My brows shot up. “Him, who?”
“Mathis.”
You are Mathis.
But at the same time, he wasn’t. He was entirely different. Softer. With kinder eyes.
Maybe not…
I frowned. Eyeing him warily. “And who are you?”
“Jonas.”
I was trying to put the pieces together to puzzle this out, but my numbed brain was struggling. “Are you trying to convince me, you aren’t Mathis?”
“I’m not.” He said flatly. His voice breathy and hollow. “In a weak moment, I invited in a monster. And he’s walked in my skin ever since.”
“In your skin?”
“My body...” He said slowly.
“You’re saying Mathis is the thing possessing that body up there?”
“My body.” He nodded.
As if he thinks I’m stupid.
“If he’s possessing your body, how are you here?”
“Because of you.”
I gave him an impatient glare. Lowering my head in warning.
He waved his hands before him. “Here
I went toward the booths. Meandering until I found James’ meat stand. Seeing the chickens hanging upside down from the beam above on the right. Squirrels hanging from the right. The scent of cooking pork emanating from a giant pit just behind the stand. Cooked bird legs laid out on a platter. My mother was there. Haggling with him over the price of some meat. Her long wavy brown hair running down her back. Telling me it was her. Her shoulders were broad, and she was a small squat woman. But she made up for that in gentleness and intelligence. Her voice was raising, and I could see father from the bakery giving me a meaningful look. He nodded toward the stand for me to go help her. I swept my long hair over my shoulder to get it off my sweating neck and headed for the stand. I caught mom’s arm. She turned to me. Flushed and furious. “What’s wrong?” I asked her in a quiet voice. “He didn’t deliver the last chickens I purc
“You’re truly going to deny my family the meat they purchased because I choose not to wed?” “I’ll deny them ever buying any again!” He declared. “Whoa!” My father emerged from the darkness. He was stout and tall and despite the bit of baldness on his head, he was still very imposing. And right now, he looked angry. “Why on earth are you shouting at my daughter?” “Unfortunately, Sir,” James declared. “I’m fresh out of chickens for you to purchase tonight.” “Ma already bought them!” I argued. Outraged that he would continue to say she was a liar. Trying to get more coin from us. James’ lip curled in contempt. The light from his torch dancing over his furious face. “You’re mistaken.” “You’re calling my mother a liar.” “I am telling you I wasn’t paid. And that’s the end of the tale.” “Because I won’t wed you!” “What?” Father caught my arm and pulled me behind him. “I made an
I had no choice I pulled on a clean dress and my shoes. Barely remembering to snatch the vial from my drawer, before quietly crept from my window. Headed up WitchFall Hill. I found myself aimed for the last place I ever wanted to go again. His home. The vial cooled in my hand. The night breeze making it chilly. It dusted the treetops, making them flow like dark wings in the near blinding air. The bleak building towered above threateningly. Orange flamelight emanating from windows just above the ground. Leading to the dungeons. The higher rooms were a soft yellow from meager candlelight. He prefers the dark… Realizing I couldn’t keep the vial in my hand I tucked it between my breasts, resting safely just behind where my bodice cinched the dress. I was chewing my cheek. Wishing that someone else could be doing what I was doing while I rested. My eyes felt heavy, and I was so unspeakably
I gave Udora a quick glance. But she was staring at the table. Hurt that I’d chosen to rest rather than coming to him another night? Taking another chance that might save her. I wondered. I saw a single tear trailing her cheek to fall to the table. He reached behind him to give her head a reassuring pat. The motion disturbed me. He’s comforting her? My brows drew together in confusion. He offered me the plate. “Eat, Spitfire. You’ll need your strength.” He twisted a bit of meat apart and offered it to me. My eyes narrowed on him. He tipped his head back and laughed. “As I suspected.” He set the plate down before me. Spinning the fork between his fingers to offer me the handle. Letting me do it myself despite his intense need for control. He leaned over to whisper near my ear. One hand splaying beneath my neck, touching my collarbones as his fingers stret
I stopped just inside the door. Staring in horror at the shining thing in the center of the room. Glinting metal in the moon’s glow peering down from the skylight, which inexplicably allowed in moonlight from the sky. Despite that we buried in the core of the stronghold. I stared at the device in the center of the room. A giant metal ring with flat pieces going from another smaller ring in the center. Padded with fur. The four flat pieces were all rising from the small ring straight upward. Mathis walked to them and expertly began separating the flat plates and moving them apart. Letting two scrape down to the bottom and setting the other two at a forty five degree angles from the center. “What is this?” I asked fearfully. “Something new.” He said cheerfully. Adjusting those flat plates and then sliding over levers and setting them to hold the flat pieces in place. Pinched between the levers. He went to a black corner and brought out a
“What would it take to make you stop?” I blurted. Finding myself begging as he entered me another inch. The burn becoming excruciating. “Turn yourself over to me.” As a slave? What does he mean? Nothing about that sounded good. “Meaning?” My eyes were squinted closed, and I was blowing slow breaths. Trying to concentrate on his words even as I fought against the overwhelming pain. It was an entirely different sensation than any before, and so far, I didn’t find it even slightly pleasurable. “Offer yourself to me in her place.” As one of the hanging girls. Those pitiful wretches who’ve surrendered all hope. I couldn’t do that. That’s worse than death. “To be one of your toys forever?” I glared at him. Not doing that! “You’d be the only one.” He said. As if that would reassure me. “Wouldn’t that be an honor?” I said bitterly. “It would. Y
I was both in my body and outside of it. Seeming to float in a different part of the room. From there the vision below was astounding. I could see the powerful flexing of his back and backside. His tanned flesh moving sensually over me as he pounded into my backside. Distantly, I could feel the agony, the self-pity I was dwelling in. But from here, I could see that the strange silver-trimmed wings had folded up from my shoulders and then backward and down to lodge into his lower back. Pushing him down and slowing his movements. Sweat was beaded on him from the exhaustion of struggling against the unseen force. Does he know? The dark streamers were branching from him like sweeping tentacles, invading every part of me. But they were thinning over time. Growing weaker. Yet, those black and silver wings seemed to ripple as though they were somehow feeding on him in the same way he fed on me.
“I’ve been true to my word, thus far Spitfire. Don’t press me. Bear in mind that when you lack all honor, all conscience, your word means perilously little to you anymore.” He’s reminding me how conscienceless he truly is. As if I could forget… “Then why are you keeping it to begin with?” “Such a clever little thing.” He praised. Arms falling as though he were truly impressed. Though I doubt it. I somewhat expected some venomous remark to follow but instead he answered my question. “Because it matters to you. And for now, I like this game as it is.” I hated that he never gave me any reassurances regarding the future. He enjoys watching me writhe. He always left it open to point out that he could change his mind at any moment and simply not let me leave one day. And as I’d already considered, no one would ever even know I was here. That dark reminder gave me col