Wicked Tales Anthology

by Brandy Slaven

  “I’m listening!” I yell, with a little more attitude than I intended. “I’m sorry, Mekhi.” I take a deep breath and lick my lips, trying to compose myself. “What do I need to do?”

  “Concentrate on your bindings, Rowe.” He flicks his tongue against my clit, several times, causing my breath to hitch. I feel the handcuff begin to heat on my wrist. “I feel it, Mekhi, don’t stop,” I beg him to continue as I concentrate on needing free from the restraints. He alternates between flicking his tongue against my clit and making long strokes of his tongue through the folds of my pussy. Pressing his mouth against my opening, he growls and purrs against me, the vibrations sending me closer and closer to the edge. I grab the thin sheets on the bed and feel myself begin to lose control.

  “Keep going, Rowe,” he speaks against me as he picks up the speed and pressure he’s applying to my most sensitive spot. The cuffs are on fire now against my wrist, and my orgasm builds inside of me.

  “Mekhi!” I scream as I’m pushed over the edge, my release pulses through my body, and the power I felt building under my skin finally explodes. I bring my hands up to my face and cover my eyes. It takes me a few minutes to realize that I have both arms free, my shackles no longer locked onto my wrist. “What just happened?” I sit up quickly and flip my hands over, checking to make sure I’m not imagining the cuffs being gone.

  “Your power became strong enough to weaken the metal, Rowe.” He looks up at me with pride and excitement. “When you gave yourself over to everything you felt, the metal heated up and the lock snapped when you pulled your hands up in ecstasy.”

  “Now what?” I ask looking down at my free hands. “I can’t get us out of here alone?”

  “I think your power should be stronger now that you aren’t bound.” He looks at me with so much expectation, I’m terrified of letting him down.

  “Even if that’s the case, I have no idea how to use it.” I sit back against my bed and rub my now free wrist, trying to figure out how to get us out of here.

  “Maybe you just need to channel your energy and thoughts into what you want to happen?” He sits in front of me, holding out his shackled hand. “It could be as easy as willing what you want to happen.”

  I stare at the metal around his wrist and concentrate, channeling my thoughts in that direction, but in truth, I have absolutely no idea what the hell I’m doing.

  “This is pointless, Mekhi.” I push my hair out of my face, a sheen of sweat breaking out on my forehead from the effort.” Mekhi crawls over to me, his eyes glowing, trapping me within his stare. I’m sure he’s going to kiss me, but he changes direction and whispers in my ear instead.

  “Focus, Rowe.” Something about the dominance in his voice has me ready to obey. “Take a deep breath and hear me, listen to what I’m telling you to do.” He sits back, still inches from me, but needing to look me in the eyes as he speaks. “Heat the metal, Rowe.” He gestures towards his wrist, his blue eyes swirling and pulsating.

  My gaze follows his involuntarily.

  “Do you want me, Rowe?” His voice is mesmerizing and filled with promises of what he can do to me. “If you break these chains, I’ll be free.” I look back into his eyes, his tongue licking his bottom lip. “I didn’t tell you to look away, Rowe.” He bites his lip and uses his hand to push my chin down towards the direction of his cuff. “You want me?” he whispers. “You want me unrestrained?” I nod in response, not taking my eyes off the metal. “Break the chains, Rowe.”

  My desire builds, and I feel the power within me increase as well. I will all of my energy towards heating his shackles. The black iron begins to glow orange, light at first, then deeper red. I hear Mekhi hiss as the metal burns his skin and I have to fight the urge to severe the magic I’m directing at his wrist. He pulls with his free hand and snaps the metal. He throws the bindings across the room and jumps onto my lap. I wrap my arms around him and relish in the feel of his hands, both of them, wrapped around me. He kisses my neck, softly at first and then with more fervor.

  “Now, how about we get the fuck out of here?” His smile is wicked and full of promise.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “I don’t think it’s the desire that creates your power, Rowe.” We’re both laying down on my bunk, Mekhi’s legs hanging over the side. Our once shackled hands are free and intertwined between our bodies. “I think your power is strongest then because you are able to block everything out and really concentrate. If you can learn to channel that energy and tune everything out without the sexual ignitor, I think we could break the lock before they bring down our meal tonight.” He presses a quick kiss to my lips before reaching over me and grabbing my discarded chains still attached to the brick wall next to me.

  “What are we going to do with that?” I lean up against the wall, giving him more room on the bed to show me what he has planned.

  “We’re going to practice.” He holds the chain in each hand, pulling it taut, a six-inch section held out to me. “Focus on this metal, imagine it breaking.” His gaze meets mine, a look of encouragement on his face. His eyes aren’t glowing. I wonder if he can control his own powers now that he’s free of the bindings?

  “I need you to do this, Mekhi.” Inching forward, I need to touch him, in any way. He shakes his head and leans back, staying just out of my reach.

  “No, you don’t.” He holds the chain back up between us. “Do it, Rowe,” he growls his command and I sit on my ass and concentrate on the metal links.

  I close my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my mind. Imagining the power coursing through my body, I begin to feel it just under my skin. It’s like an electrical current, a small spark at first and building to an actual hum. Tilting my head back, I focus on the pulsing and the power that is manifesting within me. It’s coming together like a storm cloud, spinning and building strength. When I sense that the energy is about to explode, I open my eyes and look directly at the chain, willing the power to escape through me and heat the iron. The color of the metal begins to change, and Mekhi pulls the chains when it becomes soft and malleable. After about thirty seconds of directing my energy, the links snap and Mekhi’s hands go flying to the side.

  “Hell yes, baby.” He kisses me deeply, his excitement evident. “Now we break the lock on the cell and leave it that way until meal time, rushing the door when our food’s delivered.”

  He doesn’t wait for me to recover from the power I just wielded before running over to the door and motioning for me to join him. Hesitation causes me to pause, uncertain if I can pull this off again, but I make my way over and kneel in front of the lock. I have no idea if this will work as well as breaking the chains did. It’s not a link I’m trying to snap, but an actual locking mechanism I need to destroy.

  “Channel your power, Rowe.” Mekhi stands next to me, his hands on the bars. “I’ll pull as you focus and when it gets weak enough, it should snap.”

  “Should being the operative word here.” Licking my lips, I take a deep breath, concentrating on the task at hand. The same energy begins its crescendo as it did before, and I focus it in and out of my body, directing it towards the keyhole on the door. Mekhi puts all his weight into pulling open the cell and after a minute or so, much shorter than the first time it took to break the chain, the door flies open. The rusty metal screeches and echoes throughout our room, something we didn’t consider.

  “Shut it fast, Mekhi.” He slides it back into place, and I run over to my bed, placing the broken cuff around my wrist and lay down on the mattress. Mekhi takes my lead and scrambles into his own bed. I try my best to control my breathing. My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest and a fine sheen of sweat covers my body. I turn my head towards him, needing the calm Mekhi can offer, and he gives me a small smile. We lay there for a few minutes, praying we aren’t caught before allowing ourselves to relax.

  “Shit, that was intense!” Mekhi breathes as he sits up in bed. “Now we wait.”

  “I think we need a bette
r plan than just wait.” Swinging my legs over the bed, I give him the best playful smile I can muster. This plan has me truly terrified. “What are we going to do when he brings down the meal?” I scoot down to the floor and wait for him to join me. “Do we tackle him and run free?”

  “I think that’s all we can do.” He sits in front of me and takes my hands. “Do you want to be stuck in here forever?” He moves to sit next to me, taking my hand and leaning back against my bed. “We don’t even know what they want from us.”

  I think about our alternatives for a minute. We really don’t have any other choice. Our options are to stay down here and rot or make a run for it and hope the guard that delivers our food is the worst of our obstacles on our way out. I don’t want to sound like a school girl with a crush, but the one thing keeping me from completely committing to our plan is the thought of losing Mekhi forever. At least down here, it’s me and him. We may not have our freedom, but we have each other. I’m afraid of one of us being captured and separated, or worse, killed in the process of trying to escape. I know I haven’t known him for long, but something about him speaks to my soul. It’s like we’re meant to be together. I honestly believe it’s the supernatural powers buried within us that are attracted to each other. I could have that prisoner's disorder? Stockholm syndrome? I laugh, mostly to myself, but loud enough for Mekhi to hear me.

  “What’s so funny?” He moves closer to me, so our shoulders touch. Static electricity passes between us with just this simple touch.

  “Do you feel that too?” I lean my head on his shoulder.

  “Feel what, Rowe?” He kisses me on the head, and I close my eyes, relishing in the way our bodies react to each other.

  “It’s like we’re two magnets, our bodies attracted beyond our control.” Savoring the feel of our bodies’ intense connection, I bury my head in his shoulder. I need to feel and experience everything possible in these next few hours. “I’m not sure we can control our attraction to each other.”

  “I know what I feel for you, Rowe.” He pulls me across the floor so I’m inches away from him. “There’s an electrical attraction, sure.” He tilts my chin up so I’m forced to look him in the eyes. I don’t want him to see the tears that start to fall. “You see my eyes?” He asks, not really expecting me to answer. “Whatever is inside me needs you, Rowe.” He leans forward, not breaking his stare, his irises remaining their natural color of ocean blue. “But I want you.” He kisses me softly on the lips. “The real me needs you, not just the beast living in my body.”

  “I want to believe you, Mekhi.” My mouth needs to taste him, and I kiss him harder, trying to enjoy this moment. “This all just happened so fast.” I nibble his bottom lip and see a flare of blue spark in his eyes. “I don’t even know how I got here, let alone what’s going to happen if we manage to get out.”

  Familiar footsteps interrupt us, and panic threatens to freeze me in place. Mekhi kisses me quickly, squeezing my shoulder to ease my apprehension.

  “You ready, love?” He walks to the cell door and looks back at me sitting on the floor. Rather than motioning for me to join him, he walks back to me and holds his hand out for me to take.

  “We got this,” he whispers. I grab his hand tightly and stand, take a deep breath, and silently wish for a miracle.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “What the fuck are you two doing?” The guard barks at us as we stand at the door, holding onto the bars. I’m far too petrified to speak, thankfully, Mekhi’s got us covered.

  “Just really hungry today, Frank.” I’m not sure if Mekhi really knows his name, and I give him a questioning look. He just smirks and shrugs his shoulders in response.

  “Get back, animals.” Frank spits out his orders, and we shift as if we’re going to obey. Mekhi nods at me, and I take my directive and slide open the door as quickly as I can. Mekhi charges Frank and takes him down fast. It’s all a blur, and I hear them both hit the floor with a sickening thud. Frank rolls over on top of Mekhi and slams his fist into Mekhi’s face. Mekhi leans to the side and spits out a mouthful of blood, a deadly smirk on his face. His eyes transform into the brightest blue I’ve ever seen. The power behind them is evident as they swirl and glow. He growls, deep and ferocious. Loud enough for me to feel the vibration in my own chest as he flips Frank over on his back. Mekhi pulls him up by his shoulders and slams his head back down against the concrete, and Frank is out cold. I’m transfixed on the entire situation before me and the sexy, animalistic behavior Mekhi exhibits.

  “Find his keys, Rowe.” Mekhi snaps me back to reality as he braces himself against the wall, breathing heavily, fighting against some invisible force. “Quickly, babe.”

  I bend down and search Frank’s uniform for his keys and find them hooked to his belt. I snap them off and stand back up, finding Mekhi still bent over, his hands above his head, and leaning against the brick wall of the corridor. I walk up and touch his shoulder. “Are you okay?” I ask tentatively.

  “Don’t touch me, Rowe!” Mekhi growls in a voice not entirely his own.

  “What’s happening to you, Mekhi?” I take a step back and brace myself against the opposite wall. “You’re scaring me.”

  “I don’t know, just stay back!” Mekhi sounds desperate and in agony. “Something’s happening, and I don’t want you too close to me when it does.”

  He slides down the dirty, damp wall and lands on the floor on his hands and knees, his head hanging toward the ground. His shoulders move up and down in rapid succession, and his breaths come fast and shallow. What happens next is something I never would have believed had it not happened right in front of my eyes. The sounds of bones snapping make me wince, and Mekhi screams. It’s the loudest, most gut-wrenching sound I’ve ever heard. At the end of his blood-curdling scream, a growl takes over. Low and deep at first, and then increasing in volume and harshness.

  I stand back as far as possible against the wall behind me and take in the sight of the transformation that occurs. Where Mekhi once kneeled now sits an enormous, gorgeous, and terrifying panther. Not just a regular size, zoo-type black panther, but a gigantic panther the size of a small horse. As if he feels me staring, he looks back in my direction with familiar, beautiful, glowing blue eyes. He lets out a short growl, much like a cat’s loud meow and looks toward the door. I walk up to him and slide my hand across his velvety back and wait for some indication as what I’m supposed to do. Mekhi rubs himself against my body and looks towards the direction of his own back.

  “You want me to climb on top of you, Mekhi?” Having no idea if he can understand me in this form, I just hope he can at least communicate with me in some way. That he can tell me what he needs me to do. He leans his head down and nudges my hand and lifts it towards his haunches. I grab onto his fur there and wait for some type of reaction from him. He looks straight ahead, towards the end of the corridor. Taking that as my cue, I hoist my leg up over his body and struggle not to fall over the other side, holding onto his neck for dear life. “Alright, Mekhi,” I speak aloud, realizing he can definitely understand what I’m saying. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Mekhi takes off at full speed through the corridors, and I lean down and wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze his back with my legs. At the far end of the hallway, I catch a glimpse of two silhouettes blocking the doorway, but I don’t think Mekhi has noticed them yet given his quickening speed.

  “Mekhi!” I screech at the top of my lungs while pulling on the fur on his neck. He comes to a sliding stop and I’m unable to keep my hold on him. I tumble off his side and roll into the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs in the process. I lie there for a few moments, trying to catch my breath, but then sounds of a struggle a few feet away reach me. Feral growls and the snap of jaws mix with cries that I think come from the guards. Picking myself up off the ground, I chance a look at the fight. I find Mekhi standing over one of the guards while the other cowers in the corner holding onto his bloody arm. I stand up and walk over to
Mekhi, placing my hand on his back in an attempt to calm him. He looks up at me, keeping a defensive stance over the guard who looks like he’s about to shit his pants.

  “I’d open the door if I were you.” I motion towards the exit right in front of us, sunlight pouring in from the small window and illuminating the hallway. The guard scrambles backward from under Mekhi and fumbles with the keys at his waist trying to find the one he needs to open the door. “Hurry up, asshole,” I yell as I climb back on top of Mekhi waiting to make our run for it. He finally finds the right key and unlocks the door, shoving it open. Leaning down, I pat Mekhi on the neck, grab onto his fur, and brace myself for our exit.

  “See you later, fuckers!” I wave at the guards who now lie in the doorway as we rush past, their egos and bodies both visibly hurt. Facing forward once again, I focus on our exit and savor the feeling freedom brings.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  We run through open fields, over hills, and into tall grass for what seems like forever. A few hours in, it starts raining, and I feel Mekhi begin to shiver underneath me.

  “We need to find shelter.” Using one hand, I rub up and down his neck trying to warm him as best I can. Scanning the landscape around us, I search for somewhere for us to hide. Far in the distance I see a huge barn and a small house on the same property. Mekhi must sense the direction I’m looking and takes off that way. We make it there a few minutes later without incident, and he stops at the entrance to the barn. Night has begun to fall, and I hope we can sneak inside to rest before anyone discovers us.

  I jump off Mekhi’s back and open the door, making my way across the threshold. Mekhi nudges me out of the way with his nose and walks in first, I am assuming to check out the situation for signs of trouble. After a minute or two, he lets out a short growl, and I take that as my queue to walk inside. I slide the door closed behind me and take in my surroundings. The barn is huge. There’s an open area with bales of hay piled up on along the right-side walls. Several empty stalls line the left side of the barn, and an old, wooden ladders leads to a loft area.