The Sorceress

by Allison Hobbs

  She opened his shirt and ran her fingertips across his nipples. He closed his eyes and issued a low groan, his nipples hardened under her heated caress. He cupped her face. His fingers traveled upward, eager to get tangled in her halo of red hair.

  He jerked back his hand. Her hair felt different. His eyes popped open. Her hair was dark and coiled like the confused spirit.

  She kissed his chest. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her lips pressed against his skin. “Did you miss me?” she asked in a sweet voice that sounded like music, making him forget that her hair was a different color and texture than Jen’s.

  “Yeah, baby. I missed you,” his voice broke with emotion. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  She didn’t speak. She kissed a hot trail down his chest. He inhaled sharply as her lips nibbled at his navel. His erection was massive. Painful. He wanted to release inside her warm mouth and the sensation was overwhelming.

  She wriggled down between his thighs and began licking the fabric of his pants, saturating the fabric with the moisture from her tongue as she warmed the growing bulge inside his pants. Chills spread through him. She unzipped his pants.

  Gathering willpower, he pulled her up. It was too soon. He had to give his baby some pleasure first. Make love to her the way she deserved. He placed his lips over hers and kissed her.

  The taste of her was addictive. Tenderly lapping the sweetness from her mouth, his tongue stroked hers until she uttered soft murmurs deep inside her throat. Her hands were spastic; clenching and unclenching his shoulders.

  He felt her fingernail moving downward, scratching softly, then digging deeper. He moaned from the pain and from the pleasure.

  Rome squeezed his eyes shut, giving her permission to unleash her passion. She scratched bloody trails down his chest. Rome writhed as she rubbed his shaft with a blood-smeared hand, and licked the wounds on his chest, lapping the drizzling blood.

  She wound her hand inside his fly. Desire pulsed through his shaft. She took possession of his dick, liberating it. With her other hand, she reached up and embedded her nails into his chest. Her fingernails penetrated as deeply as four deadly daggers.

  Rome cried out. Eris soothed him, enveloping his thickness with her lips, licking the smooth head of his dick with a tongue so hot, it seemed to vibrate. Blood trickled down and pooled at her lips. She slurped and sucked until he exploded. Long after his eruption, Eris continually pierced his skin, sipping generous amounts of blood.

  And now, hours later, she had him turned onto his stomach as she raked her nails down his back, licking the fresh wounds she had created. Rome shuddered and groaned, feeling himself weakening from blood loss.

  With his face buried into the seat of the sofa, his agonized groans were muffled by the cushiony fabric. His hands gripped the spongy soft texture as he endured the incisions of long fingernails and tolerated a roughening tongue that seemed to grow in length as it traveled over the length of his back.

  Rome bore the pain, convincing himself that Jen was expressing her wild side. It was okay to let her drink his blood. Just this once.

  THE GODDESS REALM

  Bright sunshine lit the pond. Tara stared at the water, her only way of making a connection with Eris. Suddenly, Eris’s face shimmered on the surface. Tara gasped in delight. “Eris, I’ve been searching for you. Where have you been?” she whispered, afraid that raising the volume of her voice would cause ripples in the water that might make her sister’s image fade.

  Eris didn’t respond. Her attention was focused on a something else. Clearly, she was no longer in that abominable place. She was wearing grand attire and seemed completely at ease. Tara determined that Eris had managed to escape the dreadful, dark prison and was once again on the Earthly Realm. Eris was speaking to someone. Tara placed her face close to the water, straining to see—to hear. She listened to the conversation between Eris and a very small being—an evil-doer who had deceived many by pretending to be an innocent child.

  After a few moments of eavesdropping, Tara cringed when she learned that her sister despised her and was plotting to disfigure Tara’s precious, blue-winged lover. And there was someone else Eris planned to harm—a child who would be granted goddess status though she lived on the Earthly Realm.

  She’d heard enough. Angry, Tara immersed her hand into the pond, swishing the water until Eris’s evil face became indistinct and sank beneath the surface.

  Rising to her feet, Tara took strode purposefully toward the chamber where the warrior goddess Kali slumbered with her two mighty swords at her sides.

  Jubilant, the boy bounded down the stairs clutching a sheaf of papers. Eris stood preening in front of a mirrored wall.

  “My eyes are much more vibrant, don’t you agree?” She batted her lashes and then patted her hair. “It’s thicker and has more luster.” She proudly cupped her breasts, which had grown fuller and more plump, and bulged out of the top of the blood-splattered bodice.

  The boy scrutinized at the moaning man on the sofa. There were blood stains and gashes on the man’s back. “Who is that?”

  “Oh, him?” She cast a look at the tortured man. “He’s your nanny’s former beau.” She smiled. “He belongs to me now.”

  The boy giggled. “You are clever, Wicked One. I have the information. It’s right here.” He shook the pages excitedly. “I don’t know how you figured it out, but it’s right here in black and white. You need the blood of both a human male and a female to stay intact and alive.”

  Eris patted her parted lips, mimicking a yawn. “That’s yesterday’s news, Xavier. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  He rustled through the papers, speed reading, his face flushed pink with embarrassment. “I couldn’t find anything else on the subject.”

  “Since being born of woman, you have lost your cunning ways and your wisdom. You are completely deficient. I am the superior one. Don’t you agree?”

  He rolled his eyes and then released a bitter sigh.

  “I am a goddess who deserves to be worshipped by all—especially by you, Xavier. It’s hard to believe that I once allowed you to treat me as an inferior.”

  “You were inferior. I counseled and advised you. I taught you many lessons when we dwelled on the Dark Realm—”

  “That was then. What can you teach me now?”

  He searched the ceiling for an answer.

  Eris grinned and crooked a finger. “Come here, you little insignificant male.”

  The boy bristled at the insult. Stubbornly, he balled his fists at his side.

  “Xavier!” she said sharply. He jerked his head up, his beady eyes burning with irritation. Eris stared at him, sparks of blue flashing from her eyes as she attempted to mesmerize him.

  Wisely, he closed his eyes, resisting her hypnotic powers.

  “X-aaa-vi-er.” This time Eris sang his name, making each syllable sound like a note of a seductive melody.

  He squeezed his eyes even tighter. “Leave me alone, you sorceress!” he hissed through gritted teeth. “I was a fool to release you.”

  “And you’re being an even bigger fool to refuse this opportunity to sample my ripened fruit.” Eris was quiet for a few beats, waiting for the boy to cave in. He didn’t. Wearing a hideous grimace, his eyeballs moved rapidly beneath his lids as he struggled to keep them closed.

  “Look at me, Xavier,” Eris goaded.

  “I refuse.” Adamant, he shook his head.

  “The governess’s blood has enlivened me. I’m more beautiful than ever.” She released a dramatic moan. “My loins have become unbearably inflamed.”

  Xavier groaned as if agonized. Hunched over and wheezing, the gaunt boy humped against his hand.

  “I suppose I could wait for Boozer to return,” she said grimly. “But I prefer to copulate with you. Oh, the times we had together on the Dark Realm. Your sexual prowess is extraordinary. Unmatched! Nothing and no one compares to you.”

  Pride placed a hint of a smile on the boy’s pinch
ed lips. Eris tried an additional ploy. “If it makes you happy, keep your eyes closed. But please don’t deny me the pleasure of viewing your extraordinary phallus.”

  The wheezing and groaning intensified. Using both hands now, he appeared to wrestle with the enormous protrusion that tented his pants. Eris smiled knowingly. It was obvious the little sex fiend couldn’t control his urges.

  Maintaining his “see no evil” expression, Xavier unzipped his pants and liberated his massive erection.

  “Ah! You’re extremely well endowed,” she flattered. “Come to me. Let me caress your gigantic rod with my tongue.”

  The bedazzled boy toddled toward the sound of Eris’s spoken promise. With his eyes still closed, he looked like he was sleepwalking. Now standing in front of Eris, he uttered in a voice hoarsened by lust, “Lick me, Wicked One.” He shivered. Pointing his dick upward, he offered Eris a taste of his hardened flesh.

  Eris got down on her knees. Eagerly, she pulled his quivering erection inside her mouth. The right side of her forked tongue ran the length of his shaft, lapping at the head of his dick, while the left side lathed his balls.

  Apparently curious to see Eris’s serpentine tongue at work, Xavier ventured a peek. Eris caught him with his eyes open. She locked him with her gaze, mesmerizing the demon child with the brilliant blue shine from her eyes.

  Abruptly, Eris stood. “You belong to me now, you little runt. I expect you to obey me. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, goddess,” he replied, his voice hushed. His opened eyes were unblinking.

  Entranced, Xavier did not put up a fight. Eris lifted him up, digging her dagger-sharp fingernails into his side. The shock of pain broke Eris’s spell and took his breath away. Before he could utter a sound, she yanked his shirt up.

  Squirming and twisting at the waist, he gawked at her with loathing. Xavier tried to bash Eris with his huge head. Wild and desperate, he swung his head, aiming to knock the smirk off her face. Then, using his tiny fingers, he clawed at Eris’s hands, trying to loosen her grip.

  “Stop wiggling, you little bastard!” Eris pressed one palm against the boy’s tummy and the other against the flat of his back, stilling his torso. Turning him sideways, she placed her hot lips against his skin.

  Outraged, Xavier shrieked. “How dare you treat me like this? You ungrateful bitch!” He kicked his feet through the air, wheezing like crazy between shouted obscenities.

  Unperturbed, Eris held him firmly. She drew his blood, feeding unhurriedly. Xavier’s head lulled to the side; his heavy breathing quieted. The fierce kicking slowed down to foot flutters, and then came to a stop. Eris’s former wise counselor went limp in her arms, completely drained. Lifeless.

  It was time to rouse the governess and provide the dreary girl with nourishment to fortify her for the journey to Roanoke. Of course, there’d be pit stops along the way; Eris would need to replenish herself with human blood to keep up her dazzling appearance.

  Xavier’s useless form would join the rotting cook, she decided. Before making the trek down into the cellar, she gazed once more in the mirror. Her reflection thrilled her. She’d grown more beautiful since drinking Xavier’s blood.

  There was another reflection in the mirror. Eris frowned at Rome who lay collapsed on the sofa. She wasn’t dragging him down into the cellar. He was too large and she might break a nail.

  She glared at him for dying on her so soon, then closed her eyes in thought. Though he lay motionless, she could see that he was breathing. Good! Deciding to momentarily delay her journey, she glided over to the weakened male. There was still warm blood running through his veins and Eris didn’t want to waste a drop of the beautifying elixir.

  A sudden disturbance upstairs gave Rome a reprieve. Eris made a tsking sound. Boozer! She supposed he was trying to get in through the skylight. How dare that ogre try to gain admission after all the trouble he’d caused? It would serve him right if she left him here to fend for himself while she ran off to Roanoke. After witnessing all that depraved howling and shrieking, she realized that clothed or unclothed, he couldn’t be passed off as a regular human.

  Boozer was worthless to her now. And he was very lucky that he was not human. Otherwise, she’d devour his blood and just to be rid of him.

  The clatter was persistent. With her eyes flaming, Eris stomped up the stairs, relishing the idea of scorching Boozer in several choice places.

  Eris reached the landing at the top of the stairs and before she could determine the direction of the clatter, a burst of glittering light erupted at the far end of the long corridor. There stood an unwelcome sight…Tara with her winged lover standing behind her.

  “It’s time to go home,” Tara said softly.

  Eris laughed. Tara was so sentimental and pathetic. “I suppose the goddess council has finally come to their senses.” She stared at her sister. “Either that or they’ve grown tired of having to listen to your lament. Whatever the case, I have to decline the offer. I’ve made my own way in life and I don’t need charity from the goddesses.”

  “Had I not told you about the powers of the goddess ring, you would not speak so disrespectfully of our realm.”

  Eris took note of the ring on Tara’s finger and it crossed her mind that she could save herself the burden of a long and hastily planned journey if she swindled her sister out of her goddess ring. She’d get to Roanoke eventually, but if she had Tara’s ring, she wouldn’t have to rush. Eris held back laughter.

  “Go ahead and laugh. I can hear your thoughts, sister.” Tara spat the words, shocking Eris into a brief silence.

  “What I meant was…I’d like to borrow your ring. After all, your life is not in peril on the Goddess Realm. As I said, I can’t return home. I’m staying here and it would mean a lot if I had something of yours to cherish…temporarily…until I retrieve my own ring.”

  “Do you really think I’m a fool?”

  Eris’s eyes lowered in feigned sorrow. “Why do you speak to me so harshly? Where is the compassion you once possessed?”

  “I haven’t changed. I am the embodiment of compassion. I know of your plan to harm Zeta.”

  “Oh, who cares about a winged servant? You’re putting her on a pedestal, as if she’s a goddess.”

  “She is a goddess to me. And the time will come when Zeta and I are viewed as equals by the entire Goddess Realm.”

  This time Eris didn’t stifle her ridiculing laughter.

  Tara stepped forward, arms behind her. Zeta lifted and spread her majestic wings.

  “Oh my, should I be fearful?” Eris asked snidely. “Did you travel all the way to this Earthly Realm to challenge me, little sister?”

  “I came to defend Zeta’s honor, to ensure her safety and well-being.” Tara brought her arms forward, revealing the two sparkling swords that she held in each hand.

  Recognizing Kali’s powerful swords, Eris took a step back.

  “I’m also here on the goddess Kali’s behalf to protect her goddaughter, the young Stovall child.”

  “Exactly how do you plan to do that?” Furious, Eris charged forward, eyes shooting flames aimed at Zeta’s feathers. Tara’s arms, moving swiftly, used Kali’s mighty swords to block the bolts of fire.

  “You are incorrigible and wicked.” Grinding the two swords together, Tara advanced.

  “NO!” Eris shouted when she saw the sparks from the swords erupt into flames and billowing white smoke.

  “I wanted to cleanse you with purifying fire, I wanted you to rest in peace, but I’m ordered by the goddess council to send your wretched soul back to the Dark Realm, your eternal home.”

  “Tara, have mercy. I’m your sister.” Eris used a voice that was tiny and meek, appealing to Tara’s natural kindness.

  But imbibed with the power of goddess Kali, Tara was a warrior with a mission to complete. “You will not harm another innocent being.”

  Fighting back, Eris sent beams of hot blue light Tara’s way.

  Protecting her lover, Zeta f
lapped her wings, extinguishing Eris’s fire and fanning the flame that Tara created. Zeta flapped faster, sending the ball of white fire rolling and bouncing speedily in Eris’s direction.

  She rubbed the swords again and blue fire erupted and blazed a swift trail, merging with the purifying fire—popping, bouncing, and leaping onto the hem of Eris’s blood-encrusted gown. Highly flammable, the masquerade costume crackled as it became consumed by fire. Eris stretched her mouth open to curse her sister, but managed only a lingering hiss.

  Zeta and Tara stood in witness as Eris burned. In the form of a dark streak of smoke, Eris’s furious spirit whooshed and whirled about. The smoky spirit began to lose its vigor, floating to the floor, and then began to dissipate.

  Grudgingly, the goddess of destruction rejoined Boozer and the other wicked beings on the Dark Realm. All that was left of Eris’s physical body was a mound of ash.

  Zeta lifted Tara in her arms and floated down the stairs. With a fiery hot sword, Tara sliced through the lock on the basement door.

  Jen had to be dreaming. Two magnificent women—one with a pair of blue wings rescued her from the belly of the dreadful basement. Their glorious presence created sparkling light in the dark, dreary basement. She gazed down into the pit where poor Carmen lay sprawled. Jen flinched, and looked away.

  “She’s at peace now,” Tara said softly, referring to Carmen.

  “Who are you?” Jen asked in whisper.

  “My name is Tara. I’m the goddess of compassion.”

  “I’m Zeta,” the winged woman offered. “I’m Tara’s faithful attendant.”

  “I’ve changed her title. Zeta’s my lover,” Tara added boldly.

  Jen didn’t know what to say. She was overwhelmed by the presence of these two magnificent beings sent from above to save her. There weren’t words to express her gratitude.

  “Your wounds need to be treated.” Tara shook her head. “Your husband is upstairs in the main room. He’s going to need emergency medical attention as soon as possible or he will perish. You must hurry. Know that he loves you and would gladly give his life for you.”