Forest of Spirits

by S. J. Sanders

  His bare feet made hardly a sound on the forest floor as if he was made of the shadows that followed and gathered around him. Now that he was aware of it, he sent a part of his being into the woods and was able to feel the dark pulse of some malignant power awakening… feeding. Feeding in his woods!

  His lips downturned into a fierce snarl. He was the king of the silvani, highest king of the kings of the woods, lord of the Eternal Forest. Whatever this creature was, it would not succeed against him. Not in his forest where he was king!

  With a guttural growl, he quickened his pace. The trees blurred by him. He could feel them as part of himself, extending into the world around him. The animals called to him. His breath came in eager pants, the smell of growing things and decay filling his body with every indrawn breath.

  With it came something else. At first, he scented the disgusting smell of something undeniably from the human world. The smell was revolting—hot and metallic, mixing with the earthy scent of mud.

  Intruders were in his forest!

  An enraged snarl bubbled out of him. The presence of humans was expected in the outer woods, but not in the Eternal Forest! None entered without his invitation. He would deal with them first. His nostrils flared, catching the scent as he altered his path to track it. It mixed with the scent of blood that made his body tremble with need. Fear, death, and sex were so intimately a part of his nature that his desire for the taste of it fueled his rage. That torment did not belong in his sanctuary! Just beneath the stench, he detected the sweetest perfume. It invaded and pulled at him, and he was lost to it. His cock pulsed, and his body quivered with need. With a snarl, he raced toward the strange mingling of scents, determined to find those who dared enter his domain and the feminine scent that lured him.

  The very trees shook and moaned around him when he roared, broadcasting his pent-up desires. He was close enough that it took little time to close the distance between them. He caught a glimmer of gold hair, and a fresh wave of her scent that filled him like a sweet wine and made him drunk. With a triumphant bellow, he leaped out from the trees, arms outstretched to snag his prize into his embrace.

  It was a human, and she was his!

  For whatever reason, the human had enticed his instincts. Never before had such a thing happened, but he did not question it. She dared to lure him and now he was claiming her. No other would touch her or have any possession of the female until his passions for her were spent.

  Chapter 4

  The smell of oil and gas was strong, as if someone had punctured and drained the fluids from a vehicle out in the woods. Diana wrinkled her nose and coughed. Still, she hurried toward it, trepidation filling the pit of her stomach. She knew what she would find before she even arrived.

  Turned on its side, the yellow jeep dripped gas from the broken tank. It looked mauled, the metal twisted and torn as if enormous claws had ripped at the metal sides. There was no doubt any longer as to the fate of the men. She could smell the metallic tang of blood. Worse, she could see the vivid sprays of it upon the jeep’s sides and pooling on the grass beneath where it dripped from the seats. There were no bodies, just the ruin of the jeep, and blood.

  Stepping through the strewn metal, Diana made her way around the vehicle, curious to see if there were any footprints from someone who might have escaped. There were stray trails that made her hopeful that, just maybe, a couple of the men got out alive. Her stomach flipped, however, when she saw ragged chunks of torn flesh sticking to the seats, some coated with blood that slipped down to where a small collection of fatty tissue was gathering at the opposite side of the vehicle.

  Diana gagged and turned away from the gruesome sight. Her muscles seized as she tried to resist the urge to vomit. Leaning over, she rested her palms on her thighs and took deep, shuddering breaths. She nearly had it under control when a roar ripped through the trees, making her heart surge with terror. She didn’t know if it was the same creature she heard before, but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

  It was only with great effort that she managed not to scream as she tore away from the truck. The trees moaned behind her, branches whipping as something came barreling at her. Terror clogged her throat, her breaths coming up in sharp gasps as tears tracked down her cheeks. She didn’t want to die just yet.

  She heard feet hit the earth behind her as if something had jumped to the ground, and another roar chasing on her heels. She wasn’t going to be able to outrun it. She knew that with absolute certainty.

  A small whimper squeezed out of her throat as she reached back and grabbed an arrow from her quiver. She was signing her death warrant attacking anything in the woods, but as far as she knew, she was a dead woman anyway. Trembling, she notched the arrow into place, spun around, and raised her bow. The creature that charged toward her made her shake with horror. His face was contorted into a fierce snarl, long, horrible fangs bared. It was terrifying against his inhuman coloring, the bits of color flashing between massive antlers, unsettling her as they swung chaotically.

  She did not think. Her arrow flew. The sick, wet sound of its impact was unnaturally loud as the arrow pierced the creature’s shoulder. Its face wrinkled in fury as it pounced. Diana did not realize that she had notched another arrow until it lifted, but this time, there was no opportunity to fire as its body collided with hers, the feel of lethal muscle slamming into her as it brought her down to the ground. The arrow flew loose, and she heard it hit a tree some distance away, only an afterthought as she met the inhuman white eyes that stared down at her. The crimson ichor that seeped from its wound appeared similar to human blood, except the scent was wrong. It had a sweet floral smell as it dripped on her from above, its face lean close to her, bringing its fangs nearer to her vulnerable skin.

  Her breath left her in a reedy sound of despair. Whatever it was… it was going to kill her. Its tail, thick and tufted at the end like that of a lion, swished behind it as its silky ears turned toward her, its nostrils flaring. It pressed closer until she felt something familiar against her sex through their clothing, the hard length pushing at the juncture between her thighs. The monster holding her was an extremely aroused male.

  Whimpering, Diana struggled to get free. His hold tightened, his blood splattering on her with every shift of the arrow in his attempt to keep her in his grasp as his pearl-colored eyes, bisected by a narrow, pale-gray pupil, shined down on her. He lowered his head until his mouth rested beside her ear, his tongue slipping out to caress the lobe of her ear before catching the flesh between his teeth and tugging with just the slightest pinch of pain. The touch zapped straight down to her clit, making her hips jerk against him as her pussy clenched.

  Horror shot through her at the flood of arousal, her panties soaking as he continued to lick along her ear and neck, his hips grinding against her insistently as he growled into her ear.

  “You shot me,” a deep voice rasped, sending a new tremor through her.

  “Please,” she whispered faintly.

  He nuzzled her lightly, a deep purr echoing from him as one hand slid up his chest to grip the bolt. With one hard yank and a fresh spurt of sweet-smelling blood, he pulled the arrow free and tossed it aside.

  “Please?” he hissed. “For what do you beg?”

  “Don’t kill me,” she choked out.

  The creature stilled above her, nostrils flared, eyes half-closed in a look of pleasure. A thick black tongue stroked over his pale lips. “Your fear is exquisite, a liquor on my tongue. But never have I tasted anything like your desire, it burns within me. I am at an impasse as to which flavor I yearn for more,” he murmured in her ear. “You are a rarity. The light desiring the dark. Life desiring the embrace of death. Nature fluxes now between the two of us.” His lips dragged over her jaw, their touch petal soft.

  Diana squeezed her eyes shut, her arousal swiftly dying at his words. She wasn’t a fool—he was going to kill her. If he relished her fear, there was little doubt in her mind that he would enjoy he
r pain as well. He would terrorize her, torture her, possibly rape her, and eventually kill her. He was going to kill her just as he killed the hunters. She wondered if he had curled around them as well, tasting their terror before he finally tore them apart.

  She felt his nose butt against her neck and heard a small growl of frustration as he shifted over her. If she could have done so, she would have curled herself into a ball at that moment to evade the touch.

  “The scent is gone,” he growled in frustration, and her eyes snapped open as he jerked away only by a few inches, a puzzled scowl knitting his brow. “Why?”

  A weak laugh bubbled out of her. “I don’t get my jollies from the threat of being terrorized and killed.”

  “Your jollies?” he breathed against her skin. “Hmm. No. There is no pleasure in death outside of the little deaths that we suffer at the culmination of our desires. Worry not, I have no interest in killing you. I shall find a much more interesting purpose for your intrusion into my woods.”

  “Did you kill them for intruding?” she whispered, glancing over at the remains of the jeep.

  The monster on top of her froze and lifted his head, a scowl darkening his features as he seemed to notice the wreckage for the first time. With demonstratable reluctance, he lifted his body away from her as he stood once more, surveying the site. Scurrying back away from him, Diana pulled her feet under her and stood as well, watching his expression as it changed from confusion to rage.

  She had assumed that he was responsible for the carnage. She was wrong. If anything, that made her more afraid. The monster in front of her was frightening enough. The fact that there was something else that was doing this terrified her. She wanted to inch toward him, but stayed herself. He was no source of comfort and protection either. He was death—he claimed the title for himself. He was dangerous.

  Glancing around, she whispered nervously, “Was this Cacus?”

  The male’s head snapped around, his odd eyes fixing on her in a narrowed stare as he let out a thunderous growl. “Where did you hear that name?”

  Backing up a step, Diana swallowed. “A…uh—” Fuck, what were they called? Oh, yes! “—a faun said something about Cacus rising from the depths and hunting.”

  His head tipped toward her as he rounded on her, his jaw hard. “A faun spoke to you?”

  She nodded and attempted to backpedal as he crowded into her personal space until she was trapped between his strength and the tree behind her. “When I arrived here, I gave him what food I had, and that was the information he gave me, along with safe passage through his territory.”

  To her surprise, his lips quirked. He inclined his head, antlers dipping, making the jewels jingle softly with the movement. “Clever female, entering the wood with gifts of food for the fae.” Turning his attention back to the jeep he let out a long hiss of breath. “Cacus,” he hissed. “So the aelven were not exaggerating. This may be far worse than even the aelven court feared if the Tainted Ones are awakening.”

  He spun around so abruptly that Diana flinched, but she was unable to draw back before he grabbed her hand, his long white fingers closing around her wrist. He didn’t slow, yanking her with him as he strode by, nearly pulling her off her feet in the process. Stumbling along, she kept pace as he dragged her deeper into the forest.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked as he dragged her into the deep shadows of the woods, where numerous glowing eyes watched their passage. Small ghoulish-looking creatures with red caps bounded among the trees, their mouths parting in razor-sharp smiles and their broad noses scenting the air as they giggled. Their eyes glowed yellow in the dark, bisected only by an inky, diamond-shaped pupil. They licked their fangs and ran among the branches, leaping and ramming each other in their frolic as they attempted to keep up.

  The male holding her arm did not glance back at her, but he answered her question at length, his deep rolling voice breaking the cacophony of the creatures following them. “To my home. I need to make inquiries. If it is indeed Cacus, I will need to prepare,” he growled. “I am no son of Jove, but I fought in the divine wars against the Tainted Ones, the foul creatures of destruction. I am not without my own power.”

  “Tainted… You mean like the creatures that broke over our land, spreading sickness?” She didn’t know much about the matter, but tales had spread about the ravagers, monsters from the underworld that destroyed their world.

  He shook his head impatiently. “The miasma of the chthonic world intruding on the living world is different. It is more of a barrier between humanity and divine light that brings sickness in various forms. The Taint, however, is a true corruption that is against the gods and must be stopped. The Tainted Ones must be destroyed or returned to their prisons within the earth.”

  “Okay, great plan. But what are you going to do with me…?” she asked, praying that he might release her.

  He shot her a hard look, his lips curving in a merciless smile as if it were carved into place. He stopped and turned to her, a large hand reaching up to delicately trace the line of her jaw with one claw. “Your fate is as yet undetermined,” he murmured, his eyes glinting like moonstones in the dim light. “But whatever path it may take, your future now belongs to me.” The promise came out as a purr, his smile widening into a feral grin. “If that comforts you any.”

  “Not even a little,” she whispered under her breath as he snatched her wrist again and yanked her after him, his dark laughter rolling around her. The titter of the red-capped creatures made her shiver as she stumbled after him.

  “Do not fear, little one,” he rasped. “I am the most threatening king in these woods. I will not let you go, but you can be assured that only I shall devour you.” His eyes turned on her, liquid white heat. “And when I do, you shall find a far greater release in your surrender.”

  She went rigid at his pronouncement, offended despite the hot coal that burst to life within her. Yanking her arm back, she struggled against his grip, but it didn’t weaken or break, and the laughter of the little ghouls followed her as the male in front of her swung around and enclosed her firmly in his arms, lifting her easily off her feet.

  “You bastard,” Diana hissed, renewing her struggles foolishly against the supernatural being. She was all too aware that he could break her with minimal effort.

  He purred and crushed her tighter to his chest. “Indeed I am. The son born of a passionate embrace of the lord of the wood and the goddess of love and desire. But you may call me lucomo—your king.” He said nothing more as he ran his nose down her cheek. She trembled at the touch and drew in a breath that turned into a gasp as he moved at a dizzying speed through the trees.

  Resting her head back against his shoulder, Diana looked up and saw a pale dove lit from the branches above, its white body streaking through the trees.

  Chapter 5

  The beings of his court watched with open curiosity as he tugged the human huntress inside his abode. Though the palace was hidden from any who did not know its location, it was teeming with spirits whose eyes followed their movement from every corner. The human had mercifully ceased struggling before they arrived, so she did not attract undue attention or stir a feeding frenzy. It was all he could do to not imbibe of the fear that flowed off her. He was sated on the flavor, but did not wish to become drunk on it as some of his kind might. The wine of mortal essence stirred by their emotions was intoxicating and tempting to all of them.

  Silvas preferred to remain in control.

  All the same, he did not want the other denizens of the Eternal Forest to be feeding on the human. She was his… at least until the time that he finally tired of her. His hackles raised, and an aggressive shiver ran through him. No. Not even then. Perhaps then he would escort her back over the border of the Eternal Forest and into the human world. He could not tolerate the idea of another being touching her.

  Bemused by his predicament, he shifted the weight of the human, setting her a little higher and more comfortably ov
er his shoulder. His possessiveness toward her defied reason. It was normal to feel attraction. Many beings enjoyed slaking their desires on humans, especially those that fed on human emotion. Lust was just as potent as fear to their palate. It was rare, however, for possessiveness or attachment to develop, and unthinkable for them to occur instantaneously.

  It was also dangerous. He could not forget about that, no matter how much he was caught up in the female. He saw what it did. It made the powerful weak. Humans were even able to capture a gatekeeper of the underworld due to that weakness, and bound him in enchanted chains before he was able to break free. Silvas refused to allow that to happen to him, but he was also not in the habit of denying himself anything that he wanted.

  One of the troll guards, his body as coarse as the rocky earth, rose to his feet at Silvas’s approach, his dark green eyes filled with interest. “What delicacy do you have there, my king?”

  The human in his arms stiffened and then began to squirm as she turned to get a look at the male speaking. Silvas knew the minute that she caught sight of the troll by her startled gasp. Her delicate human fingers gripped his hair, and her weak claws dug into his back.

  Silvas snarled in the male’s direction, his power flaring around him, an oppressive shroud crackling and billowing around him in an aggressive threat. Vines snapped free from the palace walls, whipping at the troll, and the room darkened as the trees bowed closer together, blocking out what little remained of the light. The guard stumbled back as he turned his head away.

  “Not yours,” Silvas hissed.

  “Yes,” the troll uttered with a raspy croak. “Apologies, lucomo.”

  Silvas strode through the throne room. The eyes of his court were on him, but he refused to acknowledge them as long as they stayed out of his way. He was the lucomo of the Eternal Woods. It was his domain, and the huntress was under his protection. He was well aware that the denizens of his kingdom were watching the human with expressions varying from lustful to suspicious to curious. If none of them attempted to touch or approach her in a manner that insulted him or harmed her, he did not care what they thought. Order was all that was important in the Eternal Forest, and even that order compelled a chaotic alliance between all the forces and beings dwelling within. It was never peaceful or agreeable. Such things did not belong to the wilds of the Eternal Forest, where even those of the fair courts did not tread.