by Leia King
She looked up at him and met his intense gaze. The pull was so powerful. She couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to look away.
“You want me to take you,” he accused.
In the dark recesses of her mind, she knew something wasn’t right. She didn’t belong to him. But the faint warning seemed so far away. Who did she belong to, if it wasn’t Luca? The longer she held his gaze, the more everything else faded away until it was just the two of them.
“I know how you want it, princess. Let me give you what you’ve craved for so long,” he said, stroking her silky, black hair.
“Yes. I need you. Please.”
His lips brushed hers softly, hesitantly, until she responded to him. His fingers ran up and down her back, sending a shiver of sensation through her entire body. She moaned into his mouth, parting her lips for him. His tongue teased hers, joining with her, tasting every inch of her mouth, exploring thoroughly.
His kiss was all-consuming. She couldn’t think. She could only feel. It was like a drug and he’d just activated her addiction. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
She needed more.
His hands kneaded her breasts. He grazed her nipples with his thumbs, causing her to cry out at the delightful sensation.
“Yes, Luca,” she murmured, arching her back and pushing them deeper into his palms.
He broke their kiss and stepped back to pull his shirt over his head.
“Tell me you want me, princess.”
She decided to show him instead.
Her hands explored his sculpted chest. She’d forgotten how incredibly cut he was. She replaced her fingers with her mouth. Her tongue circled his nipples and then she licked the length of him from between his pecs all the way down to the waistband of his leather pants. The soft noise of satisfaction that he made turned her on all the more and she knew she couldn’t wait any longer.
“I need to feel you. Now, Luca,” she said, gripping his belt.
“Turn around,” he said softly.
She complied instantly, her fingers gripping the countertop so fiercely that her knuckles were white from her exertion. The anticipation of him was almost too much. She whimpered with need.
And then she felt him against her. The tip of his cock teased her soaking wet entrance. He slid inside slowly, kissing her hair, her neck, her shoulders.
He stilled within her for a moment. “Ready, princess?” he breathed into her ear.
She nodded fervently.
His hands gripped her hips, his touch so gentle, so loving. And then he pulled almost all the way out, stretching her walls to the limit, before plunging back inside and driving his thick cock right to the hilt.
“Yes! Fuck, Luca!”.
His steady, firm strokes had her in a frenzy within moments.
“Ah, I’m gonna come!”
“Not yet,” a familiar voice growled. It wasn’t Luca’s.
She craned her neck and was shocked to see Ryan now standing behind her, fucking her. Luca was nowhere to be seen.
“What are you—?”
His right hand clamped around her mouth, silencing her.
“No talking.”
And then he started to thrust into her hard. Brutally. Viciously. She whimpered into his hand.
“You’re gonna take what I give you and you’re gonna love it. You’re mine to do whatever I fucking want with.”
With his free hand, he raked his claws down her back, along her spine, drawing blood. She screamed into his hand and struggled in his grip, but he just kept fucking her.
“I control you, wife. You will accept it!” he roared. “You will accept me! You belong to a wolf, not a bloodsucker! I will fuck every thought of him out of you, whore!”
She shook her head vehemently.
“I’m gonna rip you apart until you submit to me,” he hissed in her ear. “Submit to me! I own you!” he bellowed ferociously. “Submit!”
Cora’s eyes snapped open and she shot up in bed.
She was startled to see Luca sitting on the edge, eyeing her worriedly.
“It was just a nightmare,” he told her softly, reaching out to comfort her.
She jerked away quickly. “Did you… did you do that?”
He shook his head, hurt flickering in his eyes at her accusation. “No, princess. I swear to you.”
“You… you didn’t?” she murmured, breathing hard and trying to rein in her panic.
“Princess, you are at full strength. Even if I wanted to, I cannot enter your dreams now.” He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. “You are shaking,” he said, pulling her against him.
She let him hold her. She needed the comfort. She couldn’t believe what she’d just dreamed, what Ryan had done to her, what he’d wanted from her. She was still in a daze from it and she found herself murmuring, “I won’t submit. I won’t. I can’t.”
Luca tightened his arms around her. “Shh. It’s okay. It’s all okay.”
“I can stop it. I can stop him.”
“Ryan?” he asked gently.
She nodded dazedly.
He kissed her chastely on the top of her head and told her soothingly, “Of course, princess. Your power is unmatched. You can stop anyone from doing anything to you. No one can harm you now.”
She broke down and started to cry as Luca held her against him, murmuring words of comfort.
4
Cora zipped up her leather jacket against the chill of the cold wind.
Her hands brushed the two stakes holstered at the hip of her leather pants. She fiddled with her hands, cracking her knuckles.
She caught Luca’s eye and saw the concern there as he walked beside her.
“What?”
“I am just concerned.”
“It was just a nightmare. I’m fine.”
“I know what you saw.”
She stopped in her tracks. “What?”
“When you were crying, your defenses were down. I saw your thoughts. I am sorry. I wanted to make sure you were okay and that what you’d experienced was just a simple dream and not a spelled dreamscape.”
Cora felt herself blush.
Humor flashed in his eyes. “It is nice to know that you imagined me in such a way.”
“Yeah, well. It was just a dream, Luca.”
“It is how you view him and me right now.”
“Luca—”
“I do not understand your fear of him. He has no power over you. You hold all the power, princess.”
“I… we have a mission. Let’s just get to the meeting place.”
“We are already here, Cora.”
She scanned the area. And, sure enough, he was right. They’d arrived in the infamous alleyway. She reached out and felt what she’d expected—the invisible barrier at the entrance of the back alley.
“Do you feel the energy?” he asked. “It’s encircling us.”
“Yes,” she said. “Vampire.”
The invisible barrier they’d crossed was a field of protection for vampires. No other species could sense them while they were within the circle that spanned a two-block radius. Cora had wanted to meet Michael there so there wasn’t any risk of Ryan finding out. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her with Michael and Luca. He’d get the wrong idea and all hell would break loose as a result of that temper of his.
“He’d better show this time,” Cora said. “He’s a day late now.”
“He has sent his apologies. He had something to take care of.”
“It concerns me as to what that was.”
“I was fulfilling my part of our agreement,” Michael’s voice came from behind them suddenly.
Cora and Luca spun around to see Michael standing there, his arms folded.
“You released the wolves from your spell?” Cora asked.
“Yes. They are free and no longer possess the poison I concocted.”
“How? They were broken under full moon torture.”
Michae
l held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. “Magic can do many things, my dear. It makes the impossible possible. The wolves are likely on their way to the Wolf King’s compound as we speak.” He must’ve seen the distrust in her eyes, because he went on, “You do not believe me. A simple solution would be for you to call your husband to confirm it. Oh, wait. You two aren’t speaking right now.”
“Michael,” Luca snarled.
“Do not pretend you are not happy about this turn of events. You have loved the princess for too long not to be.”
Cora stepped into Michael’s personal space and glowered up at him. “If you aren’t with me, you’re as good as dead. The two of you are enemies to everyone right now. I’m the only person strong enough to protect you. Would you rather I forget about our little deal and leave you to die?”
Michael smiled, apparently impressed. He grabbed her hand. “Do not fight me,” he urged, tightening his grip. He closed his eyes, concentration etched onto his features. “As I thought,” he said, his eyes snapping back open.
“What?” Cora asked.
“Luca told me that you wanted to meet, so I could teach you how to use your power without it draining so quickly.”
“Yes.”
“It is nothing you are doing,” he told her. “Have you let anyone connect with your power?”
“Ryan.”
“He doesn’t possess his own magic. It would have no consequence.”
“Vazra. When we were training, he helped me to reabsorb my magic through him.”
Michael and Luca exchanged a knowing glance.
“Very sly. Just his style,” Luca commented.
“Yes,” Michael agreed. He turned his attention back to Cora. “He’s implanted a magical block that is diluting your power, only allowing you to expend a certain amount of energy over a set period of time. It is what I was searching for when I touched you. You would have felt a burn when he did it, but as you were new to magic at the time, you probably assumed it was just par for the course.”
“He knows she is stronger than him, so he decided to rein in her abilities,” Luca said.
“An extremely dangerous thing to do.”
“Why?” Cora asked.
“Because, my dear, if I had known your power was compromised in such a way, I would have taken the opportunity to kill you that night you stormed the vampire mansion to rescue your wolf. I didn’t think I was any match for you, given the rumors. But with this block, I could have actually killed you that night. Right now, you don’t have the stamina to withstand a lengthy magical attack.”
Cora decided to blow past Michael’s comments about killing her, reminding herself that she needed to focus on the present situation and not the past, where she’d tried to kill him several times. She couldn’t afford to entertain her feelings. He and Luca had tortured her husband. If she focused on that she wouldn’t be able to work with them now. And she needed their help at the moment, just as they needed hers, hence their unholy alliance.
“Can you remove the block?” she asked.
“I need another to assist.” He eyed Luca. “You possess enough of your father’s power.”
Luca shook his head. “He nullified my magical ability right before he left me to die.”
“What?”
“We’ll just have to find someone else.”
“Who?” Michael snapped. “Cora knows plenty of white witches but we need dark energy to break this. It was created by white magic. Dark magic is needed to counteract it and destroy it. There is no one else powerful enough.”
“That is not entirely true,” a voice boomed through the still night.
All three of them turned to see Nathanial and Haraz standing behind them.
Everyone was silent for a few awkward moments.
Nathanial was the one who finally broke the tension, addressing Cora, “I see you took it upon yourself to save my son from his fate.”
“I—”
“I knew you would.”
“How?”
“Your affection for him, as a result of the betrothal bond, is strong enough that you cannot allow him to perish.”
“You engineered this?” Luca asked. “You didn’t really intend to kill me then?”
“I have considered it many times, Luca. You have not made it easy for me to forgo that option. It was intended as a scare tactic. My last attempt to make you see your true place in things. I knew it would take extreme measures to achieve that. Forcing you to stare death in the eye and having you truly believe you would die.”
“I don’t understand. You wanted this? You wanted the princess to save me, so I would ally myself with her?”
“For you to finally realize your true path and to work with us, instead of against us. It is a shame I had to go to such extreme measures. It was either that, or really ending your existence. This was your last chance.” He turned to Michael. “And where do you stand?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a threat.
Shocking them all, Michael lowered himself to his knees before him. “You are my King. I no longer covet your throne, your majesty. I only desire a place in your Kingdom, if you can find it within you to forgive my crimes.”
“Treason is what you are asking me to forgive,” Nathanial snarled.
Michael kept his head bowed as he murmured, “I know, your majesty.”
“An offense punishable by death.”
Michael trembled at his words.
“Do you understand that your magic could never overpower mine, wizard?”
“Yes. Yes, your majesty.”
Nathanial stepped closer. “Do you also understand that I could kill you with a snap of my fingers? That is how great my power truly is. You are insignificant in that regard.”
Cora caught Haraz’s eye and he winked at her. She smiled to herself. Nathanial was messing with Michael, instilling the fear of God in him. She glanced at Luca and saw he was taken in by Nathanial’s threats. He was scared shitless.
Nathanial stepped back from Michael and commanded, “Rise.”
“You… forgive me?”
“Of course not. I am not a fool. Whether I drive a stake through your heart, or not, will depend on how well you fare in the coming days. If you betray any of us, I will not hesitate. Make no mistake, you will not see it coming until your bones are already decomposing to dust.”
Michael shivered at his words. “I understand.”
Nathanial eyed Luca. “Luca?”
“Yes. Yes, I understand also, father.”
“Michael, I assume your change of heart is due in large part to the recent turn of events?” Nathanial asked.
Michael nodded.
“What turn of events?” Cora asked.
“Luca, show her,” Nathanial commanded.
“Show me what? What is going on?”
“I’m sorry. I came into your bedroom last night to tell you, but then… you were distressed from the dream,” Luca said. He lifted his white, silk shirt and gestured to his chest.
Cora gasped as she saw burn marks all over his skin. She reached out and touched one of them and he hissed. “Sorry.” She turned to Nathanial. “What are those? How did they happen?”
“All creatures borne of the dark, both in the human realm and the Dark Realm, have been afflicted. All those without royal blood.”
“Something that wouldn’t have happened to me, if you hadn’t stripped me of my title,” Luca snapped.
“You wish to challenge me now?” Nathanial demanded.
Luca shrank back. “No. I’m sorry.”
“Good,” Nathanial said. And then he proceeded to tell Cora about Oriana’s destruction of one of the five orbs of the Dark Realm and the resulting consequences.
“Oh my God,” Cora breathed when he’d finished. “My son and Ryan?”
“They are fine. Ryan is in the Dark Realm. He will lead his wolves to the castle to distract Oriana, so that she cannot destroy any more orbs. He is allowing me time to prepare you.”
> “Prepare me?”
“To do what you had already intended by allying yourself with Michael and my son.”
“To kill Oriana and Vazra.”
“You intend to kill your father?”
“Yes.”
Nathanial, Haraz, Luca, and Michael eyed one another in surprise. Nathanial told her soberly, “You cannot kill Vazra, Cora. It will destabilize the White Realm, which would put all of us in danger.”
“I would’ve thought you, of all people, would want him dead after what he did to Marella.”
“He will feel my wrath, believe me. But I will not kill him. The bigger picture is more important, Cora. Do you see that?”
Cora released a frustrated breath. “Fine. Yes, I get it.”
“Good.”
“Wait,” Luca exclaimed. “You and Marella are… together?”
“She is my destined mate,” Nathanial told him. “She is with child.”
“Holy hellfire,” Michael exclaimed. “I did not see this coming.”
“You’ll have another heir,” Luca murmured.
“You are still my first born. So far, you have not proven yourself worthy of the throne. It is not too late for you to convince me, Luca. You have until she comes of age to do so. Otherwise, yes, the throne will pass to her.”
“Her?” Luca asked with a smile. “A girl?”
“Yes. You are… happy?” Nathanial asked, surprised by his positive reaction.
“Oddly, I appear to be,” Luca said with a laugh. “A lot has changed since—”
“Since you recognized your love for the princess.”
Luca caught Cora’s eye and looked away awkwardly.
Cora crossed to him and took his hand in hers. “It’s okay. I already know, remember?”
“I must break the bond, Luca,” Nathanial announced, coming to stand before the two of them. “I cannot risk the possibility of Cora being trapped once she enters the Dark Realm to take on Oriana.”
“I know,” Luca said sadly.
Nathanial laid his hand on Luca’s shoulder and closed his eyes briefly. Luca gasped as a vibrant glow of black power enveloped him. After a few moments, it dissipated and Nathanial pulled back. “Misuse your gifts again and I will take them from you permanently. Understood?”
