by HP Mallory
“What has he done to deserve you, Lily?” The truth of my question astonished me as I stared down into her eyes. She opened her mouth a few times, as if to answer, but then closed her lips again. I heard the snicker coming from my mouth. “You can’t even answer.”
“The heart wants what it wants,” she said with a shrug.
“I’ll return with you under one condition.”
“What?” she asked, taking a step back from me. I was more than sure it was owing to the fact that she didn’t trust herself as much as I didn’t trust myself.
I moved to stand just inches away from her, forcing her to feel every bit of the burning need I felt each and every time I looked at her. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that if you hadn’t met Tallis first, you still would have chosen him over me. Tell me that if I’d been the one you met in the Dark Wood that day, instead of him, that we would have ended up standing here in this same situation.”
“I love him.”
“That’s not an answer,” I insisted.
“It’s the only answer I have.” Her bottom lip trembled, and she glanced around in a panic.
“But it’s not an answer.”
She glared up at me. “Hypothetical situations don’t matter, Asterion, because that’s not what happened. I didn’t meet you first. I met Tallis. And I fell in love with him. And the circumstances that led me to fall in love with him remain the same. We can’t go back and change things, Asterion.”
“What if we could?” I asked, eyeing the expanse of the sea again. “What if we could leave right now and never look back?”
“We can’t,” she said, shaking her head.
“What if this isn’t a Trial? What if it’s simply an option for us to be together?” I insisted. “We could board that ship and we could disappear. And I could spend each and every night and every morning inside you. I could fill your womb with my children. We could be happy, Lily.”
“No, Asterion,” she said and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I love Tallis, and you know we wouldn’t be having this conversation if this place wasn’t messing with your head. You have to… Let. It. Go.”
“Let you go, you mean?”
“Yes.”
I reached into my pocket and gripped the coin I kept on my person at all times. It was stolen from Plutus’s vault. Cursed by the God of Wealth. And it reminded me of the life I’d lived before fate had begun to play her cruel games.
The coin felt hot in my palm. I didn’t want to give it to her because I knew what that meant. It meant I would be willingly giving her away. I gritted my teeth as I dropped the coin into her extended palm.
“There,” I said, my voice tight. “I’m letting you go.”
There was pain in her eyes but she smiled all the same. “Thank you.”
I nodded and tried to banish the disappointment that made a home in my heart. It wasn’t disappointment over Lily’s rejection, but disappointment in myself. I’d betrayed Tallis’s trust and nearly ruined everything I’d accomplished up to that very moment. Lily grasped my hand, and pain reverberated through my body. A crushing weight crashed down on me as she jumped out of reach.
“Asterion!” she screamed, but I barely heard her over the deafening roar in my ears. I dropped to my knees as I held each side of my head, scrunching my eyes shut tight against the monster wail that roared through my head.
“Behind you!” Lily screamed.
I turned to look as a monstrous beast with three heads appeared to birth itself from the sand of the beach just beyond the ship.
Asmodeus. The Demon Prince of Lust, and he didn’t take kindly to people freeing themselves of his hold.
“What do we do?” she asked.
I realized the ship was the only way out now. “We have to board the ship,” I said as I faced her.
“Is this some sort of ploy…” she started.
I shook my head. “No. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“You just said…”
I shook my head harder. “I won’t do that to you. Not after what you just said. Not after what we came so close to doing—losing ourselves to this… place forever.”
“Okay, I trust you,” she said with a smile.
With that, we climbed onto the ship as Asmodeus started towards us. I pushed Lily down behind three large, wooden barrels and handed her a revolver from the holster around my waist.
“Know how to use one of these?”
“No, but I’ll figure it out.”
“Just make sure you aim at the demon and not me,” I laughed.
###
LILY
“Aye, aye, Captain!” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
Fuck, we’d come close. Too close.
Asterion rolled his eyes and leapt over the railing in the blink of an eye. He ran much faster than a man his size should have been able to and pulled the revolver from the holster attached to his hips. The three-headed demon, Asmodeus, he’d called it, was right on his tail.
Looking down at the gun in my hand, I pulled back on the hammer and heard it click. That was a good thing, right? “How do I work this thing?” I shouted.
When no answer came, I holstered the weapon and grabbed a nearby sword that was buried between two wooden barrels. As I pulled the sword out, I realized with shock that it was my own sword! How it had gotten here, I had no clue. But I also wasn’t going to ponder it long. Not when there was a demon we needed to kill.
Asterion already had the beast cornered by the time I arrived. At least Asterion had him cornered until Asmodeus began to grow into the size of a skyscraper. Asterion fired rounds into the demon over and over; each bullet hit its mark, but Asmodeus refused to go down.
“I can’t fucking kill him!”Asterion yelled.
“I’ve got an idea.”
“No.”
“You didn’t even hear it yet,” I argued, frowning at him.
“I don’t need to hear it to know it’s a bad idea.”
“How do you know that?”
“Connection between us, remember?” he asked with a smile.
“Fine, then how do we kill this thing?” I sliced at the beast’s legs, growing more frustrated by the second. Asterion frowned up at Asmodeus, but he said nothing. “Well?” I demanded. “Out with it?!”
“I need to throw you.”
“Throw me?!” I shrieked, staring at Asterion as if he’d lost his damned mind. Which, I think he had, actually.
“You’re better with your sword than I am with this gun,” he said as he motioned to the useless thing in his hands. “And I have a feeling there’s something special about your sword—something we need at the moment.”
“There is something special about my sword,” I said, surprised he’d picked up on the same. “How did you know that?”
“I could feel it. I could feel it through you. When you picked it up, it was like this humming started up within me,” he answered.
“So what were you saying about throwing me?” I asked with a smile.
“I’ll throw you up, and then you stab Asmodeus through the heart with your sword.”
“How do you think you’re going to throw me so high?”
“Because I’m the Minotaur,” he answered as he inhaled deeply. “And I have strength the likes of which no human man has.”
“And you thought my idea was going to be bad?”
Asterion didn’t wait for me to agree. The next thing I knew, he was changing into his bull form, without bothering to spare his clothes. They screeched and ripped beneath his muscles as he shifted into the shape of the bull. And when he was finished, he stood there as enormous and intimidating as ever. And he was naked and hard. Great.
“Come,” he said and motioned for me to walk forward.
Then he wrapped his hands around my waist, bent down onto his haunches and sprang forward with a strength that surprised me. I was even more surprised as I was launched into the air like a cannonball. Asmodeus seemed equally shocked and ill prepare
d as I pulled back on the pommel of my blade and then thrust myself forward, driving my blade into his heart as hard as I could. Then I gripped onto the pommel tightly and allowed gravity to do the rest of the work as I slid down several feet. Sticky goop poured out of his middle, raining down on top of me. I closed my eyes against the disgusting mess.
Asterion caught me before I landed on the deck of the ship. We were covered with the repulsive substance and as I brought my hands up to clear the goop from my eyes, I blinked and then found myself in the waiting room. A second later, Asterion popped out of the air just beside me. He looked as shocked as I felt.
The receptionist gave us a disgruntled expression and a humph when she noticed how filthy we were.
“Besom!” Tallis said as he neared us and then stalled once he noticed Asterion was devoid of clothing. Then he was in the latter’s face before Asterion could defend himself.
“What the bloody,” Tallis started as he gripped Asterion’s hair.
“Tallis, don’t,” I said as I stepped between them. “Nothing happened.”
“Then why is he arse nekked?”
“Because he changed into the form of the bull,” I answered.
Tallis stepped away from Asterion and took a deep breath. “Me apologies.”
“Accepted,” Asterion said with a quick nod.
Luckily the receptionist showed us to an area where we were able to shower and replenish ourselves before the final stretch. She seemed impressed with our progress. It was clear we’d made it much further than anyone else ever had. Pride and happiness swelled in my chest when I thought about everything we’d been through and how we’d each triumphed, owing to the fact that we’d relied on each other. It was teamwork that had gotten us this far.
When I turned down the corridor, I found Asterion waiting for me outside the showers. His towel was wrapped around his hips, but I knew the faint blush on his cheeks had nothing to do with the heat from the shower.
“You saved us back there,” he grumbled.
“We saved us.” I gave him a weak smile and he saw right through it.
“Look, Lily, we don’t have to say anything. Nothing has to change just because I was an idiot and couldn’t control myself.”
“You weren’t an idiot. We were stuck in a situation we shouldn’t have had to deal with at all.”
“I would like to say I’d never betray yours or Tallis’s trust, but I can’t say that without lying.” He took a deep breath. “Whatever happened back there, whatever choices we made which turned out to be the correct ones… none of that changes the fact that I want to be with you, Lily. And I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. And I’m sorry too,” I said gently. “The Trial brought out the worst in us; that’s what these Trials are about. We overcame them once, so I think we can do it again.”
“You’re right, of course. I’m sorry, Lily.”
“Don’t be,” I said with a smile before glancing down at myself. “Now, I have to get this crap off me before I throw up,” I finished.
He nodded, and I ducked into the showers to wash the nasty goop away. Steam filled the small bathroom as I scrubbed the entrails of demon away with the earthy scented soaps. The sound of the door opening made me pause but when I spotted Tallis’s naked form walking through the steam, I relaxed. A thin mist covered his chest and face. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to touch him. Tallis took the rag from my hand and began to gently wash my body. Capable hands covered me in suds before rinsing them away with painstaking care.
“Ah missed ye, Besom.”
“I missed you too.”
Tallis’s bare hands replaced the rag as he let it drop to the floor. “I’m sure ‘twas hard for ye both.”
I swallowed hard. I wouldn’t lie to him. “It was hard.”
“I’m proud o’ ye,” he said.
“I’m proud of myself,” I answered. “And I’m proud of Asterion, too.”
I busied myself with washing Tallis. He stood patiently beneath the water. My hands traced the lines of his abs and the v-shaped crevices of his pelvis. I peered up from beneath a curtain of wet hair and saw him bite his lip. Fingers slid through my hair, and I slowly dropped to my knees. “Try to keep quiet,” I whispered against his hip. Tallis leaned his shoulders against the wall and widened his stance to make room for me between his legs.
“I dinnae think we should be doin’ this right after ye finished yer battle with Lust.”
“There’s nothing between us that’s a sin, Tallis,” I argued. “The way we love each other could never be wrong.”
His knees buckled when my lips wrapped around the tip of his cock and I sucked him. Tallis tangled his hands in my hair and held on. The slight tug made me moan around him. He flexed his hips and muttered an apology. It was hot as hell. But I wanted more of him. I growled in frustration, pushing forward until his girth slid deeper and deeper into my mouth.
“Lily,” he moaned and pushed me away.
I looked up at him in surprise. “Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’ve been thinkin’ aboot the vision ye had,” he started.
“Which one?” I asked with a laugh.
“The one with Sorcha and me and… Asterion.”
“Okay.”
“I believe ye need to have Asterion inside ye.”
I frowned because I was confused. “Tallis…”
“Listen please,” he said and held up a hand to quieten me.
“Okay.”
“I believe the problem with yer magic an’ why ‘tis spotty at best is because ye need both o’ oos to help ye release it. I think yer vision was an explanation, Lily. I believe Sorcha was tryin’ to tell ye somethin’. Ye need to have oos both.”
“At the same time?”
“Aye, at the same time.”
“Are you… okay with that?”
He nodded. “I’ve had time to consider it an’…” he sighed. “There is a part o’ me that wants to see it, lass.”
“You want to see it?” I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve thought aboot watchin’ him claim ye an’ I have to admit that it makes me jealous, aye, boot there is a part o’ me that is… turned on.”
“Is this what you want?”
He nodded. “Aye.”
I took a deep breath. “I need to think about it, Tallis.”
“O’ course, lass.”
I took his cock back into my mouth and pushed until his length triggered my gag reflex and then I pushed past it. Looking up at the tortured expression on his face had to have been the most erotic thing I’d ever experienced. The furrow of his brow and the quick swipe of his tongue along his top lip. My fingers dug into his thighs as I swallowed him down.
My nose touched the dark thatch of wiry hair at the base of his throbbing shaft. I felt his pulse in my throat, and then pulled back slowly. The wet slide caused me to squeeze my thighs together. The quiet grunts Tallis let loose bounced off the tiles, mixing with the sounds of my slurping.
I swallowed him down and then sucked as I pulled my mouth up his length. Tallis began to thrust to meet my mouth. He jerked away, but I held him steady.
“Ah will nae last long, Besom…” he managed.
I climbed to my feet and walked to the opposite wall. His eyes raked over my wet body as I braced my hands against the tile and spread my legs, bending at the waist. Tallis was on me in the blink of an eye.
“Filthy temptress.”
“Only for you.”
A possessive energy swirled around us, and I wanted more. I wanted to be owned by Tallis and to own him in turn. The head of his cock pressed against my….
Anger and something much darker took ahold of me...
Envy…
No.
I leapt out of Tallis’s reach. But, no, this wasn’t Tallis. We weren’t in the shower any longer, but we were somewhere else entirely…
Images became clear once more, and I found myself staring down at
… myself, pleasuring Tallis with my mouth as I had in the shower. Only this was a memory from a long distant time and a memory that wasn’t mine.
Though it was my body that brought him pleasure, it wasn’t really me.
Persephone.
I fell to my knees and vomited on the floor. Seeing them together was by far the worst thing I could have ever witnessed.
I knew it was Envy toying with my mind, but I also knew Tallis and the bitch had history. And though I could argue that the same had happened between Alaire and me… it was still different. Alaire had taken advantage of me through Persephone, but Tallis knew both me and her separately as lovers.
I couldn’t help but wonder if she was better than me.
Sorcha, Jenny, Persephone, and... whoever else Tallis managed to bed before we met… All of them began to mingle inside my head, each drowning the other out with tales of sex with my bladesmith.
I felt sadness breaking through the disgust and jealousy. Tallis had been the only man I willingly gave myself to, but I wasn’t his only anything. Long before me, Tallis had loved and fucked to his heart’s content.
Was I merely another passing fancy?
I couldn’t stop the self-doubt and the seething fury that boiled up inside me.
As if summoned by my conflicting emotions, my sword appeared on the ground beside me. I wiped my mouth on the back of my sleeve and gripped the handle.
And then I felt her presence.
I looked up and watched Persephone as she left Tallis and walked towards me. Her face was replaced by a serpent’s grin.
It would be so easy to carve the bitch up like a Thanksgiving turkey. But I knew that wasn’t the way. It wasn’t right—wasn’t what I was meant to do.
Water began to fill the small room until the walls gave way and I found myself submerged in a great lake, surrounded by tall reeds.
Where was I? I circled around and around again before I felt something looping around my ankle. After another second, I was yanked downward even as I fought to free myself. But, whatever this was, it had me.
Lightning flashed and illuminated the body of a dragon-like creature that slithered through the water. It released me and I swam towards the surface as quickly as I could and broke through the surface with a scream that crawled up from my throat.
