by Plum Pascal
“When Vita’s trinket was ready,” I lean down and whisper against her. I push my finger into her further until I feel something odd. A piece of flesh that disallows me from pushing into her further. “Ah, the little dove has never had a cock before,” I say.
She swallows hard. “No.”
“And, tell me, do you want one?” I run my thumb over her clitoris and she immediately throws her head back in a moan. “Tell me, little dove, do you want a cock in you…”
“I…” she starts and loses her nerve.
I lean further over her and bring my lips to hers, so close she tries to kiss me but I pull back. Instead, my eyes burn into hers as I fuck her with my finger, only going in as far as her body will allow me. “Do you want a big cock thrusting into that tight little pussy?” I whisper.
“Yes,” she moans back at me.
“Do you want my cock, little dove?”
“Yes,” she sings as she rocks against my hand, her juices running down my fingers.
“Do you want my cock ripping through that little sheet of flesh inside you? Forcing its way into your depths?” I whisper against her lips as my thumb works feverishly at her clit.
“Yes,” she screams as she gushes all over my hand. “Please fuck me, Sorren!”
I pull my finger out of her spasming channel and suck her juices off as she watches me. I grin. “I’m sorry but I made you a promise.”
“A… promise?” she breathes as she sits up and realizes she’s still holding the blade. She places it down, beside her.
I nod. “I told you I wouldn’t fuck you. Therefore, I won’t.”
She swallows and appears confused. “But… I asked you to.”
“I know.”
“Then?”
“I will fuck you on my own terms,” I answer as she looks at me as though I’ve lost my mind. She glances down and sees my cock is raring against my pants.
“I… don’t understand.”
“It’s not for you to understand,” I respond. “All you are meant to do now is listen to the rest of my story.” She gives me a strange expression but nods as she pulls her dress back down, hiding that naughty little pussy of hers that will figure in my imagination as I stroke my cock to completion as soon as I leave her.
“Please… tell me the rest,” she says, a blush stealing over her cheeks.
“Very well,” I say and clear my throat. But not before I suck the last of her from off my finger. “Vita carved open my chest and tore out my heart,” I finish as the little dove’s eyes go wide. “She placed a clock in its place.”
She’s frozen stiff, staring horrified at my chest. I grip her hand and she allows me as I pull her hand and place it against my bare chest.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Spin, whir. Tick, tock...
The metronomic ticking only ceases its steady rhythm when blood rushes through one of the valves on the side.
“Oh, Gods,” she breathes, looking up at me in shock. There is a gentleness to her that thrills me, that pulls me to her even more. “It really is a clock.”
“Yes.”
“How did Vita even...?”
“How else? Magic. The clock’s been charmed for nigh on twenty years. Less than five years and I’ll be dead.”
“Dead?”
“Yes, all things come to an end, eventually.”
“That’s why you can’t feel emotion,” she murmurs as understanding settles over her expression and she studies me with new eyes. “It’s why you’re a monster. Your heart and soul are out of sync.”
Clever girl. Not everyone would make that leap so soon. “Yes, that’s why.”
I trace her cheek with my thumb and she allows me; her skin is lovely, smooth, and flushed with heat. I’d like to kiss it.
“There’s no hope for you?” she asks.
“None,” I answer without emotion. “Not unless my heart can be recovered. And that’s quite impossible, I’m afraid. Only a Chosen one could hope to go against its guardian, Discordia.”
“Discordia?”
I nod. “She’s one of the few enemy generals who’s managed to linger, though I hear she’s a former shade of herself without the others to back her. That only makes her nearly impossible to defeat.”
“I’ve heard whispers,” little bird says, words pouring out of her in a rush. Interesting but it seems she trusts me now—whether that’s owing to the fact that she just orgasmed in my palm or she pities me because I have no heart, it’s hard to say. All I do know is that one day, my cock will be inside her… deep inside her.
“Whispers?”
She nods. “That my friend, Neva, has shown her true power. She’s one of the Chosen Ten.” She nods as her eyes go wider. “If I could get a stone with some of Neva’s power in it, I could transfer her power into myself and were I able to do that, I bet we could get your heart back from Discordia. Could that pay my debt for stealing the Ambrosia?”
I pause, considering the offer. I’ve made peace with the fact my time is measured by every tick of my heart. But if there’s a chance, it’s only logical I should take it.
“You would have trouble even breaching the gates of Discordia’s palace,” I say.
An impish smile rolls across her lips in the most intriguing manner. I can see why Nash and Leith want to fuck her. She’s compelling, intensely so. If I leaned in to claim that mouth, how would she react?
“Just get me to the gates and into Discordia’s stronghold and leave the rest to me.” She tilts her head arrogantly. “There’s nothing I can’t steal. Even your heart, Sorren.”
NINE
Kassidy
“Impossible.” Leith folds his arms stubbornly across his chest, leaning against the gilt back of the throne. Guards and servants line the walls of the room but my attention is on their chief. “It’s out of the question.”
“Tough, but not impossible,” Nash argues, facing off against his cousin.
I’m astonished that Nash and Sorren are taking my side against Leith. Until now, it’s been my assumption that Nash would rather cut me to ribbons than aid me. Even his rescue in the maze was motivated by his desire to have me, not because he truly cares. But now, both stand their ground, facing the throne where Leith sits, straight-backed and glowering at the three of us.
Sorren’s mouth stretches into that eerie little smile once more. Even knowing he can’t help his soullessness, it still raises every hair on my body to see just how far from human he is.
And, yet, when I think of him in the aviary—the way he manipulated my body, the way I orgasmed and burst out a stream of liquid all over his hand—I didn’t understand what had happened. But there was a gentleness to him then. It was in the way he refused to fuck me, even when I asked him to. And the way the birds trusted him—the way they landed on his shoulders.
Is it possible Sorren isn’t the man I originally thought he was? The man his cousins think he is? As the thoughts plague my mind, he glances over at me and gives me a small smile, a secretive one and I feel myself suddenly yearning for him again.
As completely insane as it sounds, of the three of them, I want him the most at the moment.
“Don’t you want to see me back, cousin?” Sorren asks, giving his full attention to Lieth, a hint of a sneer in his tone. The antagonism only makes Leith’s face stonier. If Sorren’s trying to appeal to his chief’s empathy, he’s badly missing the mark.
“Of course I do. You know I’ve been searching for cures. But there’s nothing for it except to get your heart back. But, Sorren, if there was a way to beat Discordia, we would have found it. Only a champion can retrieve your heart. You know that. We all know it. And since there are no champions alive at present…”
“There is,” I interject, cutting into the argument I can feel brewing. “At the… very least, I know there’s… one champion.”
“And how do you know this?” Nash demands.
Well, I don’t know for sure. “Rumors,” I answer honestly.
; Nash shakes his head.
“Rumors are… usually true!” I insist.
If the rumors about Neva are true and she really is one of the Ten Champions, then maybe there’s a chance. And if not... well, at least I die trying, right? It’s all I can do for the people of Fantasia. If I fail in my mission, I intend to take this Discordia bitch down with me. If she’s as dangerous as Nash and Sorren say, then I don’t want to give Morningstar a single foothold he can use to claw his way back into the world, not one loyal follower who will rally support to him.
Leith’s skeptical brow thrusts higher, until it’s touching the slate hair that threatens to flop into his eyes. He looks particularly discomposed, having been dragged from bed by Sorren an hour ago. He’d been more than a little peeved ever since I’d refused to sleep in his bedroom, choosing one of the maid’s rooms instead.
“And how do you propose to get this chosen one to cooperate? If, in fact, she even is a chosen one?” Leith asks. “I assume your Guild must have plans for her already?”
“I’m not… sure if the… Guild does.”
Nash looks at me. “Do you even know where to find this person?”
In truth? No. I have no fucking clue where the Guild has stashed Neva. I was hoping the dove would be able to deliver my note to Peter or Cap’n Hook so they’d know I was looking for Neva.
Even if I were able to find her, she shouldn’t be traveling out in the open. If the rumors are true, Neva’s wanted for the murder of Queen Salome.
“I can send… word that I’m… looking for her,” I turn to face Sorren with a frown. “Which was what… I was doing… with the dove, before… I was so rudely interrupted.”
Sorren just smiles at me… lasciviously. “Rudely?” he repeats, eyes eating me up. “That’s one way to put it.”
Nash and Leith look at one another in confusion and I’m quick to change the subject. I turn back to face Leith. “Once Neva receives… word that I need her, all… she has to do… is use a siphon stone… and fill it with… a fraction of… her power,” I start and then have to take a breather because the fucking necklace is stealing all my energy. Leith looks at me with guilt in his eyes. I take a deep breath and continue. “Then she just… has to give… the stone to Peter or to… Captain Hook and… they’ll be sure… to hold it for me. Once… I get my hands on the stone, I… could absorb Neva’s power… to get us past the gates of… Discordia’s fortress. From there, I… trust you can… do the rest?”
Leith’s face doesn’t soften. “And just how am I supposed to trust you? You’ve deceived me twice.”
“Right,” I say, expecting this line of argument.
But, Leith isn’t done talking yet. “Every time I place my trust in you, I’m forced to regret it. If I extend my hand a third time, I’m fairly sure you’ll just use the opportunity to escape.”
“I’ll do it,” I say as I glance at Sorren and find him already staring at me. The heat in his gaze frightens me and I drop my eyes to the ground.
“You’ll do what?” Leith demands.
I swallow hard. “As a show of... trust… I’ll agree to The Rite of Three.” I take a deep breath and nod. “If that’s… what it will take… to repay my debt… to you for trying… to steal the Ambrosia… twice,” I say, bolstering my faltering nerves. If I have to sacrifice my maidenhead to save hundreds of thousands, that’s the price I’ll pay.
“Hmm,” Leith says and I’m surprised he doesn’t agree right away. From the looks of it, Nash is surprised too.
I quickly change the subject. “Sorren says… Discordia has made… her home in… the bowels of Grimm. That… means it will be… at least a month and a… half by the time we… reach our destination. Long enough for… me to be with… each of you in turn.”
“And we should believe you won’t try to flee?” Leith asks.
I point to the necklace. “Not with… this thing on.”
I can feel three pairs of eyes on me after I’m through talking. Leith tries to school his expression into indifference; Nash’s undisguised lust heats my blood and I shiver as I remember just how good those searing lips felt against my throat. And then, there’s Sorren. His attention still scares me, but if I’m honest with myself, I want more. I can’t remember ever being as turned on as I was in the aviary. The things he was saying and the things he was doing…
Leith’s eyes slide down my body, and his eyes darken further with desire. The promise is swaying him, but I don’t see any acquiescence. I suppose I need to sweeten the pot—I need to make him understand I’m serious this time.
I reach back and unlace the bodice of the dress as well as I can—which isn’t much. “To prove to… you I’m serious, I’ll strip… down right… here and now, if… you like,” I promise with a coy smile. I turn to face Nash. “But I… need help… with the pulls of… my dress.”
Nash, surprise registering on his face, nearly jumps in his excitement to help me, but Leith’s growl interrupts him.
“Step back, Nash,” Leith says, the weight of his authority bearing down on us.
But Nash doesn’t drop the laces of my dress.
“Have you lost your damn mind?” Nash says, voice as rough as the scrape of gravel. His hands clench and unclench at his sides and he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from me.
“You heard what I said,” Leith responds.
Nash glares at him. “Yes, and you don’t speak for me or Sorren. If the thief is willing…”
“Need I remind all of you, I’m Chieftain?” Leith points out. He turns a burning glare to me. “You will remain in your fucking clothing.”
I frown. “But… I thought…”
“No, I’m not fucking you.” He looks at Nash, then Sorren. “Neither are they.”
“Oh?” I counter, seeing my chances slipping through my fingers. So I take a step closer to Nash. “I think… Nash disagrees.”
Summoning the courage I have left to spare, I stand on tiptoe. I curl my fingers around the sharp line of Nash’s jaw and angle my lips just so, stopping inches from his, giving him the option to kiss me.
Nash lets out a growl of pure animalistic want and his hands wind around my waist, drawing me roughly to his body before his lips are on mine. He holds me so tightly, I can hardly breathe. Without my powers, I feel like a brittle twig, liable to snap in half any second. But I only try to press myself closer to his body. He’s inhumanly warm, enough that even his leather armor feels pleasant against my skin. His hands are rougher even than Leith’s.
Nash is a brute, no doubt about that. But compared to Sorren, he’s a gentleman. And I can’t deny he knows what he’s doing as he presses every advantage he has, sliding his fingers beneath the untied portion of the dress. He traces a ticklish pattern across the sensitive skin along the small of my back and the curve of my ass. The sensation makes me squirm in his arms, gasping in surprise.
His tongue delves into my mouth, exploring every contour. He tastes incredible. Spicy, like the dance of cayenne across my tongue, spreading sparks in his wake. One hand palms my breast and, small as my breast is, he can fit all of it in his grasp. Rough fingers pluck at my nipple, kneading it to attention so forcefully, I cry out. My knees wobble, threatening to give out from under me.
“Nash,” I pant, drawing back just enough to speak.
“Stop,” Leith growls. A glance up at him reveals he’s slid to the edge of his seat and is clutching the arms of it in white-knuckled fury. I can’t tell if he’s angry with me or Nash. But, he’s definitely angry.
“I don’t… understand,” I start as Nash moves his mouth to my neck, and I gasp again as rough teeth scrape my skin with the promise of pleasure edged with pain. Sorren is right—pain and pleasure do balance on a knife’s edge. Nash toys with the top of my dress, pushing it down past my shoulder and baring my corset. “Isn’t this… what you… wanted?” I ask Leith.
“No,” he answers, his eyes furious. “I said, stop!” The bass of his growl is nearer now, and he yanks me out
of Nash’s grip so hard, it nearly wrenches my shoulder. I’m hauled back, cradled to the front of Leith’s body.
Nash’s protest rumbles like thunder in his chest and I see bear eyes staring out of that handsome face. He’s close to shifting; I’m absolutely certain things are about to come to blows. Just like that first day, tension crackles between Leith and Nash, threatening to explode into violence.
Leith’s hand comes up and he cuffs me on the ear. It’s more the shock of the action than the sting of the blow that draws my breath. It’s nothing I haven’t felt a hundred times while training with my brothers. Sabre will actually box my ears if I fuck up too badly, and that hurts a damn sight more than what Leith’s done. I just never expected Leith, of all people, to hit me.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” he hisses. “Don’t bait him if you don’t intend to follow through, stupid girl! Do you see those eyes?” I look at Nash’s eyes and just nod. “They should tell you how little control he has. Push him and he will fuck you—right here!”
“I’m not… baiting him,” I say on a breath as I face Leith. “I was serious; I agree… to the Rite of Three. All of you… together or apart, I… don’t care.”
Leith studies me with suspicious eyes. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“I have to get out of here and rejoin the fight. If I can restore Sorren’s heart, he can join me and the Guild.” At least, that’s my hope.
Leith blinks in surprise at this. “Sorren would join you?” Leith asks, shaking his head.
“Yes, I would,” Sorren says without pause.
Leith looks at us both as if we’ve lost our minds. I realize I need to explain. “As fucking… terrifying as Sorren’s… maze was,” I continue. “It’s a… brilliant trap. The… Guild could use someone… like Sorren… on our side.”
“That’s not your decision to make!” Leith rails at me.
But I shake my head and stand my ground. “He’s already… told me he has… no obligations to your… people. He’ll… never take the title… of chief. Even if Sorren fights… with us, your people wouldn’t… be in danger, Leith. So, please, let me… do my part because… I now see doing so will… help my cause.”
