“Trust me, I didn’t mean to.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” he said, holding me against the wall while he yanked his canvas pants open. “The fact is, you marked me as your mate, and I’m not getting any of the benefits. If you’re my mate, I can fuck you any time I want. So open wide, Princess, and let me in.”
“You said you didn’t want to be part of our relationship,” I gasped out as he towered over me, his terrifying cock bared in the cold afternoon sunlight.
“And now I do,” he said. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? For us all to be your little fuckboys, at your beck and call whenever your pussy gets wet. Well, now you got it. Don’t pretend you didn’t know what you were doing.”
“I didn’t,” I protested, trying to fend off his hands as he undid my pants and jerked them down over my hips.
“Then why are you wet?” Tadeu slid his hand between my legs, dipping into my wet slit. His smile was positively triumphant as he sank a long, thick finger into me and began pumping into me quick and hard. Pleasure rippled through me, but I couldn’t do it here, like this. Anyone could see us, and it would be beyond disrespectful to the chief. She’d never hand me the amulet if she caught us fucking against a neighbor’s shed.
“Someone might see,” I said, bracing my hands on his shoulders and trying to push him away. He didn’t even budge. Instead, he stepped even closer, crouching to align the head of his cold cock with my entrance.
“Let them watch,” he said, thrusting up into me.
I let out a squeak before clasping a hand over my mouth, trying to stop the cry of pain that wanted to escape. He’d prepped me this time, but he was so big—too big. Somehow, I’d managed to fit him a few times during the days in the cave, but I’d been in heat, and I’d probably just been fucked for three hours by my other lovers before that. I choked back a scream as he pushed his impossible cock deeper, grinning down at me from his giant’s height.
“You made me your mate,” he said. “So I get to mate with you. That’s how this works, Itzie. I can fuck you any time I want. When I say bend over, you bend over and spread this pussy wide. Got it?”
I nodded, still holding my hand over my mouth as he pushed deeper with each thrust, filling me until I thought I’d split in half.
“Now, don’t ruin all the fun,” he said, plucking my hand from my mouth and pinning it to the tin wall, smiling down at me as he pulled back and gave a vicious thrust. I bit my tongue, tears filling my eyes and blurring him from view. He gripped my hip with his other hand, his big fingers crushing my soft flesh as he held me and rammed his cock deeper, bottoming out inside and stretching me further than I was meant to go.
“Don’t hold back your tears,” he said, a teasing edge in his voice. “Give me those little noises of pain. I know you make them only for me, and I love it. I may not have been your first, but I’m the biggest you’ll ever have.”
I nodded, biting my lips together as tears trickled down my cheeks as he continued to drive into me, each thrust a punishment I didn’t think I could bear.
Tadeu leaned down, his lips skimming over my fingertips that were clutched between his as he held my hand to the wall. “You want to know a secret? I like to know I’m the only one who hurts you this way.”
He pulled back and rammed his cock deep inside me, bruising my insides until I couldn’t hold back. The cry tore out of me, and I sobbed aloud as he pumped into me hard and fast until he exploded. Torrents of liquid ice bathed my insides as he threw his head back and groaned, gripping my hip and filling me with floods of cum each time his cock throbbed thick inside me. At last, he drew back, pulling out to let a rush of his cold seed slide out of me.
My knees buckled when he released me, and I sank to the ground, crouching and holding my arms around my middle. I felt like my insides had been pummeled with a battering ram. This was my mate, though. What could we do about it? He couldn’t help his size, and unless he found a giant tiger shifter to fuck, no one else would be able to take his enormous size any better than I could. He stood over me, looking tall and proud and wounded and beautiful while I crouched there trying to recover, trying to suck up the tears as his cum trickled out of me and dripped to the ground.
Maybe this was the price I paid for the things I’d done. For not leaving him alone after the first time he’d been beaten for indulging my wild, rebellious streak. Or the tenth. I didn’t leave him alone until my father killed him. So, maybe it was my fault. I had to take some responsibility, and if this was the penance he required, so be it. I might even grow to enjoy it.
At the very least, I could understand why he did.
*
“It looks like Princess Itzel won,” the chief said, giving me a smile that barely reached her eyes. She looked haggard and tired, like she just wanted our squabbles out of her house. When we’d joined the others after my encounter with Tadeu, they’d obviously known what went down, but no one had shamed me about it. Even Camila just gave me a disgusted look, shook her head, and walked away. Now we were inside Chief Alina’s house, where she’d just pronounced me the winner.
“It’s not fair,” Camila shrieked. “You already promised it to me! I demand a do-over.”
Chief Alina sighed, her eyes pleading with me to get my sister out of here. I felt guilty for being the cause of the racket Camila was making, but I couldn’t be responsible for her anymore. She had to stand on her own two feet now, and even if Chief Alina was annoyed that I wasn’t getting my family out of her hair, she couldn’t entirely blame me for someone else’s actions.
“I’m afraid I don’t have time to think up another challenge,” Chief Alina said. “Unless you can think of a way to help my daughter.”
“I can,” Camila said quickly, then glanced at Gabor as if he’d have the answer. When he didn’t give one, she began to wring her hands in front of her, licking her lips while her eyes darted around as she searched for answers.
“I can send money,” Camila said at last. “You can take her to a fertility specialist in the city. They have all kinds of advances. I’m sure they could figure out what’s wrong, and maybe even fix her.”
Chief Alina looked less than impressed, but she raised an inquiring brow at me, nonetheless. “Princess Itzel?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t know how to help.”
Lord Balam cleared his throat. “If I may have a word with you, Princess?”
I glanced at him and nodded, and he took my elbow and steered me out of the room. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice low and his eyes intense. “You can help her.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how.”
“You have the magic of life, fertility, and healing. You don’t need your father’s money. You have exactly the kind of magic she needs.”
“But… I don’t know how to use it,” I repeated. “I might hurt her, or I don’t know, turn her into a toad.”
“You can use that excuse only once,” he said with a small smile, as if hoping a joke would lighten the mood.
“I can’t risk it,” I said. “What if I make it worse?”
“You can’t hide from your magic,” he said. “Just trust yourself, Itzel. You knew what to do with the magic when it started coming undone inside you. If you trust your instincts, I truly believe you’ll be able to give her exactly what she needs.”
“And what if you’re wrong?” I asked. “What if I can’t?”
“Itzel, you have this magic that can help people. Don’t waste it. Use it. That’s what it’s for. It was okay to turn down the chance with Shadow, who could let his panther heal him. This woman needs your help. Her lynx can’t fix this problem. You need to do it.”
I groaned inwardly. I hadn’t asked for this, but he was right. I had a type of magic that sounded like a fit for whatever was going wrong inside her. I just had to believe that I’d help her and not kill her in the process.
“You still haven’t answered what happens if I hurt her,” I said.
“How do you know?” I asked. “Can you make sure with the oracle?”
He shook his head, though he was still smiling faintly. “No, Itzel. I know because you’re not trying to hurt her.”
“I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone when it threw that boulder and caused an avalanche, either.”
“And you didn’t,” he reminded me, squeezing my shoulders before dropping his hands. “I’m sure it was scary seeing a display of your magic like that, but what you did when you were in heat was a thousand times more powerful. Stopping time. Calling your mates through time and space. Back from the fucking dead… That’s impressive. If you can do all that, how hard can it be to heal one small organ inside someone?”
“Damn,” I said. “You’re right. This is tiny. So just a tiny bit of magic?”
Lord Balam nodded, his gaze softening. “Now you’re getting it. And if something does happen that hurts her, which it won’t, her lynx can heal any wounds.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I’m freaking out of nothing.”
“You’re being a total Camila,” Lord Balam agreed, and I couldn’t help but laugh at that one.
Half an hour later, we were tiptoeing upstairs. Camila had insisted that she get to do her sales pitch to Chief Alina’s daughter first, so she’d gone up to try to convince her that money went further than magic. I knew better. I’d spent eighteen years with no magic, and I knew exactly the power magic had, one that had nothing to do with actual magical powers and everything to do with how much people valued it.
Camila passed us on the way down the stairs, giving me a haughty smirk as she floated down, graceful as the queen she was meant to be. I tried not to let it rattle me, but like always, it was hard not to compare my heavy steps with her dainty ones, her pale beauty with my dark, chaotic one. She was poised as a princess should be, the picture of dignity and grace. I’d just been fucked up against a woodshed, my panties sticky with his cum that still leaked out of me.
I reminded myself that this had nothing to do with poise. It had to do with my magic, and this was my first real test.
We stepped into a darkened bedroom, with only a dull light filtering through the curtains on the windows. A motionless shape lay on the bed, though when we reached it, her eyes were open but unseeing. Clearly whatever Camila said hadn’t made her feel better.
“This is my daughter, Anya,” Chief Alina said, sinking onto the edge of the bed and picking up Anya’s limp hand. “This is Princess Itzel. She has magic that she thinks can help.”
Anya’s gaze moved to me, though she remained motionless.
“I don’t know if I can help,” I admitted. “But I’m willing to try, if you want me to, and you’re willing to allow me. I do want to make it clear, though, that I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve hardly even used magic before.”
Anya’s mouth twitched. “Not a very good sales pitch,” she said flatly.
“It’s true that I’m hoping you’ll like my proposal more than Camila’s,” I said. “But we’re talking your body here. There’s a chance it won’t help, or that it will even hurt you. I don’t want to give you false hope or promise to help and then hurt you. Full disclosure seems fair under the circumstances.”
She glanced at her mother, who gave an almost imperceptible shrug.
“What’s this magic you have?” Anya asked, pushing herself up on the bed. “We’ve seen a witch doctor before.”
“I’m not a witch doctor,” I said. “Unfortunately. But I do have healing magic, apparently, and some kind of fertility or life magic. To be honest, I haven’t used it much, so I’m not sure exactly how it works. But I’d like to offer my services if you want them.”
Anya and her mother exchanged glances.
“You’re a priestess?” Chief Alina asked.
I nodded. I knew I wasn’t supposed to divulge my true identity, but how else could I get these women to know I wasn’t some quack just making all of it up?
Anya sank back on her pillows, and I deflated. Why would they trust me? For all they knew I was just a human talking shit to get the amulet.
To my surprise, though, her mother nodded. “It can’t hurt to give it a try,” she said. “What do you need us to do?”
I opened my mouth to say I didn’t know. I thought about telling her it could hurt, that I’d caused a small natural disaster when I tried to protect my friends. But then I remembered Lord Balam, my beloved jaguar curandero with all the strength and confidence in the world—confidence in me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“If you’re comfortable with it, I’d like to put my hands on you.”
Anya nodded, and her mother left the bed to give me space. She pulled up a chair beside the bed, gesturing for me to take it. I did, feeling fucking awkward as Anya pushed back the blankets and pulled up her shirt for me to see her moon-white belly. Her fair skin and blonde hair reminded me of Camila, but Anya was thick and rounded where Camila was all angles and graceful lines. I closed my eyes and lay my hands on Anya’s warm, soft belly. I felt her shiver, and I wished I’d thought to warm my hands before touching her.
Pushing the thoughts away, I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my magic. After a few minutes, Anya shifted on the bed. “Are you sure this is the kind of magic I need?” she asked. “Because all it’s doing so far is making me want to try to make another baby.”
“Shit,” I muttered, jerking my hands back and casting a guilty glance her mother’s way. Lovely. I’d made her grieving daughter horny, just like I’d done all the men outside. Except then, I’d been lusting after them. I wasn’t lusting after Anya, but it seemed the only magic I could summon. Well, wasn’t that just great. More horny people was just what the world needed.
“I—I’m sorry,” I said, scooting back from the bed. “I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing. I thought I could help. I’m so sorry.” My throat tightened, my last words choked. I couldn’t even look at the woman I’d failed.
Chief Alina looked at her daughter, then at me. “The lynx clan didn’t give up the first time humans said they had no territory for us,” she said. “We kept petitioning and fighting and negotiating until we got it.”
“What?” I whispered, turning from her to Anya.
Anya nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. “I didn’t give up on having a baby the first time I lost one,” she said, offering me a tremulous smile.
“You want me to try again?” I asked, forcing the words past the ache in my throat. They had no reason to trust me, to give me a second chance. I hardly dared hope they would.
“I’ve tried everything else,” Anya said. “I never thought a priestess would come to the house to help a lynx with a problem this little. But if you’re willing…”
“It’s not little,” I said. “Not to you.”
Her lips pulled into a sad smile. “If nothing else, it’s giving me hope again. Go on. Me getting a little worked up isn’t going to hurt anything.”
A little laugh escaped me and I nodded, blinking away the sting of tears in my eyes. “Okay,” I said, wiping my hands on my jeans and scooting to the bed again. “I’ll keep trying. Tell me if you want me to stop.”
I put my hands on her belly again, closing my eyes and breathing deeply. This time, I didn’t call on my magic. I prayed. Almost immediately, I felt a sharp tug on my consciousness, and Lilith floated before my eyes in her swirling black smoke.
“Help me,” I prayed.
“Come,” she said, and she reached out. I lay my hand in hers, and her grip tightened, pulling me through some barrier. The next second, I was floating with her in some kind of limbo.
“Where are we?” I asked. “This isn’t the Spirit World?”
“We’re in the veil,” Lilith said. “You’re safe.”
“Thank you,” I said, ducking my head in a quick bow. “Your… Imminence?”
She gave a short, trilling laugh. “You humans,” she said, shaking her head. “I like you, Itzel Ocelot. I really do.”
“I need help,” I said. “Are you always a prayer away?”
“Sometimes,” she said with a coy smile. “Depends on who’s praying.”
“Thank you for answering,” I said. “I’m sure other High Priestesses have been better prepared.”
“You’d be surprised,” she said. “You’re doing fine. But consider me something of a mentor. My wisdom and the wisdom of all High Priestesses is yours when you need it.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, giving another small bow. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that.”
“Oh, I’m not saying I’m at your beck and call,” she said. “All the answers reside within you, child. It’s the gift of the High Priestess. You have excellent instincts, Itzel. Just as you took many lovers to build and control your magic, you know how to use it.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
“Some find it harder than others to tap into their feminine wisdom and trust their instincts, but you shouldn’t. You’ve done beautifully already. Continue to trust yourself, and you won’t go wrong.”
“What if I hurt someone?”
“Sometimes magic does that,” she conceded. “Wars have been fought over the power you wield, whether to gain, possess, or control it. You can’t control how others react to such powerful, divine forces. You can only learn to control it within yourself.”
“So… I can’t use it to help this woman?”
Lilith tittered and waved a dismissive hand. “Of course. Rather a waste to use it on something so trivial, if you ask me, but there’s nothing to stop you. Your only limitation is your own fear. Embrace your magic, your identity, as you’ve embraced your womanhood, and you’ll be unstoppable.”
Fallen Princess Page 6
