For every question concerning the evil he had done to the people of Morlien Hall, the blubbering Borland named the demon as the culprit behind the deed. Every act of torture done—was the demon’s demand, every death, or molestation of a being done—the demon commanded it.
“He tells me to do these things, or he will take my soul, I have no choice. Now he has murdered the last friend I had left in the world to satisfy his appetite for innocent souls. Flitch had gone missing, and my only suspect is the demon before us.”
Koler wanted to take the creature to the pit of fire and toast his carcass while it still breathed. He was not concerned with the accusations being made against him, Lord Tremble knew where he had been for the past two months, and it was not here at Morlien Hall. Leroi looked nothing like him. In fact Leroi had sent word to the giant leader of Tremble, concerning the actions of this tyrant. Nothing would please Koler more than to see his friend walk into the Hall right now, but he feared that Leroi was lost to him, along with the female he claimed as his mate, Wensel. Having Borland to toy with would be entertaining for a short time, but nothing would keep the loss of his future happiness from haunting him for long.
He left the Hall to check on things in the caves that were known as Demons End. From the way he felt at this moment, it was a fitting description of his existence. His life was not a bad one. His work was necessary and rewarding. Granted, it could be a bit horrific at times for those sent to sample his tender mercies. Yet now he would be left with only himself and those lazy nightwings for company.
Sitting at the cavern’s entrance was a young shifter, he appeared to be so depressed that Koler almost ignored him. “Would you be so good as to tell me what you are doing at my door? I am quite busy, so unless you have murdered an innocent, stolen from the elderly, or deflowered an unwilling virgin. I have no time for you.”
The young man shook his head and stood on trembling legs with his head hanging down. “I beg your pardon, but my intended mate’s mother told me that I was worthless, and demon cursed, so here I am, sir. I did nothing but kiss Valia on the cheek to comfort her when the woman slapped her and called her names. I figure if I am already cursed, I might as well get it over with, because without Valia, I just do not want to keep seeing her everyday and not have her for my own.”
This was the type of shit he and Leroi dealt with almost daily. His temper was simmering, and since learning of Wensel’s and Leroi’s disappearances, the simmering was rapidly coming to a boil. “Take me to this woman that is so kind as to consign beings to my home. I wish to meet her.”
By the time he returned to his cavern, the woman was a bit less critical and a great deal more thankful that she was spared from becoming demon fodder, as she was yelling to someone when they had first approached the hovel. Valia and Yurik were soon to be mated with the demon’s blessings. His warning to Valia’s mother about cursing people had better be taken seriously.
He grabbed a thick spiked collar and added a long black chain to the loop, before walking back to the Hall. We will see who the pet is, Lord Pudding Bottom, yes we will.
Trundle in man form, was bigger than either of the giant Lords of Tremble. His body easily dwarfed two men side by side, and his voice sounded like thunder booming when he spoke. Rane had asked him to try to keep his voice at a whisper when he was indoors, due to the sensitive hearing of many of the island residents, and he did his best to comply. It was the first time Koler had seen the mammoth in human form, and he was an impressive sight. He promised himself he would take time later to become acquainted with the jovial creature. Right now, his focus was centered on the pile of shit blabbing his self-importance to a bored looking Lion.
When he spied Koler with collar and leash in hand, he tried to scramble away from the table, but tripped over the supporting leg holding the stout wooden board up. He landed on his knees and elbows, and still tried to crawl away.
Koler had him collared and weeping within seconds. He led Borland around the table, dragging him most of the way. “Come, pet, you must learn to keep up with your Master. You want to make me happy now, do you not? After all, I heard you swear to the Lords that I am your muse, your Master, I find I like the idea. From the time Lord Tremble dismisses you into my care, I own you until the day you die.” Koler laughed, “And, once you are dead, you are mine to keep in the demons fire pit. How does it feel to know that you will be the Demon Prince’s plaything for eternity?”
*****
The storm that had been threatening since morning light, loomed closer and the rain increased in intensity. Nord was happy that Rane was with them, safe and dry. The child, Aria, was down in the meeting Hall with Trundle as her guardian, and would come to no harm. He sat on the top step waiting for Rane to do her healing for the wounded females they had rescued from Lord Borland’s torture.
She led the females from the Master’s rooms, taking them through the hall, ignoring the crying mass of bright white flesh cowering at the feet of Koler. She explained to the cook that she wanted each of her charges to eat heartily, they had performed a service for the entire Hall by keeping the little bastard busy so the rest of the servants could be spared.
Rane found her way back to the meeting room and watched as several bedraggled, soaked to the bone, villagers came inside. The temperature of the wind was considerably cooler, and still the rain came down. Lightning began to crackle and the occupants of the Hall were still increasing in larger numbers now. She turned back to the kitchen to inform the cook that they would be feeding many more mouths for the evening meal. Before stepping through the doorway, she heard someone whimpering to the left, around the corner. She peeked her head past the arch of the entrance and saw the cook holding one of the abused women’s heads between his hands as he jammed his prick into her mouth.
“There you go, her highness said to feed you as much as you could hold, so I am only following orders. Take it all, and hurry up about it, you may have been laying in the Lord’s bed, but some of us must work on our feet.” He lasted only seconds more, before pulling his small prick from the girl’s mouth and spewing his seed over her face.
Lion and Nord felt her words in their brains, both men stopped what they were doing and ran in the direction they knew Rane had headed. She wanted them, she also wanted to hurt someone—badly. Her rage was burning bright, and Lion grinned, once she had spent that ire on her chosen worthy victim, she would need her mates to hold her. To his knowledge, she had not had the chance to cleanse the pain she must have taken from her patients in flowing water, so someone was about to experience her brand of justice.
The cook turned around and found his path blocked by none other than the Lady Rane herself. He could see she was not happy, but made the mistake of trying to shoulder his way past her.
“I entrusted those girls into your care, obviously you are not a male to be trusted. How dare you take advantage of one who has been tortured and beaten by a petty tyrant, for his own sick pleasure. How dare you twist my words to make them acceptable for your purposes.”
He stepped back hearing the venom in her voice. She narrowed her eyes even more and advanced as he retreated. When she was within touching distance, she smiled at him, surprising him into standing still, letting her place her hands on his jaw and hand. Her smile became a sneer as he felt pain, his head felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck it. He did not realize that he screamed, before passing out, crumbling to the floor in a heap at the Lady’s feet. He would have been upset to know that Tremble’s Lady stood between his splayed legs and methodically kicked his male parts, while she beckoned the girl he had used, to come join her in abusing his body. He was not aware that the demon had followed Lion and Nord when he saw their haste in leaving the room. He dragged his new pet along behind him as he made his way to the kitchen.
There was much the cook missed during his slumber on the floor. Lion took Lady Rane from the room encouraging her to lay her weeping head upon his wide shoulder. Nord hastily asked Koler if h
e could handle “this mess,” and he failed to see the evil Demon Prince invite the abused females to rearrange Lord Borland’s face and dangly bits with their feet or whatever was handy that they could lift and swing at the man.
Cook awoke to the scent of fire burning his nostrils and throat. His guts and lower body parts felt on fire, and all he could do was heave his guts out onto the floor he was lying on. His hands and feet were bound to a long cylinder of stone via chains and shackles. Lord Borland was sitting by the rock wall, chained from the thick collar and ankles to an iron hook embedded into the rock. Borland appeared to look as bad as cook felt. The large nightwings hanging upside down from the ceiling spread their wings, and chattered, showing needle sharp pointed teeth, scared the shit out of him. He screamed. He screamed until his throat would no longer allow sound to pass through, and still he tried for long minutes. The echoing laughter that greeted his silence chilled him. He had been warned, many times, but this was never part of his plans for death. Once he was dead, it would not matter what happened to his soul. He had not counted on being dead while still living.
*****
The storm raged outside as the beings from the village of Morlien Hall took shelter within its walls. At times the sounds of debris hitting the walls, and trees falling, gave the refugees pause to fear for their homes and livestock. The women took over the kitchen and made certain no one went to sleep that night with an empty belly.
Rane composed herself long enough to oversee the sleeping arrangements in the meeting hall. Pallets were placed on the floor, and lanterns were turned low to keep night terrors away from those who might suffer from them on a stormy evening.
She was exhausted after climbing the steps to the Lords quarters, and fell asleep within moments of lying down. This was not like the spitfire they knew. Lion and Nord checked her for fever, and woke her in the night to give her water. She seemed fine in the light of morning, and they were relieved.
She proved how fine she felt by demanding they service her needs, and by the time they complied, all three were lying in a gasping heap of flesh. “I love you, my mates, never doubt my affection or loyalty, but I feel the need to sleep for a short while yet. Will that cause a delay in plans for the day?”
It would not have mattered in the least what they may have answered, she was asleep again. Nord wiped the small droplet of blood from the corner of her mouth where she had fed from Lion’s chest during their morning’s lovemaking. Lion looked a bit confused, Rane rarely took more than a few sips of his blood when they exchanged serums. This time, he would swear she had glutted her thirst on him. Not that he cared how much she took, she could take the last drop of his blood if she had need of it, but why after so many months of small sips would she… Light dawned. He knew his silly grin had to be as funny as the one on his brother’s face was. Nord guessed, and had come to the same conclusion as he, the weeping, and need to sleep, coupled with her need to feast on his blood told him more than she yet realized. Their little witch was pregnant.
The knowledge delighted them and terrified them at the same time. If the babe grew and Rane delivered it safely into the world, Tremble Island would host a celebration like none before in jubilation. If the babe somehow lived and she died, they would mourn. Neither man wanted to dwell on the possibility of her demise. From this moment on, she would be wrapped as tightly in love as was possible for a woman to know. There would be no regrets or feelings of guilt for not doing all they could to show her how much love she had brought to their world.
They made their way to the vast meeting Hall as people were gathering their possessions to go out into the now sundrenched world. There was work to be done, and the Lords of Tremble were in a mood to assist with it. After enjoying the morning meal, they passed Rane making her way to the kitchen area. She was swept up in one embrace, and then another before being set back onto her feet and they left the Hall.
Koler showed himself to be capable of being more than a nightmare for the people of the village. When Lion and Nord got to the village, they saw the Demon Prince atop one of the hovels, replacing thatching that had blown off during the storm. A middle-aged female wolf shifter handed the bundles of material up from her spot on the ground to the demon. Several small children stood around gathering scattered possessions.
Trundle was dragging downed trees into a spot where the Amazons were cutting the branches off them, and establishing an impressive stack of logs. Morlien Hall’s soldiers tried to assist the females and were promptly sneered at. Nord vowed to send several candidates to Hawk’s Nest for training.
The cleanup and repair in the village took three days of intense physical labor for everyone healthy enough to assist in whatever way they could lend hand or shoulder to the cause.
Chapter Thirteen
Leroi caught up with Wensel after she deposited the creature inside the shelter. She changed back to human form to use the waterfall he had made use of earlier. He watched her as he approached, noting the weary set of her shoulders and the way she continually rubbed her hand over her right breast and shoulder. His mouth watered as he finally reached her side and laid his lips to hers.
His hands ran over her naked frame, and he pulled her from beneath the flowing water. “Take what you need, it is your turn to be fed, dear one. You provided for us, and now it is time for your mate to provide for you. Come, I feel your hunger, and I am certain you have no doubt that I have need of certain portions of your anatomy.”
She pulled his energy into her being as a trickle, they still had no idea where they were, or how long they would be there. The boy child would need Leroi for protection. She had taken only enough to quiet the painful need, and he knew it. The scowl on his face told her more than he thought it did. “I rarely take more from any being, Leroi, I am not being coy. We will need your strength to keep us safe until we can determine our whereabouts. I can change into the cat when my energy is depleted. She will be swift enough to capture the food we need for a time.”
They went to the shelter without further intimacy between them. Leroi felt she had no appreciation for his skills as a provider as well as their protector.
Peter woke to the smell of meat cooking over the fire and tore into the small haunch Leroi tore from the carcass for him. He looked to where Wensel was lying against the wall asleep and whispered to Leroi, “Why couldn’t she be a cat still? I liked the cat better. The cat was pretty and I liked it a lot.”
Wensel opened her eyes and smiled. “The cat likes young boys,” she paused, licked her bottom lip, and finished with, “a lot.”
His eyes widened, but he must have seen the laughter in hers, because he started giggling. Leroi was laughing too by the time the boy realized he was being teased, and it felt good for the trio to enjoy a small joke, given their circumstances.
Once the food was gone, and the fire extinguished, they set out to explore the place they had landed. It made sense to go back to the coastline and follow it around until they discovered inhabitants or a village. The storm had downed trees and vegetation everywhere. On the beach, sea life had been tossed onto the sand and left there to die. Peter spent many minutes staring at the beach littered with proof of the storm’s fury, before he began to gather what he could lift and throw it back into the water. The body of a long thick bodied sea animal that sported whiskers and tusks, required Leroi’s help to go into the water. The creature was huge, and he felt its heart still slowly beating, as if it was fighting death. Peter was crying over the grey skinned animal, patting it and saying he would miss him. The name Waller gave Leroi the answer for the boy’s distress.
“Peter, I want you to stand back from your friend for a moment. Allow me to try to help him. If he is so loved by you, then he is worthy to live.” Leroi placed his hands on the large head, and pushed energy into the ship’s cook. He felt the pain in the creature’s head, and understood the injury. He must have abandoned ship and took on his second nature, but still had been slammed against the rocks of the co
ast.
Within moments, Waller opened his eyes and let out a throaty bellow. Leroi turned his head away to avoid the scent of the creature’s breath. Rotting fish was expected on a beach after a storm. Purposefully having your face up close to the source of such a smell almost gagged him.
They waited for Waller to insure he would live and be all right before leaving him alone. Peter refused to abandon his friend. Leroi refused to leave the child alone with a shifter until the being could actually shift into his human form. The child must be protected. An hour passed, and Wensel told them she would continue to move forward along the beach. They would easily catch up with her.
The male changed while Peter was helping Leroi feed small sticks into a fire almost at the tree line, due to the chilly wind blowing onto the land. He dropped to his knees beside the happy young man and gave him a hug. “It is glad I am to see you, boy, and I see you made friends with the man that saved you. Did I hear the lady? Or was that another illusion I suffered when I hit my head on the rock.”
Peter began chattering without pause, recounting his adventure. “Wensel is what Leroi calls a banshee. I asked him because when we came out of the water, I saw her glow and she was ugly. Her face was bones, and all I saw was teeth when she smiled. She scared me and I almost pissed myself. Did you know Leroi is a real Demon Prince?”
Smiling at the child’s chatter, and hating to break up the reunion between the two shipmates, he wanted to find his mate and try to help her. “Pardon my interruption, Peter, but we are trying to discover what shore we have landed on and attempt to find a way back to Tremble Island before much longer.”
“Well as to where you are, you are on Tremble’s shoreline. We were blown south of the place that you were taken from Demon, but Tremble is where you are. I thought you knew when we hit the rocks.” Waller instructed Peter to douse the fire. “We need to find a place to stay until another ship comes along needing a cook and his assistant. As much as I like to lounge around here on the beach, darkness comes fast.”
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