by Lora Darc
The Nightlands Book 3
Lover of the Nightkin
Copyright © 2019 Lora Darc
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing by the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, locales and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places or events are purely coincidental.
Cover by Lora Darc
Stock Photos: Depositphotos
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Chapter 1
It didn’t take long for Danielle and the princes to cross the forest. Before she realized it, Danielle saw the swamps down below and the two princes riding fast to keep up. She clung tight to Prince Morgin and watched as Prince Cyre—the crow prince—and Prince Sethris, the vampire, flew beside them, guarding her.
It was an unnecessary precaution. The Night Lords would never catch them. Likely they were only now being told of her disappearance.
And the princes were in no way afraid of them. The night lords—though powerful in their own right—could not beat them, Danielle knew. But they would fight nonetheless.
She couldn’t think of them now though—those lovely Night Lords that had given her such pleasure. Now she could only think of the terrifyingly beautiful creatures who now reclaimed her.
She imagined what they would do to her once they re-entered the palace. What they would make her do. Even after serving within the Onyx Pass she still couldn’t fathom. She had never been very imaginative back home when it came to darker fantasies. But through her time within the Nightlands she was beginning to learn quickly.
As she rode on top of the slender dragon that was Prince Morgin, she took to focusing her senses. To lessen her fears. Sitting rigid and bent forward on his back, she made to straighten herself and relax. She closed her eyes and felt the cool wind against her skin, felt Prince Morgin’s hot body between her thighs, feeling his muscles tighten and flex as he beat his wings. She opened her eyes and looked up to the night sky. The moon had set, but the stars were brilliant above her, more dazzling than anything she had ever seen in her own world. She longed to reach for them, to coax Prince Morgin to fly higher towards them, but instead he began to glide lower. When Danielle looked, she saw the plains and then the desert appearing below.
At first, there was nothing but the white sea of sand. She anticipated seeing the palace again. Wondering if it would be lit up or just as dark as before. She remembered how dreary and cold it had been; how abandoned and silent.
But, as they grew closer, Danielle was pleased to see lights forming in the distance. Sparkles of orange flickers that contrasted with the white and blue stars above. There were many of them. Stretched out in clusters along the land. Danielle realized they did not all come from just the palace. There were buildings now, spread around the great fortress.
Danielle knew they hadn’t been there before or she would have seen them when she had fled from the palace before. What started as a few small buildings scattered here and there, soon began to grow in number. She saw the palace ahead lit up and lively and surrounding its walls was a whole city that hadn’t been there before.
But how? In such a short time?
The buildings were made of white and tan stone, some three or four stories tall. There were courtyards and pavilions, fountain squares and even gardens. Danielle gazed over them, stunned.
She didn’t see anyone lurking about. Pits of fire were lit low and lanterns flickered weakly. Either the city was abandoned—which Danielle thought was unlikely—or the people slept.
Prince Morgin dived lower as they approached the entrance to the palace; down to an open courtyard that led to the very steps up to the once sealed door Danielle had opened to free them.
They landed smoothly. Prince Cyre and Prince Sethris shook out their wings and folded them back. Prince Cyre came to Danielle’s side and lifted her off Prince Morgin’s back. With a little hiss, Prince Morgin shook himself and began to transform back into his normal form. His clothes returned and he brushed the sand off his velvet coat and shook the dirt out from his armor. He realigned his cuffs and his collar like some kind of gentlemen then looked over at her with devilish eyes.
“That’s much better,” he said. “Now, as for you, my dear…”
As Prince Cyre held her firmly Prince Morgin stepped beside her and looked down at her body, eyeing the leather attire with the collar and cuffs she had been made to wear in the mountain.
“I won’t have you walking into our home dressed in that lowly, barbaric attire,” he growled. He brought his hands up and carefully ripped the collar from her neck, tearing it in half. Prince Cyre behind her sliced through the back of her leather bra straps with his sharp talons. They tugged and ripped her clothes off until she stood before them naked save for her necklace of vials disguised as gems and the silver key orb that Hydric had made for her.
“Yes... that’s much better.” Prince Morgin smiled and grazed a finger along her breast making Danielle shiver despite herself. His hand went up to the necklace of hidden vials and he hooked his finger in the chain. “And what is this? A little gift from the Night Lords?”
Danielle shook her head. “No. Just something a friend made me—no, please!” Danielle gripped Prince Morgin’s hand in both of hers as he made to rip it off her. “Please. Not this. I need it!”
“Is that so?” Prince Morgin said in a low voice. Just then the other two princes riding on their giant steeds entered the courtyard. Prince Xaris, the spider, and Prince Ferien, the merman, stepped off their mounts. The giant lizard beasts hissed and turned back toward the desert.
“You swore to obey and serve us remember? You do not tell me—or any of us—what we can’t do.” Prince Morgin tugged his hand bringing her closer to him.
“Not after you disrespected us,” added Prince Sethris watching nearby.
Prince Xaris and Prince Ferien approached and nodded to their brothers.
“Careful now, Morgin,” said Prince Xaris as he came up beside them. Danielle caught the sight of his long appendages bent and curved behind his back. His jewel-like eyes glowed blue in the darkness and his black fangs poked out from his mouth. “You’ll scare our little pet before she even makes it inside.”
“Let her keep it, Morgin,” said Prince Cyre. “Let her have her little gift to keep her comfort in the night.” He laughed.
Prince Morgin still held her firmly, studying her. Danielle saw his expression grow dark and she wondered for a quick moment if he were somehow jealous. Jealous of her faceless friend who she elected to keep close through the bonds of a strange necklace.
“Very well,” Prince Morgin whispered and let her go. “But once you step through that door”—he pointed to the entrance—”we will expect full obedience, do you understand? No more speaking out of turn or without permission. You will address us rightly, as your princes. You will not look at us, you will not touch us, you will do nothing without our say. We’ve already planned out your first punishment, but we can plan many more if you do not do as your told.” He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Is that clear, Danielle?”
Danielle stared back at him and understood. She had already sworn to them (and to herself) that she would do everything they asked; that she would serve them. It is what she had been waiting for, what she had been readying herself for. To be theirs. To be able to withstand their dom
ination over her until she could acquire what she needed from them in return. If she couldn’t take it, she had the key star to get away until she could.
And then there was the newfound power growing in her. They didn’t yet know of it. She would use it to both please them and strengthen her.
Danielle nodded. “Yes. I understand... my prince.”
Prince Morgin’s eyes flashed with some intense, unknown emotion and he smiled. “Do not fret, my little pet.” He grazed a thumb along her jaw. “After your punishment, if you are a good girl, you will be rewarded.”
With a wave of his hand the doors opened. A group of lesser servants, their faces shrouded in deep red cloth, came out in a single file along with a dozen guards. They bowed to their princes.
“Take her to her room,” commanded Prince Morgin to the servants. “Have her taken care of until we return then have her dressed and readied for the ceremony.”
Ceremony?
Prince Morgin glanced at her as if hearing her thoughts. “Oh, we must have a large audience for your punishment. Once we fight the Night Lords like we promised and beat them, we will force them to watch. The people of the mountain will be invited as well, granted that they swear fealty to us after.”
“It will be a glorious festivity your punishment,” commented Prince Xaris, smiling. “It will be a pleasure to watch. Such beautiful suffering for all to see.”
Danielle wasn’t sure yet whether to be deeply excited or deeply nervous. The lesser servants took hold of her and she followed them up the steps without protest.
The princes watched her and smiled, their eyes glowing bright and fierce as she entered the palace once more.
Back again, Danielle thought. But as the doors closed behind her, Danielle knew nothing would be the same as before.
***
The palace had certainly changed. It was no longer so dark, so dreary like before. It was alive and throbbing with energy. Lanterns and pits of fire filled the great hall with warm light. The beasts on the ceiling above were polished and the floors shined; everything was more vibrant. Danielle caught the scent of jasmine as she followed the servants down the hall and through a door to the right.
They went down a small hallway then up a spiral staircase. As they passed down another corridor Danielle was surprised to hear the sounds of women talking and laughing somewhere unseen. Danielle suspected she must be in the palace’s own servant’s quarters and was being taken to the rooms where they slept.
They came to a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. The servants forced them open and gently pushed Danielle inside.
The room was larger than she expected and there was only one bed. No other nightwomen lounged about on couches or ate the food on the table nearby. In fact, it looked like a room meant for her alone. And it didn’t seem to fit her station at all.
While she had been made to sleep in the servant’s quarters in the mountain pass just like the other nightwomen, here she was being given a room that looked more fit for a noble.
“I don’t understand…” she said aloud. The servants went about the room as if to ignore her. A couple filled a bath with hot water at the end of the room, another set towels on a long, cushioned massage bed, and the rest tugged away heavy red curtains from the open windows. Danielle stood in the center of the room, looking around in stunned silence. A lush, purple rug covered the white marble floor, the canopied bed could hold at least four women along with herself, and the ceiling, she noticed, was like the one from the room she had first awoken in inside the palace. A mosaic of the night sky.
As she gazed up at the ceiling, Danielle was tugged over to the bath. As the servants cleaned her, Danielle noticed the windows lead out to a balcony. When she was taken out of the bath and dried, she was pulled over to the massage bed, but Danielle refused, saying she didn’t need any more pampering. The lesser servants gave her a robe and left without a word.
Alone, Danielle went to the window balcony and looked out. The city lay before her and it was beautiful.
I don’t understand. Why have they given me all this if I am supposed to be punished?
Danielle had expected maybe a dungeon at worst, or a small room with the other servants at best. But nothing like this.
A sudden flash of light blew up the night sky and Danielle glanced passed the city to the desert. Beyond was only darkness until another flash of light lit up the land.
In the distance, a violent storm seemed to be brewing. But as Danielle looked closer, she thought she caught the sight of massive silhouettes moving within the clouds as more flashes lit up the sky. The thunderous booms and giant roars came not long after. Shots of blue and red flames lit up in the distance along with more lightning and thunder. Blue, purple and green sparks exploded within the storm. It took Danielle a moment to realize what she was actually watching.
The lords and princes of the Nightlands were battling.
Chapter 2
The fight lasted until the moon peaked out from the horizon. The silence after made Danielle restless, wondering who had come out on top. She couldn’t sleep, though she had tried; too stunned by what she saw, watching the princes and lords wreck the sky.
Once the flashes of light faded and darkness spilled over the land, a fresh breeze carrying the scent of sulfur and smoke blew past. Danielle left the balcony after that, pulling the curtains closed to try to block out some of the noxious wind.
She went to the bed, exhausted, as if she had been fighting with them, and shut her eyes to fall into a deep sleep.
“Wake up, girl,” came a voice in the dark. A gentle hand shook her. Danielle moaned and turned her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw a lovely nightwoman with long white hair and sea-blue skin looking down at her. “It is time to get up and prepare you for the ceremony,” the woman announced and walked away.
Danielle sat up and saw lesser servants preparing her room like before, pulling back the curtains and drawing her bath. She rubbed her eyes and looked out at the night sky to see the moon at its peak.
“I’ve only slept a few hours?” Danielle said, mainly to herself.
“Oh, my, no,” said the white-haired woman, coming back over and pulling away the bedsheets. “A full moon cycle and a half.”
Danielle looked over at her wide-eyed. “That can’t be,” she whispered.
“Afraid it is. You must be hungry.” The woman brought over a tray of food and drink and set it on Danielle’s lap. “Eat quickly now. The ceremony begins at moonset.”
“The princes…” Danielle said, clutching the tray. “They have returned?”
“Yes, yesterday at moon fall.”
“And the Night Lords?”
The woman smiled. “You will see soon enough. Now I have other work to attend to. If you need me, I am Melina, head servant of the princes.” She clapped her hands and a few lesser servants paused in their work and bowed. “See that she is cleaned and readied before moonset, then bring her to me.” Melina exited the room without another glance.
Danielle watched her leave, admiring her graceful, surefooted steps. Danielle remembered the nightwomen the princes had brought with them to the mountain only a few nights ago. They were more beautiful, more elegant than the rest.
Danielle nibbled on her food and felt her stomach turn. In only a few hours, she realized, she would be present at this ceremony and given her punishment. Still having no clue what it would entail or who would be present.
She finished off what she could of her food and drink and let the lesser servants take it. Then she was once again led to the tub.
“I really don’t need another bath,” she commented. But they didn’t seem to care. They disrobed her and helped her into the bath which was filled with a milky blue oil that held a scent reminding her of peaches. She dipped in and let them wash her quickly. After, they dried her off and sat her down at a vanity. Danielle watched them tie her hair up into a tight braid, letting it fall across her shoulder. They rubbed her skin wi
th a creamy lotion that gave her a bit of a shine and then started on her makeup, darkening her eyes with shadow and coloring her lips with a deep red. Then came her attire.
“This is it?” Danielle asked, almost laughing. She might as well be naked. In fact, once they put it on her, she practically was. The attire was nothing but thin, silver chains with gems enlaced into them. Small, shiny chips of silver dangled from a few ends that covered her more sensitive parts, but that was all. The silver chains went across her rear then down the center like a thong; a chain went down the center of her back and then a few more hung across her breasts. A crown of silver gems was placed on her head and sparkling bangles were placed on her ankles and wrists. She still wore her necklace and refused to take it off.
Danielle stood before a mirror as the servants set her attire and fussed with it to make sure it was perfect. She barely recognized herself in the reflection. If she had been told to wear what she was wearing now before she had been made a servant in the Onyx Pass she would have been mortified. Now, she was only nervous but remained confident all the same. Danielle promised she would keep her head high and remain dignified no matter what.
For a short moment, the servants left her alone to clean up and Danielle stayed by the mirror studying herself. She played with her necklace of vials and reminded herself why she was really back in the palace. Though she no longer carried the recipe with her—having left it back in the mountain—she had memorized it enough to remember the items she needed and what she needed to do to remake the key after. She would make it through the ceremony and then would continue her mission as before.
The servants returned and brought with them a small bowl and a pointed tool that looked like a pen. They sat her down once more and had her bend forward, lifting the small chain from the center of her back. When Danielle glanced over at the bowl, she saw it was filled with black ink. With the first dip of the pen and the sudden sharp prick between her shoulder blades, Danielle understood what was happening. They were branding her.