by Brenda Trim
“I can’t believe I ever thought you people were any better than the dregs of humanity. None of this is Jessie’s fault. It was your enemies who did this, yet not one of you is willing to fight for her life. Her condition is a forgone conclusion to you. Well, I refuse to believe there is no hope, and I will not allow anything to happen to her,” she declared, wishing she was standing on her own to make a better stance. It burned even further that in the state she was in, Cailyn wasn’t going to be able to stop anyone from harming Jessie.
Zander placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, puithar. No one is going to harm her, but I have to tell you that in all the decades of research, our scientists have no’ been able to find a way to deal with skirm venom, let alone reverse the effects of an archdemon bite,” Zander explained. The pity in his eyes told her that he believed Jessie would eventually need to be killed. Not going to happen.
“But we’ve never seen a female changed before either,” Jace added. “Perhaps the process is different with females. Look at her neck. The bite is tinged blue around the edges rather than black. Her blood is still red, and from the brief scan I did, her brainwaves are active and normal, if not enhanced. Now, I haven’t done a thorough exam, but every indication shows that she is not developing in the same pattern as a male skirm, at least not physically.” Jace had turned so he was facing Bhric and Jessie. Cailyn reached out and grabbed Jessie’s limp hand, hating the way her twitching was becoming more pronounced.
Jace shifted Cailyn gently and ran his hand down her arm. Cailyn shivered from the pain his movement caused her, as well as the intense arousal from his touch. Dazed, she watched as he opened Jessie’s mouth and examined her teeth. “Her incisors are loosened so I do believe she will grow fangs. The question is, what we will face when her transition is completed?”
Cailyn refused to believe Jessie was becoming a mindless demon minion. “It can’t be too late to reverse this. She’s not aware of your realm, or that supernaturals even exist. And now she’s going to have fangs? She’s going to have to drink blood for God’s sakes!” she said, her fear for Jessie sharp and pointed. Once again, Cailyn blamed herself for her friend’s condition. If she hadn’t asked Jessie to pick her up from the airport, her friend would be sleeping safe and sound in her bed. Right then, she hated herself for being so materialistic that she had refused to park her Mercedes at the airport. It all seemed so unimportant now.
“Jace is right, they havena turned a female before. I always assumed females died if they were envenomated. I understand your concern for your friend, Cailyn, but I canna allow her to be free in the house until we understand this more. It is my duty to see to Elsie’s and your protection, and I willna place either of you in unnecessary risk.”
Cailyn noted the way Jace stiffened at Zander’s words, and was curious as to why. She wondered if he too bristled at the King’s dominance. It took great effort for Cailyn to step back and consider the danger she was in. She had seen what the skirm were capable of, and didn’t want to place anyone else in that position. But what were they going to do?
As Cailyn contemplated how to protect Jessie, she watched as her friend’s skin suddenly smoothed, and any fat she had disappeared, replaced by muscle. She could become the threat they feared. Could Jessie rip out someone’s throat and suck the life from them? The Jessie Cailyn knew was too kind hearted and caring to become that being. But no one understood exactly what Jessie was becoming, they said so themselves. Jace had already seen differences in Jessie. That didn’t mean Cailyn was going to accept that she had to be eliminated, and she refused to stand idly by while Zander or Gerrick killed her. No, there had to be another way.
“We can contain her. What we need to be asking right now, is what Kadir gains from this. He canna be planning to use her to harm us directly. He has to know we wouldna allow her to roam freely in the compound, which means no opportunity to search for the amulet. He has upped the ante in his bid for the Triskele Amulet, and taken greater risks than any archdemon before him. I just doona see what he accomplishes with this. Perhaps he hopes to create dissention among us. Look at how we argue aboot it already. I willna allow this to cause a split between us. Now, more than ever, we need to stand together. The stakes are higher than they ever have been. ‘Tis clear he is still after my mate. Neither she, nor Cailyn, is to leave the compound without protection. Jace, send Jessie’s blood to the scientists for testing, and make sure it’s their highest priority. We must learn all we can, as fast as we can. Until then, she will be locked in the dungeon,” Zander ordered.
“Jessie is not a danger to be locked up and she is no one’s guinea pig. She is a twenty-eight year old accountant and she matters,” Cailyn protested. Jace grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his gaze, trapping her there for several seconds. Something flared between them, fanning the slow-burning fire in her abdomen, despite the excruciating pain in her body.
Finally, he broke the silence, making her realize the entire room had gone quiet. “Cailyn, we have to contain her. We need to study her in order to help her. She is changing, yes, but I can’t say with certainty what will happen next. I promise you that she will not be tortured or harmed with the testing,” Jace said to reassure her. Problem was, it did the exact opposite.
The hurt that welled up was potent. Given how protective he had been acting, and how close he was holding her, she thought he felt something for her. The moment he had taken her from Jax’s arms, electricity had sparked between them. His statement felt like a betrayal of all that. It was ridiculous to feel that way, especially, since it was impossible to forge such an expectation in a short time. Still, it was there. Cailyn needed to keep her head about her. Jessie and Elsie were everything to her, and she’d never forgive herself if anything happened to either of them.
*****
Shaking uncontrollably, Jace feared he would drop Cailyn if he didn’t calm down. He was drowning in the flood of his emotions. He was awed by her beauty, and at the same time, arousal ran a hot race through his body. Saliva pooled in his mouth, and his stomach churned. He silently cursed the revulsion his body had to any arousal. He wanted to beg the Goddess to give him one night where he didn’t get sick to his stomach and could indulge in a female. He should have known that after seven centuries of nausea, he wasn’t going to experience anything else.
Thankfully, he had lived with the sensation long enough that he functioned perfectly well. However, that didn’t stop the shame from running hot through his veins. He wished he were a normal male, rather than the ruined shell he had become.
He wanted more than anything to be able to lose himself in a female’s body. But not just any female. He wanted this one, more than he had ever wanted a female. Problem was, he’d never pursue Cailyn, because he refused to taint her. It could never go any further between them. No one needed to live with the hell that he dealt with night and day. Still, he was drawn to her like a moth to the flame, and he’d gladly burn to ash for one night with her.
He wanted those lush full lips pressed against his. Or better yet, wrapped around his aching cock. He could imagine her down on her knees, licking the fleshy head teasingly while she smiled up at him. And that fast, he was hard as steel in his pants, certain his zipper was going to break.
The fantasy playing out in his head brought his gaze down to her beautiful face. He breathed deeply of her spicy cinnamon scent. He knew his eyes had to be glowing, displaying his arousal more evidently than his erection. He was unable to look away, and watched her glare turn wary. She had no idea what his eyes were telling her, but she wasn’t frightened. He saw the curiosity and desire she tried to hide.
“Promise me that nothing will happen to her. Even if she becomes a mindless killing machine, no one hurts her. And you find a cure for what happened to her,” Cailyn demanded. He was awed by her strength and determination, and in that moment he would promise her anything.
“I will do everything in my power to help your
friend, but we need to contain her until we know more. I have worked closely with the scientists for centuries, but this is a first. We need time.”
“I, for one, promise that nothing will happen without your involvement, Cai,” Elsie vowed, grabbing Cailyn’s attention.
“A ghra, doona make promises you canna keep,” Zander chided.
“Oh, but I can keep this promise, I am your Queen, after all. And, you, my King, will make sure that happens,” Elsie told him sweetly. Jace watched the interaction and felt a tightening in his chest. He envied them their connection. He had never wanted someone to belong to him, but sometime in the past few months, he had begun to hope for more. From the moment he had met Cailyn he’d felt something more than an appreciation of a beautiful, intelligent female. He had to continue to remind himself that he’d never have a female of his own.
“Thank you, El. I feel better knowing that,” Cailyn whispered, her eyes drooping a bit. This entire night had to have taken its toll on her, and her body was still injured.
Without thinking, he leaned down and brushed his nose against Cailyn’s slightly pointed one. His gaze went straight to her mouth. She had a mole on the right side of her delectable mouth. A mouth he desperately wanted to taste. Her startled gasp stopped him before he acted on that particular desire and had his gaze searching her hazel depths. He suddenly realized that her eyes matched the serpent’s eyes on his staff. Once again, he wondered about this female that had been brought into his life.
The tension in the room reminded him that they weren’t alone. He ignored the concerned stares he felt burning into his back from Elsie and the others and shouldered the door open to what had now become Cailyn’s room. “Let’s get you healed and taken care of, shall we?” Jace asked as he tried to lay her on the bed. His arms refused to cooperate, pulling her closer to his chest.
With half the compound’s residents following him, now was not the time to give into desire. He forced his fingers to uncurl and laid her gently on the bed. She winced in pain and a light sheen of sweat coated her body. Her complexion had gone even paler, and he knew she was in tremendous pain, yet she didn’t make a sound. He admired her strength. Even the warriors bitched at him when he had to patch up their wounds. This tiny female continued to amaze him.
“I’m sorry. I will take the pain away and you’ll be as good as new,” he soothed, tucking her loose hair behind her ears, needing the contact. Touching her soft skin brought a sense of relief and calmed him, while at the same time it wound him tight with arousal. A dark, insidious need had taken root. For the first time in his life, he needed to taste a female, to explore her lush body, and get lost in her heated depths. It scared the hell out of him.
Jace hated how his hands shook nervously when he ran them down her arms, not ready to heal her and lose his excuse to touch her. He held her hands for several silent moments before he moved them to her broken leg. She was so soft and supple beneath his palms. It took great effort to shove his lust aside before calling upon his healing ability. Surprisingly, his power came readily to his fingers without much effort, despite the energy expenditure from the portal. He sent his magic into her body and his blood turned to ice when a blast suddenly knocked everyone in the room off their feet. He flew from her side and landed roughly against the wall.
“What the hell just happened?” Cailyn murmured as Jace scrambled to get back to her side.
“Nothing good. Remember those words the Fae was saying? It was a spell that I just activated,” Jace replied grimly as everyone else stood up, looking baffled.
“What kind of spell? Can you undo it?” Cailyn asked, lethargy clearly weighing her down.
“I have no idea. What I wouldn’t give to have the Mystik Grimoire appear right now,” Jace mused, but knew better. Dread settled in his gut at the thought of what could happen to Cailyn now.
CHAPTER THREE
Jace groaned out his discomfort, as the familiar slab bit into his back. He had nothing to cushion his body or protect him from the ice cold marble. He shivered from the cold and nausea. How long before she came to him this time? For that matter, how long had it been since she had left him? Time had come to mean nothing to him. He had no way to know how many days or months or years may have passed since his capture, never mind whether it was day or night, winter or summer.
“Goddess-damned-bitch,” he grated. Rusted metal cuffs surrounded his wrists and ankles, and were connected to chains that held him to the marble altar. He had prayed night and day to be free of his prison, but had given up hope of any rescue or escape.
Water dripped from the ceiling into a shallow hole in the ground. Goddess, he was so thirsty, would give anything for a drink. But that was part of her torture. Deny him everything, and offer food, water, or a shower for what she wanted. He refused to give her anything. Not that he was able to give her what she wanted anyways though. He didn’t have the book and didn’t know where it was.
He opened his eyes and gazed around at the rough stone walls. No windows, no pictures. Nothing but endless stone surrounded him. He could scarcely recall the color of the sky, or the smell of the outdoors. As his body shook, he tried to conjure a fire in his palm. Chanted the spell over and over, like he had thousands of times before, but nothing happened. The dampening collar around his neck made sure of that.
He tugged the chains again, wanting to rip them free and wrench off the collar, but he couldn’t manage to budge them one bit. She had rendered him weak as a human. Every rusted, moldy inch of his prison was mystically reinforced by one of her spells.
His body stiffened, and bile rose in his throat as sandalwood incense reached his nostrils. She was coming for him. His cock tried to crawl into his body to escape her clutches. If he could have, he would have chopped the damned thing off. Anger at his predicament rose, and he uselessly struggled once more.
He hated what she did to him, and his body hated it even more. He pushed aside his despair, hatred, and revulsion. Showing her any emotion only fueled her desires and made things worse. The door creaked as the heavy wood was pushed aside by one of her worshipers. He shut down in preparation for what came next.
She glided through the door in her emerald gown. With a wave of her hand and a word, she lit the torches that lined his cell. He could do without having to see her flawless features. Her mocha skin gleamed with health and radiance. She was truly beautiful, with her dark brown locks hanging straight to the middle of her back, but he had never seen anything more disgusting.
“Hello, sweet. Have a nice nap?” Lady Angelica whispered next to his ear. She ran her tongue along the shell of his ear as her fingernails scraped down his stomach, forcing him to inch away from her touch.
He glared defiantly into her black as night eyes, refusing to answer. The white pupil always unnerved him, forewarning of her evil nature.
“No? Well, you know how you can sleep in my bed with me.” She paused for an effect that was lost on him. Tell me where I can find the book.”
It was the same song and dance they had been doing for Goddess only knew how long. Again, he deployed his only weapons, his defiance and his glare. He relished his fantasy of cutting her into tiny pieces, hoping she saw how he felt.
“I hate hurting you, sweet. Tell me where the Mystik Grimoire is. We will rule together,” she murmured as she rubbed his arm. What a crock of shit, she loved hurting him. In fact, he was certain she climaxed as soon as she began torturing him.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t know where it is,” he uttered before he could stop himself. He had no idea where the book had disappeared to when his father was killed, and even if he did, he would never tell this wretch where it was.
His family had been charged with keeping and protecting the Mystik Grimoire for as long as the Tehrex Realm had existed. The book contained all spells of the sorcery, and the prophesies of the realm, as well as information on the spells of other creatures. It was magically connected to his family’s bloodline, but
the book decided who could access it, and when.
He wasn’t one of the ones who had access to it. He could not count how many times during his incarceration he had needed the book, but it had not answered his call. He was convinced he was cursed. That was the only explanation for why the book refused to help him. He wanted it more than she did, but not for the same reasons. There were spells contained within that he could use to break the enchantments on his bonds.
She slapped him across his face, leaving furrows from her fingernails. The blood dripped into his hair, sticking with the years of grime and dirt.
“Now look what you made me do. Cooperate and you can have a real meal this night. It will help you heal that gorgeous face.”
He spat in her face in response.
“You will regret that, slave,” she shrieked.
His regret was instantaneous, as the Gaelic words of her spell tumbled from her mouth, and bile turned in his throat. He heaved the moldy bread he had been fed the night before while he felt his shaft fill with blood and stiffen against his wishes. He prayed to the Goddess for an end to his torment.
“No, Angelica, don’t do this. I have no idea where the book is. It won’t respond to me. I swear,” he promised, hating how weak and helpless he was. He hated even more that he was pleading with a heartless bitch.
“Mmmm, that’s better,” she purred, fueled by the sound of his desperation and the sight of his growing erection. He clamped his lips shut, refusing to give her more.
He went stock-still as she ran her fingers over his testicles. Any movement and she would sink her claws into his flesh.
“Bring me the oil,” she ordered a servant.