare the rabbit I brought back from the trap laid out a few days prior. A stew would calm my nerves.

Chopping some carrots, I stare out my window and think of old memories. A time where I assisted my mother just like this as we made supper for the family.

Father never did last long.

Knock! Knock! Knock! I jump and the knife clatters on the board, almost causing injury.

Wiping my hands off on my dress, I walk cautiously toward the window by the front door. Peering outside, I see a gentleman and a female companion through the dirty glass.

Removing the beam, I lean it against the wall. The door creaks as I open it slowly. “Yes?”

“A-are you the mistress of the woods? We didn’t come by any other cabin but this one. Please. My wife needs your help. She’s sick.” The man’s voice is shaking with panic and my eyes soften.

Opening the door wider, I wave them inside. There isn’t much room, but I take in those in need when I can. Living out here for the past six years has taught me a lot in regard to survival and finding alternative solutions.

“Please have a seat. Tell me what’s going on. What are the signs you’ve noticed?” I ask calmly as I grab my dried herbs in preparation. There’s been a summer flu going around; the visitors have increased and reported similar symptoms.

“I don’t know, M’lady. She’s been coughing terribly, and her skin has lost its color. Is there anything you can do for us?”

His wife coughs into her fist as if on cue, and my heart constricts at their plight.

“Do you live with anyone else? Who else has been around you? Has she caught it from someone?”

“We’ve been renting a room in the local tavern a few miles west of here. We were only coming through for trade on our way back to our village, but she was feeling tired a few days before we arrived at the tavern.”

I keep all this information in my mind as I combine some dried ginger, garlic, and cloves for tea. Starting the fire in my stove, I bring a kettle of water to boil and look for my honey.

The couple sits quietly as I move around the cabin and prepare the hot drink. Stirring in the honey, my finger twitches, making me frown. That’s strange. The honey begins to melt, and I bring the tea over on a tray, presenting it before his wife. She looks at me with bloodshot eyes, and with a scratchy voice, gives me a quiet thanks.

Nodding my head, I help her take in the entirety of the drink slowly.

“I’ll make another batch for you to take back. Have her drink it one to two times a day and get plenty of rest.”

“Thank you so much. How can I repay you?”

I give them a soft smile and ask for what I always ask. “Living out in these woods, it’s hard for me to come by certain ingredients. You spoke about going to town for trade, yes? I would love to trade my services for some ingredients if you have them?”

The husband stands up and grabs my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. “Yes! Of course. Whatever you need, I’ll bring it to you.”

My face flushes. I hate asking for help, but it’s how I survive out here, especially with my family gone. “Some bay leaves. Cinnamon. Vinegar.”

“Yes. Yes, I can do that. Those ingredients are simple enough.”

I watch from the side of my eye as the gentleman takes out a pen and paper from his coat pocket. I busy my hands with putting my herbs back where they belong and rinsing out the cup in the still water I have in the sink. Something knicks my finger, and I hiss under my breath. Crimson blood blooms on my fingertip and I stick it inside of my mouth. My tongue swirls around my fingers, sucking out the blood that wants to spill.

“I-Is there anything else?” The stranger’s voice wavers strangely. Turning towards him, I see his eyes widen and cast aside toward his wife, as if he was caught watching something inappropriate.

Strange.

“Yes, actually. Some lye, if you can?”

He nods without looking at me and escorts his wife out of the cabin quietly. I try to wave but he doesn’t turn around. Stepping outside, I look left and right, but do not see any evidence of how they came about my home. Did he hide his carriage somewhere?

The door behind me shuts with a loud slam and I squeal. Turning around, the door bangs a few more times before I feel a breeze behind me.

My heart is beating out of my chest as I cautiously walk forward with my hand out. The moment my fingers touch the doorknob is the moment…

Nothing happens.

I must not be sleeping well. I’m getting jumpy over the silliest things, like the wind. Closing the door behind me, I continue where I left off before my unexpected visitors came by. Grabbing another piece of wood, I throw it into the stove’s furnace and put a pot of water on. The rabbit was easy to skin, thankfully.

The scent of stew and vegetables fill the cabin, and my stomach growls in hunger. I’ve been out washing and collecting all morning. Grabbing one of my bowls, I ladle stew into and lift it up to my nose to inhale. With my eyes still closed, I can feel my mouth water.

Sitting down I eat in silence, watching the sun slowly go down, taking with it the heat of the day. The clouds roll in and I find myself wanting to not complete the rest of my chores; instead, putting it off until tomorrow.

“Why put off tomorrow what you can complete today? Agatha, what have I taught you?”

My mother’s voice floats into my ear, and I wince in shame.

“Agatha! Come play with me! You can do that later!”

Their voices make my chest tight as I clean and put everything away. I miss them. The solitude I’ve made peace with withers away like dead petals, making way for loneliness…and bitterness.

Drying the bowl and placing it on the counter, something brushes against my arm, making me gasp. I quickly turn so my back is against the counter and stare into the cabin. The sun has gone down to the point where the sunset barely lights the inside. But I can still see everything, and there’s nothing here. Nothing but the rustle of the leaves outside, and the sound of insects and birds flying.

Wiping the light sweat off my brow, I shakily look for my new batch of candles from the last trade and light a few of them around the room. I open one of the still fully functioning windows and make sure to let some of the cool air in and the heat of the stove out.

The sound of crickets becomes louder, night having shrouded the house. I never leave home at this time. I learned very quickly it was best not to. Removing a layer of my dress, I fold it and place it on one of the chairs by the table. Washing by the river always takes a lot out of my muscles, leaving me weary the rest of the day.

Blowing out a couple of the candles, I keep one on the nightstand by the mirror. The reflection doubles the light. Braiding my hair, I wonder if I will be in the cabin at the right time for the couple’s return. Hopefully she gets better. Wetting a small rag in the bowl of water on the nightstand, I quickly wipe the day’s remnants off my face and lay down. Fluffing the pillow under my head, the window whistles as another soft breeze floats through, lulling my senses. The shadows of the candlelight flicker like an old puppet show against the wall. My eyes flutter, and soon enough, I surrender to the darkness of sleep.

CHAPTER THREE

obsideo

Staring at her, I wonder whether what I witnessed in her mind was correct. Can this little female truly be what I see her to be?

Yet, in daylight she plays it off so well. Weaving in and out of her flesh, she ignored my presence. It annoyed me, so I cracked her cup and made her finger slip. She didn’t react the way I suspected. No. At the sight of blood, the way she responded had me curious. Slipping under her skin, I felt the way her tongue collected the crimson liquid in her mouth, the way her throat contracted as she sucked more out of her essence.

I almost slipped and solidified inside of her right then and there.

That would have ended my entertainment prematurely. I don’t know how her visitors would react to her flesh and bones exploding all over them.

Would they lick it the way she does?

I highly doubt it. How disappointing.

Movement brings my attention back to the present. She twitches in her slumber, her brows furrowing every so often. I hear some of the wandering souls outside of the cabin, scraping along the loose rocks and whispering through the surrounding grass. Have they visited her? Is this why she’s so content in her isolation?

“Are you the mistress of the woods?”

The male’s question bounces in my mind. What does being a mistress entail…?

She mumbles something in her sleep, and it draws me in. Tilting my head, I stare at her features. When she whimpers and flinches, I dive into her being.

The surroundings remind me of home, the heat enough to scorch the skin off a normal human. Volcanic eruptions roar in the background as I float through the mountainside.

“Pathetic creatures!” The cackling laughter reverberates from one of the chambers as multiple screams riddle the air with their symphony.

Leaving the mountain, I’m pulled into a dark gothic structure that reminds me of the religious buildings back on the mortal plane. But something is different here. The stone floor is cold, the room devoid of any life. I turn to find the female covered in black from head to toe, staring up at the statue of the man on the cross.

Tears drip down the side of her eyes as she moves her hand to her head and either side of her shoulder.

“Forgive me father for I have sinned…” she whispers but doesn’t continue.

Circling her, I inhale her scent, and it speaks nothing of remorse or fear. Solidifying into the image of a robed human, I touch her shoulder from behind. She doesn’t turn, instead choosing to close her eyes and hang her head.

“What sins have you committed, my child?” I ask, for it’s always a question I hear when I travel on this side of the mortal plane.

“I-I’ve done something I shouldn’t have. I had no choice.” Her voice doesn’t tremble. It sounds sure. It portrays someone who feels guilt, but it is false. I can smell it on her—the serenity in her decisions.

“We always have a choice,” I say to her back. Towering over her small frame, I’m made aware of how fragile the human body is. Delicate in its structure, so easily broken, they are. My grip tightens with the temptation, but I decide that I want to toy with her a little while longer. She is proving to be such an interesting specimen of humankind.

A species who see themselves as so grand, yet easily defeated by something so small, unseen. Their bodies continue to scatter around the world, death clouding over continents. Even the sprites have had a hard time catching up to the souls they need to torture on their way back to the underworld.

“It’s what they say, isn’t it? Choice. Free will. But survival makes a person do things they never thought they would.”

Before I can continue our game, she rips off her black dress and a murder of crows emerge from her body like the night descending—fading the world into its all-consuming darkness.

We find ourselves back in the woods, the sounds of insects loud in the night as the light of the full moon pilfers through the branches and leaves.

There she is, standing all alone, with her head lifted to the sky.

The body I was in has all but disintegrated with the change of scenery, returning me to shadowed mist. Floating towards her once more, I’m taken aback when she turns before I can reach her, as if she can finally feel my presence in this dreamscape.

Normally, I would bask in the fact that she knows I’m here, haunting her waking and sleeping hours. Not now. No. At this moment, I’m lost at the sight of her coated with blood from head to toe … her face devoid of any expression. She looks as dead as the bodies that litter the streets of the city, but her eyes…her eyes burn like hellfires and sear my very being.

Mistress of the woods… is this what the male meant? And has he seen her in all her glory for him to address her so?

Something curdles inside of me. It crawls along my insides, threatening to consume me in the flames of her eyes. Her normally earth-toned skin is hidden under the crimson, glistening under the light of the moon.

It’s as if she’s looking directly at me and through me at the same time. Tilting my head, I come closer, towering over her. It takes her a few seconds before she lifts her head up and stares at me despite being in my traveling form.

“Have you come to take me, then? Relieve me of this burden we call life?”

“Are you not called to heal the sick? Is that not what I saw in your cabin, mistress of the woods?”

She laughs. It’s breathy, it’s verging on insanity, and it calls to me.

She gives me no answer, instead, turning and walking away. She dares so easily? My agitation grows to infernal heights as my claws solidify, stretching toward her and gripping her neck from behind. I drag her back, turning her to face me. The flames in her eyes have snuffed out leaving only the shell of a person in its wake.

What is this, then?

Dropping her, she collapses like a bag of bones, and suddenly I’m standing before petrified flesh. She looks like every other human I’ve come across on my travels.

“How easily the mighty fall, don’t they? The darkness makes no exceptions. Death scourges the lands and we’re all left to face our own mortality.” Her soft voice comes from behind me.

Turning, I find her cleaned, in a floral dress that floats behind her. She stands tall, but her head hangs, her dark hair covering most of her face like a cascading void that seduces me.

My claw raises to push her hair away, but she twists her face at the last moment and falls to her knees with her hands over her ears and screams.

My being is forced out of her body and turns into fog the moment it slams against her cabin walls, dividing me. Growling, I seep back through the slats and find her tossing in her sleep.

She still sleeps. What is this?

My claws pin her shoulders down to force her to remain still and she whimpers prettily. Tilting my head to the side, I bring my face up against hers and breathe her in. There's a mix of fear and anticipation within her.

What is it about you…?

Her mouth parts in a gasp and I dive inside once more. She coughs and sputters, making me smile with glee. In the midst of her darkness, she’s surrounded by black flames. There in the middle of the scenery, she’s huddled on the ground—a lost child about to come of age.

She hears my movements and lifts her tear-streaked face toward me. I can feel my claws extending in reflex. Something’s happening. Her mood is shifting.

The child jumps at me with arms open, crying for something, and knocks me out of her body. Hovering above her, I stare intently. Confusion clouds my judgment as I lean in once more and tilt my head to observe the kaleidoscope of emotions crossing her features.

Suddenly, she exhales and moans. Something I’ve never felt before rushes through me. I want to hear it again. Touching her in my non corporeal form, my hand goes right through her face, the dark mist spreading around her dark locks as if it belongs there.

She exhales again and turns her head towards my hand, exposing the pulse on her neck. My sight focuses on the way it beats in a steady rhythm. Being amongst the dead for so long, I’ve forgotten how much different life is.

Solidifying my tongue, I lick along the beat of her veins and up her jaw. She tastes of sour acid and bitter flowers. Such a strange combination. Licking her again, her head shifts, but my claws hold her face down. When my tongue reaches her hair line, she exhales, seducing me into her being.

My body begins to merge with hers subconsciously when her hands travel to the mounds on her chest, rubbing them and making them peek.

My eyes can’t stop staring as one of her delicate fingers pinches the bud and travels down her stomach towards the juncture between her legs that are scissoring against the sheets that hide her body from the elements.

What is this female doing?

My head goes through her stomach as I get a closer look at her hands. Her fingers are teasing a bud of flesh above her folds and the smell of something sweet hits me. Her legs slowly spread open, inviting me. Taking the invitation, I don’t expect her legs to close abruptly, breaking my form and dissipating me into the air.

CHAPTER FOUR

agatha

My face flushes thinking about how I woke up this morning. Wading through my usual nightmares, I found myself on the brink of an orgasm towards the end of it all. It’s not like me. It takes a lot for me to feel any inkling of thrumming between my legs. These days, there’s nothing to get me going.

The last time I touched myself were thoughts of the boy I crushed on at school, two towns past. But that’s it. The past memories slowly fade away, and I find myself unable to even recollect what he looks like.

I stopped giving myself pleasure then. I had nothing in my memories to inspire me—nothing but struggling and survival.

But last night, something on my skin made me itchy with need—made me long for that feeling again.

Perhaps, I’ve fallen over the other side of sanity, living out in this cabin all this time. Perhaps, this is the sign I’ve lost my mind. How can I become aroused at the touch of something unseen, something invisible?

Shaking my head, I continue to grind my herbs, creating the concoction I need to mix with the vinegar the stranger remembered to bring by. My grandmother had passed down the recipe to us and after much experimentation, I was finally able to create what I needed—an oil I religiously put on each day.

Who’s to say it even does anything? But it gives me peace of mind, and that’s as much as I can want for.

My hand grips the pestle and grinds down, reminding me of how my palm grinded down between my legs. Pressing my thighs together, I bite my lip and try to concentrate on the task at hand. The phantom memory of my folds pulsating makes the pestle slip out of my grip.

The glass window in front of me cracks loudly, and I frown. Looking at my pestle, it’s still inside the mortar. How did the window break?

Knock! Knock! Knock! I jump in startlement when an unexpected knock comes to the front door.

Wiping my hands on my dress, I smooth back my hair and wipe off my brow in case any of the herb pieces have found their way there. The door creaks open as I peer around to the outside. The first thing I see is a broad chest. Lifting my gaze, I’m met with the bluest of eyes and a face that is etched with worry.

“Please. Are you the mistress of the woods? My-my sister. She’s sick.”

“Yes, of course!” The way his voice shakes makes me nervous. Is she on the brink of death? My mind quickly goes through all the concoctions I’ve made today, trying to figure out the best recipes for his beloved sister.

I scream as I’m suddenly pushed, my face slamming into the wall of my humble cabin. His breath is hot, with a hint of fermented drink.

“How does a little thing like you end up out here, hmm? All alone, are ya?” The heat of his front to my back scares me, makes me feel as small as a mouse.

I press my lips together, trying to remain strong, trying to think of a course of action that would help me escape without killing me in the process. Mother, what do I do?

My mind begins to glaze over the moment his hand lifts my skirts and touches my bare skin. Tears stream down my face and my body feels flushed. When his fingers touch my slick, I whimper.

“Well then. You were just waiting for me, weren’t ya? Don’t worry little girl. Daddy’s got just what you need. I’ll take care of your little problem.” His voice is dripping with evil intent, and I shake in helplessness.

I whimper again when his finger pushes too hard against my skin. Suddenly, the man screams bloody murder and disappears from my back. I quickly turn with my hand over my chest and the other over my mouth to see his eyes burst as he falls to the ground and twitches. His hands are around his neck as he gurgles on his own blood now coating my floor. I’m frozen in shock, unable to move, unable to turn my head away from the sight before me.

What was once broad daylight turns a thundering grey as lighting strikes outside. The winds pick up, whistling through my broken windows, and suddenly, something pulls the man out through my front door and into the darkness. The echoes of his screams bounce against my walls but fade away until the only thing I can hear is the trees rustling and birds flapping their wings in retreat from whatever is going on outside.

I feel a chill run through my body as it slowly slides down to the ground, until I’m sitting there in a stupor. I blink. A few times. This cannot be happening. What is wrong with me today? Am I still in my nightmares? Have I not woken up at all, only thinking I have?

The darkness moves in and out from black to grey. The light of whatever is happening out there flickering in and out reminds me of a candle flame. A twig breaks, and my head snaps in that direction. It’s coming from outside my home. It’s close. I’m scared. What if he came back? What if he had companions?

Standing up quickly, I look around my home for something to use as a weapon. Seeing the ax by my dwindling wood, I run towards it and grab the handle. Heavy footsteps in my home make me swing the ax before I even know who it is. Consequences be damned, I will not be put through what just happened—what could have happened—again.

A strong hand catches the handle, stopping the momentum of my swing. My heart is pounding, my eyes glazed over with unshed tears. What stands before me makes me scream. It steps forward and I release my weapon, screaming again as I back myself up against the same wall I was molested against.

Lighting strikes behind him, making him seem even more ominous in this small cabin. He drops the ax with a loud thud and doesn’t pick it back up.

My eyes dart to the front door and back at the creature. How much agility do I really have to make it out alive?

The grey skies outside lighten until the sun’s rays fight its way through, finally giving me enough clarity to see what’s before me.

A bird man as black as the ravens. I can’t see his eyes. His body, much bigger than the last man’s, makes me shrink away. How much damage can something this big make? What would be left of me to find?

He takes another step forward and I bite my lip. I don’t know what to do. I have nowhere to go. I have no one…

Oh, how easily I’ve made myself a victim. How foolish could I be thinking I could survive as a lone female out in these woods? My mother’s screams to stay with my father come back to me full force, ringing in my ears as if it was only yesterday. Maybe she knew what she was doing after all.

“Mistress…”

The voice is so deep, it rumbles through me.

“What? Who are you? Why are you here? Were you with him?” I ask frantically, the words pouring out of my mouth without a filter.

A growl erupts from his black beak, and I think I see his eyes blazing like the fires of hell for a second.

“He is no more. Are you the mistress of the woods?”

My mind takes a moment to process what his statement actually means. Is the man dead? Am I painted red once more?

The stranger takes a step forward and I automatically plaster myself to the wall. I can’t seem to catch my breath with him this close to me.

“I ask again. Are you the mistress of the woods?” Why does his question sound like that? Like an accusation, rather than a question at all?

“Many seek me for my herbs, yes. For help for their loved ones when they are sick. I am but a humble woman who only wishes for peace out here.”

The silence between us grows thick. The grey skies have all but disappeared, and in my confusion, I think I feel some sort of familiarity with the situation. Is this because I always find myself brushing up with death? Is he the grim reaper, out to finally take me away from this wretched life?

I find that I’m not ready to go just yet.

He lifts his bird head and I realize it’s made out of leather or some sort. At least, that’s what my eyes are telling me. His large shoulders covered in black barely move with his breathing, further adding to my assumption of him being Death in the flesh.

“Are you here to take me?”

“Do you want me to take you?” His head tilts, just like a raven, and now I’m starting to question my sanity.

“Why else would you be here?” I ask, finding more courage the longer this strange conversation continues.

“I also…aid others in a sense.”

“Y-you’re a healer?” Why a healer would dress like anyone’s nightmares is beyond my understanding.

“As you say. I find that I’m in need of an assistant.”

“What?” How did this day go from almost being brutally ravaged by a stranger, to a healer asking for my assistance? “What happened to—”

“Do not worry yourself about that human. It is done.” His eyes blaze with something and it makes me take an audible gulp.

He stares at me. The tension in the room becomes thick again despite the front door being open. The sound of birds flapping their wings is the only thing that cuts through our moment. He makes the first move by lifting his hand towards me with his gloved palm up.

Do I trust a stranger? For all I know, he could be with the other guy, and this is their ploy to make me gullible.

“N-no thank you. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

He chuckles and abruptly turns to do as I say. Is it really that easy? I watch as he moves through the doorway. It’s almost as if the remnants of the darkness get sucked away with him. When he’s far enough, I run to shut my door and replace my wooden beam over it.

I’m not leaving the house. Today, we’re going to pretend nothing happened, and hope tomorrow is a better day.

CHAPTER FIVE

obsideo

I let her feel her false sense of safety. Nothing is ever safe on this side of the mortal plane. I chuckle to myself. Nothing is safe in the underworld, either. Perhaps this is why these souls choose to wander in the in-between.

One of the sprites rips through the veil of realms and pulls the closest soul in. His screams go unheard as the chitter chatter of little demons increase right before the veil is closed again.

Staring at her cabin, I watch as the light from her candle flickers, casting shadows through the broken glass. My fangs crunch and continue to devour the flesh in front of me as I think of ways to remove her from this self-imposed isolation. I want to throw sprites at her, to see how she fares in an uncontrolled environment. Would she continue to be just as entertaining as she is now?

Shoving the male’s leg into my non-corporeal form, the fangs on my torso crunch and chew, renewing my energy from the recent transition. I save his fingers for last. Lifting it, I examine the way it glistens with her slick and shove it into my mouth. The flavor that bursts into my being makes me feel things I’m uncertain of. It’s an addicting musk that I continue to lick and savor.

Floating towards her window, I watch as she prepares for slumber. Each movement is precise, each item she moves has its place. Why are humans such funny creatures? Seeping through the cracks of her walls, I move behind her, inhaling her scent. It’s stronger today, that sour acid and bitter flower smell. My non-corporeal tongue waters, thinking of how she tasted.

“I’m going crazy. Why else is all this happening? I’ve finally hit the breaking point. Seven years is a long time alone. Mother knew. She knew. I should have listened,” she mumbles to herself.

Looking around her residence, I see no evidence of anyone else living here. What does she speak of? I lean over her shoulder as she shudders and closes her eyes. Stretching my neck around her, I tilt my head and look at her face.

Tears run down her cheeks, and it bores me. Let’s change this up. I flick my hand and her kitchen window breaks into pieces, clinking onto the counter.

She screams. That’s much better. Her eyes are frantic as she runs to the other side of the room and shoves a blanket into the hole before grabbing something else to place before it.

Her reflexes are quick. I’m going to have to try something else to get my entertainment.

Flicking my wrist again, the drawers vibrate and clatter open. One of her knives flies past her face and hits the wall with a resounding thud. She screams even louder and runs for the front door. Oh, this is getting interesting indeed. Following her, I watch as she quickly turns around to look inside her cabin. The light flickers to and fro from her candleholder. Blowing a breath against it, the flames grow into infernal heights, threatening to devour the cabin whole. Agatha falls on her rear and scoots back, igniting something within me—an instinct.

Falling onto all fours, my form materializes and solidifies into a black beast. Her eyes widen, watching it all happen before her, not moving. She is a glutton for punishment, and it makes me hunger for more of her fear.

Shuddering, the crunch of my bones echo into the night as it expands into something else beyond her understanding. Lifting my nose in the air, I take in her scent. It’s hot, it’s heady, and it calls to me. My mouth waters, drool seeping between my fangs. The taste of her musk still lingers on my tongue.

She screams again, and the ravens surrounding her house break into the sky like a dark blanket, blocking any illumination necessary for her to successfully escape without falling. She runs anyway, and my gums tingle with irritation. I can hear the shift of grass and pebbles with every one of her movements. My ears flick back and forth, determining her path. My body shudders once more, itching for the hunt, but I give her time to feel her small sense of hope. I do so enjoy extinguishing it.

When it sounds like she makes it to the thick of the woods, I sprint after her, howling into the night air. Jumping between trees and bounding over boulders, my eyes catch movement, and I attack. The yip and fur between my jaws tell me I’ve landed one of the ground beasts that roam here. His brethren howl back as I crunch into his body, swallowing it whole.

It doesn’t taste nearly as good as…

A downwind picks up and my nose tracks her scent once more. Sprinting and vaulting against the trunks with loud crashes, I land in a grassy field that hides nothing. There she is, running without looking back, her dress flickering in the air, tantalizing me, teasing me. My tongue lolls out my mouth as I leap and close the distance between us. The sweet smell of her fear carried in the downdraft entices me. Her very human response pleases me to my very core as I gain more ground that she anticipates. Letting out a loud growl, I jump and land on her, knocking her to the ground.

In my excitement, I snarl and paw at her shoulders, only to find her head flops to the side unnaturally. Burrowing my face against her neck, I inhale and snuffle until I feel her soft pulse against the skin of my nose.

Bringing my body back on my hind legs, I stand upright and howl at the moon. Shaking my head, my body shifts into partial mist, the fur detaching and floating onto the grass. I solidify just enough to lift her body from the ground. Her limbs are limp, and I’m forced to hold her closer to me as I run and sprout obsidian feathers to fly us over the trees.

My beak screeches as I move us both towards the next major city to the west, landing on the pointed roof of one of their houses of worship. A statue of a gnarled creature crouched on the edge stares back at me, and my wings flap rapidly until it explodes into a murder of ravens cawing into the night. My bones contort, cracking once more, until I find myself in the shape of a plague doctor once again.

It is the only form she’s spoken to me in; it must be the only form she finds familiarity with.

I make my way inside the building, carrying Agatha through darkened corridors illuminated by candlelight, our shadows dancing as if we are one monstrous being melded together. The building reeks of death, reminding me of the underworld.

The candelabras have dwindled down to almost nothing, the wax accumulating on the table like maggots climbing towards a feast.

The sprites phase in and out with every step, and I snarl. Agatha is only mine to play with. Thoughts of these little demons touching what I rightfully caught makes me want to devour them whole.

Exiting the building, I come upon a smaller one that reminds me of her home. This would be a more familiar place for my quarry. I kick the door open with a loud crash to find one of the men of the cloth lying there with pustules all over his skin, moaning. Lifting my lip in disgust, I sprout an extra limb and claw him off the mattress, watching him crash to the floor. There are some blood stains on the bed, but it will do. Gently laying Agatha down, I grab the male by the neck of the robe and drag him out of the room.

I don’t want his taint anywhere near my prize.

The smell of slow decay and sweat on his body stings my nose, it’s so far from the scent of fresh earth and bitter flowers I came from. Back in the house of worship, chitter chatters echo in the largest open area in the building. The moonlight casts an eerie glow that reflects on the hard slabs of the shiny floor. Wooden benches are lined up before a dais—do these humans come to stare at their fallen king of thorns? I cackle with mirth at the thought of them worshiping suffering. I could satisfy their curiosity so easily. Too bad many have already fallen from their taint.

I toss the human in my grip onto one of the wooden seats. He flops over, unable to manage his own body weight. Sprites instantly appear, devouring his flesh while he screams in anguish, making me smile. I guess there was some life left in him, after all.

My mood is high as I walk back to the small home, leaving the sprites to finish him off. He can thank me later. The soft moan from the bed steals my attention. Agatha rolls her head side to side, her mind trying to rouse her. Leaning in, I climb over her, and my body disintegrates into mist. The moment her mouth parts on an exhale is the moment I meld myself with her fully, pulling her back into the darkness of her mind.

Her memories intermingle with her nightmares, where it’s hard to distinguish one from the other.

I watch as she holds her mother on the cabin floor, her face in tears. The scene wavers, and I watch as she holds her mother, her face without expression, while her sister bawls in a corner, rocking herself back and forth. Which is the truth?

The scene changes, and I’m bored with having to decipher her mental portrayals. I pull her spirit into my own realm and find peace within the flames of the underworld.

“Where am I?” she questions. She’s covered in a black shroud with her back to me. I do not sense any hint of fear.

“Home,” I reply.

“I don’t have a home.”

Touching her shoulder, I turn her toward me, giving her a glimpse of my true form. Her eyes widen for a fraction of time, and then settle with resignation. Her reactions are strange and unnatural, making me ever more curious.

“Will you keep me, then?” she whispers.

“Keep you?”

Her eyes tear up, but what falls are crimson streaks. She cries blood? When her hands reach out, I take a step back but stop short, morbidly curious as to what she might do to a demon of nightmares.

“Are you not Pestilence? Have you not ravaged the life that surrounds me?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “I am so very tired…”

“Your frail human notions of time mean nothing. What is there to be tired of, when human life is bred and then taken in cycles? The monotony of your existence bores me.”

“Will you take me with you, then?” Her hands still hover in the air, waiting for something. I step forward, and the moment her hands cup my face, my fangs elongate with hunger.

She smells strongly of acid and bitterness, even down here—an ointment I’ve come across before, I realize.

“What is it you seek, human?” I ask, desperate to know the answer—desperate for her to give me answers.

She slips her hands back, hugging herself as she turns away from me. Irrational anger boils in my gut, making my skin sizzle and smoke. I grab her to force her attention back on me. But something is off. She stares with lifeless eyes, and suddenly, tree roots grow from her open mouth and grab me by the throat, eviscerating my very being until the entire area is splattered with demon blood.

I reform with a sharp inhale as I’m pushed out of her body once more. Her face before me is calm, serene. The sweat on her brow glistens against the light of the coming morning that filters through the stained glass of the building.

Who are you, Agatha? Why have you been placed on my path? Why do I crave so desperately to rip you open and know more?

My claws trail along her temple, suffusing her with my own images that replace the hellscape inside her mind. I find myself unable to stop touching her soft skin after it is done. Such fragile flesh. One nick of my claw, and her skin will be painted prettily with red. When she sighs, her entire body relaxes into the mattress. Too tempted to stop myself, my tongue snakes out and licks her slack lips, wanting to memorize her bitterness for my own selfish desires.

CHAPTER SIX

agatha

I awake with a start, shaking my head to dislodge the fog that refuses to release me. How long did I sleep?

Sitting up, I cover my eyes with my forearm. The sun filters through the stained glass, casting a multitude of colors across my skin.

I need to get to work. I’m late!

Looking around desperately, I find a set of clothes already laid out on a chair beside the bed. I quickly divest myself of my nightgown and clean myself with a wet rag in front of the mirror, then redress.

Putting my hair into a simple style close to my scalp, I run out the back of the church, making sure to lock up, heading toward the small shop a few blocks down. When I’m two shops away, I pinch my cheeks in front of the glass to add a little rouge to my face. I walk slowly and force myself to calm my breaths before I enter the apothecary.

Did I think my heart was racing when I thought I was late? It’s nothing compared to what I feel when I see the doctor, already dressed, looking through vials.

It amazes me that, in times like these, we still have enough business to keep us going.

My dress swishes against one of the cabinets and he turns around to acknowledge my presence. His broad shoulders make me imagine wicked things and my face flushes. So much for needing to pinch my cheeks.

“G’day, Doctor.” Why does my voice sound so breathy?

“Good morning, Agatha. How did you sleep?” There’s something teasing in his voice, but it could all just be wishful thinking.

“I-I slept well, thank you. Do you have need of me outside the shop today?” I bite my bottom lip, hoping he says yes.

I have been harboring feelings for Doctor Obsideo for quite some time, pining for him even in my dreams. I have memories of us stealing kisses in dark corners, but I’m unsure if they are just figments of my imagination.

He takes a step forward, and I swear I can feel him smiling behind his mask. The air of mystery he creates only makes me press my thighs together harder.

Another step forward, and something blows my dress forward. The front door. I swear I hear light cackling and chitters.

“Hello! I need your help, doctor,” says a male voice I do not recognize.

Doctor Obsideo moves toward me and touches my shoulder along the way, sending shivers down my spine.

“Let’s have a talk, shall we? Tell me what’s been going on.”

Strangely enough, he takes the patron outside, leaving me all alone in the apothecary. Fanning myself, I make my way towards the back and look for the ingredients we need to restock in the front of the store. The glass vials are hard to read in this light, so I have to tilt myself every so often in order to let the light from behind me illuminate the words. I must have lost track of time, because someone comes up behind me, shadowing the area, and I squeal in surprise. Turning around with my hand over my heart, I see that it’s the doctor.

I suddenly go from cold fear to hot in a split second.

My breathing increases when he pulls me by the arm with a strong grip and then pushes me further into the back of the store and deep inside another closet. My back hits the wall hard, leaving an echo of pain, but I’m unable to think of anything except for the way his body feels against mine, pushing against my bosom.

“What would we do without our ladies to aid us in getting dressed every day? It feels like there’s miles of fabric to manage!”

My mother’s voice flits through my ear. Why am I remembering this right now?

We’re both breathing against each other, his sounding like the snarls of a beast and it makes me rub my knees together.

“I’m scared of the dark, Agatha. It’s always so dark out in the woods.”

“Shh. It’s okay. We must be brave. You are stronger than the dark. We have to be. We need to survive.”

Agnes?

I don’t know when he took off his mask, and I can barely see anything, but the dim light of the candles cast behind him. His hot breath against the crook of my neck makes my eyes flutter. It’s so intimate, so wrong.

“Have you been thinking of me, Agatha?” he growls, and I’m at a loss for words.

Biting my lip, I nod my head ever so slightly, hoping he doesn’t see the answer at all. What would he do if I said no? Would he punish me? Why do I want that so much? What’s wrong with me?

He chuckles, and my nipples harden. Oh, heavens. Why am I reacting like this? His tongue licks up the column of my neck, and I squirm where I stand. It feels so familiar, and not, at the same time. I’m unsure if I want more, or if I’m too scared to do anything further.

“You taste different today,” he mumbles against me, continuing to lick and nip. I whimper.

Something scratches at my mind, but I’m too lost in what his hands are doing.

“How could you?”

“I had to!”

It feels like they’re all over me—like there’s well more than two hands roaming my body, touching me in ways a man shouldn’t be touching an unmarried woman.

Despite the dress I thought I was wearing, I’m suddenly naked in front of him. I gasp when one of his hands travels between my legs, teasing me, testing the wetness leaking out of my core. My traitorous body is revealing my innermost desires and it embarrasses me.

We shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t be so wanton. It’s unladylike. What would my mother say? What will happen to my reputation? I can’t be that kind of example to my sister…

“I hate you, Agatha! I hate you!”

“You don’t understand! It would have gotten to us, too!”

“Doctor…” I try to croak out, but his tongue dives into my mouth, and all those earlier wicked thoughts overtake my senses.

I’m drowning in his darkness. The more he pulls me in, the more I want to lose control. He tastes of desire and forbidden nights. My hand tingles, wanting to touch my folds and relieve some of the pressure building up.

His mouth is so confident, so domineering, forcing me to surrender myself to him. Living with so many fears in my life, I would love nothing more than to give him control—and I do. Mimicking all his actions, I realize his tongue moves like it has a mind of its own. Almost unnatural. The way his lips touch mine, the way his body heat presses against my naked form ignites my own internal inferno.

A moan escapes without meaning to and my body becomes drawn to his, moving in a unified flow as if we’re one being instead of two. I feel so lightheaded, lost between what’s real and what’s not.

“You’re so selfish!”

“I did it for both of us! I did it so we could stay alive!”

“No! I don’t believe you!”

My mind feels tumultuous; the only thing grounding me is the man before me. My hands creep up his large shoulders, needing to hold onto something with how weak my legs have become.

He feels different, as if he’s divested himself of clothing as well. I didn’t even feel him move to do so. The surface of his skin is rough and boiling with a familiarity I’m unsure of. It’s so fascinating that I find myself constantly caressing his back and neck just to take more of the sensation in.

It’s as if his skin responds to my touches, rising and falling in spikes, wanting to touch me in return. His already large presence overtakes the entire room as if he’s physically swallowed it and claimed it as his. It makes me feel completely surrounded, like a blanket. It makes me feel safe in his darkness.

“There’s a darkness in you.”

“You’re just paranoid because of losing Father!”

“Don’t spew any more of your lies to me!”

Lost in my thoughts, I feel his tongue travel along my collarbone seductively, as if he’s tasting his meal before he takes a bite. The rough skin on his chest scrapes along my own, sending goosebumps up my arms.

“You make me hunger for more,” he whispers before he nips the top of my bosom, making me slam my head back against the wall. It’s so naughty. If only he’d move just a little bit lower…

“I want to devour you, swallow you whole, and spit you out, just so I can do it again and savor your taste.”

How can he say this to me right now when I’m trying so hard to fight my feelings and push him off me for the sake of my womanly sensibilities? Doesn’t he know that I’m hungry for him, too?

“Please,” I beg. His hand squeezes my bosom and pulls at my nipple deliciously. At this point, I’m unsure what I’m begging for.

When his hands grab my rear and lift me up, I squeal and grab his face for another kiss. It’s so forward of me, and it makes me exhilarated.

He groans into my mouth, and it feels like there’s another tongue licking my belly button. Nothing makes sense and everything makes sense all at once. I need more of him. I need all of him to devour me like he promised. I feel bereft, like something just out of grasp, and it irritates me.

He growls and takes my nipple into his mouth, making me cry out. I can feel his fangs piercing my skin, I can feel him sucking, and I want more.

What is wrong with me?

“You’ve got your avó’s blood in you. Your grandmother had a darkness, too.”

“Stop saying that!”

“Then stop with your sorcery! She was condemned for it in Brazil! What will happen to you here?”

“Doct-”

“Say my name, Agatha. Say it.”

“O-Obsideo…”

He growls, and suddenly the floor swallows us both. I scream in fear, but Obsideo wraps me in all his limbs, cocooning me before we fall into a dark room onto a familiar mattress.

“What…?” I try, but I lose my train of thought when he takes my other breast into his mouth. Something tickles me between my legs and claws push my thighs apart.

It’s all so much at once. When one of his hands tilts my jaw back, I let go. It’s such a predatory move that I bite my lip and close my eyes, waiting for the consequences of my actions.

Forgive me Father, for I’m about to let in…all the sins this man is going to throw at me.

Something worms its way against my lips, and I gasp. There are hands holding down my shoulder, grabbing my hips, squeezing my breasts and my rear all at the same time. Obsideo snarls and suddenly it's as if his neck has extended until we’re face to face. His tongue worms its way inside my mouth, and I happily oblige to his feral kiss. The fangs in his mouth cut my lips, but the copper taste of blood makes my core pulse with need.

“Your smell calls to me.” His voice sounds like multiple at once and it confuses me.

“There’s a darkness in you.”

No, it’s not true.

“How could you, Agatha?”

There was no other way.

She couldn’t understand why I needed the cherry seeds. I needed them. I had to do it.

They’re all so red, glistening in the light, whispering the reason it needed to be done. She would have infected us all.

“Agatha…” Obsideo’s guttural voice pulls me back to the present and it feels as if he’s inside me but not.

“I-I…”

He groans and suddenly I feel something slithering inside of me, slipping through my wetness. It reminds me of the way his tongue dances in my mouth and I try to press my legs together to slow down the over sensation of everything happening.

“You dare? You’re mine. You’re very being belongs to me. I will have all of you.”

His proclamation makes me gasp. To be needed so desperately without anything in return…

The thing between my legs moves inside me and it hits something I’ve never felt before. I find myself chasing something, and it scares me.

I never knew it could feel like this, this intense.

It moves again and something else touches the bud above my folds. Dear heavens, he shouldn’t feel this good. His face leaves mine as he licks along the inside of my arms, tickling me and making me feel shy at the same time.

“Obsideo…please.”

“Your essence is strongest here. I need it burned into my being, scorched and buried inside of me.”

Dear heavens, has anything sounded so seductive? It feels selfish. Embarrassment floods me. I shouldn’t desire so much… I don’t deserve…

I don’t know what he’s doing to me, but suddenly, the chase becomes a sprint to the end. I feel like I’m about to fall off a cliff I can’t see. My hands claw and scratch at anything I can get ahold of, which happens to be his neck and shoulder. I try to pull him up, but my hand feels like it’s going through him, frustrating me.

“Obsideo! Please!”

He growls, and it feels like a giant mouth of fangs gently bite onto my entire torso, holding me down. The tongue inside of me continues to plunder and writhe until I see stars behind my eyelids. My core pulses and squeezes as if it’s afraid to let go, as if I want Obsideo buried inside of me just like he mentioned.

Screaming in ecstasy I didn't know existed, I claw at his neck again, stretching it when I pull his face towards me for a final kiss while his other mouth continues to take in everything, I have to give him.

CHAPTER SEVEN

obsideo

There’s something about her that pricks at a memory. It’s unnatural for a human to take to a demon so easily.

Laving my tongue between her legs, I savor her taste as she slumbers in her nightmares. Darkness excretes from her skin like the thick, cloying flavor of her arousal. In anger over the fact that she’s made me addicted to her essence, I lick again, and she moans.

How does such a small being enthrall me so quickly? Was she sent by the master to take me down? I haven’t returned to the underworld for some time, not after the spat I had with old Rosser.

She whispers something I cannot decipher. Crawling over her, I watch as her eyes dance behind her lids. It’s such a disturbing human trait. It’s no wonder these beings are a favorite among the sprites who live to cause chaos.

…Now that I’ve had a taste of her, it is no wonder that Asmore, the demon of promiscuity, can never keep his phallus under control.

Tilting my head, I watch her frown in her slumber. Is this what human females fall into sin for? A phallus? I stretch my neck to look around at my own form. She didn’t seem to complain during our union of beings. They were not cries of suffering, as I know those well.

“Obsideo…”

My neck shrinks and my head snaps to her face. She calls for me? My body sizzles in response and quickly turns to mist. I permeate into her flesh and crawl through her essence towards her mind.

She stands in her cabin, teacup in hand. I’m reminded of her finger, and the way she put it in her mouth. My fangs itch as they elongate with anticipation.

The scene wavers and changes. There’s a familiarity here. An older female lies on the floor. Agatha stands there with her dark hair hiding her face. In her hand is an empty teacup, and my head twitches.

I watch as her spirit moans and leaves the body, crawling on the ground, choking.

The cabin door slams open with a loud boom as a smaller female runs inside. She screams and everything is consumed by darkness.

My eyes flame in confusion, lighting up only my position in this void.

“Obsideo,” she calls for me again, but I cannot see her.

“Agatha!” A small female voice coughs.

“Agnes.”

The little girl coughs again, and it’s as if a candelabra is lit. The scene slowly illuminates. Agatha stands there with her back to the kitchen counter, staring at what looks like a younger kin. The child’s skin is glistening with perspiration and my mouth waters, thinking about tasting Agatha’s flesh.

Agatha turns, grinding something in her mortar.

“You like apples, right, Agnes? I was able to pick some the other day on one of my treks.”

She speaks serenely, but something inside of me wants to laugh. I can physically see the shadows that emerge from her hair, like raven wings about to beat towards the skies. Why does her home not have a roof in her nightmares?

Floating toward her, I look over her shoulder to find some sort of seeds in her mortar. Where are the apples she speaks of?

“Obsideo.” Her voice rings in my ear but her lips are not moving. What is this?

Something claws at my being, pulling me out of the scene, and I roar in agitation. Turning with the intention of killing what dared touch me, I find Agatha’s hand cradling my face and pulling me toward hers. My mind blanks for a second, allowing her to force her lips onto mine.

In that very moment, it is as if she breathes a light into my darkness. Choking and sputtering, I push her away, only to find her dissipate into smoke.

What in the hellfires?

Roaring, I leave her flesh to find her…staring right at me.

Her eyes are glazed over. Is she there? Has she expired during her nightmare? My head stretches and looks around the house, hoping to possibly see her soul wandering. But there is nothing in this home. Narrowing my eyes in suspicion, I jerk back when fingers caress my chest.

“Obsideo, we’re going to be late for work…”

Have my false memories truly stuck to her mind? But why…

I lose my train of thought when her little mouth licks my skin. I shudder at the way the wet appendage trails along a purposeful path.

“I feel so empty, Obsideo…please.”

My skin sizzles and spikes in response to the way she begs with such need. Does she crave me the way I do her? Why can I not just let this little female die so that I can bind her soul to me for the rest of eternity?

…because then you wouldn’t be able to feel what she’s doing to you now…

She moans as she rubs against the tongue on my lower abdomen, pulling it towards the apex of her legs, silently begging for me to fill her. The scent of her arousal is so strong, I become lightheaded, unable to think straight.

Would a phallus truly bind her to me? Make her a slave for what I can give her? Suddenly, the thought sounds like the most amazing idea I’ve ever had.

My body solidifies just enough to create an appendage for her pleasure, sprouting beside the tongue she still holds onto. It begins to seek her warmth as if it knows exactly where it belongs. She cries out when it wriggles itself inside of her, stretching her entrance to its full capacity. The feel of her cavity squeezing and pulling it in makes me groan as I immerse my upper body with hers, uniting us as one.

The way she gasps makes me slide under her flesh, rippling her skin with the pleasure I feel. My new appendage has a mind of its own as it continues to burrow inside of her. Her taste makes me lose my mind as my hips thrust and force her into the mattress.

Contradictory emotions course through me. Hate for what she makes me do. Anger at my obsession. Irritation for the fact that I can no longer go back to the monotonous existence I had. And the worst of it all: longing to continue what we are sharing. Why do I want this? Why does she make me feel this way?

Removing my upper body from her flesh suit, I stare. Watching her throw her head back, the pillow is covered in the cascade of her obsidian hair like a crown of darkness.

Fury overtakes all else and I find myself pounding into her, wanting her to die for making me want her like this, for making me desire so strongly.

She moans and suddenly the way her entrance grips my appendage, a new emotion hits me—fear.

It’s an acrid taste that I despise. She cries out in pleasure while her hands play with the mounds on her chest, pulling my attention to them. My mouth waters and I claw at her hands to remove them from my temptation. When the first peek of her bosom points at me, I cover it with my mouth, biting down and piercing her flesh with my fangs.

She cries again and it makes my eyes flame. Sucking in her essence, I groan at the taste. Why must she do this to me? There is no other explanation for it.

Sucking again, her little hands caress my head and I retract my fangs, licking her blood. Chitter chatters around my head make my back spike, piercing one of the sprites that dare to voyeur my union. His high pitch screams go unheard as my appendage continues to pleasure my female.

Her core flutters, and it makes me shudder.

Enough of this. I need to break her spell on me. I blow against her face, erasing the moment and resetting her memories to what I need them to be.

She gasps and my body mists, retreating through the cracks of the walls.

CHAPTER EIGHT

agatha

I awake with a start. Is it morning already? There’s a phantom sensation between my legs and I press them together to try and rid myself of the feeling. I’m going to be late for work, there’s no time for this!

Getting up from the bed, I push my hair back with frustration. My core is pulsing, making me groan. I wish I could rid myself of this feeling, but time is of the essence.

Going to the bowl of water on my nightstand, I splash my face and look into the small mirror that hangs above it.

“Okay, Agatha. Stop thinking about Doctor Obsideo. You are going to drive yourself insane,” I say to my reflection.

The moment I say his name, is the moment I feel myself become wetter down there. Ugh. What is it about him that makes me so wanton? This is so wrong.

Opening my eyes, I scream when I see the faces of my mother and sister staring back at me accusingly.

Slapping a hand over my mouth, I back up until I hit the wall. Shaking my head, I look again, and their images are gone.

Was it all in my mind? Have I truly gone mad living out in the woods so long?

Wait. That’s not right. I live here. This is my home. I’m going to be late for work. Quickly dressing and managing my hair into some sort of semblance of a hairstyle, I run out the door.

Watching the people milling about on the streets, I greet them properly, trying to maintain my manners as a lady.

The couple in front of me wave a hello, but the image flickers and fades. Suddenly, everything is grey and it smells like death. The couple in front of me grow fangs and instead of humans, it looks like little demons standing on each other to the height of a person. Blinking a few times, I rub my eyes. The sun shines and the couple looks at me strangely.

“Are you okay, dear?” Her smile is genuine as she holds onto her husband’s arm tighter.

“Y-yes. My apologies. I’m just a little under the weather.” Why did I say that? Everyone around me has died of the plague and soon enough it will get to me…

Shaking my head to dislodge the thoughts, I start to truly wonder if I should ask the Doctor to take a look at my mind. What am I talking about? What plague? Looking around the couple, I see everyone happily milling about, walking towards the shops.

The shops! I’m late for work.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go. Have a wonderful day!” I pick up my skirt and run towards the apothecary. Its dark stones stand out from the rest of the shops like a beacon. The wooden sign that hangs in front of the door swings, but there’s no breeze. Why does this feel so wrong?

Walking towards the shop beside it, I look at my reflection in the glass and pinch my cheeks. My vision changes, blinking in and out of focus. When it finally stops, my sister’s soul is in the reflection, screaming at me with her mouth gaped wide open.

I cry out in fear, falling on my rear, and suddenly my mother and Agnes are in front of me in a non-corporeal form.

They both scream inhumanly, a shrill pitch that makes my ears want to bleed. Covering both the sides of my head with my hands, I grit my teeth, trying to muffle the sound. The cobblestones beneath me are cold and the smell of decay singes my nostrils.

No, no, no. What’s going on? This isn’t right!

“You did this to us…”

I did nothing!

“How could you?”

No!

I need my ointment. Where is my ointment? It’s going to get me, too, I just know it! I need to ward off the darkness!

It feels as if my heart wants to jump out of my throat when I scream for mercy and for the Lord to forgive me for all my sins. I had to survive! I had to!

Falling to my elbows, I let the smell of decay surround me and touch me, resigning myself to the fact that death has finally come. The wages of sin…

When a dark fog begins to form, encompassing me, I let the tears fall. I was supposed to keep the family together. It’s all my fault. I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway…

Black claws grab me from behind and I scream once again, right before I succumb to nothingness.

I awake with a start. My heart is still pounding. Something feels like a distant memory, but I can’t put my finger on it. Why am I thinking of an apothecary? The image of a plague doctor floats through my mind, and I frown. What is this?

Grabbing my hair, I pull it until I feel pain in my scalp. I need to ground myself; I need to feel something real. Was it all just a nightmare?

Staring through the cracked window in my kitchen, it seems I have slept the day away, darkness already descending on the world outside of these four walls.

The candle holder still has a third of a stick on it. Didn’t I just light a new one? In my confusion, I stand up from the bed, grabbing the light and make my way toward the front door. There’s something stifling about this house, an aftertaste of sins that make my skin itch. I can’t be here right now.

Opening the front door, I continue to walk into the woods until the night air chills my soul. Something whispers near my ear, making me jerk around to look. There’s nothing but the sound of light chitters. The animals out here must be excited over something.

The longer I walk, the more I realize that there’s something missing inside of me, and it makes me sad.

I chuckle under my breath at the fact that it’s not the loss of my family that’s missing. The plague has taken so many lives, it was only a matter of time it would reach us, too. Did we really think we could physically run from it, moving from town to town, city to city? The darkness doesn’t discriminate.

Some days I wish the darkness would just take me and relieve me of this wretched life of paranoia.

Memories of a different time come back. A time when the only worries I had were over the new bustles that wouldn’t rub me the wrong way when worn for long periods of time.

Flashes of something else try to garner my attention, and I frown. A broad shoulder. A dark beak. The way he growls against my skin. The very thought of him makes me lose my breath. Tears stream down my face, and I don’t understand why.

What am I mourning over?

Suddenly, I’m drowning in the emotion of loneliness. It feels like the weight of the ocean pressing down on my shoulders, telling me to give in and swallow the sea. Standing here in the middle of the woods, I wonder how easy it would be to take matters into my own hands.

Flashes of a small cathedral, a home with stained glass, and a dark apothecary flit behind my closed eyes. Was it another life? What have I done to be punished in this one, I wonder?

My lips tremble with a longing I’ve never felt before. My skin prickles with fear that I’ll never be able to have it again. How do I go back? I don’t want this life anymore. My sins are catching up to me. I can’t breathe. I’m suffocating from the weight of guilt and the blood on my hands. It doesn’t matter how many times I scrub my skin in the river, the feeling never goes away. The evidence remains there for all to see. Falling to my knees, I drop my candle into the grass.

Grabbing my throat, I try to catch a breath, scratching at my neck. What is wrong with me? My body wants to convulse from the lack of air, and I wonder if this is the way I will die. I deserve all the suffering life throws at me.

The beat of wings pushes my hair back, whipping some of it in my face. In my distraction, I forget my panic as a monstrous raven creature lands before me with a loud crash. The earth trembles, and so do I.

Only…it is for a different reason.

My mind screams at me, telling me to cling onto the only piece of happiness I’ve felt in a long time.

I cry out, if not to the heavens, then to anyone and anything that would hear me. “Obsideo, I need you! Please. I can’t…I can’t hold onto this life.”

As if my heart physically cracks, I fall onto the grass, and everything disappears.

CHAPTER NINE

obsideo

Tainting her memories broke her mind. I need to remember the frailty of human life. In an instant, I could have lost her, and it angers me.

Returning her to where I found her didn’t fix anything, it only made it worse. Following her, I watched as her mind slowly swirled into insanity, threatening her very existence.

But in her confusion, there was a sliver of clarity, and it tore at my being like the master’s scythe—she cried out for me by name, and I roared into the first beast my mind conjured. It was the closest thing I could get to her human doctor.

I watched as her soul struggled to break free from her flesh suit and I dove into her, pushing it back where it belonged.

Not today, no. There are enough wandering souls for the sprites and demons to play with. This one—this one is mine, and mine alone.

The echo of my name on her lips pulls at my chest. I’ve never been bound to something so deeply. In all of my existence torturing souls, never did I think mine would be capable of the same pain.

With our essence unified, I mentally cradle Agatha to me.

“Do not dare to leave me, human! You belong to me! Awake at once!”

My commands go unheard, and my fury grows. Burrowing under her skin, I scrape at her to rouse her with pain, but it doesn’t work. Her body is limp as the day I carried her away from this place.

I should have never let her return.

I should have fed her more false memories.

I should have kept her closer, then let her wander with her free will.

“Agatha!”

Her mind is heavy with the weight of her sins, clarity finally making its way through the web of lies she’s casted over herself. Is this why humans worship suffering? To inflict it on others?

What was once enslaved is now free. The truth has been revealed and it draws me towards her ever the more.

She murdered her family at the first suspicion of the plague. She religiously lathered herself with her ointments. Licking her again, my memory finally supplies me with the information that did not make its way to my mind the first time. I’ve smelled this before, tasted it among the dead thieves murdered by their own.

She warded off the taint with her thieves' oil. To think that such a small human concoction could defeat the epidemic of death.

Agatha’s darkness has always called to me, and now I understand why. We are one and the same, cast into an existence that knows nothing but suffering and survival of the strongest. She hid her inner demons well, covered herself with under the guise of healing others as atonement for her sins. Little did she know, it was her wickedness, the allure of her immorality, that called to me. For who else could bring me to my knees, than the little human she-devil before me who fools the world with her innocence?

“Agatha!” I try again.

Tears slip out the side of her closed eyes and something inside of me breaks. She cannot leave me, not when I’ve only just found her. I can never go back to the existence I had before. She cannot doom me like this!

“You do this to me on purpose, female!”

Leaving her body, I take the form of the monstrous winged creature of death. I don’t like this feeling, as if the flames of hellfires are burning me from the inside, cooking me alive. It also feels as if I’ve been torn in two, never to be put back again. Is this pain? Is this what makes the tortured souls of the underworld scream in agony? My fangs elongate and my gums bleed. I cry out into the night, roaring until the ground beasts howl in unison towards the light of the moon.

Slamming my head into the ground beside her, I grind my head down in frustration. I am a creature who only knows how to take life.

Suddenly, it hits me. Lifting my head, I scan her body from head to toe. Pushing my beak against her chest, I breathe her scent, trying to discern if my suspicions are true. I need to ward off the taint if this is what’s happening. For surely, all humans eventually fall to its call of death.

Turning into mist, I quickly move to her cabin and look at her tinctures. None of them are labeled. Licking every one of them, I finally reach the one I need and fly back towards her body.

Her skin is clammy and feels much cooler than a living one should. In desperation, my wings disintegrate into a murder of crows, shifting into clawed hands so that I can slather her with thieves’ oil.

But it does nothing. She doesn’t wake.

Roaring again, I dive into her mind and find myself in a dark tunnel. Her silhouette stands at the end, taunting me with an emotion I’m unfamiliar with. Morphing into a quadrupedal beast, I sprint towards her, but no matter how far I run, she remains at the same distance.

What is this madness?

My breathing stops when I see the Master appear before her. No! A fear I have never known settles itself inside like a sprite devouring me from within.

Snarling and clawing at the ground, I finally cover enough distance to howl in anguish when the end of the scythe glistens against the flames of hellfires.

“NO! Do not dare touch what is mine!”

The Master’s hood lifts, and my jaws open to destroy him when, all of a sudden, my non-existent heart cracks at the sound of her voice.

“Obsideo?”

I land before her, shielding her as I snarl at the Master in my form. I can feel my skin sizzle and my fur turn into spikes in anticipation of his retaliation. He doesn’t move. Not until I lunge at him with the threat of my jaws. His scythe comes down on my back, and I turn into mist, dislodging his weapon from my body.

His eyes flames with hellfires as he swings his blade again, right at my neck. Stretching it to dodge his blow, I yell again, “She is mine! She belongs to me!”

“What need do you have of one human, when there are thousands of souls that still need to be pulled into the underworld? Or have you forgotten your place, demon? These humans have dwindled down to almost nothingness. Desist with your wanderings and get back to work!”

My back spikes at his insinuation that Agatha is nothing but another human. I don’t understand this irrational fury, I feel but I feel it so strongly, my skin smokes in response.

The Master’s eyes flame higher, but he says nothing. He lacks emotion, only abiding by duty. He doesn’t understand that Agatha and I are one. He doesn’t understand the hunger I have for her to be by my side in her flesh.

Something touches my back and I flinch, dissipating into mist for a second. Turning, I see Agatha stare up at me with eyes full of wonder, no hint of fear.

My anger shifts from the master and goes towards her.

“Blasted hellfires. Do what you will, demon but do not forget your place! I’ll expect you to be back in the mountain to continue your duties once you handle…your mess. I have too much to do to waste my time on these trivial matters”

The air of destruction leaves the moment the Master disappears. I cannot take my eyes off Agatha who stands there, lost in the in-between of her mind and reality.

“Agatha. You dare try to take your life?” For it has to be the reason why she was so far away from me. The distance eats at my being like an infection—like the current one that taints her mortal plane.

She does the last thing I expect her to do—she jumps at me, and my body shifts just in time to catch her with all my limbs, refusing to let her fall. When she buries her face into the crook of my neck, I flash out of the realm and back into hers. We fall at a rapid speed as I sprout my raven wings and gently glide us down to the same open field by her home.

“Obsideo, don’t leave me. I can’t bear this life anymore. Not without you.”

My wings burst and disappear, my multiple limbs caging her against the ground. Licking her tears, I revel in the fact that she tastes like my Agatha again—acidic, with a touch of bitter flowers.

“You are one with me; you will not bear it alone. Not anymore.”

More tears sprout from her eyes as she searches my face with an emotion I don’t understand just yet.

“Wh-what if my darkness takes you, too?”

I lift my head and cackle at her question. It is no wonder the fates have bound her to me. She drives me mad with her chaotic mind and rationale.

Snuffling against her bosom, I breathe in her life essence—the heart that beats inside of her brings me a sense of relief I never thought I would look forward to.

“Agatha, the only thing you need to worry about is satisfying my hunger.”

Her eyes widen prettily, and I imagine what her babes would look like with demon inside of them. Spawns of my seed.

A new purpose grows within me. She’ll never be forgiven for stealing my old life and replacing it with this one. She’ll never be rid of me, and it’s time she understands it.

I lick her face, but she grips mine in her little claws and forces me into a kiss with the most passion I’ve ever received from her. Our breaths mingle as well as our life essence. My limbs claw at her coverings, while my lower half sprouts a phallus that hardens with excitement.

“Obsideo…”

My hands tear at her dress, pushing her legs apart. The sound of my name on her lips makes my phallus leak with need.

“Obsideo.”

My mind is in a haze of lust, I’m getting tangled with my own limbs, trying to touch every surface of her.

“Obsideo!”

“What?” Can she not see that I am busy?

Spikes protrude out of my back and shoulders in agitation. She grabs the closest ones and pulls me to her face with such force, I’m taken aback. How dare she be angry at me when she’s the one preventing me from filling her!

She snarls at my face and my nostrils flare with renewed hunger.

“If you ever do that to me again…if you ever leave me again, I will kill you.”

I cackle right before I spear her hot center with my phallus. Her body burns all around me, matching the way I feel inside. She cries out with a bite of pain mixed with pleasure and it drives me to pound inside of her, needing to fill her with everything I have, needing the friction to punish both of us for how far we let this go.

“Female, you can try to kill me, but I will always come back for you, even if it is to drag you to the darkest pits of hellfires.”

She wraps her arms around me and bites into my neck right before she sucks on skin, and my body quakes, falling on her. She laughs, and I’m startled. It’s a sound I’ve never heard from her before.

She takes that exact moment to turn us over and scratches at my chest while she rides me like a horse of the apocalypse. The tip of her dark hair tickles my chest, and it makes me glad her little claws are digging into me.

When she moans, her core spasms and tries to milk my phallus before it’s ready, making me snarl. She doesn’t stop as she takes control of our union and tightens her thighs together, torturing me.

Unable to take it anymore, all my limbs wrap around her like a cocoon, pulling her arms behind her, while my hips thrust and chase the sensation of explosion.

When she cries in pleasure, I’m reminded of her beauty in one of her nightmares where she eviscerated my entire being with that mouth. Groaning with pleasure at the memory, a shockwave races through my spine until I feel myself emptying inside of her. Some of my seed leaks out and squelches between us when I continue to use her body to selfishly pleasure me.

Letting her go, she falls on top of my being and my lower mouth licks her skin, savoring her taste—the taste of mine.

EPILOGUE

agatha

“What are you doing, female?”

“You’re going to have to stop calling me that when people are around.”

Obsideo flew us to another part of the world where the plague hasn’t ravaged the lands as badly as my previous home. I don’t know how he did it, but he found us another Apothecary.

The false memories he planted in my mind are now turning into real ones as we make a new life together, pretending to be a normal couple.

The door opens, bringing with it the smell of spring. “Oh, Agatha. Is your husband in? I’m in need of the good doctor’s services. My son is sick.”

Turning from the wall of bottles and tinctures, I smile at her while rubbing my swelling stomach.

“I can call for him. Please, wait a moment.”

Walking towards the back, Obsideo solidifies with black smoke, and finally, into his human doctor’s form. My eyes narrow when I look at him, and he smirks. He knows how much I dislike these falsities. I’m tired of the lies and tired of hiding, but in this world, we have no other choice.

“There is a woman out there asking for the good doctor to heal her son,” I flatly state, trying to keep my voice void of emotion.

He cackles, knowing exactly what I’m doing.

My face flushes as I turn away. He grabs my arm and pulls me into his chest for an embrace, nuzzling my neck. I let out a frustrated sigh that turns into resignation.

“There is no other female for me. One wretched human making me suffer is enough for eternity.”

I slap his chest in jest. “Oh, you brute!”

His face changes to his true one and licks my cheek. I blush harder, thinking of what that tongue did to me this morning. I love him in his demon form. His flesh suit, as he calls it, not so much.

His eyes blaze, reading my thoughts. He’s so rude with his eavesdropping.

His face changes back to a classically handsome gentleman as he straightens up and lets me go. “Let’s see what I can do for the lady. And fear not, female. You will be punished tonight for even allowing her to call on the doctor. Why did you not give her one of your tinctures?”

“Because she’s come in so often that I might accidentally kill her.”

Accidentally. I might kill her anyway if she comes in again asking for my beloved demon husband.

He barks out a laugh as he leaves me in the back, falsely greeting the woman in the front.

I squeeze my bosom, trying to calm my pebbled nipples, thinking of how I’m going to punish him for making me do this in the city—pretend to care and heal others. He’s cursed us to rarely have time to ourselves, and I’ve become ever so wanton since becoming with child.

Patting my hair down to calm any wayward strands, my mind settles in peace, knowing the only thing Doctor Obsideo is good at is eliciting enough nightmares to devour their souls and bring them to the underworld.

Read the Master’s story for FREE: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/sryehb1phb

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

If you get your kicks in a magical manner, order toys from websites like bad dragon, and prefer your monsters in your bed instead of under them, then Y. D. is your girl.

Writing everything from spicy dark fantasy to fluffier-than-a-cool-marshmallow romance, Y.D. La Mar has her fingers in all sorts of man-meat pie, and the sky is the limit. Somehow, this magical mistress manages to balance her spicy author life with her responsibilities as a mom, a wife, and a resident of Sin City—oh, irony, you've felled me.

When the world is full of black-and-white, Y.D. plays in the grey zones, spending her time creating new ways to shock and awe her editor, as well as her readers.

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