King Romero chuckles, his deep voice deceptively calm. I can’t deny that his voice carries a certain allure. My half-succubus side responds to his honeyed tones. “What’s wrong, feathers? Find you’ve lost your power?”
I freeze, wondering how he knows about Keegan’s fire. As if the Incubus King was listening to my thoughts, he says, “You must be asking yourself how I know of such things. Allow me to educate you in the many things you don’t know.” He steps closer, only ten feet away before he pauses. Keegan pushes me further behind him. Lach comes up behind me with his daggers ready in his hands.
Romero’s black eyes narrow into cutting slits, and a sneer pulls back his lips from his pointed teeth. “I saw you that day, at the Auction, pretending to be an Eagle.” He points at Keegan. “I watched you all night, feathers. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of her, could you? Not that I blame you, of course. She did look rather stunning strung up on stage in that little silver ensemble. She made my cock so fucking hard. Was your little cock hard, too, that night, hmm?”
Keegan growls and moves to advance on him. I grab him by the shoulder. “Stay with me, please?” I beg him. “He’s already taken Ri from me. I can’t lose you too.”
Keegan looks down at me for a brief moment and nods his head before Romero picks up again.
“I was outside of Exotique when you left the next day. I saw your fire shoot out from your fingers, engulfing that Eagle in flames. I saw you when you celebrated your new gift. In fact, you almost caught me when I stepped on a twig. But I was quicker than you and hid behind a tree. You were a half of a second too late to see me.”
Keegan stills beside me. All the color drains from his face. I can feel his horror through our bond at his carelessness.
“That’s when I knew something was very special about Slave Eight. So I met with her in her cell. Didn’t she tell you?” My whole body turns numb as Romero takes another step towards us. The Incubi close in around us, Ri’s body no longer visible as they corrall us in the center of the clearing. “Do you remember, poppet, how good I made you feel? How hard your nipples got under my touch? How dripping wet your cunt was when I showered you with a tiny taste of my pleasure? Because I do.” He takes a deep breath and lets out an elongated exhale. “Your pussy smells so fucking sweet, and it tastes even sweeter.”
“You motherfucker!” Keegan roars and charges at Romero with a raised dagger. He’s quickly halted by a blast of black energy.
“No!” I scream when the blast hits Keegan, and he collapses on the ground, groaning in pain. My eyes blur with tears as I sink to my knees beside him feeling completely helpless. Lach stands beside me, shaking in anger, his eyes darting around us as he looks for an escape. Through our bond I can sense how powerless he feels.
Romero tuts and waves a finger at us as Keegan moans on the ground beside me. “You’re not the only one to gain something from my special little slave. After I tasted the exquisite juices that poured out of her cunt for me, I left and went back to my castle, assuming that was the key to unlocking my powers, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Sure, I was horny as fuck and had my way with a few of my slaves, but I remained… unchanged. So you know what I did? I called in a favor to Boris and asked him to perform a blood draw on her for me.”
He laughs, the sound vibrates my chest where I kneel on the grass. Keegan struggles to his knees while Romero continues. “A blood draw! Isn’t it a genius idea? Now I possess a stockpile of the rare and wonderful gift our little lavender girl provides.”
A sob escapes my lips. He’s the one who ordered the blood draw. Anger storms within me, fueling my resolve, my beast closer to the surface than ever before.
“You’re going to fucking die, Romero!” Lachlan shouts, spit flying from his lips.
“No, you silly fool! It’s you who will die! You and all your feathered friends unless she,” he points to me, “comes with me!” He crooks his finger at me. “Now, come to your master or your friends... die.”
I turn around and gaze upon my phoenix warriors. I’m unwilling to lose a single one of them, they mean too much to me. I have to give myself to Romero before he attacks my guys with a spell from which they can’t recover. Through our bond, I pour out my fierce need to protect them. Lachs eyes drip in sadness, shining with unshed tears. “Trinity, you can’t do this.”
Keegan’s eyes plead with me to stay while he groans through clenched teeth as another wave of pain jolts him. I offer them a soft smile. “It’s okay,” I whisper, my eyes wet with tears. “Let me go to him.”
“Like fuck I will,” Lach growls, his eyes consumed by rage.
I seize his shoulders, giving them a firm shake. “You must! I have to do this! Don’t you see that? It’s the only way.”
“I can’t... I can’t lose you, Princess,” Keegan manages to say, a solitary tear dripping down his cheek.
“You will never lose me,” I tell him, and I lay my hand above his pounding heart. “I’ll always be right here. There’s nowhere he can take me that you can’t find me. Use our link. Trust yourself. Trust in us.”
He grips my hand and closes his eyes as more tears leak down his face. “Trinity,” he whispers. My chest squeezes at the sound of my name, a desperate plea on his lips. “I will come for you. I will rip this world apart to find you.” He opens his eyes, and they connect with mine.
Unable to speak around the lump in the back of my throat, I simply nod at him, and taking one final glance at my men, I step towards Romero.
“Noooo!” Lachlan shouts from behind me. He pushes past me when a sizzling ball of black smoke hurls towards him.
Fuck that! No one hurts what’s mine!
Making a split second decision, I jump in front of Lach as my animal bursts to the surface, ready to fight to protect what’s hers, and not a moment too soon. Romero’s blast of power sinks into my chest just as I finish my shift, and it launches me across the open field, stealing the air from my lungs.
I crash onto the ground, my wings smashing into the earth. My vision blurs, and my body seizes up in wave after wave of excruciating agony. My hearing becomes muffled, my breathing labored, and I can’t even think. The only thing that exists in this moment is pain.
Two sets of eyes appear above me, the palest of blue and a swirling gold. I try to smile at them through the waves of pain. Warm blood trickles from my ears and my nose. I reach for my chest and feel my decimated skin from where the curse struck me. My singed tank top, drenched in blood, sticks to my hand.
“Trinity!” Keegan grips my face. “You did it! She came!” The ground shakes from the hooves of the advancing Incubi. “Trinity, I lo-”
His words cut off when the army of Incubi close in and tear them away from me.
“N…no!” My whispered scream is lost amongst the erupting chaos.
The grunts and groans of my guys fill my ears. Wet noises of stab wounds, the clang of metal against metal, the distinct battle cries of both of my phoenix warriors ring out around me. My vision starts to blacken. My consciousness wanes, and I fight to stay awake.
I move to sit up but instantly fall back down, my mangled body unable to support me. The waves of pain are unrelenting. A powerful tremor jerks my body, and my teeth pierce my tongue. My mouth fills with blood, and I cough, trying to expel it from my throat.
Tendrils of fear grip me as the connections to Keegan and Lachlan dim, becoming barely recognizable and leaving me feeling empty inside, shattered and broken.
When my vision darkens further, I think I’ve lost the fight to stay awake. That’s when I realize it’s Romero’s dark figure that clouds my vision. “That curse was not meant for you, poppet. But, it would have killed your white bird had you not sacrificed yourself. The pain you’re in must be… excruciating.” The insufferable agony becomes too intense to scream out, too severe to fight back. I can only lie there, quaking in tremors of agony as he kneels down beside me, smirking. I inwardly cry when I feel the all too familiar squeeze of a collar as its
secured around my neck.
Locked. Restrained. Taken.
No!
I have no tears left to cry as he grips my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. The terrifying onyx orbs shoot tendrils of fear through my body, and they wrap around my insides, suffocating my senses.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Romero tuts at me. “This is no way to greet your master, poppet. There are rules you must obey. Niceties to observe. Come now. Let’s get you home. A promise is a promise after all. But I am a merciful master. So, before we leave, would you like to say goodbye to your… friends?”
I scream out when Romero rips my clothes from my body, baring me to his army of Incubi. A strong pair of hands wrench my arms behind me and force shackles on my wrists. They flip me around like a ragdoll until I’m on my knees, my torso held up only by the leash attached to my collar.
Romero yanks on the leash, forcing me upright. The quick movement causes my vision to black out for a moment, and I flutter my wings to regain balance. When my eyes come back into focus, I’m met with a sight that rips at my heart, tears through my soul.
Lach, Ri, and Keegan all lay in a puddle of dark liquid. It takes me a moment to realize it’s a crimson pool of their own blood. A strangled cry escapes my lips when I see their mangled bodies, a grotesque painting of blue and purple bruising. There are feathers everywhere. Ri’s eye is swollen shut, and his lips are bleeding. I can barely see his chest rising. Lach is on his stomach, his white hair now brown in a disgusting mix of blood and dirt. One of his wings dangles at an odd angle off his back. And Keegan’s poor face is so swollen that I wouldn’t be able to recognize him if not for his blue wings. All three of them are covered in gashes that violently drip blood and patches of feathers are missing from their wings.
I must… I must help them. There’s got to be something I can do.
Trying to channel my beast, I move to stand in a desperate attempt to reach them, but a wave of pain takes me down, silencing my cries and darkening my vision once more. The collar around my neck chokes me, and I gasp for air.
“Say goodbye, poppet. Say goodbye to your pathetic so-called warriors.” He chuckles to himself and yanks the leash up higher, restricting my airway even further. I gasp and choke, struggling to take a breath. “I promised I would come for you. I vowed to make you my Queen.”
The darkness overtakes me, and I slip out of consciousness. The last sight I see, before I fall into the black abyss, is Romero’s sneering face. His dark eyes, like a starless night, slice into my soul. His black tongue darts out of his mouth, and he licks the blood from my face. My body, no longer able to sustain itself from the lack of air, fully gives way to the inevitable darkness.
Just before it swallows me whole, Romero’s voice echoes through my mind. “I keep my promises, poppet.”
THE END
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book! I worked so hard on my debut novel. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. If you enjoyed my story please consider leaving a review! I look forward to reading them very much.
I’ve included the first chapter or Saphyre: Enslaved by the Kings book 1 for your enjoyment. This is a Dark PNR RH Romance that I co-wrote with the amazing Scarlett Snow. It has all the trigger warnings Bound for Blood does, and maybe even a few more. (wink). Saphyre releases March 21, 2019.
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Loxley
Enslaved By The Kings Book 1
Please enjoy this free preview of my upcoming dark reverse harem novel which has been collaborated with my dark and sexy co-author, Scarlett Snow.
Chapter One
Saphyre
Averting my sapphire eyes from those around me, I stare intently into my martini glass. I use a finger to draw in the condensation and then adjust the lace straps of my stolen ruby dress. My skin itches under the silky material, although I can’t really complain. I did steal the thing after all. The drunk Emperian didn’t know what hit her when I ran off with the piece of used fabric. Honestly, it serves her right for visiting the slums after dusk.
Prissy fucking nobles.
Squirming in my seat, I adjust my low-cut dress to make my cleavage pop. I take a sip of my drink, trying not to wince at the foul taste, and rotate the ring on my left index finger. The stolen dress isn’t the only pilfered noble ware in my possession. A severed finger is tucked inside my little clutch bag. An odd thing to carry, sure, but I took the finger as a souvenir from the noble’s boyfriend. He’d tried to stop me from robbing them, grabbing my wrist with his soft noble hands. As if that would ever work. I cut his finger off before he could even register what was happening.
They just don’t understand.
People like me have no other way to survive. It’s either rob or be robbed in these cities. What truly pisses me the fuck off is the pretentious aristocrats visiting from Emperia, admiring our squalor as if digging through a thrift store. We’re starving down here, exposed to their toxic fumes and waste with barely anything to our names, and they come down to the surface like they’re on some kind of vacation? Losing a finger is the least of their worries. Trust me.
To think I used to want to escape this hell and live in one of their fancy floating cities. Not anymore. Now, I want to burn them all to the ground, and believe me when I say that one day I will.
At any rate, I needed the noble’s fingerprint to get inside this stupid club. Glancing at the decor, it’s hard to believe I’m deep underground, but the owners were clever in their design. Of course they were. They didn’t want their wealthy customers to spend Emperian money in a complete hovel. They wanted the club to be tasteful but also still possess a strong flavor of the Tenebris cities, which is why the interior is made of solid red brick. The vast majority of Tenebris consists of red bricked buildings all squished together under a cloud of pollution.
I haven't been down in one of the nobles’ venues in quite some time, but tonight, I had to out of necessity. My sisters and I need money to buy weapons for the resistance. If we want to ensure the success of our next attack against Emperia, we need all the supplies we can get our hands on. I’ve always been the self-sufficient type, willing to steal and trade my way through life, and sell anything I could... except for my body.
Living this sort of lifestyle isn’t ideal, but it is necessary for our survival. The women in my family bear the misfortune of the Golden Curse—a star-like birthmark that adorns the crown of our skulls. This affliction causes a prominent gold streak to grow throughout our rainbow-colored hair. My sisters and I each have one. You could say this makes us unlucky considering our birthmark identifies us as worthy breeders to the upper class. So, to avoid a life of slavery, we grew up in hiding. When my mother was alive, and the leader of my fellow rebels, she would smother our golden streaks in dirt to keep us safe from the snatchers. Living a life constantly hiding in fear did something to me. It fueled my hatred for the Emperians who dare think themselves better than me—than any of us. As a child, I vowed to one day get revenge on those who seek to hurt me and my sisters. They took our parents from us. I would take away their entire world.
Once my oldest sister, Zarra, came of age, she became the leader of the rebellion. Nyxie and I soon joined her, eager to spill Emperian blood and reclaim our rights as human beings.
It boils my blood to even be sitting here right now, surrounded by those who would use us for their personal benefit if they knew what we truly were. The only thing preventing that from happening now is the blond, shoulder-length wig I’m wearing, just like the ones my sisters wear when they venture out of our den. We must conceal our identities in order to avoid capture. The world’s a fucking cruel place to live.
Taking a sip from my martini, I muster my resolve and make sure my face doesn’t betray my hatred. I nee
d to find a target first, which, really, shouldn’t be too difficult. Emperians walk around our city like fucking peacocks. They wear the insignia of a crown around their necks as a means of rank identification. If I can snatch even a bronze one off a single noble, I could feed the rest of the rebels for the next month and still have points for weapons. If all goes well and I get an insignia, I’ll visit Jacob on market day and ask him to smelt the metal for me. That should be enough points to get by for a while without having to skimp and scrape.
My mother and father looked after us as best as they could. They hid, clothed, and fed us until they drew their last breaths. We never expected a fire to consume our homes that day, or the rebel base. My parents were two of the many who perished in the Great Inferno.
Anger and resentment coil inside me. Even if I have to rob every noble in this building, I’ll never let them take my sisters from me. Thieving is the only way I know how to survive. Besides, these fuckers around me are too busy drinking or going down on each other to care about my kind. I switched off my conscience when it comes to them a long ago. I had to. Otherwise, I’d be dead by now.
Glancing up from my drink, I suck on a salty olive and take in the various scenes around me. The center of the bar houses a hot, sunken pool, and the softness from the mounted lighting casts an ethereal glow around the room. Nobles from various ranks line the sides of the pool while scantily clad, lower-class waitresses service them in more ways than I care to witness.
The sconces adorning the granite walls are lit with scented candles, which reflect off the cool liquid inside the pool, causing shadows to dance around the room. Inhaling the sweet smell emanating from the melted wax is like an aphrodisiac. It’s no wonder more fucking than drinking goes on in here. It's practically an orgy.
My stomach rumbles as I chew on another olive. I don’t have enough points on my stolen eCard to buy any food. Not that I plan on staying long. I’m here for one purpose only: to steal a noble’s insignia.
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