by West, Sinden
“Patience, Ivy, we have all night.” But he moved down between my legs to run his tongue over my folds tantalizingly while I squirmed, willing him to take me all in his mouth. Finally, he let my clit have relief, massaging it with his tongue while I sucked in desperate breaths, trying not to cum just yet. I closed my eyes as he worked on me, and I felt myself lift up to nearly out of control. Yet some part of my brain was still coherent, and it wasn’t just his touch that was making me feel this way. In truth, I felt like a queen beneath him. I felt adored and that added to every sensation that he gave me.
But was it me or Dorothea that cared so much about that?
He took his mouth from me and my eyes flew open, ready to protest and force him back there. He merely smiled and shook his head, instead kneeling above me and pushing himself into me. I gasped as he began to move, his hands on my breasts, above my dead heart. I began to feel myself build up. The foreboding knowledge of what would occur after I came did nothing to dampen or dull every wicked response in me to his thrusting and touch.
My head thrashed around as moans erupted from me. “That’s it, baby,” he grunted. “Cum, sweetheart, cum.” We both cried out at the same time, our fingers curving into each other’s flesh, the dead and the living, the king and the queen…
And then we waited as we lay side by side not touching as if there were an invisible barrier between us. We waited for the curse to descend on me and prepare to tell every little secret and piece of insider knowledge that the Corins required to continue their empire and crush every enemy foolish enough to get in their way.
But nothing happened.
The silence stretched on as we stared into each other’s eyes.
“What happened? Why didn’t it work?” He pulled me against his chest.
I shook my head as the realization sunk in. “I don’t know, but I guess it’s because I died, maybe…maybe the scrying died with me.”
Lake held me tighter and pressed a kiss against my forehead.
“Do you care?” I asked him. “Does this affect…us?” I should have been dancing with delight, but instead, I felt an almost disappointment descend on me.
He shook his head and took hold of my chin to plant a kiss on my lips. “It’s better this way. At least you’ll know that it’s you that I want and not your gift.”
A thought struck me. “But you’ll sleep with others, won’t you? You’ll make them wear the red skirt and moiraine flowers in their hair and you’ll take what you want.” I curled up as much as I could. I should have been delighted that I was free, but instead, I felt the absence of the curse weigh over me like a descending sword about to fall.
He shifted. “I can’t answer that right now, Ivy. I have…obligations and—”
I didn’t want to hear any more. I put my finger to his lips. “Stop. Let’s just sleep here, right now, and pretend that everything’s perfect. We can face reality tomorrow, but for now…”
He kissed me again. “I understand,” he whispered.
Chapter Sixteen
Lake was gone when I woke up and his side of the bed was cold. Pulling the sheet around me to cover my nudity, I walked to the window, stepping over the stain on the floor. The stain that I had caused as a murderess.
And it didn’t bother me. Was that Dorothea’s influence again? The thought was unsettling, yet at the same time, it was like a part of my conscience was frozen. I knew right from wrong, and to murder Dorothea in her form as a helpless, defenseless hag was definitely wrong, yet part of me just didn’t care.
The snowfall was heavy outside, yet scryers still moved about, ready to get in their cars and begin the drive down the treacherous mountain roads in this weather just to get away from here. From this distance, I couldn’t tell if I knew any of them. I probably did, but I had rarely bothered with them before.
More disturbing, was the nagging question that wouldn’t leave my mind. Had Lake gone to one of them in the night to get the answers that he had failed to receive from me after our lovemaking? Had he used that skillful tongue and mouth on another young body and made her cry out in ecstasy before secrets pulsed from her mouth?
The jealousy within me made me seethe. But again, was that my jealousy or was that Dorothea’s bad taking over? Was it her insane desire to have a Corin love her that had etched itself into me? Had it infected the blood that no longer pumped around my body?
Frustration seared through me, and I sucked in deep breaths to get myself under control. Then I spotted the candle. It was ordinary and white, sitting in a silver candlestick holder. That innocent thing got all of my frustration. I channeled it away from my body, and it funneled through into the wick, creating an enormous flame that leapt up toward the ceiling, licking at the wood. I pulled it back with ease, making it reduce to nothing left but melted wax and the smell of smoke.
A laugh escaped me. So not everything had been taken from me, after all. The joy I felt was intense—if I had fire then I had power. I laughed again, a crazy laugh, a Dorothea cackle. The door swung open and I stopped and shut my mouth.
Lake walked in and closed the door behind him, before carefully sitting beside me.
“Where have you been?” I asked him. I poured the wine that Felix had left for both of us
“Working.”
“Conniving, scheming, crushing everyone else…”
His lips flicked up into a smile and he shrugged. “Paint it however you like. I get results and that’s what matters.” But as he took hold of his glass, the telltale whiteness of his knuckles told me that he held that glass harder than he needed to.
I sipped my own wine. “I’m not judging you.”
He sighed. “Yeah, you are. Look, I didn’t meet with any of the scryers last night. Is that what’s bothering you?”
I opened my mouth to deny it but then shut it again. It was the truth, but staying silent was easier than saying it out loud. His eyes were still on me, and I had to look away.
“Ivy, look at me.” I swallowed and managed to look him in the eye.
“I won’t fuck it up with you this time.” His jaw was rigid, showing his determination. “I won’t let anything get in the way of us. That’s a promise.”
“But if you don’t use us, won’t you be usurped? Won’t others take over your position?” My voice was almost panicked at the thought and I didn’t know why, but then it occurred to me that I now had Dorothea’s ambition.
He sighed and downed his wine. “I have others who are loyal to me but…I haven’t figured out what to do yet. I need that information, Ivy. I hate the thought of being with someone other than you, but what choice do I have? I’m not stupid. There are those who would throw me to the wolves at the first opportunity.” He touched his forehead; his young skin was creased with stress and worry. I couldn’t help it. I went to him and carefully sat on his knee, his arms went around me and he pulled me against him, resting his head against my breast.
I knew what to do. Dorothea’s influence had turned me ruthless and selfish. “You’ll find one scryer. Someone young and dumb who thinks that she loves you and will willingly come to you whenever you please. It won’t be hard. Women are drawn to the rich and handsome.” I stroked his hair, amazed at how cold and compassionless my voice sounded, but it didn’t stop me. “Use her as you like but you will always come back to me.” I cupped my hands around his cheeks and forced him to look at me.
“Are you sure?” he asked hoarsely.
“Yes. Now, there is no time for something so insignificant. We have enemies to hunt down and kill.” I leaned forward and planted a cold kiss on his lips. “Plus, you have one more asset that makes it so no one’s going to fuck with you.”
“What’s that?”
My lips curved into a smile. “You’ll have wife who can make fire,” I whispered.
Chapter Seventeen
I married in red. Not scryer red, but the dark, nearly black, red of blood that was no longer of any consequence to me. I made a fine bride. My gown was sim
ple with an empire waist and my hair was twisted into coils and pulled on top of my head. Around my neck, however, a fire of diamonds glittered just below the twisted and grotesque scarring. Not like a collar or any sign of slavery, no, that was for others now. The decadence of that jewelry marked Lake and I as a power couple.
No one fucked with us.
There was only one who dared to sneer and try to put me in my place, and he ended up with a fiery death, screaming until the tongue burned from his body. At the mountain estate, we wed in front of every member of the Circle whom we deemed suitable to witness our union. I even invited Lake’s scryer. She was prettier than I would have liked, but she was acceptable and bland. She accepted her lot in life and her intense attachment to Lake meant that he could use her for information whenever we chose. That attachment that she had for him also meant that I could choke down the guilt; I could pretend that she was not forced, and that she had chosen this life.
The Circle enjoyed their rituals. The wedding ceremony took place in a dark chapel in the mansion. Intricately carved wooden pews and ornate stained glass windows depicting grotesque scenes made the atmosphere creepy and ominous. The ceremony ended with the pricking of our thumbs so our blood fell into a crystal glass of dark wine. I took the needle and plunged it into Lake’s flesh so a dark drop welled to the surface, trickling down to fall into the waiting glass. As this occurred, I had a memory come to me, of Michael’s blood falling into a glass while his bride waited. I could feel her anxiety and excitement as she waited for this last final task that would bind this powerful man to her and propel her upwards in the ranks.
I shook my head, trying to force the memory away. More and more often, flashes of Dorothea’s life would come to me as if they were my own memories.
“Are you okay?” Lake whispered.
“Yeah.” I offered him the needle and my own hand that he took gently, pressing the sharp point into my thumb. The blood failed to appear, and he pressed harder, but still there was nothing. He raised his eyes to me.
“You don’t bleed any longer?” he said in a low voice so no one else could hear.
“I’m your corpse bride, remember,” I whispered back.
He gave a nod, and then said to the officiator. “It’s done.”
The man frowned. “I didn’t see—”
“I said that’s it done,” Lake repeated.
The man snapped his head up straight. “Of course.” He managed to smile before announcing to the guests that we were now man and wife. There was clapping as Lake leaned into kiss me. I should have been happy; I should have been elated to be wed to the man I loved…
But the nagging thought kept coming to me. Did I really love him now or was it Dorothea’s influence. I had loved him prior. Of that, there was no doubt in my mind, yet he had used me and lied to me. Still, he invaded my every thought, and I wanted to be with him all the time, in spite of everything.
After we broke the kiss, he smiled and whispered in my ear, “I have a wedding gift for you. I think that you’ll like it.”
He took my hand, letting his thumb rub over the band of ruby and diamonds that I now wore to mark me as his, before leading me down the aisle. The crowd followed us out, and we began to walk down the hillside. The snow had disappeared now and grass and flowers were beginning to sprout and replenish the landscape. The sun was warm on my face and it occurred to me that I was odd and out of place, something dead walking amongst the life-giving properties of spring. I thought of myself as being a dark blemish of red carving into the land like a scar.
All my musings stopped as we arrived at the beginning of a small valley and my eyes widened. The sight that was there was far more of a blemish on the landscape than I could ever be. They wore white robes that swayed in the gentle breeze. Their bodies twisted and struggled against the bindings that lashed them to the giant pyre. There were ten of them—all men, but I could not see Caleb amongst them.
I looked to Lake. He was watching me with interest.
“Where did you find them?” I asked as he led me down the grassy slope.
“I used other witches to track them. It took a long time, but I found these ones, the leaders. They are all that really matters.”
When we reached the flat, Lake turned me toward him and kissed me. “They need to be destroyed,” he murmured against my skin.
“I know.”
I felt exhilaration run through me, as if my heart that no longer beat had begun to throb and pump. Dorothea again…or was it?
I turned to the men who all glared down at me. They had very little fear in their eyes. All they had was utter hatred. They way that they looked at me made me want to take a step back and hide from their gaze.
But instead, I raised my head and high and looked at them one by one. I recognized Caleb’s father instantly. He had the same good looks, and arrogance poured off of him in waves despite his precarious situation.
I stepped closer to him. “Where is Caleb?”
He looked down at me with narrowed eyes, and then burst out into laughter. I stayed still, even though his reaction riled me and I felt Lake shift beside me, but I squeezed his hand to let him know that it was all right.
“What gives you the right to ask?” the man said, still grinning. “You’re the scrying whore whom my son defied his blood for. I’ll give you nothing.”
Lake moved again, but I held his hand even tighter.
“Where is your son now? Did you kill him?” I asked smoothly.
The man’s smile widened. “He loved you, but did you love him? I had wondered, but now I know…”
“You know nothing,” I said succinctly and coldly. I felt Lake’s rigidity beside me and he dropped my hand. I wanted to look at him, to touch his face and tell him that what the man said wasn’t true, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that.
The man laughed.
Kill him, hissed a voice in my head. Kill him, burn him now! I could just see Dorothea’s wicked mouth chanting those commands. That, combined, with the coldness emanating from Lake, made me act.
I gave the grinning white witch my own most charming smile. “I want to burn your son as well,” I lied, hoping that Lake would be placated. “No witch is a good witch.”
He started to retort but I didn’t give him a chance. The flame whooshed up with no warning, flickering high past the top of the pyre and the screams began.
I turned to Lake and offered my hand. “Shall we go? We have a marriage to consummate.”
He paused for an instant, and then accepted my hand, enclosing it tightly in his as we walked back to the mansion in silence. No one followed us. They all knew better.
Neither of us spoke as we walked up the curving staircase to our bedroom. Once I had walked up those stairs as a slave, now I was the queen. Once the door was safely closed, I stood before Lake in my red dress as he sat on the bed and looked up at me.
“You know,” he said softly.
I stepped closer to him and cupped his face in my hands. “It is not true, what he said. I love you. I always have. In spite of everything, I am by your side, and—” I stopped, not sure if I should go on.
“What is it? Tell me?”
I took a breath. “And, I have Dorothea in me. I have her ambition, her lust for power. I can feel those desires in my bones. There is no other choice for me but a life in which I can satiate those desires. Do you understand? When you had me brought back to life by using her energy, these things were implanted within me. To me, it is fate that we are together and there is no other choice. I love you. Everything about you, and I hate to admit it, but that’s because of her attributes.”
I kissed him hard with those last words, and he reciprocated just as viciously. Our teeth hit and our arms came around each other, fingers curving deep into each other’s flesh. I tried to climb on top of him, but he swung me around, so I was on the bottom and trapped beneath him. He showed me his teeth in a triumphant smile, and then with two hands, grabbed the delicate fabric of my d
ress and pulled at the stitching so it ripped down the middle, exposing me in my sheer bra and panties. They ripped too, exciting me even more, and I felt myself practically drenched between my legs as he pushed into me, smooth against my moisture.
“Tell me again,” he grunted as he withdrew, and then thrust violently into me.
“I love you,” I cried out, curving my legs around him to pull him in deeper. I cried it out every time he pounded into me; every time until I could barely speak and any attempt at words turned to a moaning as he brought me closer and closer to cumming. I closed my eyes and rode out my orgasm with his mouth on mine. I had never felt so close to anyone like this before.
He moved off me, panting hard as we both finished, collapsing down beside me, exhausted. I turned to him. “This is fate. It has to be,” I whispered.
He gave me a lazy grin. “Fate, Ivy Corin. I like that.”
He held me until he fell asleep, and then I extricated myself from him and covered him with a sheet. I walked over to the window. In the distance, the pyre burned low, an awful reminder of an awful act.
But it was necessary. I had to hurt those who wished me harm, and the white witches had. Furthermore, if they were to destroy the Circle, then that would involve destroying Lake. There was no way that I would ever let that happen. After all, I was now practically a queen. Power was mine, even if it was distasteful at times. I had risen high, and I wasn’t about to let that go.
Slowly, I closed the drapes and walked back to where my husband lay, peacefully asleep. Gently, I kissed him on the cheek.
“Good night, my love,” I whispered.
Then I took a robe and wrapped it around my nakedness. I was undisturbed as I made my way from the bedroom and down the staircase. Dim lamps flickered around the enormous house, casting just enough light for me to make my way unhindered outside. A hazy smoke sat still and the putrid scent of burned flesh lingered. It was in that direction that I set off. The cold did not bother me, and my skin did not react with goosebumps or shivering as if it would if I truly lived. I moved silently across grass and down the uneven terrain back toward the pyre that I had lit and the men whom I had killed.
