What if he wants to take me here, in-front of all of them? That thought was petrifying.Theyโd all want a turn.I knew there was as many of them as the road was wide and straining back for as far as I could see until the next hill dipped.Too many.Iโd never survive.My breaths were ragged, and I stared at him fearfully.Donโt break me. Not here. Not with them watching.His thumb rubbed over my cheek. โSurrender to me, Baby Girl. You may be surprised what happens.โI yanked backward shoving his touch away. โNothing you could ever do would surprise me anymore. If youโre going to take me to your vile king, letโs just get there and get this over with.But that wasnโt what I was thinking.I was thinking I had to get away from him before dark.I knew how deceptive Gray could be. Sweet touches, tender kisses, every soft word thatโd have a woman melting and then the twist of the knife.It was a lesson Iโd never forget.Not after I lost everything.He stole it all from me.***We topped the n
Staring at the bush as I waited for a bit of movement. I looked up at Gray. โCan I pee before we continue?"His suspicious look burned into my soul.โA woman has to pee, Gray. Not everything is more complicated than that.โโIt is with you.โ He wasnโt fooled for a moment.He nodded toward the trees behind us.I lifted my wrist. Pointing out that his was still hooked to it.โIโll go with you.โโNo!โโYes.โโLeave me a hint of dignity, Gray.โ I demanded.His brow lowered. Distrust written over every corner of his features. His jaw ticked and I sensed he had something cruel to say.I waited for it. Prepared to deliver a scathing retort. I had no intention of giving ground on this.He reached into a sheath under his right arm and pulled out a curved blade. Twirling it in his fingers before catching it in a fist. Giving me a dark look as he swept it up between our lists.My gaze didnโt waver on him, knowing he was too precise to ever nick me.There was a sudden, painful flash of a sunlit tr
I ducked behind a wall of bushes, peering over them to see Gray was a few trees away with his back turned. I could just see the blue of his cloak and one shoulder, visible around the tree.He was the only one that wore the blue cloak, so I knew it was him.I turned around and adjusted my clothes enough to squat down to pee. Figuring he could probably hear me from the distance away he was. I finished peeing and put my clothes back on. Staying low as I went to a nearby puddle and quietly scrubbed my hands.Just when I was expecting Gray to call to me asking what I was doing, he was suddenly next to me.โTime to go.โ He snapped just as a howling wind swept through the trees. Snatching my upper arm he began dragging me further into the trees.I leapt from my skin. Pulling at his grip because it had startled me.And because itโs Gray.But his head turned to look at me and I noticed his movements were slower. More stilted and rough.Gray always moved like a predator. His head whipping, when
Ouch. That was my first thought upon waking up. My head throbbed.I was on the back of a horse. Strung over it and tied at my ankles and wrists. I recognized the mount as the one that had been friendly enough to tolerate me before.A nice horse really.My head was humming. And I could see a bit of blood on my shoulder from where my head had seeped.Theyโd hit me with a rock. That much was clear.I lifted my head as much as the pain would allow and saw that we were surrounded by more horses. At least two skins rode horses nearby.โWhy did she send them?โ Verias was asking his brother.โShe didnโt trust weโd bring her back.โ Reimus said from next to me. Nodding toward me, I assumed.โI donโt want to give her to the woman.โ Verias said.โI, neither.โโHow are we going to get rid of the Skins?โ Verias whispered.โWeโll have to kill them when we get a bit closer. Right now we need to keep moving as far away from the Pyre Army as we can. Soon as the horseโs have rested a bit more, weโll run
The mage lifted through the water. His long hair draping his face and over his shoulders as his watery frame lifted from the water.Brown and clear water rolled down over him, completely outlining his shimmering frame. He swung his arms and created a strange whirlwind which created a dust storm from the dirt around us, sweeping it up between the Feral Fey and I in a way I could escape them.โCome to me, Spark. I will tend you, keep you! Come to me!โ He pleaded. Reaching out toward me.I just barely ducked his reach. โOrin, no!โI dodged another hand trying to grasp me as I fled from his reach.โCome back, Spark. Iโve missed youโฆโ I knew that haunting note in his voice. Knew that he was every bit as bad as the King Eternus.Except I have been in Orinโs dungeon. His plaything for nearly a fortnight.โOrin, donโt!โ Iโd gone from the pan to the fire. Now he was intent on driving me back into his clutches.Into that trough.***Orin sent up a wall of water next to me to cut off my way to t
Catching one of her black ringlets, Kareni wound it around her finger thoughtfully. Wrapping her other arm beneath bountiful breasts. The dark ebony hue of her shining skin drawing attention to the tops of the globes which nearly spilled from the loose bodice of her dress. โI must admit, I can see why Orin was fascinated with you, perhaps not why obsessedโฆBut interestedโฆโโI donโt want Orin, Kareni.โโYou were his lover.โI sneered at the word. Couldnโt be further from the truth.โI wasnโt his lover. I was his prisoner.โโYou are all he speaks of.โโThat is not my doing.โโYou are all he desires. He can no longer attain his passions with me. He must have skinnier girls with pale flesh.โ She purred. โOnes that he can imagine are you.โโAgain. Not my doing.โโWouldnโt it be nice if you could return things to the way they were. Between he and I.โโI know you loved him.โโYes, you did.โโI thought he was my friend.โโUntil he took you captive?โ She said a bit askance.โThat is generally t
Goblins. I winced.I silenced but gave her a defiant look.Her dark brown eyes slid down to my lips just above my small pointed chin. She lowered hers to them and pressed her mouth to mine. Caressing her lips over mine.โMmm. You do taste as sweet as the rumors say.โ She crooned. โAnd I can feel the heat of you, the light when I close my eyes, from just being near you. You are indeed, intoxicating.โI blinked at her. Sighing heavily. Great.โI will let him have you. But after, I will come to fetch my own taste of the pretty Spark.โ She reached to slap the top of one bobbing breast.I hissed at the sharp flicker of pain. โNow wash those pretty parts for him, My Dear.โShe pointed beneath the water.Closing my eyes in mortification, I took the rag she offered to me in her other hand. Wondering where it had been before, I tried not to think about it as I washed myself.โWhy do you keep doing that.โ She pointed to my left hand which was still spinning lazy circles in the water.โTo keep t
Kareniโs temporary kindness had been a nice reprieve.Itโd bordered on tender.For whatever reason.I now found myself standing naked before her, while she worked a horse hair brush through my hip length strands. Working them until they were straight and shimmering.โQuite pretty when itโs clean. But you, youโre a mess.โ She was leaned over looking at the side of one of my thighs. โYou are quite literally covered in bruises.โโMore often than not.โ I stared forward.โWe could powder those, I suppose. But not much point, itโll be dark enough by the time youโre readied for him that there wonโt be much light for him to see.โโThank goodness for that.โ I said dryly. Not much caring what he did or didnโt see. Iโd become pretty desensitized to the idea of that a long time ago.More men in this country have seen me naked, than those that havenโt. I suspected.โDo you know who Archer Gray is?โโYes.โ I subsided. Very afraid that I now knew who my client would be.Archer found me?I couldnโt i
I put my faith in John Thomas.I put my faith in the Captain of the Blaze.And I climbed onboard.Ready to go to Haven Island.The Blaze was a massive ship. The wood was polished darkly but had been worn in some places, to a lighter color, by the sun. Making it seem even more striking. The words along the front were done in emblazoned orange lettering with flecks of blue emerging as though it were afire.The figure head was a flame.Well-done.It was certainly unique.Making it easy for those seeking sanctuary to find.Yet, Dock Patrol had no excuse to stop the ship. For despite all the rumors that it harbored fugitives, they were unable to come up with a proper reason to stop it.Or so the lore tells.It was a formidable ship.The mast was tall and it was sleekly built with high rails.Making it both beautiful and fierce.I was duly intimidated and impressed.
I couldnโt believe it. Weโre truly here. A part of me, had thought that I would never make it to Center City, much less to The Blaze. Iโd had to stop my horse and stare down the hill, at the city. Looming so long before us. Gray huts stretched far into the distance. Their stone structures worn from the pummeling of sea splashing. Thatched rooves showed much patching from constant repair. The sea was hard on residentsโ and shops in the areas. People were moving in every direction pushing carts of wares. Booths began at the bottom of the hill and stretched as far as I could see along the main path. It was an impressive sight. It reminded me of how Pyre had once looked. Before Gray destroyed my world. Mist wafted up from the sea and lingered over the length of it. Filling my nostrils with its damp aroma. I could hear children hawking their shells and metal workers offering
The Present I banished all those painful memories. Bringing myself back to the present. Reminding myself that I was just about to escape my daunting past. Nearly a breath away now. I couldnโt believe we were turning onto the road in Center Country, aimed straight for the dock. Finally. Weโre almost there! โNot much further now.โ John Thomas reiterated. โWeโll be there before you know it.โ I looked up at the sun. โWeโve just got to get there before him.โ โWe will.โ But I wasnโt so sure. I knew Gray traveled faster in daylight. Because the others are sleeping. When he had to travel with the whole army it slowed him down. Alone, he races. He was the fastest hound Iโd ever met. And Iโve met many. Gray was relentless. He rarely sleeps. When he has a scent he runs
I moved to walk past him but he caught my arm and turned me about. I was immediately irate. โWhere are you taking me?โ โTo the tavern up the hill. Calm down.โ I was breathing quickly. Wondering if the army would be up there. Expecting to take me to the king. But when I got there, he pulled the hood of his cloak up. Handing me a blue one. โPut this on.โ I did. Reluctantly. When we stepped into the tavern, no one paid us much mind. We walked to the counter and I set my hand on the counter. The tender immediately began staring at it. Reaching slowly toward my fingers. Gray casually brushed my hand off the counter and payed for a cask of wine and a huge lump of cheese. Catching the bottom of two goblets between his fingers as he turned away. We took it and went to a back table. I was frowning at him from beneath the hood. He waited for me to sit and then took the bench across from me.
The next time, Gray would not be so kind. But that was the last thing on my mind today. I was hiding in the abandoned cot of a hayloft. Trying to suffer through the heat of another miserable afternoon. I didnโt dare sneak out to try to steal a bit of food from the main house until after dark. That wonโt be for a while yet. So, sleeping through the afternoon was the best call. But I was finding that rather hard to manage. The heat was making my hair stick to my brow and shoulders in sopping strands. And sweat from my armpits made the oversized tunic Iโd found in the loft stick to me. I could hear the stable boys below working. They had newer quarters built next door and no longer slept up here. So, despite the tremendous heat, Iโd taken sanctuary here in the hopes of having some peace. But Craven had come. In the throes of my sweating sleep, I felt the first groping touch sliding over my belly an
I was at the pivotal point in my life where I now had to make a choice. Hate him as I knew I should, or accept some human kindnessโฆWhich I desperately wanted. โIโm not going to forgive you.โ He nodded. Saying nothing more as he handed me more food. I couldnโt help dropping my head to his shoulder. Letting myself rob some warmth from him to heat my aching bones and banish the chill that had crept in. He didnโt object, nor did he drop his head over mine, as he wouldโve before. He just let me be there. Handing me food. And I took it. He kept it coming until Iโd eaten so much that my belly felt as if it were twisting. I put a hand to it and lifted my head to give him a betrayed look. I slid to the ground. Groaning as I clutched it. โDid you poison me?โ I drew my legs up. I wondered if this was it. Heโs finally ready to kill what remains of the Pyre line. He crouched over me.
Iโd quickly learned that no matter his intention, the moment a manโs hand met my skin, he was aflame for me. Awash with lust and desperate to possess me again. Iโd put together there was something powerful in the pheromones generated by my pores, which could drive a male wild. I didnโt want to see Gray like that. And I didnโt want him pretending to be sweet to me ever again. Not after he killed my family. And betrayed me in every way possible. He was the last one I expected tonight. Having built my fire near the road, in the hope that monsters would stay at bay. But here he was. The cruelest of them all. His metal jangled as he materialized from the darkness to sit on the log across the fire from me. I stiffened. โHowโd you find me?โ โFiere.โ He sighed. Shaking his head wearily as if I were a nuisance child. โIโm always aware where you are.โ There was long silence between he spo
โGray.โ I said dully. A wary way of acknowledging his intrusion into my path. โBaby Girl.โ He dipped his head in greeting. So still, heโd almost appeared a statue before that moment. Just like he might have months ago. Before he destroyed me. โWhat do you want, Gray?โ He frowned. โJackson. Youโve never call me Gray.โ โWell, Iโve learned since then that your heart is as gray as the charred ash in the bottom of a mantle just before a maid takes it out.โ He flinched. โYou would think so.โ He visibly paled. โI didnโt come here to fight with you.โ โNo? Just to kill me?โ I asked acidly. Knowing I was trying to be defiant while barely clad in an oversized chemise stolen from a wealthy matronโs fence. Where her undergarments had been drying. Now they flowed around my small frame. Making plain that she was surely more substantial than I was. Most people are. By now I was half-st
Three Months after Pyre I dutifully opened. Feeling the hard ridges of his rod jamming into my mouth and too far back into my throat. I promptly gagged and pressed back on his thighs to try and get him out of my neck. I canโt breathe! What is he doing! He tasted like ash and smelled unwashed. I felt myself gagging, even when he was barely in my mouth. โMmm.โ His head fell back as I caressed my tongue along the side of him. โI love you, Little Slaveโฆโ I made a fake pleasured sound around him. Making him groan and jerk. Using the distraction, I sunk my teeth into him hard enough I was sure itโd leave scars. He screamed. A pained shout, retracting his hand from my head to wave it helplessly around me. I twisted once for good measure and whirled on my knees. Hoping that blinding pain would keep him from blocking my exit. It did. I ran through that d