DARK LORD
Installment 3
(Lords of Bondage Series)
CORINNE BALFOUR
FIRST EDITION: JUNE 2012
COPYRIGHT 2012 BY CORINNE BALFOUR
Brindamour Media
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is the third installment of Dark Lord. For a brief summary of the first book, refer to The Story So Far and the Introduction sections at the end of this e-book.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Intruders
Chapter 2: The Most Ultimate Pleasure
Chapter 3: Safety First
Chapter 4: Circus of Depravity
Chapter 5: Compelled
Chapter 6: Control
Chapter 7: Carnival of Sin
Chapter 8: Addiction
Chapter 9: Criminal Acts
Chapter 10: Decisions
Excerpt from Deceptive Lord
The story so far
Introduction
Chapter 1: Intruders
Devereux snuck out of the harem in the middle of the night and headed toward Pembroke. He needed to talk to Sebastian and he had sent him a note via messenger. The conversation he had had with his uncles weighed heavily on his mind. He had suspected that he was a hybrid, but to actually hear the words spoken had still stunned him. Talking to his friend would help him process the information and make some sense of it. He was having difficulty accepting the truth about himself, even though he knew there was not another explanation. He was not only a freak with fangs, but an enemy of the human race, an alien hybrid. He was the spawn of some unknown alien bastard who had raped his mother. It was no wonder she had so little love for him. He had thought she was embarrassed and ashamed by his “defects,” but it was worse than that. He was a walking advertisement of her traumatic rape. Since many products of rape were euthanized, he was surprised that he was allowed to live, especially given the identity of his father. All breedings of Flourdan females were strictly regulated by the Selective Breeding Program to ensure genetic purity. He was as far from pure as one could get, since he was a mongrel and not even fully human.
The book his uncle had given him about hybrids had been enlightening. Hybrids had once been hunted to near extinction because they were seen as a threat to mankind. An earlier Flourdan queen had stripped the history books of all information pertaining to the Asstrum race, and after the passage of hundreds of years, most people had forgotten their existence. More recently, Asstrumnians had started to venture outside their own territories in response to Roman aggression. If tensions were to escalate between the Romans and the Asstrumnians, the implications would be frightening. Hybrids would be hunted once again. He could not help but be concerned. Would his own people be so afraid of him that they would order him killed or imprisoned? Would his family sacrifice him for the good of Flourda, to alleviate unwarranted concerns? He was hardly a threat to any Flourdans, since he had never met any hybrids and he had no alliances with Asstrumnians. He doubted he would ever know his hybrid family, and given the circumstances, he wasn’t sure he would want to know them. The thought of living as an outcast apart from everyone he knew left him uneasy. He wished he didn’t have to hide a major part of himself from the world. In the past, he had felt pressure to conceal his eccentricities so his family name would not be shamed or dishonored, but now he had to do it just to stay alive. He would have to strive harder to stay hidden.
He met Sebastian in the woods outside the keep. “Much has happened since we last saw each other.” He filled him in on the latest events, including the information that he was a hybrid.
“You cannot tell anyone else. It would be far too dangerous for you. Do not even tell my sister,” Sebastian said.
He wondered if his brother Evan knew that he was a hybrid, but he didn’t think so. “How is Amalie?”
Sebastian set a path deeper into the woods. “She was disappointed that Nefertiti lived through her ordeal, although she was happy to hear about her massive hair loss. Have you learned who carried out the attack on Pembroke?”
If he voiced his suspicions, Sebastian might carry out executions without bothering to complete the investigations. “I don’t know for certain.”
“I notice that you no longer deny Nefertiti’s involvement.”
It was easier to picture the Deranged Dominatrix as a murderess now that the woman had strangled one of her concubines to death during bondage sex. “Nefertiti needs to be replaced.”
“With her sister Briella? Would that even be an improvement?”
He wished Sebastian hadn’t taken such an instant dislike of Briella. “At least the sister wouldn’t strangle the harem residents during sex.”
“You cannot know what the lady would do during sex. She may have a dozen different fetishes.”
Dev wouldn’t mind knowing what Briella would do during sex. “My point was that she is not the murderous type, nor is she overly ambitious politically. She would be a better Countess.”
“You only say that because you wish to be her paramour. Nefertiti needs to be removed, but not simply replaced with another Avenal. That family line needs to be extinguished.”
“That would be taking it too far. It would be unfair to judge the entire Avenal line so harshly.” Like her, he was bearing the genetic stamp of an inappropriate line. “Besides, the Queen would never agree to dispossess the Avenal lands.”
“No, the Queen would not, but she is ailing.”
Dev caught the implication. Princess Coral would not think twice before doing it. He followed his friend deeper into the woods, having no difficulty seeing him in the darkness. Another one of his hybrid peculiarities, he guessed. Just then, he heard a sound in the distance. He veered in the direction of the sound and saw three people materialize in a clearing. One second, the space was empty of people, the next, it was filled with two large males and one woman. The female appeared to be struggling. He silently crept closer and observed them at a distance.
“I will not keep doing this, Bran,” the woman said.
One of the males vanished into thin air and the one named Bran stared at the woman cruelly. “You’ll do what I tell you to do, Bitch. Belenos is going to find you another human right quick and you’re going to bite him. We’re going to keep doing this until it takes.”
The woman stood her ground and looked at the male with a stubborn expression. “No longer. You cannot think to get away with this. My family will kill you when they find out how you have treated me.”
“Your family will not say shit, that is why I picked you, Helsina. You are nothing but a whore. Whatever did you expect when you agreed to be my mistress? Did you think I would buy you a big house and dress you in rich furs and jewels? Hell no, woman. Now, be a good little whore and do what I request of you.”
“I never agreed to do any of this,” the woman said bitterly.
“Like I care, bitch. I brought you on this little trip to humanland because I’m tired of stocking humans in the warehouse only to have them be deemed inappropriate for use. When Belenos returns, I want you to bite the human. He’ll keep bringing them until you find one that will take. Refuse to bite and I’ll have no choice but to kill the human.”
“The human will die regardless. I’d rather you kill the human and let him die an instant death rather than leave him to the slow one you have planned for him.”
“Do not think to cross me, Helsina. If you prove to be uncooperative, I’ll kill you and find another research assistant.”
“Fuck your research, Bran.” The
woman flinched as the male struck her with his fist, although she remained standing.
Suddenly the other male appeared in the clearing with Sebastian, who was tied with rope. Dev tensed and prepared to intervene, but halted when the male called Bran pulled out an unfamiliar shiny green weapon.
The male aimed the weapon at the woman. “I may let this one live, just to please you. Do it now, Helsina. Surely this human will do the trick. Sink your fangs into his juicy throat and try to convince me that you do not find him enticing.”
Sebastian couldn’t move because his hands were tied behind his back with rope, but he glared at his captives with menace. “Touch me and I’ll kill you.”
When the woman approached Sebastian and placed her mouth on his throat, Dev tried to estimate the danger to his friend. The woman had said that all the males that were bitten were killed in some way and he couldn’t risk that happening to Sebastian. The only thing that concerned him was the unknown weapon brandished by one of the males. He moved silently through the woods and rushed toward the guy from behind, grabbing him by the throat. He tried to sink his fangs into the area to incapacitate him, but his skin was tough and difficult to penetrate.
Bran cried out in surprise and tried to wrestle Dev away from him. He lost his grip on the green weapon and it fell to the ground. “What the fuck, man! Are you some kind of faggot, to bite me like that?”
Dev viciously set his fangs into the male’s throat and he slid to the ground. The male they called Belenos wasted no time in assaulting him, knocking him to the ground.
Belenos kicked Dev in the stomach and put his hands around his throat. He squeezed tightly, cutting off his oxygen. “What the hell did you do that for? You don’t bite another male, you faggot. It’s just not done.”
Dev looked into the male’s flashing red eyes and took note of his black hair. The man that he had offended was a hybrid. It seemed he had committed another faux pas by biting the male. He had no idea that there were rules against doing so, as he had always assumed that the fangs served some sort of evolutionary defensive purpose. What other purpose did they serve? He needed to learn what he could from these males before he dispatched of them. “Why isn’t it done?”
Belenos released his grip on Dev’s throat and looked at him curiously. “You’re a hybrid, but you dress and talk like a Flourdan. What are you doing here? Are you a spy, one of the elite knights?”
If Dev could convince the hybrids that he was some sort of spy, that could help matters, but he didn’t know anything about Asstrumnian knights. “Why is it wrong to bite males?”
“I suppose it is a fine thing to do if you are a faggot, but not if you prefer to mate with females.” The male glanced at his companion who was lying paralyzed on the ground. “It seems that you and Bran are not genetically compatible for breeding.” The man giggled and smirked at Dev. “Big surprise there! That is why you do not bite another male. It acts like a poison.”
The fangs were used for breeding, apparently. He had not known. He glanced at the hybrid lying on the ground. “Will he die?”
Belenos looked at him incredulously. “He’ll recover, but he’ll feel sick for some time. Bran isn’t going to appreciate being fang raped by another male. A few weeks at a brothel should repair the damage and make him feel like a male again.”
So the bite was only fatal to humans, if the hybrid was telling him the truth. “What about the females who are bitten? What happens to them?”
The hybrid’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock. “How can you not know these things, man? You only bite a female if you wish to mate with her, but you should only do it if you wish to make her a permanent mate. If you only wish to bed the woman, then never bite her because it will be nearly impossible to rid yourself of her. If the King finds out you’ve marked a female, he’ll ensure the union is recognized and made permanent. You would find yourself tied to a baby making machine, which I guess pleases some hybrids. Bran and I have no interest in breeding hybrids of our own, since our energies are better spent in developing our business interests and conducting our research.”
“So if you bite a woman, you’ll end up mating with her?”
“Mate or die. Once the mating bond sets in, you’ll be a slave to your physical needs. If not met, you’ll probably die. You may go insane first, which is worse than just dying. You could lose all control of your hybrid abilities and end up killing a bunch of your loved ones by accident. It is never a pleasant scenario, so it is best not to bite a female.”
The woman lifted her face from Sebastian’s throat and stared at the two males on the ground. “You would know all about that, wouldn’t you, Belenos? It is all part of your spectacular research.”
“Shut up, woman. My research will make me famous, and as soon as I get published in the Asstrumnian Journal of Scientific Research, I’m going to stick a copy of my latest papers in the first Druid ass I see! They think they are so smart just because they’re better educated, but I’ll show them that warriors are superior to them in every way. The King will soon see the wisdom in the warriors taking full control over the portal.”
While the hybrid male was ranting and boasting, Dev made a move to gain control of the situation. He flipped the male over, punched him in the face until he stopped moving, and searched for the green weapon on the ground. Finding it, he stuck it in his cloak pocket for safekeeping. He would need to examine the weapon later and determine how to use it.
The woman eyed him with distrust and stepped away from Sebastian. “I didn’t actually touch your friend, I swear it.”
“You assaulted my skin with your tongue, woman,” Sebastian said.
She looked at him and smiled. “Your skin tastes delicious for a human. Do not worry so, for I didn’t bite you.” She looked pleadingly at Dev and fingered a silver band around her throat. “Belenos and Bran will recover soon and I need you to get this collar off me. I cannot escape them with this thing around my neck.”
Dev took a knife and cut the ropes binding Sebastian, setting him free. He gestured toward the two hybrids on the ground. “Watch those two.” He walked to the woman and examined the collar, but he couldn’t determine how to remove it.
“There is no clasp. You’ll have to do it with your mind.”
How was he supposed to do such a thing with his mind? He didn’t have that ability. “I cannot. We’ll have to take you to the village and have one of the blacksmiths cut it.”
“I’m not going to a human village. Do it with your mind and do it quickly, before the others wake.”
He didn’t know how to help her. “Who are you?”
She looked at him with suspicion and her manner was guarded. “Helsina. Hurry, before it is too late.”
He glanced at Sebastian, who had secured the two hybrids with rope, then returned his gaze to Helsina. “There is no rush.”
Sebastian walked toward them and gave the female a hostile look. “Her collar stays. It is what hampers her abilities, does it not?”
Helsina stared at Sebastian in defiance. “Yes, but without my abilities, I cannot get home. I would be stranded in this forsaken land.”
“You are not going home. You’ll have a nice place prepared for you in my dungeon. A hybrid hostage may come in handy,” Sebastian said.
“You will not take me hostage. I will not trade one jailer for another. Try it and I will kill you both.”
Sebastian ignored her warning and captured her in his arms. While she struggled, he bound her with rope until her mobility was completely hampered.
Dev walked closer to his friend and tried to reason with him. Taking a captive could bring unforeseen consequences and result in undesired complications. “Let the lady go, Sebastian. It is clear that the hybrids were holding her against her will.”
“I know what I’m doing, Dev. She is no innocent victim. She is the enemy. In time, there may be a need to exchange hostages to free some of our own people.”
She was the enemy because she was a
hybrid. He was a hybrid also, so would Sebastian one day view him as his enemy? He hoped not. He turned behind him as he heard a sound. One of the hybrids had somehow escaped from his rope bindings and had grabbed his unconscious companion. He stood upright with the other hybrid in his arms and he glanced at Helsina. Dev pulled the shiny green weapon out of his cloak and aimed it at the male.
The hybrid stilled as he noticed the weapon aimed at his chest. “I have to leave you here, Helsina. You’re not worth the trouble to rescue. It won’t be too hard to find your replacement.”
In a flash, the two male hybrids had vanished. Dev assumed they had transported to Asstrumnia and he wondered if he would ever develop the ability to transport. It would be a nice skill to possess. He turned toward the female and studied her. She was tall, thin, and dark haired. They shared the same unusual coloring, which made him uncomfortable. If people saw the hybrid captive and then looked upon his face, they would start making the comparisons. People would talk and whisper of his hybrid heritage. Eventually, the gossip would spread to the palace and his mother would take some sort of action to quell it. What she would do exactly, he didn’t know, but it wouldn’t be good for him. Perhaps he would be forced to wear one of Nefertiti’s hideous golden wigs to hide his own dark locks, which he would not be able to bring himself to do. He looked again at Sebastian. “For my sake, let her go. Keeping her will stir talk of hybrids, talk that will not be good for me.”
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