by Leia Shaw
Seraphina.
He spun around, looking for something to use as a weapon. Not that he had experience in fighting, but he’d try anyway. Somehow, in the span of a few hours, the girl had made him care about her. Though she belonged to this world and he didn’t, there was something vulnerable about her that drove him to want to do the honorable thing – to save the damsel in distress. And it wasn’t as if standing there doing nothing would get him home.
A stick lay on the ground to the right. Long and thick, it looked like it might be able to do some damage – if someone like Van Damme had been holding it. But it was all he had. Seraphina was getting farther away each second.
Mustering all the courage he had, he grabbed the stick and followed. His father had always said it was the courage to do what was right in the face of fear that proved a man’s character. Being afraid was natural, but only cowards let it control their actions. It all sounded so much easier on paper.
At the cave entrance, he slowed then stopped just outside. First, he listened. For what, he had no idea. It wasn’t as though he had superpowers. He couldn’t see much inside, either. There were flickers of light up ahead that looked like small fires. Torches maybe?
Raising his stick in what he hoped was a threatening and somewhat useful gesture, he crept into the dark. In the distance, he could hear Seraphina crying.
Just as he was about to rush forward, something sprang out of the darkness and hit him in the stomach. He toppled to the ground, heaving. Another strike to his back made him fall, belly first, in the dirt. He groaned.
A pair of boots appeared in front of him. He tried to rise, but something sharp pricked his neck.
“Up,” a man said.
Slowly, avoiding the sharp object at the side of his neck, he stood. The owner of the sword stared at him, eyes dull, as though he’d rather be doing anything but guarding a tunnel.
The pale creature sniffed then sneered in disgust. “Human?” When Bodhi didn’t answer, he started to laugh.
Clearly, the man thought Bodhi was harmless. He should probably be offended. Maybe what he lacked in skill, he could make up for in cleverness. His stick was on the ground by his feet. While the creature was laughing, he reached for it. The sword flicked against his arm.
“Aah!” He grabbed his bicep where the point sliced his flesh. It wasn’t deep, but he was bleeding.
“Walk, mortal. Or I’ll cut it off next time.”
There was no doubt in Bodhi’s mind that he was telling the truth. And it was a cold reminder of his position. Mortal. Weak. Killable. Which meant that this creature wasn’t. And Seraphina… She’d spoken of having lost her sister a century ago. Was she immortal as well?
He trudged deeper into the tunnel with the sword at his back. He used to think that he’d lived fully enough not to fear death. Now that it was staring him in the face – and poking him in the back – it wasn’t as easy to be so cavalier.
The echoing shouts in the distance made courage abandon him. He was beginning to think bravery was less about strength of character and more about lack of sense.
The creature stopped him at a wooden door on the right. He unlocked it then shoved him inside. Bodhi stumbled forward, but caught his balance and remained on his feet.
“Here’s a snack,” the man said, looking through him. “Try not to use yourself up.” He slammed the door shut.
Bodhi spun to see what was in the room. There, on a lavish bed, sat Seraphina.
Chapter 7
Seraphina shot to her feet. “Bodhi?”
He gave a half-smile and a little wave. “Hi, beautiful.”
“What in the heavens are you doing here?” She’d thought he’d been left at the camp, safe where we could go on his merry way in the morning.
Looking back toward the door, he mumbled, “I, uh, jumped through the portal thing.”
It was difficult to find words. She was shocked. Why would he do such a thing? A human? With no knowledge of their world? It was stupid and brave, but mostly stupid. “I…I… But why?”
He shrugged and walked toward her. “Well, I was worried about you. That…thing that took you didn’t seem very friendly.”
“Worried about me?”
Stopping in front of her, he stared down, his forehead wrinkled. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. His scent wrapped around her, like a cocoon. Safe and warm. Why should she feel that way? He was as helpless as she – more so because he had absolutely no power. Not only was he mortal, but he seemed to have a sensitive soul. Peaceful and caring, not hardened and cruel like the inhabitants here.
He reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. “Your face is all red.”
She leaned in and closed her eyes. “From crying,” she whispered, as his fingers brushed over her lips. Need started to build in her sex, and she hated that now she saw him as an object to use, especially in the middle of this crisis.
Curse this full moon!
“You shouldn’t have come,” she told him. He would die for his choice. Either before or after she did, but it would be soon. They had no use for him past feeding her. Could she withstand the pain of another night without sating her lust?
Guilt filled her, making her pull away from his tender touch. First, she’d led him to the immortal world and now she was already plotting how to seduce him. Maybe she deserved to die for her wickedness. Nymphs didn’t settle down with one man. It wasn’t in their nature. But if she were to choose a mate, Bodhi would be the type she’d want. Selfless and kind. And though he’d rushed to her aid without knowledge or skill, he showed courage. Because of her, his life would be cut short. He was young – no older than thirty five human years. Too young to die.
With a sigh, she sunk down onto the bed. Bodhi walked to the door and pulled on the handle. When that failed to produce results, he turned and scanned the room.
“There’s no way out,” she told him. “It’s been enchanted.”
“Hmm.” He still looked like he planned to escape. “This isn’t what I expected a dungeon to look like.” His eyes flew wide as his gaze landed on something behind her.
She turned and saw manacles hanging on the walls. “This is not a prison,” she told him. That had been easy to tell as soon as she’d taken her first look. A large bed with fur coverings. Silk fabric hanging from the canopy in shades of red to stir passion. The cabinet across the room held contraptions meant to bring pleasure or pain. “This is a room for copulating.”
Bodhi swung his head around to look at her. “What?”
Clearly, he had no idea what he’d just unwittingly entered. “Bodhi,” she paused to consider what to say. The truth always seemed the wisest in challenging times. Hiding things from him for his own good was useless now. He’d already experienced things beyond his world and he seemed no worse for the wear. Brave man. Though it was man’s instinct to face danger without flinching when a woman was involved. True courage lay in facing himself.
“Sera?” he said, coaxing her for an answer. “Just tell me where we are.”
Sera. She held back a smile. Her sister had called her that. It sounded even better coming from his lips. “An Underworld brothel.”
His brows descended. “But…why?”
She blinked. Truly?
Suspicion grew in his eyes. “What do they plan to do with you?”
Ducking her head, she stared down at her hands. He would not take this well, but there was little he could do about it. Best he come to terms with it now. “They will auction me to the highest bidder.” Her eyes watered. “Then…” Could she say it? She could barely think it. It brought memories of her sisters. They’d met the same fate over a century ago.
Oh gods!
Bodhi may have courage, but she did not.
“Then what?” he pressed.
She gulped and lifted her eyes to watch him. “They will rip me apart.”
His brow furrowed then comprehension hit. “You mean they plan to rape you?”
&n
bsp; “Satyrs are obsessed with nymphs. They purge their appetites with us, one after another, until our bodies shut down. They can’t control themselves once they start. They’ve hunted my kind to near extinction. I’m the last one. That is why I’ve been hiding, but now…” She bit her lip. “But now they’ve found me too.”
“How?” Was it his fault? Did he lead them to her by accident?
She shrugged. “It seems as though they’d been banished here long ago. They used to roam the surface freely. They are much like nymphs. They enjoy pleasures of the flesh, drinking, dancing. By some fault of the gods, they are especially attracted to nymphs. At first, we were willing to mate with them, but soon they felt like they owned us. They wanted to share us with their friends, but they grew too eager and reckless. We started to refuse but they wouldn’t accept no. We fled and they chased us.” She paused, remembering it as if it were yesterday. The fear in her sisters’ eyes. She’d been the youngest and they’d fought to protect her. One by one they’d fallen behind as they ran, then disappeared. She shook herself from the memory. “Anyway, I think they must have commissioned the incubus to find the rest of us. Incubi are talented hunters. Or maybe it was his idea to find me and sell me for gold. I don’t know. It’s all speculation.” Timidly, she looked up at Bodhi. Would he hate her for dragging him into this mess?
He didn’t speak for a while – just stared through her, frowning. Finally, he rocked back on his heels and exhaled a breath. “So what do we do?”
What should they do? Didn’t he hear a word she’d said? She shrugged, hating the words she was about to say. Hated the hopelessness she felt. “Wait to die.”
***
Seraphina frowned, her eyes cast down in a look of defeat. That sense protectiveness rose up in Bodhi again. He sat next to her on the bed and pulled her into his arms.
“Shh.” Brushing her hair from her face, he made sounds to soothe her. “Don’t be sad, beautiful. Our fate isn’t set in stone.”
“But it is. Every being is born with a destiny to fill, given to us by the gods. We are slaves to it.”
He didn’t believe in gods. As a Hindu, he believed in the peaceful coexistence of all beings. Karma was the closest thing he could call his god. This talk of fate and destiny went against his instincts.
“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” He quoted poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox. She was one of his favorite poets of the early twentieth century. “Do you want to live, Sera?”
“Yes.”
“Then we will.” It was a bold statement. He had no idea if they could shape their destinies and avoid death, but it sounded good in the moment. There was some truth to the whole fake it till you make it thing.
Her body stiffened against his and she cried out. He backed away. What the hell? Her face crumpled in anguish as she arched backward.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Panting, head thrown back, she rasped, “It hurts.”
He looked her over. There was no sign of injury. “What hurts?”
She let out a loud groan then slumped back onto the bed, seeming to calm down a bit. “Everything.” Rolling to her side, she looked up at him, pleading with her eyes. Big and watery, she looked so vulnerable. “Bodhi… I need…”
“Yes?” The urge to fix her, to stop her hurting was strong. In that moment, he realized he’d do anything for her. Nearly a stranger, but she’d managed to wrap him around her little finger. “What do you need?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. At least her body had stopped seizing. “It’ll happen again. Only worse if I don’t feed.”
“You need to eat?”
“Yes, but it’s not food I crave.”
He thought through the worst. Blood? Animal hearts? High fructose corn syrup? “What then?”
Her eyes opened and she stared at him, lustful but frowning. “Intercourse.”
Chapter 8
Bodhi stared back, confused but curious. “If you don’t have sex, you’ll die?”
“I won’t die.” She squirmed and groaned. “But it will hurt terribly until the full moon passes.”
Well that he could fix. Maybe this hero business wasn’t so bad. Sex with Seraphina wouldn’t exactly be a chore. In fact, he was getting turned on just thinking about it. He remembered every detail of her curves from the stream, even the cute dimples above her ass. He itched to place his thumbs there as he fucked her from behind.
She whimpered and her face strained as she reached down to touch herself. Grinding her hips against her hand, she moaned, but there was little satisfaction in her voice. Meanwhile, he felt like the top button of his pants would pop off any second.
“There’s no relief when I do it myself,” she said, panting. “Only frustration.”
He crawled across the bed to her side. Kneeling, he looked down at her needy body. Her nipples were so hard he could see them poking through her dress. Her face flushed. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes rolled back as another spasm seized her. She shouted and tears streamed from her eyes.
Feeling a rising of panic, he bent down and kissed her, swallowing her painful cries. How did she still taste like wine? She kissed him back eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifted her hips toward him, as if seeking relief. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, trying to ease her frustration. He wasn’t sure exactly what she needed. Just touch? An orgasm? Sex?
She pulled away, her lips red from his unshaven face. “You’re a kind man, Bodhi, but you don’t have to do this.”
He chuckled. “It’s not a hardship. Trust me.” She opened her mouth to reply, but he shoved his hand up against her sex and she moaned instead. “Mmm. You’re very wet. And you have no underwear on. Are you always this naughty?”
Undulating against his hand, she said, “Hard. I need it hard, Bodhi.”
That was permission for what he wanted to do anyway. In one great motion, he shoved her dress up to her hips then pressed his hand between her bare thighs. Finding the entrance to her sex, his fingers slid in the moisture then he drove them inside her.
She screeched and arched off the bed. With his other hand, he grabbed her hip and pushed her back down. Such a responsive girl. He grinned. This was going to be fun. Far different from his last passionless relationship.
“Please!” she begged. “It hurts!”
He didn’t want to fuck her yet. He wanted to play with her longer. With his thumb, he stroked her clit as he pumped his fingers in and out slowly.
Reaching forward, she grabbed onto his wrist. “Faster!”
He tsked then gave her hand a little swat. “Impatient thing.”
When she flopped back down onto the bed, he chuckled. It sounded evil even to him. But he was liking this way too much to be nice.
After working her clit until she writhed on the bed, he removed his hand. She protested, but he ignored her and parted her legs wider. She let them fall open and he kissed one knee. Moving slowly, though she urged him on, he kissed and nipped his way up her thighs. He eyed her sex. It glistened with wetness.
Fuck.
Now he was in pain too. His cock wanted inside her badly. But first he would tease her, see how many sounds he could pull from her sexy mouth. He bit down on her thigh, just next to her lower lips and she jerked.
“Ouch! Bodhi!”
Smiling to himself, he kissed the spot he’d bitten. With his mouth between her legs, he breathed on her sex. She let out a low moan, encouraging him further. He parted her folds then licked her clit, so soft he barely touched her.
Whimpering, she tried to close her legs, but he held them open then leaned in again and pressed his tongue on the bud. He firmed his grip on her squirming legs then stroked her softly with his tongue.
“Please!” she cried. “I need it now!”
The desperation in her voice made him take pity on her. He knelt up and unzipped his pants.
Sera eyed him, looking a bit
relieved.
“You like cock, little nymph?”
She nodded and bit her lip.
He kicked off his pants and felt a wave of relief as his cock sprang free. There was a sense of rightness at seeing her beneath him, eagerly waiting, wet and hungry. He wanted to sate her, not just today and not just to ease her pain, but forever. The satyrs could go fuck themselves.
This woman was his.
***
With his hands anchored on either side of her, he slammed into her sheath. Seraphina squealed at the burst of pleasure, feeling herself stretch. Gods, he was so big. She tried to adjust, wiggling to position his cock, but he pulled out. He rubbed the head up and down her slit, spreading her moisture.
She moaned, enthralled in how he was massaging her clit. She glared when he slowed, then hooked her legs around his ass and tried to pull him back in. Smirking, he pushed slowly, letting her feel his length slide in. Cocky man. He didn’t stop until he was balls-deep and pressing on that spot deep inside that made her scream.
She moved her hips against his, urging him on. He leaned down and sucked her nipple through her dress. It sent a thrill straight down to her sex, making her gasp and arch into him.
Bodhi kissed and nibbled a sensual path from her breast up to her neck. He nipped her jaw then took her mouth. As he pistoned his manhood in and out of her, he imitated the motion with his tongue. A moment later, his cock thumped into that deep spot.
So intense, she scrambled to dislodge him, pushing against his chest with her hands. He slowed his thrusts and gathered her hands in his then pinned them to the bed.
“Noooo,” she whined though the sheer dominance sent a rush of heat to her core.
Ignoring her struggles, he continued to pump into her, harder and harder. Pleasure built and every time he hit that sweet spot, she cried out. The intensity was almost too much, but she couldn’t escape. She was his delicious prey, a victim to his lust.
She stopped fighting and surrendered. The orgasm rocked her, taking her spinning, tumbling as pleasure washed over her. She screamed and her body shook under his. Overwhelmed with sensation, she could only lie there and accept this torturous pleasure. Her head thrashed as her climax went on, deep shudders wracking her body. Would it never stop? She screamed again.
