Breaking His Spell

by Foster Bridget Cassidy

  “I thought he loved me, but he died cursing me.”

  Yarling looked startled. “What happened?”

  I shook my head, dispelling the image of Vulten’s aged face, staring up at me with so much hatred, from my mind. “I can’t talk about it.”

  “I understand. Klint, you can go home now. I know I won’t have Antonio, so there’s no reason for you to stay.” With a hopeful tone lacing his words he added, “If you don’t want to.”

  “I….” Did I explain? Would revealing my past help him understand, give him a glimpse into why I couldn’t love him the way he deserved? I’d told my friends about what happened with Vulten—though I never went into the sordid details—but this felt different. Confessing to Yarling frightened me. “I’ve developed feelings for you, Yarling. But I can’t give you want any more than Antonio could.”

  “That’s not a proper answer, Klint. You’ve got a right to keep your past to yourself, I don’t care if you ever tell me about it. If you decide to go home, I’ll accept your decision. I just don’t want you to leave without giving whatever is growing between us a try.”

  “I’m not sure—”

  He silenced me with a finger on my lips. My eyes shut. I surrendered.

  Yarling kissed me, slow and deep. It made those earlier at the feast seem pale in comparison. Here were the prince’s true feelings. I tasted the love he had along with the lingering wine.

  Even with my doubts, I had a hard time suppressing the desire coursing through me from his lips on mine. If I didn’t stop him now, I wouldn’t be able to later.

  Did I really want to?

  “Klint,” he said against my mouth. “Don’t think right now. Release your thoughts and focus on the feeling.”

  I directed my thoughts on the prince’s skin, his soft hair, his warm lips. How easy it would be to lose myself.

  Then do it. Let go.

  I grabbed Yarling’s silk shirt to drag him closer. Our lips never broke contact. I lay down on the bed, then pulled the prince so he climbed atop me, straddling my hips. My hands moved to his back, feeling the muscles and ridges even through his shirt.

  He moaned my name. It rang in my ears, the most beautiful sound.

  “Yarling,” I answered.

  The prince’s weight pressed down on me. My fingers dug into his shirt. I wanted to touch him everywhere, to have him touch all of me.

  His lips left mine and attacked my neck, sending kisses to the sensitive skin. I tilted my head, and he slipped my earlobe into his mouth. I shivered, remembering how I’d done the same to him this morning. It had been our undoing, it seemed.

  My fingers delved into his hair, gripping the roots so I could move his mouth back to mine. We kissed again, harder.

  Without speaking, we each began to disrobe. He pulled off his shirt, then returned to my lips. I sat up and pulled off my tunic, breaking the kiss for a heartbeat. We painstakingly removed each article and tossed them aside.

  When we settled, completely naked, he sat on top of me. His muscular legs sat to either side of my hips, his erect cock resting next to mine. He hesitated.

  “What would feel good?” the prince asked. “I’ll do anything you’d like, Klint.”

  I had an inkling the prince needed instruction. Perhaps he wasn’t experienced in this way. Considering he’d harbored feelings for Antonio since he was very young, the assumption seemed likely. The stray thought led to a surge of insecurity. I had to make sure he knew it was me he made love with.

  “Move forward,” I said. “Bring yourself to my mouth.”

  He bit his lip, making his features appear so innocent. My heart melted all over again.

  “Come on,” I said, giving him a tap along his backside.

  He crawled up my chest, and positioned his knees under my arms, dividing his weight to either side. It put his erection within reach of my hands, and I wasted no time in grabbing it. The hair at the base was the same auburn as his roots, his natural color. The skin was dark, with a hint of flushness.

  Yarling gripped the headboard, his eyes staring down at me.

  I led the tip to my mouth. My tongue traced the edge, tasting the salty moisture that rested there.

  The prince shivered.

  I stroked the length of him while my lips followed where my tongue had been, running smoothly across his soft flesh.

  “Keep your eyes on me,” I said, then took all of him in my mouth. I coated his cock with my saliva, allowing my lips to glide easily up and down. The angle was awkward but that didn’t dampen my enthusiasm.

  Yarling shifted his hips and I grabbed onto his ass, which pushed him forward. He sank deeper into my mouth. I held him still for a moment, my tongue caressing him, tasting him.

  “Klint,” he said with a shaky breath.

  I released my hold and he retreated a little. My fingers returned to his shaft and I began to pump him slowly, all the while working the tip with my lips and tongue. The smell of him filled my nose. The thick, spicy scent of him mingled with the salt and musk and sweat. I breathed deeply, eager for a taste of what was promised.

  Above me, the prince still gazed down, eyes intent. The desire in his irises was almost palpable, and his pupils dilated larger and larger. His body language, as well, let me know he grew close. His hips bucked, bringing him closer to my hungry mouth.

  “Klint,” he repeated. “May I….” He swallowed.

  “Do you want to come in my mouth, Your Highness?” I asked, my breath stirring the damp flesh of his cock. I smiled up at him.

  He nodded. “Yes. Yes, I want that.”

  “Then come for me, Yarling. I want to taste you completely.”

  Yarling grew even stiffer in my hand. I led him back to my mouth and attacked furiously. No more playing, no more soft, smooth motions. I devoured him, sliding up and down as fast as I could manage. His hardness in my mouth stirred my own desire. It felt intoxicating to me, to see his eyes begin to glaze and feel his body begin to shake.

  Then, he cried out and his semen shot into my mouth. I kept pumping, kept applying pressure with my lips. There was a hint of sweetness to him, and I swallowed everything he gave me.

  His body slumped, so I released him. He moved lower on my stomach, so he could meet my lips. We kissed and my body stiffened further at the way he slipped his tongue into my mouth.

  “Klint,” he whispered and inched away from me. His eyes sparkled and the lust in them dampened, but did not diminish.

  “Yes, my dear?”

  “Tell me what I can do for you.”

  I smiled. “What else would you be interested in?”

  “Anything. I’ll do anything you want of me.”

  “I want to come inside you.”

  The glimmer in Yarling’s eyes grew brighter. “Yes.”

  “Lay on your back,” I commanded.

  The prince rolled over, and I followed. I settled between his legs, taking my time as I kissed his lips and ran my hands up and down his thighs. After a few moments, Yarling’s cock grew harder again from my attention.

  With him ready, I led myself to his hole, resting my sensitive flesh near the heat source. I reached out with my magic and stroked him on his opening. The prince’s body spasmed and he gasped. He appeared even more beautiful with his eyes glazed and his lips slightly parted. With magic to aid me, I was able to loosen him up. My cock sank in without any pain or oil for stretching. Still, I stayed at his entrance, getting him used to the sensation.

  “Is this okay?” I asked him. For me, the sensation nearly overwhelmed, constricting and warm. But if the prince wasn’t enjoying it….

  “Yes,” he choked out. His chest rose and fell at an alarming rate, and his cheeks were as red as the setting sun. He had his eyes tightly shut and his face lolling to the side.

  “I’ll stop if you—”

  “No!” he cut in. He met my eyes. His irises burned brighter than I’d ever seen before. “Keep going, Klint.”

  I nodded. I shifted my position
and sank in farther, then moved my body to rest gently atop his. I wanted to feel him, to let the heat of his skin meld into me. To kiss his lips. To run my fingers through his hair. To feel every inch of him I could.

  Yarling’s mouth met mine as I descended on him. I moved my hips at a slow pace, the welcoming tightness of him, almost too much for me to bear. Each time I slid inside, Yarling gasped into the kiss, encouraging me with soft noises. His own cock pressed between us, and the length hardened with each thrust I made.

  “Klint,” he said, panting for air. “Can I come again?”

  I laughed at the absurdity of the question. First, he was the prince, in charge of almost everything that happened in the nation. Second, it was so naive and trusting to ask permission for such an intimate act.

  “Of course, my dear. I’ll make you come all night long if you desire.”

  He groaned and his fingers gripped tightly onto my shoulders. “I like how that sounds.”

  I chuckled again. “Shall I touch you?”

  He nodded.

  I shifted, getting to my knees. The change in angle altered the pressure on my cock, which wasn’t a bad thing. My fingers gripped Yarling’s erection, and I began to pump in time to my hip’s movements. Below me, Yarling’s whole body tensed. His fingers held the sheets, his thighs gripped my hips, his eyes shut, and his jaw clenched.

  Myl, if I don’t finish soon, he’ll break something.

  “Relax,” I told him soothingly. “Just let it come.”

  His reactions encouraged me. I liked to see him completely vulnerable, so free and open. He wore masks for many people, but for me he was naked.

  That thought made me speed up, adding a desire to claim him as my own.

  “Yes!” he cried out suddenly, and his cock pulsated in my grip. I felt the ring of his opening constrict against me.

  I leaned forward and kissed him, trapping my hand and his cock between us. I rammed my hips forward, furiously pounding into his flesh. Yarling grunted over and over, but my mouth caught most of his sounds.

  And then, my eyes flashed with a bright light, and I closed my eyes to keep from being blinded. Pleasure shot through me as I climaxed, my semen filling Yarling.

  The prince’s hands cupped my face as he rained kisses on my cheeks, my chin, my eyelids. He still made soft gasps each time my cock twitched inside him.

  I collapsed, pulling my hand free from the space between us. I gently removed myself from inside him. Then, we turned to face each other, and our lips met solemnly. I felt sated and happy and so peaceful.

  “Klint,” the prince said softly. “I love you.”

  I sighed and buried my face into Yarling’s neck. “I love you too, Your Highness.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  AS THE AFTERGLOW of pleasure wore off, my anxiety returned. Yarling had fallen asleep in the bed beside me, but my mind worked furiously.

  I’d said those words, and I’d meant them, in my own way. But that didn’t mean a relationship with him would work any better than it had with Vulten. I doomed myself to repeat past mistakes. My heart wouldn’t be able to handle being broken a second time. It was amazing I’d even recovered from the first.

  “What should I do?” I asked aloud.

  In response, Yarling let out a tiny snore.

  I chuckled, turning to look at my prince through the dark room.

  I couldn’t leave him; I was in too deeply.

  “How did this happen?” I brushed a stray strand of hair off his forehead.

  “Klint,” he muttered drowsily.

  I smiled, then leaned over and gently kissed his temple. Even if terror filled me, I still had to appreciate this man.

  A soft knock sounded on the door. I only heard the noise because the force tapped against my barrier. The only one who would interrupt this late at night would be Carishina.

  I got out of the bed and threw on my pajamas. Carishina wouldn’t be put out if I answered in the nude, but I didn’t want to deal with her questions if I did.

  When I opened the door, it wasn’t Carishina who stood there, but Antonio. My mouth dropped down and I stared at him stupidly.

  “Alma,” he finally said once the silence had gone on too long. “I’m afraid I need to request your help.”

  I hurried into the hallway, closing the door behind me. I didn’t want Antonio to peer in and see Yarling, and I also didn’t want Yarling to wake and see Antonio.

  “W-what is it?” I got out. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s Alma Carishina,” he said, gesturing with his head toward the stairs. “She had too much to drink and is passed out upstairs.”

  I needed no more explanation. I nodded and the guardsman set off to the left. “Thank you for fetching me. I don’t doubt Alma Carishina will be thankful too.” The silly child. Didn’t she realize she was still an Alma, and she had proper decorum to follow? My cheeks burned a bit, realizing I had been slightly intoxicated our first night here too.

  “It’s not a problem, Alma Klint. She and Lord Desian decided to attempt a potion or something in the prince’s room. I think the spell may have caused her to be a little looser with her indulgences.”

  I rubbed at my eyes with my palms. By his tone, I expected to see Carishina hanging from the chandelier once we got up there. If the Alsa Alma found out about this, I’d be the one punished.

  We got to the prince’s chambers and Antonio pushed the door in for me, bowing as I entered. I raised my eyes to the ceiling, looking for a drunk and unconscious Carishina.

  Instead, hands grabbed me from behind. I shouted in surprise, but it turned into a groan as a fist collided with my gut. It was so unexpected, I didn’t even reach for my magic. I doubled over, holding my stomach as a loud umph escaped my lips. And when I did remember my magic, it was too late.

  “Alma Klint,” said a voice I didn’t recognize.

  I looked to the side and a woman appraised me with cold eyes, a ball of frozenfire sitting in her upturned palm. She looked familiar, as if I’d seen her in passing, but being in the palace gave me chance encounters with hundreds of people and nobles. I couldn’t place her.

  Beside me, two men grabbed my arms, and held me up. Antonio stood in front the closed door, his spear held at the ready.

  “It’s time you’ve made yourself useful,” the woman continued. “I never believed you’d actually be able to change Yarling’s mind about the guardsman. You’ve surprised me. But your actions also make it your duty now to assist me in his place.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  The woman approached me. She had plain, dull hair, arranged atop her head in intricate patterns. Her severe face had the hint of beauty, but narrowed eyes and thin lips ruined the effects at the moment. Her dress was of satin, indigo and cream, with lace along the cuffs and neckline. A lady, then. Possibly a member of the royal court.

  “I’m fishing for a prince, but I need someone to serve as bait.”

  “No,” I replied immediately.

  One of the lady’s goons punched me again. I would have fallen to my knees had they not held me up.

  “He won’t come for me,” I explained through gritted teeth. “He doesn’t love me.”

  “Lying to protect him? That’s so unlike you. My dear Antonio has already filled me in on all the antics you’ve been up to. I know the prince’s true feelings.”

  I peered over my shoulder at Antonio, ready to curse him with all the breath in my lungs. But then I noticed his eyes remained open, frozen without blinking. A spell. She’d used him.

  She sneered as she came another step closer. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can do as you’re told, or I will bind your magic.”

  Suiting her words, her free hand began to raise up, and I felt the familiar tremble within me. She moved her fingers higher and my body vibrated.

  Fear shot through me. To have one’s magic bound was the closest an Alma could come to death. It basically turned us mortal, allowing us to age
like normal, be killed like normal. For an immortal creature, the concept was the most frightening thing I could imagine.

  And yet, I would not do as they said. I would not give in and let them hurt Yarling, no matter what they did to me.

  “No,” I repeated, though my voice quivered. And after I uttered the single word, I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep my teeth from chattering.

  The woman laughed softly. “Oh, I see. So, the Alma really has fallen in love. How sweet. Then you leave me no choice.”

  She raised her hand higher and with each inch it rose, my body shook harder and harder. I struggled to keep breathing, to keep conscious. The pain seared through me, inflaming my muscles, my flesh, my organs, every ounce of my being. I felt ripped apart at the joints as the woman drained my magical aura out of every part of my body.

  The two holding me let go at some point, because I collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. I wanted to scream, but even using my vocal cords was beyond me.

  Eventually, the pain receded. Still, the aftermath left my body weak and trembling. I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t move.

  “You’re surprisingly powerful,” the woman said. Her voice reached my ears sounding muffled, as if through water. Strange to think this was how a normal person heard. “More powerful than Franik.”

  Despite my own fear and pain, I felt a stab of panic for Franik. She’d taken his power too, but what else? Was he still alive? He came here at my behest; I was to blame for his fate.

  “When you first arrived,” the woman continued, “I had high hopes for you. Letting the prince succumb to his own foolish plan had been the best way to summon an Alma here. Imagine my shock when I actually saw you, Klint. I realized you were a meek, little puppy, who took Yarling as your master. I knew there was no way you’d listen to anything I had to say.

  “Next, I thought to approach that child you brought with you. Of course, she was too stupid to realize what I asked of her. She politely rejected me, thinking I only wanted to sleep with her.” The woman laughed. “I’m so thankful you had to summon Franik. He was incredibly easy to control, once I had him in my bed. And now, his power courses through me. As does yours. With the two additional sets of magic, I can do anything.”