The Lily Harper 8 Book Boxed Set

by HP Mallory

  I wanted to hit him with the nearest heavy object my hand could grab. But I regained the face of Persephone as I noted aloud, “Donnchadh is much more violent than I ever imagined.”

  “Isn’t he wonderful?” Alaire asked, rising from his seat and putting the camera down. “He was such a beast in life, but he’s even more bloodthirsty now.”

  I rubbed my temples to counter the headache growing in my skull. I wanted to cry and scream for the poor dead girl beside me but I couldn’t. Instead, I had to pretend to be cold and uncaring. All the while, questions plagued my mind. Figuring Persephone would have had the same questions, I voiced one. “How could I manage to suppress him? By rights, is he not in control of my body at this very moment?”

  Alaire regarded me as a weary sigh passed his lips. “I was growing rather tired of him destroying this room and felt obliged to step in.”

  “Then you restored me to myself?”

  He stretched his fingers and blue light flashed across them. “Did you really think that I would embed an ancient warrior spirit inside you without an alternative contingency in the event you failed to control him?”

  “I never thought about the topic that much,” I said, breathing in deeply. “I merely assumed that my strength would prevail in all encounters.” Beneath the banter, I was still amazed by everything that just happened. Watching Tallis’s struggle with Donnchadh gave me an uncanny insight to him so I expected it would be horrible. But I had no idea how horrible it could be until now.

  Alaire looked around the room before his gaze settled on Jill. “I will have this mess cleaned up. In the meantime, I ask that you prepare yourself for dinner. We have a very interesting evening lying ahead of us.”

  Everything Alaire said gave me uneasy chills.

  I heard the distant sound of laughing, which I attributed to my new spirit in residence, Donnchadh.

  Remembering myself and the part I still had to play, I forced a smile back on my face. “Yes… a very interesting evening, indeed.”

  I would mourn the death of the Retriever later, when I was by myself.

  ***

  I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to find myself once again tied down to a bed. This time, however, it was Alaire’s. It wasn’t like he drugged me and I awoke to find myself like this either. He informed me over dinner of his intentions and any refusal from me was forbidden. Because I was still playing the part of Persephone, I acquiesced. Maybe the only silver lining was my lack of enthusiasm about it. I doubted very much if Persephone would have been too receptive about Alaire wanting me, Lily, for his personal sex toy. After all, that was her sole chosen role in their relationship.

  So here I was, all tied up and doing my best to come up with another plan for how the hell I could get myself out of this latest predicament. I kept drawing blanks but that didn’t stop me from plotting.

  I focused on the camera that still recorded my every move. This time, a tripod in the corner had what I could only presume was a perfect shot of the bed I was bound to. I swallowed hard at its unblinking eye.

  Where did Alaire’s fascination with filming come from?

  I had no clue and didn’t want to know. But the question still hung in the air, along with my fear.

  To make matters worse, I was naked again. Of course. It wouldn’t be a video shoot by Alaire unless I was, apparently.

  “Haven’t we been here before?” Alaire asked jokingly while reviewing his knots on my restraints. They were extra tight and the rope was taut, which only made his pleasant mood that much more unsettling.

  The urge to wrap one of those ropes tightly around Alaire’s neck was nearly all-consuming. I recognized it as the black rage of Donnchadh. He was still pretty pissed that he’d been crammed into my female body as opposed to, say, somebody like Tallis. Soon, I assured myself and him. That simple thought cooled his rage but only a little bit.

  Alaire approached the camera and pushed a button on it. The red light on the side came on as he adjusted a few controls. I assumed it was the zoom feature. Once accomplished, he practically shedded his clothes like a snake skin in his eagerness to remove them as quickly as possible. His member was firmly at full mast, making the anxiety growing inside me increase tenfold.

  It also made Donnchadh’s anger briefly spike. I could just imagine how Donnchadh felt about a man inside of me/ us. Maybe if I’d been in another state of mind, I might have found that thought funny.

  The black rage died away, replaced by a sheer queasiness. Maybe it was Donnchadh’s nausea or my own. Probably both… I doubted he was looking forward to this anymore than I was.

  “My queen, would you kindly look at my face for just a moment?” Alaire said with a smile when he noticed my attention was fastened on his member. That was mostly because of my horror and shock. I couldn’t look away.

  Once my eyes were where he wanted them, Alaire continued, “Now, I’m going to guide you deep into your own psyche. I plan to assist you in drawing upon Donnchadh’s strength lest you lose yourself to Lily when you summon her forth.”

  No! No, you idiot! Persephone howled from deep inside my mind, surprising me. I hadn’t heard from her since Donnchadh’s infiltration into my body so I naturally deduced that he was in and she was out. Apparently, I was wrong...

  This is what she wanted the whole time! she continued to rant.

  I began smiling despite the dire situation. It was just too perfect. The time had finally come to rid me of my most annoying and uninvited passenger.

  Alaire, HEAR ME!!! My mouth dropped open on its own, guided by the strength of Persephone’s will. But I clamped it shut again and held it firm. Persephone’s ghost fingers clawed at my brain in her vain attempt to neutralize my resistance. Beads of sweat broke out across my forehead from our inner struggle.

  “Are you feeling well, my dear?” Alaire asked. There was genuine concern in his question.

  “A-A-Alaire, I…” I struggled to keep the words she wanted to say from coming out. I finally stammered, “I feel Donnchadh!” The air in my lungs rushed out as Persephone finally surrendered to me, at least temporarily. I guessed Donnchadh was already weakening her resistance.

  “I would venture to say he is rather eager as well.” Alaire pounced on top of me and pressed his face on mine. “Do not fret, my love. You may spread your legs soon enough.”

  I felt my stomach turning at the thought of how many times I already had done just that, thanks to Persephone.

  Alaire placed his palm on my slick forehead. I could feel his penis pressing against my belly. His eyes began to light up with an unnaturally greenish hue. Before I knew it, I was gone.

  For a brief moment, I was in absolute darkness before I found myself standing on grass. A light breeze tickled my skin. I wheeled around, trying to recognize exactly where I was.

  Castle Fergus towered behind me, looking impenetrable and strong as ever. It reminded me of Tallis and I smiled. Sunlight glittered on the surface of the still lake. But there was something different too, something that was off. The view was lovely but lonely.

  This place just isn’t the same without Tallis, I thought glumly.

  As if on cue, Tallis instantly appeared before me. He looked even bigger and broader in the shoulders. I stared at his shoulders because his back was toward me as he gazed across the water, seemingly lost in his thoughts. I ran over to him but slowed to a more hesitant walk the closer I came.

  Again, something felt wrong about him… something was off.

  The more I studied the man I saw before me, the more I realized he wasn’t Tallis at all. As I watched him, strands of blond hair began cascading down the imposter’s back, clashing against his bronzed skin. He held his hands in front of him, grasping something I couldn’t see.

  “Who are you?” I asked, confused at why this man would appear in a vision I only shared with Tallis.

  The stranger said nothing as he turned to face me. I took in his strong features and the scars that lined his face. His eye
s were deep blue and narrow with anger. In fact, his entire body seemed to thrum with rage. I could see it as much on his face as on his fisted hands. Large veins bulged from his neck and his forearms.

  He didn’t need to answer my question because I knew who exactly he was.

  “Donnchadh,” I whispered.

  I balled my own hands into fists and struck a ready pose. I couldn’t be too careful about what was surely going to happen. Maybe Donnchadh would attack me?

  Then I felt something, a nearly imperceptible sensation of lightness that started in the pit of my stomach. It felt like butterflies fluttering inside a glass jar. The discomfort continued to grow, overtaking my core and spreading into my appendages.

  I began taking in deep breaths as the feeling persisted, growing ever stronger. Moments later, I felt it pulling forward, toward the front of my body. I watched the ghostly outline of a woman step out from inside me. The tingling feeling left with her departure.

  As I watched the ethereal outline, it began to take a more concrete shape, forming into an image of Persephone, in what I assumed must have been her true form. At least, it wasn’t mine. She turned around and gasped as she finished separating from me. But as soon as she got her breath back, Donnchadh was on her.

  Persephone swung at him, but the ancient warrior was too quick. He gripped her wrist and threw her to the ground, pinning her arm behind her back. She cried out like a whipped dog, vainly struggling to break free. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy seeing her get taken down a few pegs, after what she’d done to me. But those feelings of triumph fled as soon as I considered the danger imposed by Donnchadh. Clearly, he was far more powerful than Persephone. What did that mean for me? Would I be next in line?

  “What are you doing to her?” I protested, the fear pulsing through my voice.

  “Banishing her!” answered a ferocious growl.

  Tallis and I weren’t strong enough to do it ourselves, but I had a feeling Donnchadh could finally put an end to this meddlesome spirit. Donnchadh pushed her head into the mud, face first. Then he stood on her, placing a foot at the back of her neck to ensure she couldn’t move.

  Donnchadh was going to be an uglier problem altogether. And one that intimidated me far more than Persephone ever could. With that thought, a tidal wave of memories washed over me. I recalled seeing Tallis’s black eyes when we trained for the first time. And the night in the tavern when Donnchadh took control of a drunken Tallis and he tried to force himself on me. And the frightening confrontation in Tallis’s cabin, where Donnchadh nearly finished what he started at the tavern. And Jill, that poor girl. I looked down at my hands and was not surprised to find her blood still on them.

  From her downward dog position on the ground, Persephone managed to raise her face and she started laughing. I didn’t like anything about that laughter. It sounded heavy and breathless, the kind of guffaw that only left me with more anxiety.

  “I should have known,” Persephone called out between her peals of laughter. “All my plans, all my designs, all my machinations… all of them pointless, every single one. A complete waste of my time.”

  I approached her, my eyes darting between her sprawled-out form and the monstrous Donnchadh now standing over her. His chest heaved with barely suppressed fury. Again, the old memories sent a chilling tingle down my back but he made no move against me. I finally found myself standing over Persephone.

  “You have no one to blame here but yourself,” I said, going onto a knee. “I buried you once before but I guess that wasn’t enough.” I looked up at Donnchadh, his eyes glowing with unbridled rage. I wasn’t sure why I trusted him not to attack me but I did. At least for now. His goal here was clear and it wore the name Persephone. “Still, I think this time, it might actually work.”

  She screamed at me before the foot on her neck smashed her face back into the ground. “You know,” I added as I got onto my feet, “I could say a long soliloquy about how time eventually runs out, even for immortals like you. But really, at this point, what does it matter? You’re done.”

  I locked eyes with Donnchadh. We nodded at each other and I turned around. I don’t know what Donnchadh did to Persephone’s essence—and like Alaire’s recording, I didn’t want to know. A bloodcurdling scream was followed by a blinding light that flared around me. And then there was only silence once again.

  Turning around, I found Donnchadh standing alone. His face was filled with primal fury. He began to walk toward me. The smirk I didn’t realize I had changed into a deep, but very concerned frown.

  He’s coming right toward me.

  For the first and hopefully last time in my new life, I wished for Alaire’s help.

  He’s coming for me now.

  Donnchadh broke into a run, his feet tearing up the grass as he charged me with his arms stretched out wide. Just as the spirit warrior was prepared to wrap those massive arms around me, I saw a dazzling blue light and then… nothing.

  “And if my fate so early had not chanc’d…”

  - Dante’s Inferno

  FIFTEEN

  Lily

  “Lily?”

  A voice called my name in the dark before I saw a light. It began as a tiny spark that grew in size, eventually outlining the interior of my, or rather Persephone’s, bedroom.

  I blinked a few times, trying to recall how I could have gotten back here. Where was Donnchadh? Was Persephone gone from my body for good? I looked at my left and was immediately greeted by Alaire’s smiling, smug, and very punchable face.

  “Lily, is that you?” he asked, studying me like a specimen under a microscope.

  I could finally drop the Persephone act. Now was definitely the time. It was more than a huge relief to do that at last.

  “Y-ye-yes,” I said in a shaky voice as I glanced around the room again, playing up my shock, though not too much. But as far as Alaire knew, this was the first time I’d been restored to myself in a very long time. “Where am I?” I asked, making my eyes suddenly appearing more frantic. “How did I get here?”

  “Shhhh,” Alaire hissed, putting a finger to my mouth, “All you need to know right now is that I’m here with you, in what is technically your bed. And you are safe.”

  Safe? I nearly choked on my own acidic laughter over that thought. But I responded meekly by gulping down the bitterness that began climbing up my throat. Like it or not, I was still playing a part. But this role required different responses from me. “How did I get here?” I asked, keeping my voice soft and feminine.

  “All in good time, my dear, all in good time,” Alaire answered with his secretive smile. “However, I must admit that it pleases me greatly to see you back in control of your own body.”

  I glared at him. “You were the reason I wasn’t in control of my body during this entire time,” I said, my words seething with genuine outrage. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten who put Persephone inside me in the first place!”

  I figured now was a good a time for this conversation to happen. Alaire must have been expecting it and I’d kept it bottled up inside me for far too long.

  “Yes, and now I fully realize the extent of my mistake.”

  “Your mistake?” I asked, legitimately surprised. “I imagined the Master of the Underground City could never admit wrongdoing.”

  “Lily, Lily,” he chided me as he ran one index finger down the side of my face. “One does not rise to my position by turning a blind eye to one’s missteps. I am fully willing to accept the blame for my gambit with the crown. I admit it was a major misstep.” His finger glided its way to my lips, then to my neck, and finally to my chest where he traced one of my nipples. I glanced down and felt myself blushing. In the rush of the moment, I forgot I was naked.

  “Why am I naked?” I demanded as I tugged against the bonds that fastened me to the bed. “And restrained?”

  “Because I willed it that way,” Alaire answered, dropping his finger. “And as I am the King of my castle, my will is everyone’s command.”<
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  I decided to ignore his self-impressed flattery for the time being and focused instead on his mysterious change of heart. “I don’t understand. After all the effort it required to implant Persephone inside me, why banish her again?”

  “Persephone…” he started with a deep sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. “I am certain you have heard the old adage ‘be careful what you wish for because you just might get it’?”

  “Of course I have heard it…”

  His smiling face became a frown. “Let us return to the matter at hand, because this instance is a perfect example of that idiom and how it works in actual practice. I once believed myself to be, for lack of a better word, in love with Persephone. Alas, once she entered your delectable body, I found myself growing increasingly bored with her. Frustrated, even, to the point of severe aggravation.”

  He looked down at me again and inhaled deeply. His eyes appeared more sincere than I’d ever seen them before. “Furthermore, I also found myself grieving over the loss of your charming company. Yes, she was inside your body and I certainly enjoyed all the pleasures that body could give to me. But sadly, she lacked your temperament and vivacious personality.”

  “Well, we are two different people,” I mentioned, pointing out the obvious with an arched eyebrow.

  “Yes, yes, and quite different!” he answered with another little laugh. “How it pained me to realize I was no longer content with Persephone, to the point of it feeling quite the opposite. I suppose it is true that time changes everyone, even immortals such as myself. I always dreamt of the day when I could be reunited with my queen and yet when that day actually arrived, it was much less thrilling than I hoped or expected it would be.”