by C. J. Pinard
That made her feel a little better, and she relaxed.
Shawna stood and reached for her hand. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up for supper.”
Mariselle groaned. “Yes, that won’t be an awkward meal at all.”
Shawna chuckled. “Aye, but you shall get through it.”
Mariselle purposely waited until she knew all four brothers would be seated and already eating before she came to supper. When she walked into the dining hall, they all stood and then waited until she was seated to sit back down.
“Good afternoon, Mariselle.” Griffin smiled at her.
“Hello, Griff.”
A servant spooned some soup into a bowl in front of her.
“Thank you.”
She nodded and walked off.
Mariselle looked around the table. “I’m not going to beat around the bush. I was completely out of line earlier, and I’m sorry.” She looked at each one in turn. “You boys did not deserve one little bit of that. I hope you can forgive me.” She looked down at the cloth napkin in her lap.
“Of course we do,” Alexander said. “We know you didn’t mean it.”
“No woman of mine is going to be working as a chambermaid by the way,” Zackary replied, smirking.
“And you are quite cute when you’re angry,” Mathias said, mischief dancing in his aqua gaze.
Griffin grabbed her hand. “We love you, Mariselle. After you left the solar, we spent the next hour trying to decide what we could do to make you happy. It’s all right if you cannot bear us children. That isn’t why we have you here anymore.” He glanced around at his brothers, then back to her. “Sure, at first, we sought to protect you because of what you could possibly possess—a fertile womb for royal heirs. But that did not last long. Your beauty, charm, and caring heart won us all over. You could have your womb removed and we would still never let you go. We don’t know how yet, but we’re going to try to find a way where we can all have you.”
Mariselle gasped. “What? How?”
Zackary took a sip of his wine and set the chalice down. “We aren’t sure, but we’re working on a way. We aren’t at liberty to discuss the semantics, but you’ll have to trust us. All right, love?”
“Really? You aren’t joking?” she asked, hopeful.
“Yes, really,” Alexander replied, amusement in his crystal-blue eyes and a smile on his normally serious face.
She got up from her seat, went around the table, and kissed each one on the cheek in turn before sitting back down. “I love you all so, so much.”
“We love you, too,” they said in unison.
Chapter 21
After briefing Angelique on what had gone on over the past ten years, she quickly showed her how to turn whole and then back to her spiritual form. Then they went over body possession. Angelique was a quick study, but she was still confused about the purgatorium slumber.
“You’ll remember it all once you get your wits about you. It doesn’t all return at once,” Hecate commented, tapping the side of her head.
“I see,” Angelique replied quietly. “So you drew me out of the slumber?”
Hecate lifted a shoulder. “I wasn’t sure if I could. You should have been awake by now. You died ten years ago.”
Angelique frowned. “Oh. Well, why did you summon me?”
She decided showing her instead of telling her would have a bigger impact. “Come on, there’s something you need to see.”
Angelique simply followed Hecate out the window and the two flew quickly to the West Haven castle. There, they entered through a window and floated into the dining room, unseen.
Angelique looked at the scene before her and her eyes went wide. She wandered over to Mariselle and levitated right in front of her face. “Is this her? The girl from the farm? The sheriff’s daughter?”
Hecate nodded. “Mariselle, yes that’s her.”
Angelique wandered around the table, and her eyes filled with ghostly tears. “Edward’s sons. Oh, look how handsome they are.”
“Yes, they are, aren’t they?” Hecate smiled.
Angelique named them one by one.
“You’re correct. They are fine and noble kings. Good, upstanding men.”
“Unlike their snake of a father.”
“Now, now. He was a good king, Angelique. He just did not treat you well. Gaylen got into his head. Honestly, it really was not his fault. Mostly.”
“And where is the slimy beast and his ghastly wife now?” Angelique asked.
“Dead from the plague nine years ago.”
Angelique grinned. “Good. I hope it was slow and painful.”
Hecate sighed.
Angelique stared at the kings eating and conversing around the table. “I’m glad they turned out well. They seem to be happy.”
“They are. But… don’t you think they deserve to bear children? To have heirs?”
The redhead turned around, a pained expression on her face. She simply nodded.
“You have to tell me how to fix this, Angelique. Your curse… it worked, all right. There has not been one child born in ten years. The people of Syracuse are distraught and beside themselves. They did not deserve to suffer for your wrath. And poor Mariselle here… having her monthly, but no baby.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I need you recall the curse, and then reverse… or retract it.”
Angelique furrowed her brow. “My thoughts are still hazy, goddess. I cannot recall exactly what I’d said.”
Hecate floated over to her and got within centimeters of her face. “I do. You said, and I quote: ‘From this day forward, no maiden will be fertile, or able to bear children for the royal Family Rothhaven. Their bloodline will die out and their reign will end.’ Then, you paused as if deep in thought. Continuing to say, ‘Except for Mariselle Langer. Just as she loves her kittens, she will one day be a mother, if she so desires, and after she turns eighteen. But… not to a Rothhaven.’ You again paused, then added, ‘Although it wouldn’t be entirely impossible. Mariselle can produce an heir for the Rothhavens, but… first she must have relations with each and every one of the brothers, after which the curse will ultimately end.’”
Angelique stared in horror at Hecate, then her face crumpled. She put her face in her ghostly hands and said, “I remember now. I remember it all. Queen Lizbeth… she… Mistress, I was so enraged. She’d tried to poison me, then mocked me. Was going to let that filthy guard have relations with me against my will. But it was wrong to punish the collective…. and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Apologies are about as useful as soap on a pig right now, Angelique. You have to fix this.”
She stared at her mentor. “Has she had relations with them all?”
“Yes. No pregnancies. Although we’re still waiting on the last one, but it’s not looking promising. Besides, if the hex had been broken, all the maidens in Syracuse would be fertile as of two days ago. Having menstrual pain, like what happened when the curse was placed.”
Angelique looked sheepish and apologetic as she stared at Hecate.
“What is it?”
Avoiding eye contact, she stared past Hecate. “I’m sorry, but she’s going to have to bed them all.”
Hecate raised an eyebrow. “Are you thick, Angelique? I just told you she has. I personally watched.”
“At the same time.”
The goddess’s eyes grew fat and round. “Are you mad? How on earth are we going to get that to happen?”
Chagrinned, Angelique shrugged. “Amorous spell?”
Hecate snapped, and pointed to the table, “How do you think I got her to sleep with all of them to begin with?”
“Let’s go back to the cottage and think of something,” Angelique suggested, now the wheels turning in her mind.
“No. This ends now.” She looked at the group and back to her. “We’re going to just tell them.”
“What, now? No, they’ll kill me when they see me!”
&nbs
p; Hecate rolled her eyes. “Did you miss the part of the story where I informed you that you were already dead, child? Now, let’s get this over with. I’m bloody exhausted.”
“Those roses are so pungent,” Mariselle commented, pointing at the centerpiece.
Both witches looked in her direction.
“I agree,” Mathias commented. “But I smell jasmine, too.”
“I thought I was imagining it,” Griffin said. “The last time I smelled jasmine and there were no flowers about, was when that ghost witch appeared.”
Suddenly on high alert, all four kings stopped eating and stiffened in their chairs.
“Do you see her anywhere?” Alexander asked, his eyes roving the room.
“It’s now or never, Angelique. You have to fix this. Please,” Hecate said, imploring the younger witch.
She looked at Hecate and nodded. “All right. But do we have to go whole? Can’t we stay in this form?”
“Yes, we can. Do as I do.” Hecate closed her eyes, and suddenly her ethereal form lit up the dining space.
Angelique instinctively knew what to do, and then she appeared.
Mariselle screamed at the top of her lungs. Quickly, Zackary grabbed her and pulled her away from the ghost witches.
“Do not be afraid. We come with a message,” Hecate said.
Griffin narrowed his eyes at them, then his gaze lingered on Angelique. Being that he had been seventeen when the hex had been placed, he remembered her very well. “You,” he pointed. “You are the one who cursed the whole of Syracuse!”
“Anne,” Mariselle breathed, her memory immediately going back to that night in the barn.
Angelique smiled sadly at Mariselle, then nodded at the eldest Rothhaven. “Yes, and I’m so very sorry for letting my anger rule over my logic, my king. But… there is a way to break the curse. A clause.”
“Tell us, witch. Tell us now,” Alexander snapped, narrowing his eyes. He also remembered her.
Angelique glanced at Hecate, who nodded, then looked back at the kings. “You must have relations with Mariselle. All of you.”
The room went dead silent.
It was Mariselle who spoke up and cleared her throat. “They have. It did not work!”
“All at once, my child. I’m sorry, but it’s the only way.”
A collective gasp echoed throughout the dining hall, and several castle staff and cooks were now gathered there.
Zackary was the only one grinning.
“I’m sorry, Mariselle. My clause was foolish, but it was meant to protect you. You were so kind to me that day in the forest. I thought I was doing you a favor. Now, I can see that I was wrong. But… for what it is worth, thank you.”
Mariselle narrowed her eyes at the ghost. “Why don’t you just reverse the bloody curse? Please, Angelique. I beg of you. I can bear this burden no more!”
“She cannot,” Hecate interjected. “She must not risk it. The easiest way to break it is to do as she says. One night, that is all it will take, child. Now please… all of you, make haste. Let Syracuse have peace, prosperity, and offspring once again.”
With another whispered apology from Angelique’s ghostly lips, both witches disappeared in a wisp of smoke.
“Well isn’t that great. The bloody burden, yet again, falls on me!” Mariselle cried.
Mathias went over and put his hands on her face. “All of us.”
“Well… guess we better get busy,” Zackary said, biting back a grin as he walked out of the dining room.
Griffin shook his head. “Why am I not surprised that you’re actually happy about this?”
Zackary chuckled.
Alexander and Mathias looked at each other with worrisome expressions.
Mariselle looked at the staff standing around with their mouths open. “What are you staring at? Go about your business!”
They quickly began clearing plates and cups as Mariselle stormed out of the dining room, furious, frightened, and most of all… a tiny bit excited.
They were, once again, in the solar room. They had excused the knights and just the five of them stood around the table.
“We have to risk it,” Griffin said.
“I’m going to have to agree,” Mariselle replied. “Mathias and I only had sex the one time, and it was only a day after my menses ended. I do not think there is a chance I am pregnant. Besides… It didn’t work with you other three.”
The brothers looked at each other.
“I still say we wait the two weeks, just to make sure,” Alexander said, always the level-headed one.
“I agree,” Mathias interjected. “It’s been ten years. What’s another two weeks going to matter?”
“No,” Zackary said. “We need to come up with a plan for this… encounter.”
Mariselle threw her hands up and rolled her eyes. “You speak of this as if it is another one of your meetings or charity balls. This is a very physically taxing thing I’m about to endure.”
“Don’t suppose I can convince you to leave the room?” Griffin said with a charming smile on his face.
She scowled at him. “Not a chance.”
“That’s what I thought,” he murmured. “Okay then, here’s the plan. To get straight to the point, nobody gets to, ah, spill seed inside her.”
They all nodded.
“I think that will work,” Zackary said. “Good thinking, big brother.”
Mariselle laughed, but there was no humor. “So, you are all just going to get into a queue like some assembly line, stick your things inside me until you get off, and then splatter my body, or the floor, with your sticky white messes? Disgusting.”
“What else do you suggest?” Griffin asked, biting back a smile.
She went over to the chair in front of the fireplace and slumped down into it. “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry it’s come to this,” Alexander said, moving around the table and coming to stand in front of her. He knelt down. “Please remember that we have all made love to you. Passionately. We all love you. This is just a means to an end. After it’s over… we can decide then what will happen.” She wasn’t looking at him. He touched her cheek and she lifted her face. “You, Mariselle. You can decide what happens after. Let’s just break the curse. It’s just one night. Mere hours.”
She sighed and got up. She headed toward the door, and before she left the solar, she turned around and said, “Can I at least have twenty-four hours?”
“Of course, love,” Zackary replied.
Chapter 22
The Rothhaven brothers looked at each other after Mariselle left the room.
“What now? Mathias asked.
“I feel it’s best to just get this over and done. Soon,” Griffin replied, raking his fingers over his beard.
Alexander paced the floor. “We told her we’d give her twenty-four hours.”
Zackary grinned and headed toward the door. “Let me handle this. Griffin, you wait five minutes, then come into her chambers.” He looked at Alexander. “You, wait another five minutes after that.” Then he pointed at Mathias. “And you, five minutes later. Then, this is what we’re going to do.” He rattled off a plan, and the rest reluctantly agreed.
“Mighty full of ourselves, aren’t we?” Griffin said, chuckling.
Zackary grinned and left the room. He sprinted down the stone steps and stopped when he got to Mariselle’s chambers. After a quick rap on the door, he opened it without waiting for permission. Mariselle gasped when she saw him standing there. She had just removed her dress and corset.
“Zack, what are you doing?”
“You,” he whispered, coming toward her.
Her eyes widened. “I thought we talked about this. I’m not due for my—”
“No more talking,” he replied, reaching up and touching her milky white breasts.
He placed his mouth over one pert, pink nipple, and she groaned in the back of her throat. “Zackary…”
“Shh,” he said, licking his way up t
o her neck, and peppering kisses up her jaw and then to her mouth. He slid her knickers down and she kicked out of them. He walked her to the bed and pressed her down on it. She looked up at him when he walked away, toward the window. He looked out, and drew the heavy drapery across the front of it. Then, he went to the other and did the same. With the only light coming from the candles, he went around the room and blew them all out, casting the room into pitch-blackness.
“What are you doing? I cannot see a thing!” she protested.
“It’s all right, sweet Mariselle,” Zackary whispered, making his way to the bed. He disrobed as best he could in the dark and left the clothes on the floor. Then, he climbed on top of her and began kissing her again. While his mouth explored hers, she ran her hands up his strong, muscular back and down to his backside.
Sitting up, he spread her legs wide open and positioned himself between them. “Ready for me?”
“This is so… so… bizarre, yet, titillating,” Mariselle whispered. “But maybe we should—”
Before she could get the words out, Zackary plunged inside her, and she gasped.
Zackary slowly began to stroke himself in and out, careful to rein in his control. “You’re so wet,” he murmured.
She squeezed her walls around his hard thickness. “Oh, you feel so good.”
With her arms wrapped around his back, she could feel her body tightening and her fingers digging into his back.
He tried to distract himself away from the task at hand. She felt so hot and tight he knew he would lose it any minute. He breathed a sigh of relief when she whimpered and bucked her hips under his as the orgasm hit her. As soon as she began to relax, he pulled out and flipped her over on top of him.
“Suck me,” he demanded.
He couldn’t see her face, but knew she couldn’t have been too unhappy at the request because she obeyed, sliding herself down his body and taking his wet, swollen cock into her mouth. He hissed when the tip hit the back of her throat. As her head bobbed up and down, the door to the room opened and they both stopped.