Once his toxins invaded her system, she prolonged the kiss—drinking in the essence her body craved. He twined the frayed bonds around her heart with threads to himself. Although he couldn't forge a love bond, he could enforce her loyalty and devotion.
"Why do you think you haven't been able to tolerate his touch?"
Her head lolled to the side as his spell took hold. "I thought it was hormones."
"His disloyalty left you vulnerable to me. My seed quickened your body. And until our son is born, only I can bring you pleasure."
"I wanted a child, but not like this."
Her voice sounded stronger, more sure as their connection frayed. Miranda's power to resist manipulation passed to her descendant. In another time, that had been an attraction. Now he feared when they returned to Rhira, he'd lose her once her powers awakened.
He fed on the seductive essence from Lance and Cassandra, using their desire to bind Fiona. "Watch. Watch as your husband joyfully plants his seed in another woman."
Lance grasped Cassandra's hips as he desperately pumped into her. Striving to fulfill his duty as member of the male species, the continuation of his line.
"Now, Cassandra." Phillip ordered Lance released from her spell. Succubae fed from men as they struggled to reach completion. Withholding that special moment killed a man if she drained him or enhanced the possibility of pregnancy. Many of his children enjoyed that power. He killed any who sought to abuse the powers given to them.
Lance lay there, exhausted.
Cassandra rose from Lance's body and looked at Fiona. "He's quite the lover. Rachel certainly enjoyed his attentions. I can't see why you'd share him."
Philip called forth an ebony black blade and wrapped Fiona's fingers around the ivory hilt. Fury pulsed off Fiona. He wove her pain and anger into rage, the necessary weapon to propel them home to Shadow's Promise.
In a trance, Fiona stumbled to Lance's side. She pounded on his chest with her fists, unaware of the dagger and the gashes she carved into him. "I loved you. Why? Why would you do this to us? To me?"
Philip released her from his control. Her anger drained away as her normal personality reasserted itself. She leapt back from the body, leaving the knife stuck in her husband. Frozen in place by the horror of her actions, she remained transfixed as Lance turned his head and stared at her with grey stormy eyes turned granite cold.
"What have I done?" Fiona asked, captivated by the blood staining her hands and clothes.
"You're helping right a wrong done hundreds of years ago." Philip bent down, placed his hand around the dagger hilt and spoke the invocation to return to Rhira. "With this sacrifice, we sever the earthly shackles. With our will, we search for the place we belong. With our breath, we ask to return home."
The house shook and groaned. Bright light emanated from the dagger, and the body disintegrated. The deep red, almost black, pools of blood absorbed into the floorboards. The room spun until the threesome became encased in a bubble of blue-white energy.
A moment stretched into endless colors that swirled into silent darkness. Their protective bubble popped and dropped them in a sun-baked land where the air sang with power.
Philip took a deep breath and surveyed the Black Glass Sands he called home.
Black, fine-grained sand spread before him as far as the eye could see. The gentle lapping of murky-brown water played a welcome song. A lone Sooty Tern seabird glided along the tempestuous air currents above Shadow's Promise, the castle he'd built to call home.
Twin screams of agony caught his attention.
As he expected, Cassandra's sea-green colored wings turned gray and flecked into dust. A succubus fully matured when they conceived and lost their wings. After she gave birth, Cassandra would still possess a seductive allure to men but the unending desire to feed would diminish. She could pursue a normal relationship and survive off the love of one man.
However, seeing Fiona hunched over with two silver sticks covered in fluffy down protruding from her shoulder blades surprised him. Her Harmonian genetics activated quicker than anticipated in the magic-rich air of Rhira.
Eventually her wings reached their full growth and she laid flat on the ground, sucking in huge breaths. Newly formed, her wings were covered in silver transparent feathers which would darken when they molted in a few months. The pregnancy would keep her grounded, but he would oversee exercises to strengthen her wings so she could fly after the birth.
Bright red tips drew his attention. A mark of a future Harpy. A woman betrayed by her wing mate whose heart turns to ice and she craves the spilling of blood. The TriCouncil used them as assassins.
He'd left Harmonia to escape the Harpy contract on his life. He killed the first one sent after him, and escaped to this desolate land. He'd do everything in his power to see Fiona did not become a soulless killer.
The crunch of leather against sand heralded the arrival of his people.
"My Lord."
"Mistress Rhohas, see to it Miss Fiona is taken to the tower breeding chamber. No one is to enter her room without my permission." Usually his guards were free to use any of the women willing, but Fiona was his to protect. "Make sure you tie a cord to her ankle. Miss Fiona has not had wings before and might harm herself needlessly."
"As my Lord wills."
He watched as Mistress Rhohas supervised the men carrying Fiona and Cassandra away.
Alone, he stared across the Cimmerian Sea and considered Fiona's fate. The appearance of harpy markings changed his plans for her. No man could be allowed to touch her. Miranda's descendant would not become a cold, heartless creature.
Chapter Five
Philip walked the wall protecting Shadow's Promise. The keep was a permanent reminder of the good he could do, because it provided the Black Salt Sea nomads protection during the three-month-long Storm Season and a safe haven for their women to give birth. But the gusts of wind reminded him of days long ago spent riding air currents, before revenge consumed his life and he'd forsaken his wings. With the child he'd sought so close to being delivered, a few moments of clarity brought the wonder of an uncertain future.
Fiona strolled the inner courtyard followed by her guards of the day. The child she carried should've been Miranda's, created within their love. His hands curled around the stone embrasure. The all consuming drive to destroy the TriCouncil aroused the incubus. He'd have to feed again, his control over the dark being slipped as the insidious whisper to kill became more insistent.
He refused to take a life.
Christoff helped Fiona as she stumbled. She gave him a brief smile before walking again. Christoff dropped back to join his twin brother Christian, the other guard on duty. They were physically the same except for the colors of their wings—Christian wore midnight blue to Christoff's amber yellow.
They were the only Harmonians daring enough to seek training with him this year. The TriCouncil deemed that every male, upon completion of their studies, must seek five years of training in the courts away from the floating city. And if the more rebellious warriors lost their lives in 'accidents', the world outside the golden towers could be dangerous.
Few risked traveling as far as Shadow's Promise. But those with the courage to confront him received the best training his extended life provided.
Christoff guarded Fiona more often than the standard rotation schedule allowed. An honorable and loyal man, Christoff would make the perfect mate.
For anyone, except Fiona.
With a sudden cry, Fiona fell to her knees, a hand wrapped around her belly. A mental howl dropped him to the ground. Earlier than expected, his son wanted to be born. Phillip struggled to an upright position and leaned against the battlement for support. "Carry her to the birthing chamber," he ordered.
The guards and staff who rushed to her side flinched, but Christoff allowed none but himself to touch Fiona as she experienced another contraction. Black anger clouded his vision as Fiona clung to the guard. Philip wished he could be with her
, but after his lies, he'd left her alone except to monitor her health. The child was his only concern.
He stalked through the halls to the room magically sanitized for births. The birthing process left mother and child vulnerable. He allowed not a drop of magic to settle in this room so as to provide a safe haven for them.
Christian stopped him at the door. "She requested you be kept away."
"That may be, but you know the rule: Every father has the right to see his progeny born."
Christian continued to block his path. "Are you sure the child is yours? She was married to another."
Another scream carried into the hallway. "Oh yes, I'm sure it's mine." He placed his palm on the guard's chest and shoved the echoes of pain from Fiona into the man, driving Christian to his knees. "Remember who rules here. Do not try and deny me access to my son again."
He stalked into the room and stopped at the foot of Fiona's bed. Violence swirled in the air, and Fiona tensed at his presence. Her nails dug deep furrows into Christoff's arm. The man never flinched, despite the pain. Philip reined in his anger and offered, "I can take away your pain."
Fiona tensed, her hands protectively circling her belly. "I don't want you here," she growled through gritted teeth.
The midwife glared at him but restrained herself from chastising him. "Come now, child, the babe must come out."
He thought Fiona might refute that statement when her belly muscles rippled as another powerful contraction wracked her body.
"Let him help. He does this for all the births." Christoff surprised him with his request.
Fiona turned to the guard. "You don't know what you're asking."
"Yes, I do. But the stress isn't good for you. You'll only hurt yourself. Let him help."
Fiona's shoulders slumped, and her face drooped in a defeated cast. "Very well."
Philip inclined his head to Fiona. He slid down to the head of the bed and gently tucked a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. Grasping her right hand, he sucked her pain away and sent back calm, soothing energy, except in route the energy turned into a warm, masculine seduction with a touch of spicy cinnamon.
He hadn't expected the couple's clasped hands to be able to override his inclinations. Not that he'd wanted to seduce Fiona, but the strong attraction between the two could be dangerous. He'd not have the Harpy curse placed upon Miranda's descendant. Christoff would have to be eliminated.
He watched the midwife as the birthing progressed. Eventually she nodded at him, and she asked Fiona to give one giant push. The healthy cry of a boy soon filled the quiet room. He left Fiona and claimed the baby. His son.
"Wait," Fiona called as he walked out the room.
He'd return the child soon enough, but first he needed to know the child's future. Next door, the Seer waited. One of the oldest amongst the nomads, she never stayed in the keep but used the room for each birth. Never heeding any calls, she always arrived when she was needed.
He knocked and brought his son before her. Dressed in smoky grey tatters, it was her eyes that drew his gaze. Or her lack of eyes. Black, empty sockets stared and tracked his progress across the room. Her attendant took his son and placed the babe in the Seers arms.
His son's hungry cries died down when the woman stared at him. And then she spoke:
"Long has his presence been sought, by those in the right and the wrong. A kingdom far away he shall rule, and his heirs shall know a peace he never will. With help from love's lost mate, his mother will be saved from eternal torment. His hands shall be covered in the blood of his father, but not before fulfilling his sire's greatest wish."
The attendant handed back his son, who started wailing as soon as he was placed in his arms. Philip carried the child back to Fiona in a daze. He ignored the couple and retreated to his study. Seven hundred years of endless life could now be counted in decades.
Mortality.
The incubus soul he'd caged, used for his own purposes, whispered for his son's death. The threat of death stirred the beast. He closed his eyes and willed the monster asleep.
It would need to feed soon. To keep it satisfied, to keep his son safe, Philip would have to indulge in the darkest emotions from his prey. Hopelessness, fear, greed, anger. The beast calmed, but Phillip knew it only waited for a chance to be free.
Chapter Six
Philip stared into the cloudless sky from Fiona's bedroom balcony. The aerial display between Fiona and Christoff was more than a training flight, it was a mating dance. Her silver feathers glittered in the morning sun and as Christoff circled her, their wings touched in intimate caresses. He'd have to do something about her guard sooner rather than later, especially before they exchanged feathers and soul-bonded.
He'd taken the precaution to always watch over Nicholas when Fiona left the keep. But the boy was fifteen months old and ready to be carried on the air currents. He couldn't impede the boy's development and Christoff was a real threat. In a direct confrontation, Phillip wasn't sure he'd win. Fortunately, he had access to a better weapon.
"Papa," Nicholas called.
He turned to see the boy with his arms outstretched hoping to be lifted from his play area. "Would you like to fly too?" Phillip asked, smiling when the boy gave him a single-toothed grin. He lifted Nicholas, laid his son across his arms, and then swung him in circles.
The boy's little wings pumped, but it would be puberty before they'd be big enough to carry his weight. "Whhheeee, I'm flying just like Mama."
But never like his father. The loss of his wings diminished the joy in finally having his son. "Yes, you are, little one." His mood turned somber as he watched the couple return. "That's enough for now, little man. I'll be back tomorrow."
Philip ignored the pout Nicolas sent his way and stalked through the castle to reach his library. His sanctuary away from everyone. He poured himself a glass of the brambleberry juice. The nomads collected the fruit on their travels to eat and drink, since it was the only scrub able to take root in the rotten soil.
Crossing to the fireplace, he stared at the picture of Miranda he'd commissioned for their wedding. A solemn expression on her face, he wondered if she'd known even then what was in store for their future.
"She may look like you, Miranda, but your descendant lacks your strength. She's too accommodating for her own good."
The wind banged the French doors open, causing Philip to jump. "Protective as always, my dear." He smiled at the whimsy in believing she could still speak to him after all this time. She'd left him, after all.
The swish of wings landing distracted him. He turned and beheld Christoff's twin. Practically the same physical attributes, their wing color the only visible difference. Christian's midnight blue wings were perfect for night flying while his brother almost disappeared in daylight skies.
There was one other important difference. Christian succumbed to Phillip's seduction attempts where Christoff failed to respond. Phillip took advantage and trained Christian to respond only to Phillip's commands and to kill without mercy. He created the perfect assassasin.
Philip walked around the other man as Christian stood, head bowed, wings drooped against the floor. Submissive in his master's presence. Philip trailed a hand down the other man's back, tickling the downy feathers. He smiled as the other man quivered under his sensual touch. So easily this one fell into his lap. A weakness for other men led to Christian's downfall.
"Your brother has become troublesome. The men look to him for guidance, their fear of me is reduced."
Christian shrugged. "You knew what we were when you took us in."
"Yes. I'd hoped to corrupt you both." He walked in front of the other man and lifted his head. "While I've succeeded with you, it appears your brother's will is too strong. He refuses to fall. He flies ever closer to the sun, to the illusion of freedom."
Eyes empty of feeling regarded Philip. "Good for him. If only I'd been as lucky."
Philip lashed out and slapped Christian's face. "My pet, you w
ould do well to remember I can let the succubae sink their claws into you instead of keeping you to myself."
The other man paled. "I'm sorry, Master."
He inclined his head. "Your next assignment is to remove your brother. Rumor has it he plans to escape with Fiona and Nicholas in a few days. He doesn't quite have the loyalty you possess. I want him dead."
"He is my brother. Can you not send another?"
"Unfortunately your brother is very talented. No one else has a chance of succeeding." He wrapped a tendril of seduction around the man. "I will make you a deal. If you can resist my attentions, I will send another." He invaded the man's personal space and whispered, "But if you fail, Christoff dies by your hand."
"And the woman?"
Philip turned to stare at the portrait. "She is mine. You will bring her back, unharmed if possible. Now," he purred turning his attention to the young man again. "We have a challenge to settle."
"As you will, Master."
"You have ten minutes. If you can withstand me for ten minutes then I will select someone else. But if you cum, you'll be the one to take your brother's life. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Good." Philip dropped to his knees and ran his hands along the inside of Christian's hard thighs. "Let's begin."
A determined look crossed the other man's face, but he still swallowed loudly as Philip cupped the other man's balls and gave a gentle squeeze. "Did you know Fiona carries Christoff's child?"
"Nnnoo."
Christian's voice cracked as Phillip sucked the other man's balls. He wrapped his hand around Christian's hardened flesh. "She is. I expect you to treat her with care." He pumped a few times. "Understand?"
The other man nodded, too focused on ignoring Philip's actions.
He smiled before taking Christian's dick into his mouth. He loved a challenge. His hands roamed around the other man's hips to squeeze his bottom. Closing his eyes, Philip used their physical connection to send heat and seductive tendrils. Christian fisted his hands but couldn't stop the urge to shove his shaft further into Philip's mouth.
Betrayed by the Incubus Page 3
