Twisted Captive

by Patricia D. Eddy

  I tiptoe closer, my bare feet making no sound on the thick rugs. Risking a single glance around a corner, I try to memorize the layout of the room. The King and the Prince sit facing the hearth, each with a glass of amber liquid in their hands.

  With shrug, the Prince says, “There is no need to release him. I have spent the past few hours thinking of the perfect bargain to make with my sweet bride.”

  “Tell me, son.” The King sets his glass down and leans forward, and I can hear the excitement and pride in his voice. Sick bastard.

  “I will tell her that we will let the dragon walk out of the castle. Unaccompanied. No Fae will follow him. But we will take his voice so that he can never speak ill of us. She must agree to marry me as soon as he leaves. I will even allow her to watch him go free.” The Prince takes another sip of his drink as the King frowns.

  “If we let him leave, he will be able to shift. To escape,” the King says.

  The Prince chuckles. “Hardly. We will provide him clothing and use our glamour to hide the collar around his neck. And without his tongue, he will never be able to tell Lia what we have done.”

  “He could still hide from us.”

  With a wave of his hand, the Prince dismisses his father’s concern. “I have two magic-bearers bound to me. They will follow the dragon, and as soon as he is out of Lia’s sight, they will trap him and return him to the castle. She will never know, and even if one day, I decide to punish her and show her how we have destroyed everything he is, there is no lie. Nothing that nullifies our bargain.”

  “And by then…” the King adds, “you will have broken her as I have broken my human toy.”

  Tears burn my eyes, but I will not let them fall. Anger flares white hot, and I am about to creep closer when strong arms grab me and propel me forward.

  “My liege, I found her in the hall,” the guard says as I struggle to escape his hold.

  The King and the Prince leap up, and the hatred in the Prince’s eyes...it terrifies me more than anything he has done to me thus far. The dagger is still strapped to my thigh, and I tore a slit in the white silk gown to allow myself easy access to the blade, but the guard has my hands pinned behind my back, and he is crushing my broken fingers. The pain is almost too much for me to remain standing.

  “Well, well, sweet Lia. How did you free yourself from those chains?” the Prince asks as he grabs my chin and forces me to meet his gaze. I will my mind to go blank, but I must not be quick enough, because he snorts and arches a brow at his father. “My whore mother released her.”

  “Guards!” The King’s call echoes throughout the room, and three more Fae rush in. “Find my consort and bring her to me. Do not be gentle.”

  “No! Do not punish her!” I cry, and the guard holding me squeezes my wrists and hands tighter. My knees buckle, and I hit the ground, hard.

  “Do you think you have any power here, Lia?” the Prince asks. “Hardly. You do not demand. You do not even ask for a thing in my presence. I own you.”

  “Take me to see Roarke,” I sob as fat tears spill down my cheeks. “I beg you. One kindness. I will never ask for another.”

  I need him to see that I have broken completely. That he has won. Only then will he let down his defenses at all. The guard no longer holds me, and I crawl towards the Prince’s feet, lowering my head to the ground and kissing his soft slipper. “I will be yours. I could have run. Instead, I came to find you. I only wish to say goodbye.”

  His laugh makes my blood run cold. “I would have liked to see you try and escape. You are bound to this castle. Or have you forgotten?”

  “There are hundreds of places to hide within these walls,” I say, peering up at him through my curtain of black hair.

  He considers this, then glances at his father. I fill my mind with images of a binding ceremony. I stand at the Prince’s side, not smiling, but not fighting as the King loops a piece of black silk around our joined hands. The thoughts make me want to vomit, but I have to hold my true feelings in check.

  “Very well. I suppose if we wed now, I will not have to wait so long to have you. But you will be punished thoroughly for what you have done this day.”

  “Thank you,” I choke out, then hold out my left hand, hoping he will help me to my feet. If I kill him, the bargain will be null and void, and I will be able to escape this place. Once I find Roarke. At least...I hope.

  As the Prince grabs my elbow, I hear his thoughts. He’s practically singing to himself.

  “Such games I play. Clever, clever, Rumpelstiltskin. I will have endless fun with her. And when she is mine, I will make her say my name over and over and over again, just so I can torture her with it. Once we are bound, it will do her no good.”

  I only have a second to revel in the joy of my new-found powers before the Prince—Rumpelstiltskin—shoves me at his father. I reach for the blade strapped to my thigh. The shock of the iron in my hand throws me off balance, but I manage to drive the dagger into the King’s side. He lets out a hoarse cry, and as his body starts to fall, he grabs me around the waist and takes me down with him.

  “Iron,” he manages as I twist the dagger and try to wrench it free, but his hold on me is too strong. I have no leverage.

  The Prince spits out a few words in his native tongue, and the air leaves the room with a great whoosh. I start to choke and panic, but keep my fingers tight around the hilt of the weapon as the guard grabs my hair and yanks me back. With what might be my last act before I pass out, I slash at the tall, lanky Fae and open a cut on his thigh.

  “Stop!”

  Roarke. His voice in my head gives me a burst of strength, though when I look up, he clutches his throat, the Prince’s charm extending far enough to affect him as well.

  “You can do this, Aurelia. Call for air.”

  I concentrate on that one word. Air. The breath I draw is too thin, too small. But it is not nothing. Holding onto that thought as long as I can, I manage another. Then another, but a dozen guards rush the man I love, tackling him and sending him to the ground. The Prince releases his charm, flooding the room with so much air, it stings my eyes and cheeks, blistering my skin.

  I stagger to my feet as a great roar comes from under the pile of Fae. The sound turns into a growl, and then a burst of fire hits the ceiling. I hear a muffled voice in my head. “Aurelia, get down…”

  Hitting the floor and taking the guard with me, I struggle as flames shoot across the room and singe the Prince’s tunic.

  He’s distracted, even angrier now as he drops and rolls around to dampen the fire, and I drag my blade across the guard’s balls, kick him off of me, and lunge for my tormentor. The dagger sinks deep into the Prince’s shoulder. I lie on top of him, grinning.

  “Rumplestiltskin, I do not want you. I will never love—“

  He slaps his hand over my mouth, but I push the blade deeper, and his strength fades. With my knee pressing down on his pathetic cock, I lift myself up high enough he can no longer silence me. “Rumpelstiltskin, you are not as smart or as clever as you think you are. I do not love you and I will never marry you.”

  His scream is one of pure torment and agony, and I wrench the dagger free from his flesh and then plunge it into his neck, preventing him from uttering another word ever again.

  Something crashes against the stone walls, a great presence filling the room, and I stare at my dragon. He is magnificent. Green scales with a golden shine cover his massive body, and his tail swishes once, knocking the three Fae guards still alive into the far wall. Noelle darts forward and shoves something into each of their mouths before they can rise again, and they start to convulse, then lie still.

  The beast snorts and paws the floor, leaving deep gouges in the stone with his talons.

  Every part of me hurts, but I pull the dagger from the Prince’s body and run for my mate. His wing wraps around me, scooping me up and cradling me protectively against his body. His chest is half the size of my entire cottage, and he is so very warm.


  “Roarke.”

  My dragon lets out a possessive growl, then gently sets me down, folds his wings against his back, and bows his head to nuzzle my neck. I stroke his jaw, and his golden eyes meet mine. Even in this form, I see love reflected back at me.

  His legs fold, and he starts to shift before my eyes. The process takes long moments, and I keep looking over my shoulder, fearful we will encounter more guards—or worse. Another member of the royal family. Assuming there are any left.

  Roarke—the man—falls to his knees in front of me, naked, his chest heaving, and I wrap my arms around him. “Aurelia, we must go. Now. Help me?”

  “What is wrong? You are frightening me.” The strong, majestic beast is gone, and left in its place is a man who looks like he is about to die.

  He cups my cheek, and his lips curve into a smile. “Nothing rest and being free of this place—with my mate—will not fix, darling.”

  A flash of movement catches my eye from behind him, and I push to my feet, the dagger in my hand. Noelle. She stands behind Roarke with a cape in her hands, gesturing to him. Of course. He’s naked.

  “Come with us,” I say, but she shakes her head, steps closer, and holds out her hand. Roarke pulls the cloak around his body as I lay my fingers over hers. She guides my hand to her forehead, and I do not even need to concentrate to hear her thoughts as clearly as if she were speaking aloud.

  “I have another son. The King locked him away years ago when his powers started to grow beyond Rumpel’s. He is a good man. I must find him and free him.”

  I tell Roarke what she says, and he pushes to his feet with a groan. “Will he harm the people of this realm?”

  Noelle shakes her head. “No. Adrian’s powers have been…bound. Even if what has taken place this day restores them...I know his heart. He will never harm another.”

  The Prince makes a gurgling sound from across the room, and Noelle’s stare hardens. She pulls a small piece of iron from a pouch at her hip. I can sense it, and I take a step back.

  Stalking over to her son, she shoves the piece of iron into the wound at his neck, and his body starts convulsing as she rests her hands on her hips. Next, she turns to the King. He does not move, even after her single, well-placed kick. Noelle she huffs, then glances at us and nods. The King and the Prince are dead.

  My bargain with them is broken, and I am finally free.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Roarke

  “Aurelia, I need you.” Some of my deeper wounds have started to bleed once more, and I am weakening. My dragon demands to be released, but I fear if I let him out, shifting back might kill us both.

  I ease the dagger from her hand as I drape my other arm over her slight shoulders. She should not have to bear my weight, but she is stronger than I ever knew. Watching her pull air back into the room after the Prince used his charms was the sexiest, most powerful display of magic I have ever seen outside of shifting.

  Two Fae round the corner, and I brandish the dagger as I shout, “Out of our way. Do not make me end you.”

  “The King is dead,” one of them says. His glamour falls away, and the tall, broad-shouldered male shrinks before my eyes. He is a head shorter than I am, with spindly arms and legs and a young, fresh face. “We felt it. We have been trapped here for centuries and now…we are free.”

  Aurelia looks from the two Fae to me and back again. “You were trapped…?”

  “Not all Fae are like he was. Some of us seek nothing but a peaceful existence among humans or a return to the Fae realm. When the King was banished centuries ago, he set a trap. More than half of the Fae in this castle did not choose to come here. Now, we are free. I miss my home. My family back in the Fae realm.”

  My mate sucks in a sharp breath. “We…can leave this realm?”

  “I do not know how the King created this place. The Fae have their own plane of existence and should never have claimed part of this world,” I say.

  “The King’s magic is gone. And with it the veil that separated us from the rest of the earth. Go,” the guard says and bows before Aurelia. “We know what the Prince planned for you, and we vow—on our immortal souls—to protect you for as long as we live. Both of you.”

  “You know what I am,” I say. It is not a question, and trepidation tightens in my gut. The Fae and the dragons are mortal enemies. I have too much power inside my beast for us to be anything else.

  “We do, shifter.” The other guard, who is shorter than the first, nods. His tone is not entirely friendly, but he too bows. “We have taken from the unwilling for too long. The power is bitter. Harsh. I would rather languish and pass into the afterlife than sustain myself on it any longer. If we cannot return to our own realm, I can think of no better penance than to entomb ourselves in the rubble of this tower. We can destroy it. Once the human and the tortured prince are free, we will do that very thing.”

  Aurelia tightens her arm around my waist. “I believe them, Roarke. They are not evil, even if they have done evil things.”

  “Very well. But I am keeping the dagger close,” I say as the guards press themselves against the wall to allow us to pass.

  Aurelia supports more and more of my weight as we descend the stairs, and when we reach the door that leads outside, she hesitates. “What if…?”

  “You said his name, my love. You told him you would never love him.”

  “But—“

  I silence her with my kiss, and a burst of strength infuses my limbs. She is perfection. Her taste like the sweetest fruit, like the wind as my dragon flies free and unburdened, like pure sunshine. Taking her moan of pleasure within me, I let her feel the hard length of my cock against her belly, and the scent of her arousal swirls around me.

  “I will not let anything happen to you, Aurelia. If the worst comes to pass, we will find a way to break the charm. Together.”

  Her lips are swollen from our shared passion, and her eyes sparkle in the afternoon sunlight. With her pressed to my side, we take a single step onto the thick carpet of moss outside the tower, and Aurelia breathes deeply.

  “I…” Tears tumble from her eyes, and she throws her arms around me and holds on like she may never let go.

  Strong enough now, I scoop her up and cradle her to my chest. “Come home with me, mate. Your father is safe with a friend of mine, and I…need to rest with you in my arms. After that, if the barrier truly has been broken, we can go anywhere you wish and start a new life. Together.“

  Rolling over, I stifle my groan. My injuries—those that remain—are healing, but the memory of the Fae’s torture will never fade. Beside me, Aurelia sleeps soundly. I fashioned a splint for her broken fingers, and when we mate, our bond will give her some of my strength—enough to mend the shattered bones at least.

  She and her father had a stilted reunion. Keeping the secret of her true parentage from her… I was not certain she would forgive him. I never will. But they embraced before Crux allowed him to return to his cottage, and she promised we would not leave without saying goodbye.

  The veil hiding this realm from the rest of the world has fallen, and many of the outcasts have already left. Those who stepped into the Fae’s charmed circle less than ten years ago were the first to go. We saw several of them carrying small sacks of their belongings and running into the forest as we made our way to my home.

  “Roarke?”

  Her voice soothes me, and I brush a lock of hair away from her face. “Yes, my love?”

  “This is a dream.” Her eyes shimmer with unshed tears, and I cup her cheek and brush my thumb over her lips.

  “No, Aurelia. This is no dream.” I cannot keep a hint of sadness from my voice as I gently lift her hand to examine her broken fingers. “In a dream, we would be whole.”

  She feathers a touch over a healing patch of skin along my side. One of my larger…offerings to the King. That wound gave him so much power, he could no longer walk a straight line.

  “Will we ever be whole again?” she ask
s.

  “We are together. Does anything else matter?” Leaning in, I press a chaste kiss to her lips. “You did not get to see the best part of this house last night. May I show you?”

  She nods, and with our arms around one another, we shuffle into the bathroom. I worked for years on this room. In one corner, there is a lavish teak wood sauna, and in the other, a shower large enough for the both of us.

  “Is there…warm water?” Aurelia asks.

  “My love…when you are with a dragon, there is always hot water. The boiler in back of the house took me decades to perfect. Wait here?” I ease her down onto the bench in the sauna, but her eyes widen, and she shakes her head.

  “No. I want to stay with you. Please, Roarke.”

  I should not have been so thoughtless. She has no cause to fear. Not now. But nor do I, and my nightmares woke me several times during the night. “Of course, my love.”

  Leading her outside, I warn her to stay back, then let my dragon take control. The shift is only partial, just enough for him to call forth the flames that turn the metal of the boiler red hot.

  Aurelia gasps, and I cut my gaze to her, worried I’ve somehow frightened her, but instead, she watches in awe. “You are magnificent,” she breathes, and my dragon preens as he retreats back to his dormancy.

  Her body is bruised from her shoulders to her feet, and out here, in the daylight, the black, blue, and purple marks look so much worse. “Let me care for you,” I say as I move to scoop her up into my arms. But she takes a step back, her hands raised.

  “N-no. That’s what… He said that before he…bathed me. I was so confused then. I thought—for a few moments--that he was not a monster. He addled my mind.” A shudder runs through her entire body, and I curse myself for not doing something to stop her from making that bargain in the first place. It matters not that Crux and Valinor were holding me. I should have shifted, released my dragon, the Fae be damned.