Sophia crossed over to look out the window. It was a fine room, one she would be happy in on any other occasion. The only thing waiting for her back home was a burnt out, empty keep. No one worried for her, or cared. The only person she had was her sister.
Sophia heard the door open. She took a deep breath as tension seized her, but didn’t move otherwise. By the sound of the footfall she could tell it was Mina and forced her body to relax.
“I want to stay,” Mina said. Sophia stiffened at the words. “I’ve thought about it and I think we should stay here.”
“Mina,” Sophia began, turning to look at her. Slowly, she shook her head in denial. She couldn’t speak. How could she make her sister understand? The only way a human could survive in this world was to have a man-beast’s protection. She would be beholden to no man unless it was on her own terms. Back home, she could protect herself. The sisters had survived two years on their own, abandoned and starving. They could continue to do so.
“There’s nothing left for us in our world,” Mina insisted. “Larus has put us under his protection. It’s more than we could hope for--”
“You don’t mean that.” Inside Sophia shook violently, near tears. On the outside, she remained calm. She wouldn’t stay only to have Mina reduced to being a king’s whore. It was clear Mina was smitten, but that was no reason to remain. Sophia wasn’t a fool. She knew her sister thought to be in love with the lycan king. But, how would they ever know if the love was true? She herself thought to be in love with the very same man. She would have laid down her life for him. But, it had been a spell that made her feel such strong emotions. “How could we possibly stay here? Why?”
“Adventure,” Mina said weakly, not meeting her eyes. “You wanted to see the world, well here we are. This is more world than you’ll ever find back home. Let’s stay. We have nothing to go back to, no one. We can adjust to the magic, the creatures. They said that humans tried to harness magic in the past, which means we can use magic to get us by. We can learn.”
“I have no wish to stay in this place, Mina.”
“You won’t even consider it?” Mina rested a hand on her shoulder. Sophia shrugged it off. “For a short time at least? See if it agrees with us once we know more?”
“You can’t know what it’s like to be violated as I have been,” Sophia said. How could she explain that she couldn’t risk being mesmerized by a vampire or doused with a magic that took away her will? At least in the human world the odds will be fair. No enchantments, no mysteriously swirling eyes. “You haven’t been through what I’ve been through.”
Mina was quiet.
When it became apparent her sister wasn’t going to answer, Sophia continued, “You’ve found something, someone. I’ve got nothing here, but you. That vampire drank from my neck, Mina. He drank my blood and I let him, was happy to let him. He looked into my eyes and I would have let him do anything he wanted to me. He could have said to hold still while he cut off my limbs one by one and I would have let him.”
“Did Lord Devlin hurt you?” Mina asked when her sister paused. “Did he…?”
“No, my maidenhead is intact.” Sophia swiped angrily at her eyes as they filled with tears. “But he could have is my point. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want there to be a next time. I had no will, no fight in me. And I loved Devlin. When he looked at me, I loved him more than myself. And when I saw Larus, every breath I took was for him. I felt love Mina, as true as I’m ever likely to find it, truer than I ever want to feel it again. But, it wasn’t real. I don’t love Larus or Devlin, but the feelings I had for them were so real. It’s like my heart has been ripped out, only there was no one to rip it, no one to mourn. I don’t have a name or a face. I don’t have someone to fight for. All I have is the emptiness left behind now that the love is gone. I never want my happiness, my very sanity, to be dependent on another’s feelings for me. I don’t wish to be that helpless.”
Sophia shivered, as Mina hugged her tightly to her chest. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Sophia’s voice dropped into a whisper. “I would rather they’d raped my body instead of my mind. I had no control over myself and I almost killed you because of it. I never want to feel out of control again. I have to leave this world. Don’t you understand, Mina? I can’t stay.”
Mina nodded slowly. Sophia felt a surreal sense of relief. If she could just get home, the ache inside her heart would end.
“You’re right, Sophia,” Mina said. “You can’t. I won’t either. I can’t let you go back alone. I won’t abandon you. You are my blood.”
* * * *
Lord Malak smiled as he walked into Lycaon’s main hall to greet his old friends--King Larus and Commander Ilar. Though, it wasn’t solely friendship that brought him to Lycaon, but the summons he had received from King Larus. Malak’s smile widened. According to the messenger, there were two unclaimed human females running around Larus’s castle causing havoc on the unmated males.
Malak had to admit he was very curious about the situation. It seemed like mortal women were popping up everywhere. First Lady Rhiannon was brought to Lycaon, ultimately mating his friend Ilar, and now there were two more humans. Rumor had it that the lycan king had marked one of the women for himself. Though Larus hadn’t technically mated to her yet, he had taken her as a lover.
How strange it was to have humans turning up now, after so long. Mortals and immortals had fought long ago. It had been a horrible war, one with much death on both sides. In the end, it was decided the realms should be forever separated. That was why the portals had been sealed. That is why many believed they must remain sealed. Malak didn’t really have an opinion on the matter. He’d learned that time changes everything and to take all life had to offer in stride. Immortality was too long a time to stick to a conviction, so he tended to make very little of them.
Only a few natural portals remained between the two magic and mortal worlds, as they couldn’t be destroyed. His land was home to one of them and it had been his duty to guard it. The portal doors on the mortal side were locked with the strong magic and charms of all immortal races. The only way the portals could be opened was from the immortal’s side. But, once opened, the realms could merge freely.
Mm, Malak thought, licking his lips. It had been a long time since he’d slept with a human woman. If he remembered, they had incredibly soft bodies and made the cutest little noises in bed. Just thinking of sex made his shaft stir beneath his tunic. Malak suppressed a groan. He was well used to his heightened sexual appetites and chose to ignore his desire for the moment.
Seeing Ilar and Larus, Malak went to the raised dining platform. A fire burned brightly over the hall. Fairies danced about in a corner. The pretty little things were very vain and no bigger than butterflies. Lower tables lined a good part of the stone floor and he had to step around them. Some of the guards were gathered, drinking and talking amongst themselves in leisure. A few of the lycan women joined the men and Malak automatically smiled at the females, unable to help himself as they gave him provocative looks.
“Malak,” Larus greeted him, using the old human language. Malak took it in stride. Since Lady Rhiannon’s arrival, those at Lycaon had slipped into the human language so she would be more comfortable. “Thank you for coming.”
Malak nodded, noticing the lines of stress on the king’s face. He easily answered in the old language, saying, “I hear there are more mortal women running about your keep.”
Malak went to the head table and picked up Ilar’s wine goblet to take a sip. Seeing a maid staring at him in open invitation, he grinned. Tipping the rim at her in acknowledgement, he then drank down his friend’s wine and set the empty goblet down. Ilar gave him a bemused look, but said nothing.
“Ah, how could I stay away from such news?” Malak kept his smile. “Tell me, Larus, how is it Lycaon gets all the new females and Fenris is overrun with the same ones? I have half a mind to find Cupid and insult him myself if
it will bring pretty women to my door.”
Larus merely grunted, saying nothing. It was no secret that Cupid was behind all three mortal women being in the magic realm. In fact, Malak has seen Cupid on his way to the castle. He had seen hands sticking out of quicksand and had saved the troll before he realized who it was. If he hadn’t, he was sure Cupid would have made his way of the pit eventually, but the troll was begrudgingly grateful for the rescue.
When Larus didn’t speak, Malak glanced at Ilar in question. Ilar shook his head slightly, refusing to answer the concern with Larus present. Now this was more interesting than he first thought. Could it be that Larus wanted more from his human lover than just bodily pleasures? Malak wasn’t one for commitment, but he would gladly welcome his friend to it.
“Your man was very vague in the details, my king,” Malak said, leaning against the table. He drew his finger lazily over the top, gauging Larus’s reaction. The maid that he’d tipped the goblet to came forward with a drink for him and he took it, smiling charmingly at her. When she left, he continued, “All he would tell me is that there were two mortal women, and you wished me to take them to Fenris with me.”
“To the portals,” Larus corrected him. “It’s my wish that you see them safely back to their home.”
“Ah,” Malak frowned. That mission didn’t sound quite as fun. Still watching the king for a reaction, and mischievously tempted to provoke his old friend, he said lightly, “I had hoped that you wished me to mate with them. From your man’s descriptions, I’ve had fantasies aplenty of two beautiful sisters.”
“You are a pig!”
Malak looked around in surprise. It took him a moment to register that the contrary tone was directed at him. Women never yelled at him, unless it was to scream out his name with pleasure.
Or while throwing things at my back because I refuse to give them pleasure, Malak thought, doing his best to suppress an arrogant grin. So what if it was a little conceited. It was also true.
As he met blue eyes spitting fire in his direction, Malak froze. Instantly he knew her for a mortal by her smell. She wore the dress of his kind, but with the added protection of an undertunic. It really was too bad. Malak would have liked to see the curve of her neck more clearly, as it led to the delectable bend of her shoulders and arms, perhaps with just a tempting peek of her rounded breasts along the sides.
His usual state of arousal intensified, unfurling in his blood. She was a slender thing--almost too slender from the look of her frame. Long waves of blonde silk spilled over her shoulders, just as soft and tempting as her flesh would be. How he wanted to bury his face in her hair as he buried his rod inside her hot, moist body.
Instantly, the rogue in him surfaced, ready to seduce. He pushed up from where he leaned against the table and bowed to her. Lowering his tone to a seductive drawl, he said, “My lady. I can assure you, I’m quite the wolf.”
Instead of the simpering smile he expected, she actually grimaced at him. Looking down her nose as if he’d insulted her just by being in her presence, she narrowed her eyes in obvious disdain. She didn’t even try to hide the emotion.
“And I am quite the hunter,” she spat. “I do enjoy skinning wolves. Speak of me or my sister in such a way again and I’ll be more than happy to turn your ugly hide into a rug.”
Malak opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. The woman shot him one last nasty look and stormed off. He glanced back to the head table in amazement, not sure whether to be insulted or turned on by the mortal. Larus and Ilar exchanged amused looks. No wonder they laughed. They were unloading the disagreeable wench on him.
“By All the Lycan! That wench is the shrew you wish for me to escort to a portal?” Malak grimaced. With his sudden, intense desire for the woman and her obvious disdain for him it would be an arduous journey. “I can see why you don’t wish to go yourself. Pray, let me kick her through it with my boot.”
“That is Lady Sophia,” Ilar said, looking at the stairwell where the woman had disappeared.
“She is under my protection, Malak,” Larus added, his tone stern.
Since Larus’s eyes hadn’t lit with possession and he could smell no mark on the blonde-haired vixen, Malak already assumed that she wasn’t the king’s mistress. With Sophia’s temperament, Malak did have to admit that the challenge she presented was stirring to his primitive nature. The beast in him definitely wanted to tame and subdue her. The man in him wanted to do much more than that.
“I’d have your pledge to guard her and her sister with your life,” Larus continued, drawing Malak from thoughts of holding the stubborn woman down and devouring every supple inch of her body. “I’ll entrust them into your care from the moment you leave until they are safely through the portal.”
“If you ask it, it is done,” Malak said without hesitation. He meant it, too, as he placed a fist over his heart. “I give you my word of honor.”
The king nodded. Malak again turned to look at the stairwell. “It’s true that Cupid brought the two sisters here, enchanting them?”
Larus sighed. “Actually, he shot me with the dart while I was in the forest. Though, Lady Mina was unaffected by it, Lady Sophia was the victim of its effects. I think it’s best if you leave her alone about it. She’s very…”
“Shrewish?” Malak supplied. “Difficult?”
“It is fun when they resist you, isn’t it?” Ilar said, more to himself. Malak grinned.
“I was going to say sensitive about what happened,” the king put forth. “She deserves consideration.”
“And this other lady? Lady Mina?” Malak asked.
Larus’s face hardened and he stood. Very quietly, he whispered, “They are my wards, Malak. Treat them as such.”
Larus walked away. Malak’s playful expression fell as he looked at Ilar.
“He loves Mina,” Ilar said. “Rhiannon believes Mina loves him as well.”
“Then?” Malak asked, curious.
“I believe Mina goes because it is Sophia’s wish,” Ilar said.
“Sophia would deny her own sister happiness?” Malak was appalled. How selfish was this Sophia?
“Nothing is ever so simple, friend,” Ilar said, before changing the subject. “Now, come. Tell me of Fenris. What news have you from your decadent court?”
Malak nodded, effortlessly changing subjects, even as his eyes still strayed to the stairwell. “Debauchery, drinking, gaming, fighting, you know the usual diversions.”
* * * *
Sophia was livid as she made her way up the stairwell to go to the room she shared with Mina. Out of all the lycans she’d met since being in the magic realm, Lord Malak was definitely the most insufferable! He just thought he was so charming, with his raven black hair flowing in waves about his muscled shoulders. The locks were so long they nearly touched his waist. Or what about those grey-green eyes of his that were all mischievous? Yeah, Sophia knew what kind of mischief he wanted to be about. She’d seen the lecherous intent in his eyes. He was like all the other lycans here, just wanting to get up her skirts.
Oh, and did he actually think it was proper to walk around bare-chested like he did? Sophia’s heart beat a little faster and she didn’t like the reaction one bit. Sure, he wore a tunic, but it was merely wrapped around his waist like he’d come from a bath. Even in this primitive castle, where the men all wore draping tunics slashed over one shoulder, surely his half-naked state was unacceptable. Okay, so a few others didn’t drape their tunics to hide their chest, but it didn’t make it right. Like anyone really wanted to see all those muscles bulging on his chest. Or his trim waist. Or the light sprinkling of hair that covered his strong calves, leading up underneath the edge of the draping tunic to where his…
Sophia took a deep, furious breath. There was absolutely nothing appealing about the barbarous man. Pushing open the bedchamber door, she saw Mina resting on the bed. Her sister moved and Sophia knew she was awake.
“Lord Malak has arrived,” Sophia said, c
oming into the chamber, snarling as she said his name. “He is the most insufferable toad! The nerve of him!”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Mina said, sniffing. Something in her voice made Sophia stop. Mina’s eyes were red and swollen. She’d been crying, hard.
“Mina?” Sophia asked, going to her side. She sat on the mattress, reaching for her sister’s back as Mina tried to bury her face in the mattress. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Mina’s voice was muffled.
Sophia took a deep breath. How could she be so selfish? Seeing the heartbreak on her sister’s face, she understood. Sophia felt that way over two men--men that didn’t really exist. Mina’s man was real. She thought back to the main hall. Larus’s expression had been just as strained. Perhaps he really did love her sister. And why wouldn’t he? There was so much about Mina worth loving.
“You love him, don’t you? It’s not just lovesickness. You really do love him,” Sophia said softly, having to force the words. Mina cried harder, nodding frantically into the mattress. Sophia closed her eyes. She should never have begged Mina to go back to the mortal realm with her. Her sister’s place was with her heart. “Have you told him?”
“I… I can’t,” Mina said. “There’s no point. We’re leaving forever.”
“You wear your heart in your eyes, Mina,” Sophia said. “I was a fool not to have seen it before now. I’ve felt the love you have, only it’s no spell that put yours there, is it?”
Mina sniffed. “Don’t. I... I don’t want to talk about it.”
“My heart was broken by a troll’s magic. Nothing can be done for that. But you, Mina, your heart will be broken by your own actions.” Sophia stood. She turned and moved to the little slit of a window to look out over the distance. It took all her energy not to cry out in frustration. She was happy for Mina and jealous of her at the same time. “I can’t live knowing my selfishness took you from your happiness. You deserve happiness.”
Naughty Cupid Trilogy Page 30
