Talia_Sleeping Beauty Retold

by Daniela Jackson

  “Something like this,” I say. I suspect her mom has left her. I suspect she knows a bit about us. She can cross the gate to the past so she must have seen us along the timeline. “So, you’re one of us, right?”

  She beams at me. “I can’t wait to live in one bedroom with Murray. She likes opera music like me.” She bobs her head. “Talia is a bit scary, but Yara is sweet.”

  The hairs rise on the back of my neck. She’s talking about us like we’ve lived in one household our whole life. My three sisters join us and their glances sweep over Heather.

  She hugs each of them and kisses them on the cheek. “Finally I’m here. I’m so happy. We’ll be sisters from now on.”

  My sisters’ jaws drop and I sense anxiety from them.

  “You’re trouble,” Talia says abruptly as her eyes narrow and her right eye twitches.

  “Your ghosts told you this?” Heather snaps.

  Talia shudders. “My ghosts are scared of you. But they said you should be here with us.”

  “I’m not scary,” Heather says, sounding offended. “I just want my dad and me to be safe and happy. Happy with our family. We both deserve to be surrounded by our family.” She strokes Rebel’s back with her palm. “We are one big family, right Rebel?”

  Rebel smiles and pulls her long almond hair. He seems to like her.

  Adva takes Rebel from Heather’s arms. “Kai, start delivering the food on the table. The men are coming back from church. Heather… You, sweetie, you sit down. You’ll start helping from tomorrow.”

  Adva’s face is pale like never before and her voice stirs each time she says something to us.

  I can hear our men laughing and grumbling as the sound of their heavy footsteps comes closer and closer to us.

  The meal is going to be served in the living area of our clubhouse. Yara is standing behind the bar tonight. Adva and my mom are cooking. Talia shrugs and goes to do business with her ghosts as Murray is pretending to be invisible.

  The men walk in and spread around the tables that form a ‘c’.

  Conah shoots my mom a curious glance as Kadmiel introduces him to her. Theo grabs his son and throws him up, making him giggle. Adva stands by the bar and looks at Conah with dread in her eyes. Now I know what’s wrong with her.

  Conah is an angel, and she’s the only mermaid in the household, imprinted to obey him. He has authority over her. My sisters and I are Conah’s nieces. He is family to us. My mom? Well, she glances at Conah like he is a lower being to her.

  Adva clenches her tiny hands in front of her stomach then nervously corrects her dark long hair and drops her head.

  Conah moves closer to her as a wide grin crosses his face. “Who are you?” His grin resembles that of a predator that’s going to devour its prey. I’m pretty sure he knows who she is.

  “She’s my mother-in-law,” my dad says. “And you’d better respect her. She’s a good woman.”

  Conah raises his hands in a warding gesture. “Your home—your rules, Prez.” He flashes Adva a beguiling smile. “Any father-in-law, sweetheart?”

  “No, sir. I’m single.” Adva pulls forward and stands beside my dad. “Do something about it. I don’t deserve being scared in my own house.” Her eyes fill up with tears.

  “We’ll fix this as soon as possible, love,” Dad says and looks at Conah. “She’s the oldest family member. The most experienced one. We respect her. And you’re gonna respect her too.”

  “I’m not an idiot, Kadmiel,” Conah growls. “I get it. You have a mermaid wife. Very fucking pretty to be honest.”

  “What did you just say?” Dad straightens and shoots him a warning glance.

  “I just said a compliment,” Conah says. “They are very pretty both the mother and the daughter.” He steps forward, takes Adva’s wrist and plants a kiss on her knuckles. “Very pretty.” He grunts. “Beautiful.”

  Adva cringes into herself and cries quietly, but Conah doesn’t free her hand.

  “You’re a fucking angel, Conah.” Dad steels himself.

  “So what?” Conah grins and rotates his shoulders as Adva steps back.

  “Angels don’t see mermaids this way,” Micah says and grins, but this is his signature grin that he puts on when he’s going to fight.

  “Now I see,” Conah says. “And I fucking think Adva is a very beautiful woman.” He winks at Adva.

  Adva shudders like a hundred spiders have covered her body then she pulls forward and passes Conah, aiming for the kitchen. Conah sweeps his hand, smacking her ass.

  Dad leaps to him, but Adva stands between them, her back against Conah’s chest. Her hands rise and she blocks my dad.

  “No,” she says firmly. “No fights inside. That’s your rule, Kadmiel.”

  Conah lowers his head and nuzzles his nose against her hair. Time stops. Everybody freezes. The air sizzles.

  “I want a wife, Kadmiel,” Conah says, raising his head as his arm crosses over Adva’s chest and he draws her closer to him. “And I want to claim Adva for my wife.”

  “You can’t put a claim on a mermaid,” Dad says. “That’s—“

  “That’s unusual as for an angel,” Conah says. “But you did it and you forget we’re the same. I fucking want Adva and I fucking want to belong to this family.”

  Silence layers all the people like frost is layering grass on an autumnal morning.

  “There are rules when you take one of our women,” Dad says, his voice devoid of emotion.

  My heart leaps at his words. He didn’t just say that. He can’t just give Adva to Conah. That’s not right. That’s unfair.

  That’s fucking crazy.

  “I’m happy to obey them,” Conah says.

  “This is for life,” Dad says.

  “Let it be for life then,” Conah says.

  Dad nods then leans towards Adva. “Lucky you. You’re not single anymore. You’re a married woman from now on.”

  I watch my grandma and she’s not my grandma anymore. She’s a frightened girl. In human terms, she’d look twenty. I never noticed that until Conah noticed her beauty. She’s immortal. She doesn’t age. She’s a very beautiful woman. Pearly tears shine on her cheeks and her skin shimmers with a delicate green, enhancing the beauty of her thick hair.

  The sound of the glass breaking diverts my attention and my eyes meet my mom’s. The pieces of two broken plates are scattered around her feet. Fury explodes in her eyes as she glances at my dad.

  “You’d better be quiet, woman,” Dad says to her.

  A mortal silence falls upon the room.

  “Let’s eat,” Dad says and we take our seats.

  Ettrian

  Almost all the women have gone to bed.

  We’re seated in two couches and on the bar stools. Yara is serving beer and Adva is sitting on Conah’s lap. Her eyes are red from crying.

  Kai is curling into my chest and I sense her anger.

  “Right,” Kadmiel says. “Now, you two.”

  “I know the rules,” I say, stroking my wife’s back up and down.

  “Good.” Kadmiel nods. “If I as much as see one tear she sheds because of you, you’re dead.”

  I salute him and kiss the top of Kai’s head. “Go to my room. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

  The boys erupt into laughter as Kai rises to her feet and shuffles upstairs.

  “Very amorous and quick those daughters of yours, Prez,” Sabrael says.

  Kadmiel grins. “We’ll see when you have daughters and they grow up.”

  “I’ll fucking lock them up,” Sabrael says.

  We sip beer. Glasses clink, cans click.

  “Adva,” Kadmiel says gently. “I just wanted to say—“

  “Fuck off, Kadmiel,” Adva growls. “I will never forgive you—“

  Conah’s arm crosses over her chest and he plants a kiss on her cheek. “She’s fucking adorable.” He grips the back of her neck and raises his finger in a threatening gesture. “You need to behave, sweetheart. You’re my wif
e.” He glides his thumb over her lower lip and kisses her temple. “I want you to be dirty only in our bedroom.” He grazes her chin.

  “Take care of Adva properly,” Kadmiel says.

  I don’t think Conah can even hear him. He’s too occupied with kissing Adva’s neck. He whispers something into her ear and shoves her off his lap.

  Adva shoots Kadmiel a dark glance and rushes upstairs. I empty my glass and follow her ten minutes later. Kai is lying on the bed as I walk into my bedroom. She levers herself up on her elbow and shoots me a furious glance.

  She opens her mouth. “How—“

  “I need a shower. Later.”

  I bow my head and go to take a shower and then slide under the duvet beside her, my naked body still damp. She snorts as I pull her into my embrace.

  “It’s so unfair,” she shrieks. I know she means Adva. “Why did they do this to her? Ettrian, would you do anything like this to Adva? My dad… He’s just horrible. I can’t believe it.”

  “It’s good for the club.”

  Kai turns to face me. “For the club? What the fuck does that mean?”

  “It’s good for the club. Conah and Heather are a benefit for the club. And Conah needs a wife. This is how things work here.” It’s as simple as that. I don’t understand her outrage. Kadmiel is a very good leader and he knows how to keep his family safe. He has to make difficult decisions and my job is to support him. “You and me—the same. That’s why your father hasn’t kill me yet. I’m a good asset for the club and with you as my wife, I’m even better for the club.” I kiss her lips, but she snorts into my mouth and averts her face. I hold her chin and turn her face to mine, crawling on top of her. “Kai, look at me.”

  She shivers at the tone of my voice. I don’t like being harsh with her, but I guess I will have to be sometimes.

  “Adva will be fine,” I say. “And you’d better focus on our baby and us.”

  My hard cock throbs against her inner thigh. I plant a kiss on her lips and drive my cock into her hot pussy. Her fingers dig into my back and she whimpers, her body arching beneath mine.

  “You’re all the same,” Kai says with resentment.

  “We’re who we are.”

  I move my hips against hers as my cock goes deeper. A wave of delirious heat floods my mind and body.

  Kai moans softly as her hands rest against my buttocks and she pushes down, urging me to fuck her harder.

  I pull out, tumble Kai on her stomach and cover her body with mine. I drive my cock into her cunt. Her hands seek something to hold on and her fingers clutch the covers.

  “Good?” I ask.

  “Very good,” she gasps.

  I kiss her cheek. “Everything’s gonna be alright.”

  She purrs and tilts her head, giving me access to her neck. I caress the sensitive area below her ear with my mouth.

  I fuck my wife hard until she thrashes in satisfaction and hums ‘I love you’ with her sweet raspy voice. She turns me on my back, massages my ears, and we fuck again. Then again to the point of total exhaustion. She whispers ‘I love you, Ettrian’ over and over again.

  I love my wife.

  I love my club.

  I love my life.

  Then dread surges through my chest like an icy arrow has coursed through me.

  There is a reason why Conah and Heather have found us.

  Adva and I have chatted a lot, and we agreed Kadmiel should know at last. He should know that in two hundred years, darkness will fall upon the world.

  I found the Book of Evidence three hundred years ago in one of the Egyptian pyramids. It contains a paragraph about my village and the Kluddes’ attack. They were extinct in my time, yet they appeared out of nowhere. The paragraph clearly states my village was smashed. Nobody of my people survived the Kluddes’ attack. Ettrian, the Elf, was decapitated. S’Ylla, the Elf-woman, was hanged on the tree and stabbed in the heart.

  Yet, I’m alive. My sister is alive.

  Micah came to save to me, so I embarked on a journey through centuries to save him.

  The Book of Evidence is a clever mechanism to keep track of all the changes to the timeline. A copy of it just appears from time to time like a gift or warning from the balance. It ended up in my hands. I don’t know yet what to do with this knowledge so I think I should share it with Kadmiel as soon as possible.

  Kai

  He wakes me with his kisses. I can’t open my eyes at first. He kisses my lips. No, he devours them, demands, almost violates like he wants to merge with me.

  “I need a shower, baby,” I say.

  I lift my eyelids and my surroundings blur. Ettrian’s smell envelops me like a blanket of temptation. He growls into my mouth as his hard cock throbs against my ass.

  “I want to fuck,” he says into my ear and bites my earlobe lightly.

  “You elven freak, aren’t you tired?”

  “I want to fuck your mouth,” he says.

  “Okay. I’ll just need to wake up.”

  He jumps off the bed and pulls me up, dragging me to the bathroom. It’s a cell without windows and a metal pillar is stuck in the centre.

  “We need something bigger,” I say.

  “We need indeed,” he says, massaging my breasts.

  We step into the shower cabin and he turns on the hot water. I start undoing the plait made of his hair. He is so beautiful to me.

  I stroke his cheek. “I love you, baby.”

  I do. I love him like mad.

  He grunts and buries me in his embrace, stroking my back up and down. I sense his joy. Then I sense a pinch of darkness from him. No, it’s his lust for me—dark, fierce, unstoppable.

  He pushes me down on my knees and rubs his thumb against my lower lip. The steam envelops us. Heat fills my veins.

  “Open,” he demands as menace flickers in his purple gaze.

  I obey.

  He holds his thick stiff cock and drives it into my mouth, slamming the head on my throat. I gag. He’s too big. My fingers dig into his muscular thighs.

  He gathers my hair on the back of my neck and holds me in place, thrusting into my mouth. I gag again as tears well in my eyes.

  “Fuck,” he growls. “So fucking good.”

  My inner mermaid burns with the urge to please him. I close my fingers around the base of his shaft and bob my head up and down his length. His heavy breath mingles with the murmur of the water.

  He rests his forearm against the green tiling and leans forward, his cock filling my mouth entirely. I focus on breathing as my mermaid guides me. I know how to deep throat a man.

  Ettrian starts moaning as he fucks my mouth mercilessly. His body stiffens then trembles and his hot cum spurts down my throat.

  “Fuck,” he growls. “I’ll do anything for you; just fuck me like this every night.”

  His cock slips out of my mouth, and he hooks me under the arms, lifting me.

  “Promise,” he demands. “Every night.”

  “You elven freak.” I pat his nose and drown into the fierce madness of his love for me.

  My eyes travel down, and I see his cock grow hard again.

  I squeal and run out of the shower cabin. He catches me in the bedroom and throws me on the bed, urging me on all fours. He kneels behind me and drives his cock into my pussy from behind. I moan with both pain and pleasure.

  His cock is so big. I always feel like I’m impaled when he’s inside me.

  My husband fucks me hard, and I cum on his cock, screaming my satisfaction.

  A loud banging on the door makes me shudder.

  “Be quiet,” Murray yells from behind the door. “I can’t sleep. You two fuck like animals. My God. Just be quiet. That’s embarrassing.”

  I erupt into laughter and I can hear the sound of her footsteps drifting away.

  Ettrian covers my mouth with his hand, and I feel his finger circling my tight opening. He whispers an incantation into my ear. My muscles relax, and I smell lavender and camomile with a pinch of magic.r />
  “What is it for?” I tease.

  “For you to have more fun. Some anaesthesia.”

  I purr and push my ass against his hips, urging him to fuck me harder.

  “Slowly or you’ll ruin me,” he growls.

  He pushes his finger into my tight hole, and I shiver with pleasure. His digit slides in and out, as his cock thickens even more inside my pussy. The sensation of my two holes getting fucked is intoxicating.

  “Tell me to fuck you in the ass,” he demands.

  Excitement fills my veins.

  I will give you my mouth.

  I will give you my pussy.

  I will give you my ass.

  “Fuck me, baby,” I say. “Fuck me hard. I want your big cock in my ass.”

  His mouth covers mine, and he grunts with excitement. He pulls his cock out of my pussy and lines it up with my other opening. I feel the head push in.

  I wiggle, but he braces me with his arm and slowly slides his cock inside me until he’s buried in my ass to the root.

  It stings as hell. I start panting.

  I’m impaled.

  I’m full.

  I’m stretched.

  “Fuck,” Ettrian says. “I want to fuck you for eternity. We just need more privacy in this house.” He strokes my back up and down. “Good?”

  “Good, baby, don’t stop.”

  He starts thrusting, but he’s very gentle and slow. My pleasure builds wave after wave, dark, dirty. Decadent. Jolt after jolt. It’s hotter and hotter. I’m higher and higher.

  His magic is doing a good job.

  I start moaning and Ettrian’s moans mingle with mine.

  “Love your tight ass,” he growls before his body trembles against mine.

  I shoot towards the stars. I explode. I’m non-existent for one eternal second.

  We collapse on the bed and tangle together. We’re one body and one soul.

  I’m drifting to my sleep.

  “I want to fuck again,” Ettrian says, but it’s a blur to me.

  “In one hundred years,” I mumble as darkness cuts me off from reality.

  Ettrian

  We wake up and snuggle in bed. My wife kisses my cheek.

  “Now, you elven freak, it’s time for you to talk to me,” Kai says, her voice laced with seriousness. “I can sense you, you know. I want to know all your dirty secrets.”