Three Deadly Trials (Battle for The Dark King Book 1)

by VS Winters

  I remembered how she had kissed me without hesitation and how I was so fucking pleased that she had done it. I craved to push her desire further than I ever had before. Further than anyone else that she had been with. All I could think of was ripping off that pretty dress to show her just how it felt to fuck a powerful Faery. She owned exactly what I needed, but I didn't want to scare her away...not again.

  Stroking faster, I imaged putting my cock between those pretty lips and watching as she satisfied me on her knees. Tossing my head back, I prepared myself as the pull began to intensify, my entire body tense in anticipation.

  "Eden," I growled her name through clenched teeth as the pleasure gushed from the tip of my dick and dripped down my fist. With a sigh of relief, I rose from the bed to wash. Despite the release, it was still taking every last drop of self-restraint to stop myself from returning to her chamber and fucking her until she was screaming my name. A rap on the door interrupted the impure thoughts. I swiveled to grab a blanket from the bed.

  "What is it?" I called, binding it around my waist.

  Azrael pushed his head into the crack of the door. The hard-ass look on his face was one that never left. Rightfully so, the guy was my most dependable warrior. There would be no one else that I'd have trusted to have my back like the seer. Closely related to a Witch, I didn't care. I viewed him as a weapon. A damn good sword, that loved nothing more than spilling the blood of those that wanted to fuck with me and mine.

  "Sorry to bother you at this late hour, sire. But, you have a visitor. It's the Demon wench."

  "Let her in," I spoke in a cold tone. Gods, I had grown so tired of Nija. The Trials couldn't be over soon enough. Once they were finished, she could go back to screwing any demon that was not myself. Fucking and sucking, it was what she did best. That might sound invigorating on the outside, but not when you know that you're bargaining with a succubus. The sex itself may be adequate, but the sucking only happens when she's devouring your soul.

  "Good evening, my lord." Honey dripped from Nija's words. She wore a blood-red cloak that thumped against her ankles as she strode into my chambers.

  "Feeding time already?" I already knew the answer; it was part of our contract. I had to feed her powers while keeping her safe and she could not wage war on my kingdom nor my allies. At least, not so long as she was with me. The contract extended further, but my thoughts drifted away from it at the sickeningly sweet tone of her voice.

  "Am I interrupting something?" She asked with a wicked grin, her glowing eyes lingering a bit too long on my groin that still hadn't softened. Had I not been bred to be noble even in the presence of undesirables, I'd have told her to get the hell out and not come back. Breaking our agreement that way would require a dangerous lack of consideration for my people, though. So I bit my tongue while she swung her hips over to me.

  "Not at all," I said, making my way to the chair sitting beside my table. There was no chance of me allowing her to climb into my bed with me, that would be too personal. After sitting down, I beckoned to her, which she all too eagerly went along with. I observed as she removed her hood, unveiling two twisted, black horns, expelling from each temple. She was weakened. Not only could I smell her Demonic power waning, but Nija wouldn't be caught dead sporting those things.

  Her fingers seized both sides of the cloak, stretching it open casually, to exhibit her bare frame. Large wings that resembled a bat's hoisted at her back as both wiggled to release the cloak onto the floor. Gritting my teeth, I stared elsewhere while she mounted me, tearing the blanket away from my cock.

  I felt no satisfaction in her guiding me against her slit and lowering until I was buried inside of her. I loathed that my body remained hard for her, even knowing it was at the will of her succubus energy. She was all business, though, as she worked to feed her strength while siphoning from my Demon side. She could take it all if she wanted, the only piece of a Demon anything that I cared for had been taken long ago. The thought reminded me of my conversation with Eden, which I swiftly forced away. As much as I'd love to be inside of the sexy little witch instead of the power-sucking pussy of Nija, it was wrong to think of her while fucking someone else.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The leather corset I wore over the bell-sleeved shirt made creaking noises with every move that I made that morning. The matching leather pants that I had been required to use were doing exactly the same thing. The noise was creating a throb between my temples. I blocked out the noise as I tried, for a fourth time, to mount the gorgeous white mare I had been assigned. Slipping off of it, I cursed the stars and every single creation that had been put in this realm.

  "Remind me again why I have to ride a fucking horse to this Trial?" I spat at Scott, who was standing nearby, smiling like an idiot while he watched me fail to get into the saddle. His arms were crisscrossed in front of him, a piece of straw wiggling across his lips where he nibbled on it.

  "Because the location is too far to travel on foot," He said simply, plucking the hay from his trap and discarding it before walking over to lend a hand. About fucking time.

  "Why can't they just magically transport us like last time?"

  "I don't know Eden, presumably to spite you."

  "Was that a joke?" I asked through narrowed eyes. Scott's face broke into a laugh as I climbed into his weaved hands so that he could hoist me onto the animal's back. As soon as my ass hit the saddle, I panicked and flung my arms around the throat of the beast. This was too freaking high in the air. Why did I have to do this? I'd never even been around horses in my life, let alone on the back of one.

  "Are you going to ride her like that?" Scott asked with a raised eyebrow.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and tightened my grip, feeling the massive muscles of the creature below me twitch in annoyance.

  "I can't do this!" I whined, not caring that the other women could all see and hear me. Scott chuckled and patted my arm.

  "You will be fine, she knows exactly where she is supposed to go. You might annoy her a little bit, clinging to her neck like that, but she will get you where you need to be."

  "Annoy her?" I shouted, my eyes popping back open. "She's a freaking horse! Wasn't she bred and trained to tolerate people being on her back?"

  "I've never had a problem with her." Scott shrugged and fiddled with the pouch at his hip. With a quick look around, he motioned for me to lean closer to him. Unsteadily, I did so and sat as still as possible while he pulled a silver chain with a small clear crystal dangling from it over my head.

  "Tuck that into your--" His hands moved over his chest uncontrollably as he fought to avoid eye contact with me. "Your um…"

  "You want me to put it in between my breasts?" I said with pursed lips and an elevated eyebrow. Glares from all around us snapped in our direction. I rolled my eyes and did as he had asked me to before anyone could get a good look at the necklace. Scott sighed in relief and gave me a single nod, smacking a fist into his opposite palm. "What is it for?"

  "Shh!" He hushed me, looking around again. This time nobody cared; they were all too concerned with trying to figure out what exactly we were doing in the stables. Scott leaned close and spoke in a voice so low that I could only just hear him over the stomping of my horse's hooves. "It is a protection charm."

  "Isn't that cheating?" I hissed, mimicking his tone.

  "Not if you don't get caught with it," He said quietly, pretending to adjust the saddlebag that contained a waterskin and a grapple. The two items had me sweating. I didn't know how to rock climb, and if that was the challenge, I would definitely lose this one. "Good luck today, Eden."

  "Someone had a bit too much wine this morning," I muttered as he walked away. Warily, I clutched two fists full of horse mane before attempting to straighten my spine. The horse huffed and bobbed her head at the change, but she didn't send me flying. I took that as a good sign.

  "That's a good girl," I cooed at her. "See? We are bonding already."

  "Good luck, Eden," Row
an said, walking in front of me. He had come from out of nowhere, like usual. I spoke a silent prayer of thanks, grateful that I had sat up before he saw me behaving like a wimp. He offered me a smile that melted my insides to a puddle as he began to make his way to the next woman.

  "Yeah, you too!" I bit my tongue so hard that I tasted blood. Fucking idiot, I scolded myself inwardly while giving him my best smile. I watched Rowan grin and then make his way down the line, wishing everyone good luck before stepping onto the podium sitting in front of us.

  "Good morning, competitors," He smiled and nodded to his right-hand man who held up a golden coin that glistened in the early sunlight. "Welcome to the second Trial. Today you will be facing the Trial of Cunning. You have presumably noticed that each of you is equipped with nothing more than water, a grappling set, and a horse. Each of these things could be of benefit to you in today's Trial." My eyes slid back to the coin as he motioned towards it.

  "This is what you are after. A cave system lies to the south, one that you will each have to navigate to find the treasure. You may return when you have collected some of it. One piece, or one-hundred pieces, it does not matter. Your goal is to locate it, retrieve a portion, and bring it back here."

  I nodded. It seemed easy enough. I caught sight of Shael, who had paled by at least a shade or two, her hands visibly trembling. Gulping against the forming lump in my throat, I tore my eyes away, trying to convince myself that she had probably eaten some bad eggs that morning. There was no way her behavior was related to what Rowan was explaining to us. Nope, couldn't be. With another glimpse, I noticed a dagger sheathed at her hip.

  Shael returned my stare just as a horn blasted, sending my horse surging forth, into a hard run. I tightened my grip on her mane to keep my balance as my butt bounced on and off of the saddle. Okay, I'm fine. I can do this. Those were my thoughts but I was, in fact, not fine. My heart pounded in my ears as the horse galloped down the road alongside the others. Nija was in the lead, go figure. Closing my eyes for the first half, I couldn't bear to watch the dirt path flying under us at that speed.

  I'm not sure how long the ride lasted, but I opened my eyes as we ran through a meadow and into more rocky terrain at the base of a mountain range. The sun was high in the sky, making the snow-capped mountains gleam as I scanned the scenery for the cave. My horse slowed, leaving us in the rear. I gave her a nudge with my heels, something I had seen people do in old westerns. She quickly swiveled her head around to stare at me with one large eye.

  "Sorry," I scowled. "I thought you knew where we are supposed to be going?"

  She whinnied in response and turned off the trail, swinging her head back around as she brought us to a stop in front of what looked to be a very large boulder. It seemed to have cracked in half, my guess was that it was probably a result of its fall down the mountainside. Swinging one leg over, I slid down her side and reached into the saddlebag to pull out the rest of my gear. With an awkward stroke to her neck and praise for getting me there alive, I left to begin searching the area.

  The boulder was crushed tightly against the mountain's side. Narrowing my eyes against the sunlight, I could just make out a hole inside of it that looked big enough for me to crawl through. Wishing I had another one of Scott's illumination potions, I squeezed myself into the hole. Hot air clung to my face and arms the second I entered, and I had to remain crouched over as I made my way through. It continued to get hotter the further in I roamed. Placing my slick hands on the rock to steady myself, I noticed that the heat was coming off of the walls of my tunnel. Odd as this was, I continued forward, not seeing any other options.

  Around a mile in, the shaft began to broaden, giving enough room for me to stand and walk comfortably. I continued to keep one hand firmly pressed against the wall, as I couldn't see a damn thing in front of me apart from a distant glow. I knew it to be light but couldn't tell if it was natural or firelight. Just. My boots were quiet beneath me, as I continued to make my way toward the dot and I tried to keep it that way, knowing I would be a sitting duck against the few others who came equipped with built-in night vision.

  Finally, I approached a ledge that indicated the end of my entry tunnel. There was nowhere to go that I could see because the ledge dropped into a several-hundred-foot fall. I could detect light twinkling below so I fell to my belly as stealthily as possible, crawling forward so that I could peer over the edge. My breathing hitched in my chest at the scene beneath my shelter. Slapping a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, I watched as the monstrous creature below exhaled laboriously.

  The silvery scales of the beast glistened underneath the torchlight encircling it. Examining it from top to bottom, I could see that its enormous tail was curled in a semicircle around a heap of glittering-gold coins and a sprinkling of gems. The plumes emanating from its nostrils saturated the atmosphere with smoke swirls during each exhale, making it hard to take a satisfying inhale. My eyes grew wider as I noticed the petite figure of Shael moving around the creature's snout. She was backing away from Lavinia, causing them both to advance nearer to the dragon.

  I couldn't make out what either of them was saying as they moved, but I could see the dagger glinting in Shael's hand, which indicated danger. My stomach flipped as gravel crumbled beneath a clawed foot beside them, making both of their heads twist to face the beast. The dragon was stirring, probably due to the two morons arguing by its head. I observed while the head of the creature rose, slowly turning to face them. Ear-splitting screams filled the air as the dragon's chest heaved, its neck and head rearing back for an attack. Helplessly, I watched as it opened its jaw, filling the cavern with molten flames.

  A shimmering, sky-blue light spread over both of the women's bodies, though they still were knocked onto their backs from the force of the dragon's breath. I gawked, with an open mouth, as the two disappeared in a shower of sparks. Focusing my sights on my wrist, I witnessed two more points branding into it with searing discomfort. The pain was like thousands of white-hot pins marking my skin. How the hell was I supposed to get past that monster without the same thing happening to me? The sound of flapping wings reached my ears and I peered back into the cavern, expecting to see the dragon flying up to burn me to a crisp.

  Instead, I followed Sephial with my cerulean stare as she gracefully soared over the dragon while it nestled back into the gold to continue its slumber. She ascended to the top of the cave before flipping backward smoothly, tucked her wings tightly against her body, and dropped in a nosedive. Plunging with experience and agility, she waited until the last possible second to spread her wings, coming to a complete stop just before smashing into the collection of riches.

  A clawed foot snatched up as many gold pieces as could fit in it before Sephial gave a push with her colorful wings that sent gold pieces shooting out from under her and smacking into the thick, silver scales of the beast. She rose into the air once again, only just getting away before the dragon had time to react. I had no idea if Pimea and Nija had already completed the challenge, but I felt like I was running out of daylight. My mind spun, working to figure out how to get down, let alone past the dragon.

  So far, my powers had taken a random variety of forms. I questioned if I would be able to harness something I hadn't before--earth. Gazing up at the ragged stalactites lining the ceiling, I thought that if I could break one of those off, it might distract the dragon long enough for me to get down and grab a gold piece. Pulling the grappling hook and rope next to me, I fixed my sights on another ledge that was filled with large rocks. Those rocks would be a perfect place to launch my hook if I could throw it that far.

  Pushing to my feet as silently as possible, I held the hook so that it was hanging from my right hand while unraveling the rope with my left. My intention was to get the grappling hook fastened securely so that, when I cast my spell, I would have the ability to swing down to the base of the cave. Glancing down at the area I'd land in, I estimated that it would likely be close enough for me to
sprint, grab the gold, and get the hell out of this place. I gave myself a nod, trying to be confident that this would work.

  Swinging the hook a few times, I made sure to hold onto the rope loosely enough to let it fly but hard enough so that I wouldn't lose it altogether. The hook soared through the air and smacked against a rock, scraping down the side of the ledge before falling.

  "Shit," I muttered tugging the hook back up with the rope that I had tightened my grip on. "Second time's the charm, right?"

  I tossed the hook out a second time, smirking and pulling tightly against the rope as it wrapped around my targeted stone. Moving swiftly, I tied my end of the rope to my own ledge and spread my legs to settle into a good position for spellcasting. With a quick stroll down memory lane, I didn't feel anything more than a dull flickering inside of myself. Of course, when I needed my powers most, they weren't going to work for me. The shock of forcing myself to remember my mother’s leaving didn't have the same effect this time.

  I pushed harder, seeking to find anything that I could dredge up and make the flicker ignite into full-blown flames within my chest. Rowan came to mind in my search, how much I hated him to begin with and how it was starting to change the longer I stayed. A warmth passed through me as I began to recall every minute I spent with him...how my emotions were out of my control when near him. Tingling started in my fingers, making my heart lurch into my throat. This was doing it for me.

  I peered up at the formations on the ceiling, focusing all of my energy on them. I remembered the previous night, seeing fireworks erupting overhead as I tiptoed to kiss him. His smile and how it felt pressed against my skin. The way his body had grown hard for me when we touched. Heat shot up through my center, bringing a wave of sensation with it. A rumbling quake started overhead, sending dirt and chunks of rock tumbling down around me. The stone started to shudder under my feet.