by Tiya Rayne
“How is your accommodations? I know you do not want to be here, but I hope you are at least comfortable.”
After swallowing my second bite of pizza I reply. “This castle is gorgeous, Nevy. Was it always like this or did you decorate it yourself?”
Nevy smiles proudly as he finally takes a slice of the pizza and drops it on his plate.
“Actually, when I got the castle it was done in mostly white marble and gold. It was horrible. Everything was torn down and rebuilt by me. I even added a few extra rooms.”
I can tell from the look on his face he is actually very proud of the work he has done here. I wasn’t lying about the castle being gorgeous. It is a bit dark in taste with its charcoal colored heavy furniture and the gargoyles that seems to hide in every corner. But the craftsmanship into the wood carvings and the intricate murals that paint along the walls and valences are absolutely breathtaking.
I pull my hair from my left shoulder and push it to my right. I place my elbow on the table and prop my chin on my hand as I lean closer to him.
“Your eyes light up when you talk about your home.”
Nevy’s eyes stare at the gap my positon leaves in my dress. My breasts are nearly sitting out on the table. I chew the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
Finally realizing that he’s been staring and haven’t responded to my statement, Nevy looks away and pulls at the collar of his coat. He then takes a sip of his drink and clears his throat.
“I…..uh. I guess I take pride because it is the nicest place I’ve ever lived. You should have seen some of the dumps I’ve stayed in.” He chuckles uncomfortably.
I laugh like he’s just said the funniest thing. I reach out and touch his hand as I laugh. Nevy’s eyes go from stunned, to desire, to narrow in suspicion.
I pull back and let my laughter die down. I take another sip of drink then lick my lips slowly.
“You can do this Lilly, stay focused.” I tell myself.
I have a plan and I am determined to see it through. Yes, this plan could be considered one Uncle Buddy would call cockamamie. But if it worked, it will be one of my best ones.
I turn my attention back to Nevy and smile before looking down shyly.
“You look really nice in your black suit.” I look towards the fireplace. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.” I shake my head as if I’m scolding myself for saying that out loud.
“Thank You.” His words come out so heavy it makes me turn to look at him.
That look is back in his eyes. It’s so hot and wicked that I actually do have to turn from him this time.
When I gave Medina the brief rundown of my plan, she told me it was stupid and that I was playing with fire. Looking into those one silver and one blue eyes, I can almost see the fire that she speaks of.
Medina gave me a quick crash course in flirting, although her little tricks are working, I needed to turn this up a notch. Even though Medina seemed to know her stuff, I had a much better teacher. A teacher that could run circles around any man. Cousin Lizzie. I spent enough time around my cousin to catch her in the act more than enough times.
My eyes scan the table and stop at something. It takes me back to a memory of Lizzie and I sitting at the Burger Palace my Junior year of high school.
I was sitting at the table near the rear alone while Lizzie sat with her friends. She didn’t like for me to sit with her in public if her friends were around. She had been crushing on one of the other girl’s boyfriend for a while. I watched my cousin steal her friend’s boyfriend right there before the girl’s eyes, and the girl had no idea.
With that memory in my mind, I pick up the cinnamon stick. They are bread sticks shaped like straws that are hollow in the middle and taste like French toast. They come with their own dipping sauce and you get them with any order you pick up from Burger Palace—a well-known burger joint from back home. Good thing Nevy went to my home town to get food for this meal. I dip the end of the stick in the vanilla cake frosting it came with. I turn to Nevy, he’s taking a sip of wine. I wrap my lips around the entire stick making it disappear in my mouth, and then I moan for good measure. Nevy chokes on his wine and starts to cough. Damn, this worked exactly the same way it did for Cousin Lizzie. I toss the stick down and jump to my feet to help Nevy.
“Are you alright?” I ask patting his back.
He’s still coughing as I start to rub his shoulders. He finally gains control and stops coughing.
“My apologies, it went deep throat…. I mean I swallowed… FUCK, I’m alright.”
I continue to massage his shoulders.
“Maybe your coat is too tight, would you like me to help you take it off.”
I can feel the moment my words register to Nevy. His entire body goes absolutely rigid underneath my hands. I would smile at how easy this is, if I wasn’t trying to remain in character.
I skim my hands over Nevy’s broad chest, down his exquisite abs to the last button of his coat. I almost lose my nerve when my hands bump his prominent erection. Nevy hisses when I make contact with his member. I pop the bottom button of his jacket and whisper in his ear.
“Isn’t this what you want?”
Nevy jumps up from the table so fast I stumble back almost falling on my bottom, but he catches me by the shoulder, slamming my back on top of the table.
“Stop this!” He yells.
“What?” I fire back. “Isn’t this why you brought me here?”
Nevy backs away from me, running his hand over his short cut. “I do not want this…..This is not you.”
“You took me from my children and the man that I love. Then you force me to come have dinner with you. Now you tell me that you don’t want me to pretend. What did you think would happen, Nevy?” I yell as I lean up from the table.
“The real me hates you and would have never came down those stairs to have dinner with you. The real me wouldn’t dare be stuck inside a depressing ass castle for over two weeks. The real Lilly needs sunshine and communication, both things you have deprived me of. So clearly you don’t want the real me. You want this.” I point to the overly sexual dress. “You want me to fall all over you and spread my legs so I can just pop out babies for you.”
“I WANT YOU!” He snarls and points in my direction.
“THEN EARN ME!”
The room goes completely silent. I didn’t have any intentions of truly allowing Nevy to have me, so why would I say that to him? Why would I give him any indication that he has a chance to be with me? Maybe my subconscious just knew the right thing to say to make him pause. I really hope that is why.
I sigh and my shoulders slump. “I can’t stay locked in this castle like a prisoner. I will go crazy.”
“The moment I let you out, you will run back to him.”
I think about that for a moment. Assassin said that he would always come for me. He said that no matter how long it took he would come. I know that they need time to gather their army in order to fight Nevy. I vowed that when I left the glass castle with the evil elf that night that I would do all I could to give them the time they needed.
“I give you my word. I’ve seen enough lying and double crossing in this world to know that a man’s word means nothing here. But where I am from, it means everything. So I’m making this promise to you, Nevy, that I will not try to run as long as you allow me to be myself. I need to be outside. I need to talk to people. You have to respect my feelings, if I say no to something it means no. No more demands.”
Nevy collapses down in the chair before me.
“If I do this, you will give me the opportunity to win your heart.”
“No,” I reply quickly. “But I will give you the opportunity to show me the real you. Not who you want me to see, like in those dreams, but the real Nevy. Then maybe we could be friends.”
He stares back at me and I know that his mind is going a million miles per second. He seems to settle on some type of realization as he nods and sighs.
“A
lright, I will give you some freedom. I’ll also tell the staff to stop ignoring you.”
I’m so happy I almost want to do a little dance. My plan worked.
“However,” Nevy goes on to say. “You have to put a true effort into getting to know me. That means dinner with me every night and that is nonnegotiable.” He cuts off my rebuttal. “Anything else I ask you are free to turn down, but not dinner with me.”
That seems simple enough. We are making progress.
“You have a deal.” I extend my hand out to Nevy to shake, but before he grabs it I pull back. “One last thing, no more allowing your men to hurt Medina. She’s a bitch and she abused me, but no woman should be raped.”
He nods his head in agreement. “Ok, deal.”
I hold out my hand and we shake. I really hope I haven’t just made a deal with the devil.
Chapter Five
“Relax, Bilal!” I say, as he continues to watch everyone we pass with nervous suspicion.
I don’t blame him for his trepidation. My search for the one that could help me took longer than planned. We are in the forbidden lands. Some of the worse the Locke had to offer have escaped or been banished to this dump. The Forbidden lands are surrounded by swamps on all sides that are filled with bog-beast—large reptile like creatures with eight spider like legs and long snouts packed with sharp teeth. Bog-beast are nasty creatures that crave human flesh. Only fools and drunkards would ever come here willingly. Tonight, I guess we are fools.
As Bilal and I maneuver the curvy narrow dirt streets of the Forbidden Lands we are met with curious and hostile eyes. As the Assassin and guard to the elven queen, I am the cause for many of these people being banished to the Forbidden Lands. Bilal, who at one point was a high guard to the Southern Kingdom, is also responsible for many of the haggard and malnourished faces that stare back at us with disgust.
We finally arrive at the place I am looking for. Bilal grabs my arm before I enter the tavern door.
“Are you sure about this?” He questions my decision for the fourth time today.
I do not take offense to his inquiry. I have thought of every angle I could. There is no way we could sneak anyone into the Northern Territory to keep an eye out on Lilly. And I couldn’t buy any loyalty from those already there—I’ve tired. I needed someone inside that castle that could watch out for Lilly. It kills me to know that for two days she has starved herself, and that she feels so alone. We needed more time to prepare our troops to fight this battle with the Dark King. I know we do, despite my constant argument with Avalia about storming the Northern Castle immediately. If I am going to take the time to properly train fighters and come up with a plan that won’t get us all killed, or worse, then I need to make sure that Lilly is being taken care of.
“Trust me, Bilal, he is our best hope.”
“I’ve heard rumors about their kind. Savages that care for nothing and no one but themselves. There is a reason why the Goddess daughter killed them off.”
Again, all of that is a valid point, but I had a trump card to play. One that no one would be expecting.
With a grasp to his forearm I tell Bilal, “Trust me, I would never take such a risk with Lilly’s life if I was not sure of the outcome.”
And that is the gods honest truth. I have studied, reviewed and thought of every possible outcome of my actions. I would never take such a risk if I were not sure. Not with her.
Bilal must finally trust me, because he removes his hand from my arm and nods towards the entrance of the bar behind me.
I turn and enter the rundown establishment. The smell of piss, vomit, blood, and dirty pussy attacks my nose nearly searing off the nose hairs. How anyone can stay in here longer than a second is a mystery. The moment I enter all eyes turn to me. The commotion in the room stops immediately. Dark wood that’s been smoothed and worn from years of abuse surround me. Wall sconces surround the room emitting low light. Shadows run the perimeter of the room keeping faces and activities hidden. Narrow stairs lead up to the brothel. Scantily clad women lean over the railing from the upstairs luring men to their beds for a few coins and quick sex. There is a table in the middle of the room set up for shakes, a popular card game in the Locke where money is put up for bets. To my right, two women in different stages of undress dance on top of a small stage surrounded by drunken men tossing coins at their feet. At the opposite wall of the door is a large bar with wooden stools. On the last stool, cast in shadows, is the man I came to see. His wolf hound is at his feet fast asleep. With his back facing me I walk over to him. All eyes remain on me as I walk further into the room, no one has yet to make a sound. I almost forget about the large black wolf hound, but it quickly makes its presence known as it lets out a low warning growl. Wolf hounds are highly intelligent animals with powerful magic. No one really knows just what all magic they have. It is said that if you ever learn to tame one, you will have a loyal friend for life. Not many people have ever survived the taming process.
The moment I approach his back, the man I came to see speaks.
“The great Assassin has come down from his pearly throne to visit with the mongrels and the rejects of the world.” He takes a sip of the dark amber liquid in his small tumbler.
“Hello again, Drago.”
He takes another sip of the dark liquid nearly finishing the cup. He has yet to turn to look at me. “Did ye’ really bring a guard to come see me?”
I didn’t have to guess how he knew this. His kind had a sense of smell like none other.
I cast a glance over to Bilal. I have to give him credit, if you didn’t know him you would not be able to tell that he was scared shitless.
I lean my hip on the side of the bar resting my elbow on the smooth wood.
I chuckle at his words. “The last time we crossed paths you swore you’d kill me if you ever saw me again.”
This time Drago turns to me, his startling red eyes connect to mine. The sides of his eyes crinkle with mirth before his mouth ever turns up into a smile. “Yet ye’only brought one guard.”
I wave off his comment. “Thought I might need help to dispose of your body. Your lack of exercise and excessive drinking has made you fat.”
We stare at each other for a long moment. The tension in the room thick as everyone seems to hold their breaths. Drago’s laughter comes out slowly before it erupts into a booming laugh. Some of the tension in the room loosens. I’ll admit, some of the tension in my shoulders loosen. Even the massive wolf hound seems to think the situation is ok, it lowers its head back to the bar floor.
Drago and I have a dysfunctional relationship. Technically, he could be considered my oldest friend, if we weren’t always trying to kill each other. We both had a mutual respect for the other which is the only thing that keeps us from actually ending the others life. In the past when we crossed paths we didn’t know if it would end in celebration or a fight.
“There has been so much talk of yer’ change, it is good to know that at least ye’ still have that over exaggerated ego”
I chuckle lightly at his quip. “So there has been talk?”
I try to segue into why I am here.
Drago finishes off the liquid in his cup and immediately the barkeep pours more of the brown liquid into his empty cup. Finally the sound in the bar slowly starts to come back to life as if someone is slowly turning up the volume in the room.
“Word is, ye’ are going up against the bastard king.”
“Tis true.”
Drago’s eyes meet mine as he entwines his fingers together on top of the bar in front of him.
“Let me guess, ye’ have come all this way to ask me to join the fight?”
“Will you?” I ask lifting a brow at him.
“Fuck no!Ye’ know how I feel about this world. I don’t give a shit if it crashes and burns.”
“I see you are still hiding your head in the sand, afraid to take up a cause.”
“I have no dog in this fight, Assassin. If that is why ye�
� have come, ye’ might as well go back to yer’ gilded throne.” He picks up his drink and takes a long sip before placing it back down on the bar. “Leave me to my drink and thoughts.”
“Thoughts?” I question. “Do you mean whores?”
“Is that not what I said?”
“No it isn’t.”
“Fine, leave me to my drink and whores.”
I shrug my shoulders and push away from the bar. “Alright, Drago. I just thought maybe you would be interested in what I had to offer.”
I slowly walk over to Bilal, giving Drago time to think over my words. Drago is smart, he knows that I would never come to him and ask him to join our fight unless I had something really good as a bargaining chip.
It takes him longer than I thought it would, but he finally stops me.
“I’m listening.” His voice calls out to my back.
I turn back to him, making my way to a quiet table at the back of the bar. It is cast in shadows and backed into a wall from all sides except one. As soon as I sit, I watch Drago stand from the bar. His massive seven foot frame stretching taller than everyone else in the room. Drago is built like a fucking wall. His shoulders and chest are as wide as he is tall. His long curly brown hair falls half way in his face covering up one eye before he rakes his fingers through it pushing it back on his head. He collapses in the chair across from me and the wood cries out from his heavy weight. His trusted wolf hound takes up the spot right at his feet once again.
“Ye’ have five minutes.” He says folding his arms across his wide chest.
“I need someone to infiltrate the Northern Kingdom and be my spy.”
Drago doubles over in laugher. He smacks the table with his heavy fist causing the table to shake and eyes to wonder over into our corner.
“I’d heard ye’ had gotten soft in yer’ old age, not insane. Why the fuck would I want to go into the Northern Kingdom?”
“There is a girl there,” Before I could finish my sentence Drago is already shaking his head.