Forced To Kill The Prince

by Hollie Hutchins

  He bent her over on the bed, facedown. He rubbed her for a few minutes until she grew wet, then he stepped between her feet to push her legs farther apart. She felt the pressure of the tip of his dick, pressing gently until he slipped fully inside her.

  She moaned loudly, not having to fake the pleasure she felt from him moving in and out of her. He reached around to caress her breasts and pinch her nipples. She cried out again and he sped up his thrusts as she came.

  He grabbed her hips and slammed into her as he grunted, gave two more hard thrusts, and went still. He pulled out of her and she heard him pull his pants on. She stood and stepped into her panties, then started to replace her dress as he finished dressing.

  “I am going to Grynall Cay,” he said. “Is there anything from there you would like?”

  She remembered her thoughts earlier of a pet. “I thought it would be nice to have a pet to keep me company. A cat maybe. But it doesn’t have to come from Grynall Cay. Could I go with you and visit with some friends? That would be a lovely birthday gift.” Her heart raced at the thought of seeing Eliseo again.

  “No. I’m going to raid and sack the city.”

  Her mouth hung open in shock. “But, my family…”

  “Your family? You mean your father who betrayed you? Who gave you to me in exchange for his island’s safety?” He laughed. “Foolish man. Now that I have you, I can take anything I want from them. They have nothing left to bargain with.”

  “Please, Maverick. Don’t do this.”

  He waved her off. “I only told you in the event you might want something retrieved from your old home. A valuable painting or piece of jewelry, but if there’s nothing, that’s just as well. Have Molly get you whatever creature you desire.”

  He left the room and shut the door behind him.

  Chapter 3

  Emalee stared at the view from her balcony. She hardly saw the beautiful sunset. Maverick was right. Her father had betrayed her. She’d spent a lot of hours being angry over it, and still hadn’t forgiven him. She never would. But that didn’t mean she wanted him dead or wanted to see the island destroyed because of it.

  Her home, her friends, and most of, Eliseo were all on Grynall Cay. And they’d all be dead soon. Maverick was ruthless and thorough, that much she knew. He would certainly make sure her father and anyone connected to him was killed.

  She pictured Eliseo, reliving their last days together as she often did. Her heart ached for him, but it didn’t matter, she told herself. He didn’t love her like she loved him. He would die and never know the pain she would feel of losing him. He’d lost nothing when she’d been taken away.

  This was the only comfort she had. If he didn’t love her, she was not missing a life with him some day, impossible as it was. She could stop dreaming of him, hoping that a miracle would take place—maybe Maverick would be killed on a raid or his fleet would be lost at sea—and she’d be free to return, find Eliseo, and have a happy life with him. This was a foolish dream, and she would let it go.

  Two days later, the fleet of ships were spotted on the horizon by the staff. They scurried around, readying things for the returned crew. They would want food and drink when they arrived, and not long after, Maverick would want her.

  She waited in her room for him. Sure enough, once the crew had their fill of eating and merry making, he came to her. Before he could start undressing, she put a hand on his chest to stop him.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  His breath stank of beer. He broke into a laugh. “I told you why we were going. We burned the city down and killed everyone we could find.”

  She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “Everyone?”

  “If we saw them, we killed them.” He pulled his shirt off.

  “My father?”

  He smirked and nodded.

  “What about his partner?”

  He nodded again. “Everyone.”

  She gulped, not wanting to hear the answer. “What about his partner’s son, Eliseo?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “I’m sure we killed him, too.”

  “He was my friend. He’s tall, has blond hair and a tattoo of a sword on his neck.”

  Maverick thought for a moment. “I remember him. He tried hard to fight back. We killed him and his wife.”

  Emalee burst into sobs. “How could you do this?”

  Her mind spun. Her father was dead. Eliseo was dad. The whole city burned. Everyone she knew and loved was gone. She tried not to think too hard about the fact that Eliseo had taken a wife. She was married, too, wasn’t she? Though it was against her will, Eliseo had no reason to wait for her, no reason not to go on. If asked, she would have said she wanted him to be happy. But the jealousy stung with the pain.

  Maverick had removed his shirt and pants. He stood behind her, undressing her while she continued to cry. He took her hand and led her to the bed, lying her down on top of it. He climbed over her, and didn’t take as much time making sure she was ready. When he entered her, it stung a little.

  She turned her head so she wouldn’t have to smell his breath or look in his face. The tears kept falling as he thrust in and out of her. How had her life come to this? She was his slave in every way, his possession to be displayed proudly. And she didn’t know what he was anymore? A dragon? A man? What did it mean that he could change forms? She had no love and no friend in the world.

  He sped up and pounded into her harder. The pain increased and she screwed up her face, hoping he would be done soon. When he’d finally finished and left, she curled up in a ball and cried.

  Chapter 4

  Emalee refused to leave her room for weeks. She was depressed and found herself often crying and thinking of Eliseo, imaging what might have been if her father hadn’t given her over to Maverick.

  She tried to be happy that her father was dead. That in the end, he paid for what he’d done to her. But she took no comfort in it. She didn’t hate anyone so much that she wished they were dead. She cried too, over Grynall Cay and all that was lost. The places, the people. None of them had deserved this. They’d been completely betrayed by someone who claimed to be protecting them. She could imagine how they felt.

  Molly had been good about bringing her food from every meal. It often went uneaten, but she appreciated the gesture. Tonight, Molly picked up the plate of half-eaten chicken and gave her a sad look.

  “Miss Emalee, won’t you come down for dessert? It’s your favorite pie.”

  “No, thank you.” Emalee suspected she’d made it on purpose to lure her out. But she couldn’t eat her dinner, let alone something sweet.

  “Okay. How about in the morning? Why don’t you come down for breakfast?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “We all miss your smiling face.”

  Emalee looked at her without a smile. She hadn’t smiled in weeks.

  Molly came close to her and leaned down. “I heard something you might be interested in.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I have to get more details. You come down for breakfast tomorrow and after, I’ll tell you all I know.”

  “That’s okay.” Nothing could be that important. It wasn’t worth going down there and having to see people and act cheerful.

  “There might be someone coming to take revenge on Maverick for what he did to your island.”

  Emalee raised her eyebrows. “Really?” This might be something worth hearing about after all.

  “Come down in the morning. I’ll tell you everything once the master has gone out to his ships for the day.”

  Emalee nodded. “Thanks, Molly, for all you’ve done for me.”

  Molly patted her hand. “Us ladies gotta stick together, don’t we? I know he’s a tough man. I’m sorry you were forced into this.”

  She gave a little smile and left the room. An hour later, there was a soft knock at her door and when Emalee opened it, she found a slice of apple pie sitting in the hall. She picked it up and ate a few bit
es, but had to put it down when she started to feel sick.

  In the morning, Emalee was surprised to find that she was looking forward to breakfast. She wasn’t feeling very hungry, and she wasn’t looking forward to being around people, especially Maverick, but she did want to find out more about what Molly mentioned. She hoped it wasn’t a trap. That she had been exaggerating things just to get her to come downstairs.

  When she was dressed, Emalee walked to breakfast. She expected at least one or two of the servants to exclaim over her presence, but they greeted her as always, like nothing at all was out of the norm. It made things feel much less awkward.

  Maverick eyed her and grunted as he sat and ate his breakfast. “It’s a wonder to see you down here.”

  She looked down at her plate and put a forkful of eggs in her mouth.

  Last time he’d come to her room, he’d told her that if she didn’t start coming downstairs on her own, he’d drag her down himself. No doubt, he found this a triumph on his part, that he’d gotten through to her and had put his foot down against his wife’s protest of sadness.

  She picked at her plate until Maverick left the table and the breakfast things were cleared away. Then, she went to find Molly in the kitchen, where she was cleaning up from breakfast.

  “Good to see you downstairs,” Molly said with a big smile.

  “What do you know?” Emalee asked.

  “Well.” Molly set down the plate she’d been washing. “Some of the staff who work out in yard have been passing along things the crew says, rumors on the sea, you know?”

  Emalee nodded.

  “Apparently, there’s a new raider making some waves.” She giggled at her own joke.

  “A new raider?”

  She nodded. “His name is Thorn and they say he’s looking for Maverick. Coming to get revenge for what he did to Grynall Cay.”

  “Who is he? Maverick said they killed everyone.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t there. I don’t know. No one knows where he came from or who he is.”

  “Do they know when he’s coming?”

  “Well, no,” Molly said. “I guess if they knew that, they’d go out and fight him.”

  Emalee nodded. Of course. “So, we’re all in danger?”

  “Danger?”

  “If Thorn is coming to get revenge, he might not leave anyone alive on Qalric Enclave. Including us.”

  Molly’s face fell. “Well, I hadn’t considered that. We were thinking we’d be out of jobs or would have a new master. We’ve been worried, but not thinking we’d be killed. You really think so?”

  Emalee shrugged. “That’s what Maverick did on Grynall Cay. Killed women and children, too. Anyone they came across, then burned the whole city down.”

  Molly’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t heard it told like that.”

  “That’s what Maverick told me.”

  “No wonder you’ve been so down. Your home is gone.”

  Emalee nodded sadly.

  “You poor thing.” Molly gave her a quick hug. “Well, if we know this is coming, we can plan for it. You make an escape plan so you don’t get killed. Then, when Maverick is dead, you’ll be free.”

  “Thanks Molly. I hope it works that way.”

  Emalee returned to her room and pondered what it would be like to be free. She could go where she liked, befriend anyone she liked, marry whoever she liked. She wouldn’t be trapped in a loveless marriage with no friends besides the staff she talked to regularly. She wouldn’t know what to do with so much freedom.

  She was still imagining it when Maverick knocked on her door. After they’d had sex, she asked him about what she’d heard.

  “Is it true that someone is after you?” she asked.

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “Overheard some men discussing it when I was walking in the garden. Someone named Thorn?”

  “It’s nonsense,” he said.

  “But if he comes here to get revenge, he might kill everyone.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a rumor. There is no Thorn, and if there were, you’d have nothing to worry about. My men would take care of it.”

  “Okay.” She wasn’t sure if she was relieved to be safe, or sad that her possibility of freedom was gone.

  Her dreams that night were tangles of conflict. In one, she became a dragon herself and could fly away, but chose to circle the island again and again instead. In another, Eliseo came, but killed her and gave his wife all her clothes. She woke panting and sweating, and walked out to the balcony for some air.

  It was still early, the sun just peeking up over the horizon. She could see far out on the sea today, and as her gaze traveled the shoreline, she saw two large ships. She looked over toward the ship yard. None were missing. Could this be the raider, Thorn, and his fleet?

  If so, Maverick was right. Two ships would be nothing compared to his fleet of six. Thorn, if that’s who it was, would be wiped out quickly. Perhaps her fantasy that Maverick would die on a raid could still happen. Maybe Thorn wasn’t coming to burn up Qalric Enclave, but only coming to kill Maverick. That was the best she could hope for.

  Chapter 5

  Emalee kept watch over the ships. She went out every hour or so. It seemed that for now, they just circled the island. At lunch, she heard whispers from the staff. After, she went again to find Molly.

  “Is that him?” she asked.

  “I think so,” Molly said. “That’s what people are saying. Oh, I hope we’ll be safe.” She squeezed a dish towel to her chest.

  “Maverick said we had nothing to worry about because his ships outnumber Thorn’s.”

  “Well, that they do.” She tilted her head to the side. “Oh, but that wouldn’t help you. Did you make an escape plan?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know how to get off the island.”

  Molly nodded. “That is a concern. Maybe you could stow away on one of the ships.”

  That didn’t seem safe or likely to work. Who knew where the ship would be going or how long the journey would be? She might not have enough food, water, or lodging if the journey were long and she planned to stay hidden. She had thought about escaping in some way or another after Molly had suggested it, but she hadn’t been able to come up with any plan that seemed like it would work.

  She was about to tell Molly this when a loud boom sounded outside. They both ran to the window. One of the incoming ships was smoking, and across from it, the ship docked the closest was on fire. Another boom and this time they saw the enemy ship fire its canon into one of Maverick’s ships.

  The enemy ship reached the dock and, as soon as they were connected, men poured from the ship. Far more than Maverick’s ships usually held. His had a crew of 20-30 men each. There were far more than 30 men already on land and more were still coming.

  The men carried swords and torches burning bright with flame. As they came onto the land and began running through the city, they set fire on everything they came across.

  Maverick’s men were in motion already, though most of them had been unprepared because Maverick hadn’t taken the threat seriously. Emalee heard him shouting orders, mobilizing his men to fight back.

  The second ship had docked and more men poured from it. Maverick’s men were being overrun and when she saw bodies lying on the ground, Emalee thought most of them were Maverick’s men.

  Molly clutched her arm and watched with her. When the men reached the land surrounding the house, she pulled Emalee away. “Go hide. Stay hidden as long as you can.”

  She shoved a small loaf of bread into her arms, then pushed her away to send her off. Emalee ran, going through possible hiding places in her mind. In the barn might be a good place with the animals. But the barn was full of hay and would go up easily in a fire. Plus, the animals tended to smell bad and the farm hands would likely be hiding there already.

  Somewhere in the house was probably the best, though there was still the probability of fire trapping her. She needed to be able
to get out when the time came. But in that thought, something else came to her. Why not get out now? She ran to the door.

  Emalee spent long hours in the garden, walking through it’s many twists and turns, letting her fingers trail over petals and leaves. In many places, the foliage was so thick, you couldn’t see a person walking on the path. She knew just the place she’d go.

  Before running out, she looked around to make sure no one would see her. The garden was a little distance from the house and she could easily be seen running there if she wasn’t careful.

  She snuck wherever there might be some cover. A tree here, an abandoned cart there. She made it into the garden and hide behind a tall bush, watching to make sure no one was coming her way. When she felt sure no one had seen her, she moved deeper into the garden to the place she had pictured.

  The spot she stayed in was where the hedges were thickest. There were places along the hedge line where trees were planted, and gave room for a person to hide between the hedge sections and still have cover from the trees. She positioned herself and watched, then tucked the loaf of bread into her dress for safe keeping. She would need it later if she hid for a long time.

  She had a good view of the ship yard and the attacking ships. Men had stopped coming from the ships, but she didn’t see many men at all now. They must have moved deeper into the city. Several buildings were on fire, though the main house didn’t appear to be. She hoped Molly and the other staff would be safe. They didn’t deserve to be hurt or killed. They had no part in any of this.

  A man appeared after some time, walking off the ship with four men at his side. The man at the front wore two bandanas. One covered the lower half of his face and over his nose, while the other covered his head and came down over his forehead. He looked intimidating. This must be the raider Thorn they had heard about.

  Maverick stepped forward to talk with him, also bringing four men with him. She had no idea what was said, but Maverick turned and took off running with his group of men. They headed for the forest, and Emalee thought she could see movement in there, like people were running through the trees. Had all of Maverick’s men run into the forest? She didn’t see them fighting.