by Alice Wilde
Roan and Li move to follow him, but I grab their arms to stop them.
“Wait, let me try,” I say.
Roan’s jaw tightens, but he nods in agreement.
“Thank you,” I say, rising on my toes to kiss him on the cheek.
I descend below deck to search for Ero, and I’m stunned to find the ship isn’t quite as empty as Li made it out to be. There are a fair number of crates and barrels stacked around the space, as well as hammocks for sleeping. Although it’s not well lit, there’s enough light for me to catch sight of Ero’s shining hair. He’s sprawled out in one of the hammocks, one leg dangling over the side.
“Ero,” I say quietly.
“I heard you come down the stairs, princess. There’s no use trying to convince me this idea is any good.”
I make my way through the cargo toward him, trying to think of a way to convince him to help, or at least try. Finding a crate near Ero’s hammock, I take a seat.
“I won’t try to convince you the idea is a good one,” I begin, “but it is an idea, and the only one we have at present.”
“No, it’s just the most convenient one.”
“I’d hardly say asking you to strike up a storm to carry us across the sea is convenient,” I say with a nervous laugh.
“Fair enough.”
“What would it take to convince you to try?” I ask.
Ero cocks his head to the side as he regards me.
“Do you really want me to answer that question?”
“Yes,” I say with more certainty than I feel.
Ero raises an eyebrow, the expression making him look unexpectedly devilish.
“Come here.”
I hesitate but stand and walk toward him, unsure of what to expect from him.
“Turn around.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
I give him a piercing look but turn so that my back is to him. I feel a slight tugging at the back of my dress and the fabric loosens around me. My heart begins to pound inside my chest.
“Ero—”
Then I feel his breath against my neck as he moves my hair aside.
“What is it about you that captivates Roan so entirely?” Ero whispers against my skin, sending chills across my body. “What kind of bewitchment have you placed on him?”
I clench my teeth. “What do you want, Ero?”
“I want you to stop bewitching us.”
Ero’s words catch me off-guard.
“What are you talking about?”
“Before you,” Ero says as he runs his fingertips slowly up my naked arms, “we were an invincible team. Li, Roan, and I against the world.”
“I highly doubt that,” I mutter.
“Why?” Ero asks, pressing his lips to my neck as his hands find the neckline of my dress.
My mind scrambles for the answer I had on the tip of my tongue only a moment before, when I could still think clearly. This isn’t supposed to be happening, least of all with Ero, and certainly not now. Ero yanks at my dress, but he’s only loosened it enough to get it partway off my shoulders.
“Ero, this isn’t like you,” I say, trying to pull away from him but finding his grip on my arms to be too strong.
“Of course it is,” says a dark voice, and I freeze.
“Damien?”
Ero’s nails dig into my skin, holding me in place.
“Miss me?”
The shock wears off as quickly as it had come and I scream, but Ero’s reflexes are too fast, and one of his massive hands claps over my nose and mouth before there’s enough time for anyone to hear. His other arm wraps around my body from behind and lifts me into the air, dragging me further into the ship and away from the main deck. Away from Roan. Away from Li. Away from anyone who can help.
Six
Roan
The lass has been gone far too long for my liking. I know she’s trying to win Ero over and help keep things working smoothly between all of us, but I wish it didn’t require so much alone time with Li or Ero…especially Ero. Li has his moments, but he has too much honor for me to worry about him with Annalise.
Ero on the other hand…
He has a darker past than most demons, at least from the little he’s told us of it. While he may make a great Viking, I doubt there is much space in his heart for compassion or love, if any at all.
An odd sound interrupts my thoughts for a second…
Oh, yes, not to mention the fact that Ero’s annoying as all hell. Sure, I’m far from perfect myself, but I’m no womanizer…and that’s not something I can say about Ero. He may not wish her any ill intent or even have any regard for her, but from the things I’ve heard of his exploits with other women, I doubt he hasn’t thought about having her or that he has her best interests in mind.
Perhaps I should warn Annalise. I don’t want her to think I’m jealous of her time spent with him—even though I am—but I love her and want to protect her. I’m afraid that of the three of us, it’s Ero who poses the strongest threat when it comes to crossing boundaries.
“Roan?”
I look up from the mess of a knot I’ve been making to see Li crossing the deck.
“Huh?”
“I need you to stay calm, but Annalise has been gone a long time,” Li says, his face showing an alarming amount of concern.
“And?”
“I can’t link with Ero. I think something might be wrong.”
I immediately try to link to Ero. Nothing. I try my link with Li.
“It’s fine between us,” Li says in my head almost instantly. “I checked earlier, but only for a moment.”
I hadn’t even noticed him try to link, and it makes me wonder how many times I haven’t realized one of the others was in my head, but this isn’t the time to think about that.
“I’ll kill him if he’s hurt her!”
Li stops me before I can run down into the hull.
“Wait.”
“There’s no time!”
“I think it might be Damien,” Li says carefully.
I stare at Li, the rage in me mounting by the second.
“Then there’s not a second to waste,” I growl. “Ero or Damien, if he’s hurt her, I’ll tear him limb from limb.”
“You can’t do that. We can’t do that.”
I shove Li aside and make my way across the deck.
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Ero to be alone with her.”
“If you kill Ero, Annalise will never forgive you,” Li says as he easily steps into stride with me. “You’ll lose what little we’ve offered to get your family to help, as well as whatever Viking allies we may have managed to attain. You’ll lose Annalise. We all will.”
I stop dead in my tracks at the words. He’s right, as much as I want to hate him for it.
“What do you propose we do, then?”
“We’re going to rescue her, of course, but let me handle Ero.”
I grind my teeth but nod.
Li disappears below deck, and I follow warily behind.
Seven
Annalise
I can barely see even the impressions of objects down here, the deck below a far darker and damper place than the ones above. It almost feels as though we are underwater…and I almost wish I was. If Roan or Li don’t come to find me soon, it will all be over.
My feet touch the wooden panels, but Ero quickly turns me to face him before pushing me roughly to the floor and pinning me to the ground. Somehow, his hair still appears to glow even in the pitch-black darkness, illuminating his otherwise unrecognizable face, his mouth twisted into a menacing grin.
“You thought you could escape me?” Damien’s voice asks darkly. “You’re too weak to cut me out. Day by day, little by little, you grow easier to find, easier to manipulate. You’ll never escape me. Not you. Not them. Our bond is too strong for that.”
“We will defeat you,” I say forcefully, although I can feel angry tears welling up in me.
“You can’t even function when you’re together,” Damien laughs.
“Li and Roan will be here any moment,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
“Why don’t you go ahead and call for them then?”
I scowl at him and then I shout as loudly as I can, but even to me, the noise sounds muffled.
The terrifying grin on Ero’s face grows wider, and I realize he wants me to fight and scream. He relishes in my anguish. I won’t give him that satisfaction.
“Fine, if you’re going to hurt me, get on with it,” I say darkly, spurring him on.
Ero pulls back slightly, a look of annoyance spreading across his face. My hopes rise.
“How many opportunities have you had and not taken,” I say slowly, deliberately emphasizing his failures. “I don’t think you can do anything but threaten me, not here, not now. Not using my men.”
Ero’s mouth turns up into a snarl, and I can feel his rage starting to boil over.
“You’ll regret those words, you little minx,” Damien’s voice roars deafeningly in my ears as he pulls my body up toward his face by the neckline of my dress and then throws me roughly back down against the floor.
I’ve made a mistake, and I realize it far too late. I claw at Ero’s eyes, but he easily manages to keep his face out of my reach long enough to slap me hard across the cheek, stunning me.
Dazed, I can hear the sound of my bodice being torn down the middle and feel the chill of cold air against my now exposed breasts, but I can’t force myself to look away from the empty darkness. I shut my eyes tightly, willing myself to hold back the tears, my face starting to sting violently from the slap.
“I’ll make you hate me in ways you didn’t know were possible,” Damien’s voice says as Ero’s hands find their way under the skirts of my dress, hiking them up and around my hips.
Ero’s hand grabs my face and jerks it toward him.
“Open your eyes.”
I shut them tighter.
“Open your eyes or I’ll hurt Ero,” Damien’s voice says menacingly.
I open my eyes and look up into the black eyes of Damien, my heart breaking for the Ero trapped within. For Roan. For Li. For myself.
“Don’t close them again.”
I watch as Ero pulls his shirt up and over his head, and I can’t help but admire the beauty of his body. Even in the dim light, his muscular torso is perfectly built. Under any other circumstance, I’d happily admire him, but not like this. He is being used just as I am, and Ero has never tried anything like this. This is against everything we’ve fought so hard for.
I look but don’t watch, instead retreating into my thoughts as Damien continues to use Ero’s body for his own vile purpose.
“Please, Roan, find me,” I whisper inside my head. “Please!”
“Lass?”
I start at the sound, but I can’t see or hear anyone else in blackness with us.
“Lass, if you can hear me, I need to know where you are.”
“Roan?” I ask in my mind.
“I’m here. Li and I are coming.”
“It’s Damien, I—”
I gasp, the link with Roan broken as I’m brought back to the scene at hand.
Ero has one of my breasts in his mouth, but he’s sucking on it so hard it’s causing agony rather than pleasure. His other hand seizes my other breast, tugging hard. I yelp in pain, which only makes Damien happier.
Sitting up, Ero undoes his pants and reaches inside. For a brief moment, I think I see a flash of blue in Ero’s eyes and an apologetic expression cross his face, but it’s gone an instant later.
Ero’s expression grows dark and frustrated, and I’m relieved to see why. His cock is flaccid. Any other time I might have been insulted, but for once in my life, I’m actually thrilled to see a limp dick and I can’t help but laugh—a reaction I instantly regret as I am slapped again, even harder this time. I actually see stars and blink, unable to keep tears from spilling over onto my cheeks.
I hear footsteps thudding on the deck above us and I know it won’t be much longer now.
Damien knows it, too. He grabs me by the throat and lifts me to within inches of Ero’s face.
“I may not have been able to take you this time, but rest assured, you’ll never think of your companion the same way after this,” Damien’s voice says cruelly, his grasp around my throat tightening.
I claw at him once again as I try to free myself, this time managing to scratch him sharply across the face.
“Unhand her,” Roan yells as he shoves things aside in his haste to get to us.
Ero’s eyes roll back in his head and he suddenly collapses forward on top of me, crushing me under his bodyweight as I am still gasping for breath. Roan wrenches Ero’s body off of me, hurling him against the side of the ship, and I’m suddenly aware of my own state of being.
Roan drops to his knees and gathers me into his arms, his face wrought with anguish.
“What happened? Tell me everything.”
I look over at Ero, who is still unconscious, but Li attends to him.
“Don’t mind the bastard,” Roan says bitterly. “I’ll never let him hurt you again.”
“It wasn’t Ero.”
“The hell it wasn’t.”
“Honestly, Roan. It was Damien.”
“I’d rather believe it was Ero,” Roan scoffs.
“Don’t say that,” I snap. “Damien is trying to pry us apart, and he’s succeeding if words like that come out of your mouth.”
Roan looks at me for a long moment before sighing.
“You’re right, lass. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. My only thought was vengeance, which I can take out on Ero since he’s here and Damien isn’t.”
“I don’t think that would make it any better,” I say quietly.
“Did…did he…” Roan trails off, frowning deeply, not quite sure how to ask.
“I was violated,” I manage to choke out, all the emotions from the afternoon suddenly crashing over me, “but not in the way Damien had hoped.”
Roan pulls me tight against his chest, allowing me to weep into him, relief flooding over me.
“Ero will be okay,” Li says from across the room.
Roan growls but doesn’t say anything.
“We’re going to need to hear his side of the story, too,” Li says. “I’ll help him upstairs.”
Roan nods grudgingly, and Li half-carries, half-walks Ero out of the lower deck.
“Lass, I think you need rest,” Roan says, wiping the tears from my face with the sleeve of his shirt. “And perhaps a new dress.”
I can feel my face flush as I realize my torn bodice is still exposing me to the world, or at least to Roan, who is doing his best not to stare. Tugging my bodice together, I nod.
“Yes, to everything, but not here. I don’t want to be here.”
“Idiot,” Roan groans, getting to his feet. “Sorry, lass. I should have realized that sooner.”
I take his hand as he helps me to my feet, keeping one arm across my chest to hold my bodice in place. Roan carefully guides me through the dark room and we make our way up to the decks above.
Ero is resting in one of the hammocks I’d seen earlier, and Li is sitting nearby as we approach.
“There’s a captain’s quarters up above with a decent mattress if you’d prefer to rest there,” Li says, rising to his feet and moving to place himself between Roan and Ero.
“How is he?” I ask, gesturing toward Ero.
“Drained,” Li answers. “This is the first time I’ve seen Damien drain someone so much.”
I glance worriedly toward Ero, but my gaze doesn’t linger on him long.
“Perhaps we should go upstairs?” Roan asks, gently pulling me toward the upper deck.
I allow him to lead me and we find our way to the captain’s quarters. It’s comfortably decorated with a bed against the back wall and a decently sized window. A large table stands in the middle of the room with several
parchments spread out across it.
Roan and I cross the room and I curl up on the bed, pulling a blanket over myself, exhausted.
“Do you want me to stay?”
I turn to look at Roan, concern written on his face.
“I think I’d rather be alone right now,” I say.
Roan gives me a half-hearted smile and then gently kisses my forehead before leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I wonder if I’ll ever be able to look at Ero the same way again. Even knowing that it wasn’t his fault, seeing him in the hammock brought back the memory of Damien so vividly I can barely see past it. It’s almost as if, one by one, Damien is ripping us apart.
Sighing deeply, I cry myself to sleep.
Eight
Ero
The struggle was unbearable. I hate to say it, but Loki might not even be a match for Damien. After everything I’ve tried to do to stay away from Annalise, to keep her from tormenting my heart and mind, Damien’s gone and made things far worse.
I didn’t want to admit it before, but back on the ship from France, when whatever that magic was took me over, I could feel Damien. The sudden surge of reckless power connected him to me in a way that terrified me, as though he was able to drain part of the magic from me for his own use. It also left a lasting impression of him on my mind, like a black spot. I’d thought it was getting better until Li asked me to try to channel the magic from before to sail this ship. Perhaps if I learned to control it, I could use it without letting Damien in, but I don’t know how…and then came Annalise.
I don’t know why or how, but I must have triggered Damien’s connection with me when I thought about using the magic again, and he took his opportunity with me. It was already too late by the time I realized I was no longer in control of myself to warn Annalise, and it was different this time. As though Damien and I were two souls in one body, and mine was losing.
I could see, hear, and feel everything he was doing, but only as a spectator…a spectator who couldn’t turn away. He was omnipresent but impossible to find all at once. As soon as I thought I’d gained some ground in taking control, he’d slip away and I’d be forced to watch what happened next.
