Magic and Mayhem: There's No Place Like Wicked (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Wicked Hearts Book 3)

by Cherie Marks

  I had to ask, “Is your room as nice as this one?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean?”

  “Do you have a king-sized bed and an en suite?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  “Um, this is not a dungeon, Ethan. Is this where our parents and you stayed for ten years?”

  “Yes, it is, unless they took us on outings.”

  “What? I pictured you all wasting away in disease-ridden, rat-infested jail cells.”

  “They would never to that to royalty or the parents of my future queen.”

  I didn’t understand the way these people’s minds worked, but all I could think to ask was, “And your uncle approved?”

  “I don’t know that he had a choice. There are no other dungeons than these.”

  I smiled as a modicum of my guilt faded. Sure, I still left my parents to suffer in my place, but the fact they hadn’t truly suffered helped some.

  “And they took you out sometimes?”

  “Oh, at least once a day. We’re not a naturally cruel people.”

  “Good to know.”

  We sat in silence for a short time before Ethan asked, “Did my uncle propose a bargain?”

  “You could say that.” It was hard to swallow past the lump forming in my throat. “Apparently, the prophecy was real, and there’s a second part to it.”

  “Why do I feel I will not like what you have to say?”

  I just needed to divulge the damage so that we could work together to figure out what to do. “He’s no great warlock. But, he is the one who cursed you. Even worse, the curse was a two-parter.”

  “There’s more to it?”

  “You’re not going to like it. Apparently, if we marry, the curse is broken forever.”

  “That sounds…like a good thing.”

  “Yes, well, if I marry someone else, you’ll be completely feral forever. Not just on a night with a full moon. Always. No coming back.”

  He didn’t speak, and I began to worry about him.

  “Ethan? Are you okay?”

  “Let me guess. He’s planning your wedding right now.”

  “I’ll marry him tomorrow.”

  On the other side of the wall, something hard hit something else hard, and it sounded like something crashed to the ground. “I’ll kill him.”

  “I’m all for that. Just give me a heads up how to go about it, and I’m ready.”

  He let lose a loud cry of frustration. “What can we do from here?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll think of something.” It felt good to be a team, and my thoughts returned to Evie, Liz, and Cara. I finally understood what they had with their mates. Fighting the world on your own got lonely, but even when the odds were stacked against you, as a dynamic duo instead of a swinging single, the shared goal felt doable.

  I grabbed a blanket and pillow from the bed and made a pallet on the floor next to the vent. “I need you to distract me, Ethan. Tell me about your childhood.”

  “What?”

  “Just talk to me about normal things for a bit. I don’t want to wallow in my anxiety right now.”

  “I understand. What do you want to know?”

  We talked all night. He told me about getting into trouble spying on other members of the castle, and I told him about attending wild college parties. He gave me the rundown of court gossip, and I cracked him up with stories from the classroom, like the stray kitten a kid found on the way to school and tried to keep in his locker until the end of the day.

  I was laughing until my belly hurt until the wee hours of the morning, and I’d never had a better time. If I hadn’t been in the room against my will with a wall separating us, I might have considered this the best date I’d had in years.

  Sometime before the sun came up, I drifted off to sleep. A key turning in the latch of the door woke me, and I jumped to my feet. I glanced around for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing.

  The door opened slowly, and a young girl, who appeared to be in her late teens, stepped through.

  “Oh, poop on a stoop. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She set down a tray of food and quickly covered her mouth with both hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to curse in front of you.”

  That was what sufficed as cursing here? Boy, could I teach this girl a word or two. How old was she anyway? I probably didn’t want to contribute to the delinquency of a minor. She’d probably get there on her own eventually.

  “What year in school are you?”

  “School? I don’t go to school.”

  “You graduated then? Recently?”

  “No, miss. I’ve never been. It’s forbidden for the serving class.”

  “You’re shitting me?”

  If she’d been embarrassed before, my vulgar turn of phrase certainly turned her ten shades of pink. “Sorry. I just thought the dark ages were over.”

  She nodded, but I could tell she was a little in awe and a little scared of me all at once. “I brought your breakfast.” A quick glance at the spot in which I’d slept seemed to melt her though.

  “Is that where you slept last night?”

  “I did. Voices carry through the vent.”

  Her eyes went all puppy-dog suddenly. “That’s so sweet. Did you talk to Prince Ethan all night long?” Her hands clasped in front of her chest, and she took a dreamy sort of breath. “You two are in love.”

  She promptly covered her face and burst into tears, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I took a step in her direction, hands up to comfort her, but I thought better of it at the last moment. Who was this girl? And what sort of crazy circle of insanity was this?

  After a few moments, she seemed to get herself under control and wiped the wetness off her cheeks. She gave a small smile and stared at me like I was the most special person she’d ever met. I decided to go with it.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Della, miss.”

  “Were you only sent here to bring me something to eat?”

  She bobbed her head up and down again. “And to tell you…” She sniffled several times before continuing, “To tell you…the bridal party will be here in two hours to…to get you ready for your…wedding.”

  I rolled my eyes at the news. Not if I had anything to say about it.

  “You are to bathe and ready yourself however you would like before they arrive. I can assist you if you desire.”

  “Thank you, but I know how to take a shower, which I have no intention of taking anyway.” I stretched, trying to work the stiffness out of my back and neck. “Think I’ll just go back to bed by the vent and talk to Ethan when he wakes up.”

  The waterworks started again, and this time, I couldn’t help myself, I wrapped my arms around the tiny girl. She barely reached above my shoulder, but I gave her a side hug and patted her back until she looked up at me conspiratorially.

  “I know a way you can wake up Prince Ethan yourself.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She approached the wall between our rooms and began pushing on the wooden paneling. “There are secret passages all over the castle.”

  I’d remembered Ethan telling me that was how he’d spied on people, but surely there wouldn’t be any in the dungeon?

  She clicked a particular wood knot that was barely above the floor, and a hidden, wood door swung open.

  “What the…” I stopped myself from finishing that statement, not wanting to jeopardize my newly formed friendship with Della.

  Sure enough, as I stepped through, there was a thin tunnel between my room and the next, with the outline of a door cut into the wall. I grasped the handle and pushed it open. Ethan slept on the floor on the other side, and my heart melted at the sight of him.

  Della called through the door leading from my room, “I’ll have to lock the outside door when I leave. There are two armed guards waiting just outside of your room, and they’re under Master Widdlewon’s spell.”

  “Wait! What? Under whose spell?”


  “Our ruler. Prince Ethan’s uncle, Master Widdlewon.”

  I snickered at that. The big, bad warlock’s name was Widdlewon? Come on! I don’t care who you are—that’s funny.

  “You laugh, but Master Widdlewon is pure evil. I’m not brave enough to face the consequences for your escape, and I have brothers and sisters and parents who would suffer for it if I ran.” That much I understood.

  She dropped her voice to a whisper and said, “But DeLuise and the others are nearby. Word is, help is on the way.”

  I’m sure my eyes widened to saucers as she put her finger to her lips and I nodded.

  “Remember, wardrobe and hair will be here in two hours. You need to be back in your room by then. You never know, there could be a dashing rescue at the wedding. Or maybe not. Who knows?”

  Her words were just cryptic enough to make me wonder if she actually knew of a plot or if she were just the young, innocent girl who believed in the power of love. Either way, I let her go. I could’ve overtaken her easily and escaped my room, but how far would I get before I was caught? Clearly, precautions were being taken to make sure I didn’t get away. And if there were two guards stationed outside of my room, there were bound to be more throughout the castle. This was not the time.

  Instead, I turned my attention to the sleeping man at my feet. I sank down and crawled in beside him. He mumbled in his sleep and draped an arm over me. His eyes began to open sleepily, and that self-assured grin slipped onto his lips.

  “Well, good morning, beautiful.” His voice had a rough, just-woken scratchiness that I found oh, so sexy. And it hadn’t hurt that he’d called me beautiful. “What a great way to wake up in the morning. I could get used to this.”

  I smiled back at him. “A cute girl named, Della, showed me a secret passageway. Do you think we could use it to escape?”

  He shook his head and stretched sleepily. “No. It only runs between these two rooms. It connects to the hallway outside, but there will be too many guards there to get very far.” He slipped his hands up and down my back, driving me to distraction. “I have a better plan anyway.”

  “To escape?”

  “Possibly, with help. But the timing isn’t right just yet.” He leaned in and kissed my lips. Why did he seem so much calmer this morning?

  He spoke against my lips, “Whatever shall we do to while away the time until then?”

  Knowing exactly where he was going with that loaded question, I gave a throaty laugh. “I’m supposed to be prepping for a wedding. Supposedly, I have about two hours.”

  He traced a hand along my jawline. “And what are you supposed to do to get ready?”

  “You know, general things, like take a shower.”

  His grin widened as he asked, “Would you like some company?”

  “You, you mean?”

  He nodded slowly, and I swallowed hard. “Yes! 100%, yes!”

  Like I’d just told him he’d won a lifetime supply of Reese Cups, he scrambled to his feet, gave a low whoop, and lifted me into his arms. I giggled and wove my hands around his neck, holding on like my life depended on it.

  I began kissing his neck with slow, seductive touches of my lips, and he groaned loudly. He rushed through the connector between our rooms and strode to the bathroom quickly.

  He set me on my feet and reached up with his hands, gently framing my face. “Are you sure about this?”

  Our gazes locked, and I felt more alive than I’d ever felt before. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  Chapter 13

  The warm water sloshed over our tangled bodies as we kissed in the steam-filled shower. I still marveled at Wicked’s concept of a dungeon, but I wasn’t complaining.

  He kissed me gently but deeply until I felt like every one of my bones had turned elastic, and I needed his touch to live.

  Surprising me, he nipped my lip, but I didn’t complain this time as pure energy shot straight to my core. I moaned and tilted my head to the side as he moved to my neck. I sank my hands into his hair as he worked his way to my breasts, kissing and nipping all around them. I really liked where this was going, and I was practically panting by the time his mouth finally covered my nipple.

  I ached in all the right places and slipped a hand down to grasp his cock. I gave a couple strokes, and with a growl, he reached down to still the motion.

  “You’re too much of everything I desire. I won’t last if you do that.”

  His words filled me with a confidence I didn’t usually claim, and I backed up against the cool tile, pulling him by the hand to come with me. He followed willingly, strong passion in his gaze. The minute he was in front of me, he lifted my leg over his hip and leaned into my body. I felt his cock probing for entrance, and in that moment, I wanted it deep, deep inside.

  “Fuck!” He leaned his head against mine, and seemed to be overwhelmed with lust. He looked up and kissed me aggressively. I gave as good in return, feeling a throbbing ache only he could ease.

  He pulled back and stared hard at me, concern mixed with arousal in his eyes. His breathing was heavy and erratic as he said, “I don’t have a condom.”

  I gave him my crooked smile and said, “I’ve got a birth control implant, and seeing as I’m clean as of my last check up and you’ve been locked away for ten years, I think we’re good.”

  Not stopping for a moment of relief, he pushed the swollen head of his cock inside me, and I gasped at the sensation. It was true! What they said about big feet was absolutely true in this instance.

  I was so wet, and my inner muscles clamped around him automatically. He threw back his head with a pained cry and sank the rest of the way inside.

  I tightened my leg around him as he stilled and studied me in awe. “You feel amazing. I don’t want to move because I don’t want this to end.”

  My heart clenched at his words, and I fell just a little more in love with him.

  But the inner struggle didn’t last long as he pulled out slowly and sank back inside. I cried out with the electrical pulses that radiated through my pussy and beyond. Sweat slipped down his forehead as he began to thrust for real, in and out, over and over again, and I tightened my grip on his shoulders.

  He wrapped his arms around my back, providing a cushion against the chilly tile and moved in long, even strokes, picking up his pace until I lifted my other leg and locked my feet behind his back, riding his cock with abandon, chasing the wild pleasure that left hints with every penetration.

  Our mouths searched and connected, and pleasure began to spread as he rotated his hips slightly with each thrust. I felt an orgasm building as he swelled inside me, and in a moment, I felt my pussy walls clench around his cock as satisfaction came crashing over me in wave after wave of pure pleasure.

  He swallowed my scream and gave a deep, guttural cry of his own as he shot deep inside me with slow, erratic strokes.

  As the pleasure faded in slow pulses, he held me tightly, and I rested my cheek on his chest. Slowly, I lowered my legs, and he steadied me as they shook.

  He seemed in awe as he said, “I’ve never felt that before.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but me neither.” And I meant it. It had been, hands down, the single most pleasurable experience of my sex-life.

  We washed each other off with lingering touches and tender kisses. After drying off, we slipped into the bed for another round just as passionate as the first.

  After the final moments of satisfaction, I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I relaxed in Ethan’s arms with the thought that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world running through my mind. For a short amount of time, my anxiety had faded to the back of my brain as I’d enjoyed the moment. I knew we had stuff to worry about—like avoiding the plans of a warlock with “little man” syndrome, but right now, I just wanted to live in this bubble with Ethan for a bit longer.

  I knew there was something I was forgetting, but I didn’t care. I drifted off to sleep, not
a care in the world for what was to come.

  Chapter 14

  When I woke again, my bed was surrounded by women…and men…wearing thickly applied make-up that covered their entire face. Their eyelids sported a bright, electric-blue cream eyeshadow and their lips were rouged with the brightest, fire-engine red I’d ever encountered. It was striking, to say the least.

  I glanced around frantically, but Ethan was gone, and the secret passageway was closed. Sadness suddenly came over me at his absence. He must have slipped out after I’d gone to sleep, but we’d never discussed a possible plan. Now, we’d never get the chance to.

  “Oh, look. She’s freshly showered. That shows she’s accepted her fate. Master will be so delighted.”

  I giggled again. Master Widdlewon could go fuck himself if it delighted him.

  For another hour, I fought their intentions to cover me from head-to-toe with powder and a hideous, green dress that belled out three feet beyond my hips.

  “But green is the Master’s favorite color,” they whined.

  “It’s also the color of puke.” I pointed to a little black dress that would fall about mid-thigh and said, “That’s the one I want.”

  They reluctantly agreed, and within thirty minutes, I was being escorted back topside of the castle.

  I entered the main hall once again and was led to the throne room. The minute I saw Widdlewon, I burst out laughing once more. He wore a bright green suit with wings jutting from each shoulder. Even the shirt underneath was a shade of green, and his bowtie was black with green stripes. But the real knee-slapper was his pair of shoes. They sported a three-inch heel and open toes. It was strange, and yet it fit this ridiculous situation perfectly.

  A pipe-organ started up with some creepy music, and the congregation turned their icy gazes toward me.

  The make-up and hair goons pulled me along as I worked to get my humor under control. Yet, half-way through the room, I saw Ethan tied up to a wooden chair off to the side. He appeared disheveled and bruised, and I imagined he fought them the whole way here. It sobered me in an instant.