Once Upon a Quest

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “You like that?” James enquired. “I knew you were only playing games. Trust me, you’re going to love this and when this quest is over, you will choose me to sit next to you on the throne.”

  Dream James was delusional.

  He slipped his finger further, touching me there. No, no, it couldn’t be possible. Why wasn’t I screaming and telling him to leave me alone?

  The answer was simple, Dream Catherine just couldn’t bear to be separated from him and, she was a hussy. Waves of ecstasy rushed through my nether regions. He pulled my trousers down, and a moment later he buried his face in a place where no man should ever go. It was simply indecent!

  Sweet Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, this felt so good and I moaned loudly, not caring if anyone could hear me. It was only a dream anyway.

  His tongue penetrated me as I pulled his hair, panting, losing my breath.

  I was going to break apart at any second when he continued to lick me there over and over. The liquid heat I was feeling was unbearable, rushing through my veins. The beats of pressure, his tongue, his touch and that ache between my legs. I couldn’t hold on any longer. I wanted to scream. I panted harder, holding on to the blankets surrounding me. This felt so damn wonderful, thrilling, and I knew I had to have him inside of me now. Wait. What?

  An image of Eric crossed my mind and then I soared to the heavens, moaning, knowing I would never be able to look at James the same again.

  He pulled away, placing a chaste kiss on my mouth and then he was gone. I instantly missed his touch, convinced this was the best naughty dream of all time and I needed to sleep a bit more.

  I began to drift off again, thinking Eric’s dream would come next. I could get him naked. Glorious indeed! Dream Catherine had serious issues.

  Chapter 12

  I had a truly blissful sleep and woke when the sun was shining. The birds were singing, and my body felt pleasantly numb. I rubbed my eyes and looked around, wondering why the boys had allowed me to sleep so late. I looked toward the sun that was scorching my eyeballs, and deduced it was just around nine or ten a.m. The camp was empty. Hmm. Smoke was still wafting from the fire, but there was no sign of Eric, James or Tobias anywhere.

  I jumped to my feet, and memories from last night suddenly hit me like a stone to the head.

  “No, no, no! It was only a dream. I couldn’t have allowed him—”

  I didn’t finish my sentence, noticing that my trousers were undone, barely covering my arse. Shit, shit, shit! Blood rushed to my ears, my face and everywhere in between as I remembered James coming to me in what I thought was a damn dream! I was so exhausted, and I was a damned fool! The way he touched and tortured me with his skilled fingers. Oh, dear God! I let him do things to me that no man had ever done before.

  Shit! It wasn’t a dream and I was the hussy.

  What was wrong with me? And what about Eric? What was I going to do? Oh, my God.

  He probably watched—no, he couldn’t have. He was such a caveman, he would never allow his brother anywhere near me, but I wondered why he hadn’t stopped him.

  I kept breathing in through my nose and exhaling through my mouth until the panic in my chest subsided. After a few minutes, I managed to dismiss whatever the hell was going on inside my heart. Those feelings weren’t relevant at this point. Eric and James—they were only doing these things to drive me mad. I grabbed my sword and decided to pretend it never happened. Yes, that was a fine plan. If James ever brought it up, I would deny it and maybe even slap him or run him through with my sword. I may have promised my father I wouldn’t kill them, but there would still be two dhampir brothers left. I was certain father would forgive me that one tiny indiscretion as long as I brought Lucy home alive and well.

  Damn. I realised I was being unreasonable, maybe just a bit. James could live—for the time being.

  Now, just where the hell could they have gone and why did they leave without telling me? I chewed on a piece of bread, mulling everything over in my mind. Could they truly be trusted or were they only after the crown?

  Well, they certainly had another thing coming if that were the case. I’d made myself perfectly clear that Lucy would be taking the throne. Not to mention, I was nearing the point of breaking our little arrangement altogether if they continued to make advances toward me. Those dhampirs, excluding Tobias, were on my last damn nerve. We had a job to do.

  I gathered most of my things and began walking north, leaving my horse tied to a tree in the camp. I’d come back for her later, but right now, I needed to find my companions. I wasn’t about to sit around and wait for them to come back. After looking about the camp before I left, I realised they’d taken their weapons and wondered if something had happened while I slept. Although the brothers were quite infuriating, I didn’t want anything to happen to them, especially here while surrounded by Drakins.

  Alliance or not, Drakins were known to turn on an ally without reason. I could do with killing a few; my sword hand was feeling itchy. Yes, that would be a fine plan as long as I didn’t draw attention to myself. Maybe I could torture—not torture, that would be bad form—make one of them tell me exactly where my sister was being held in the castle. Hmm. The possibilities.

  It was a bit chilly this morning and thankfully, I’d brought a coat. I decided to push the memories from last night into the deepest recesses of my mind. It would do me no good to dwell on what had happened. Yes, I’d stupidly thought myself to be dreaming—who does that?—but that was neither here nor there. I mentally slapped myself for letting my guard down and I didn’t plan on doing it again. Done and dusted.

  My heart certainly wasn’t listening to my mind. Dammit! Thoughts of Eric and James crept into my mind, and I wondered how I could possibly be attracted to two men at the same time. It simply wasn’t done and highly inappropriate to say the least. God, I was a hussy! What would Lucy think? Or father? My eyes widened, and I looked heavenward. Dear God, I may need therapy after this.

  At least Tobias knew how to behave like a gentleman.

  I continued walking north for about twenty minutes until a horrific sound—and not dragons—caused me to stop dead in my tracks. It was only a few meters behind me. Damn the luck.

  Gripping my sword, I slowly turned to see what I was dealing with. Holy hell! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—a huge werewolf—now blocking my path and, he was stalking toward me as if I were his prey.

  Get yourself together, Catherine. You kill dragons, for goodness sake!

  Father had often told me that Drakins allowed werewolves in their territory. Why I was only remembering this now was a mystery to me. He’d once shown me an image of a man shifting into a wolf, and I was absolutely certain this was what I was dealing with now. Fantastic!

  Although I killed dragons ruthlessly, this was new territory for me. I didn’t know what to expect. Maybe talking to him might help the situation. I decided to do just that.

  “Hello, you’re a good wolf, a very nice-looking wolf, I might add.” I was attempting to calm him down, but it had entirely the opposite effect. Well, damn. It seemed I was going to have to fight my way out of this debacle. Oh, well.

  I gripped my sword, readying for an attack when the bugger jumped on me before I could even take a breath. Crashing to the ground, the wolf’s teeth were only inches from my face. Was he trying to bite my face off? Arsehole! I grabbed his maw, attempting to keep him from eating me alive. I was certainly in a compromising position.

  His weight was crushing me, and I continued to struggle, holding onto to his massive jaws, pushing them away from my head. Dear God, the drool! Finally, after taking in a long pull of air, I positioned my legs beneath his massive body and kicked him off me. Jumping to my feet, I glanced around for my sword. Shit! Blood was pouring down my thigh; the bastard must have clawed me. Now I was really pissed. He’d just ruined my trousers and I hated the sight of my own blood.

  Ah, my sword was on the ground to my left. Perfect.

  I held m
y sword at the ready, calculating his movements and waiting for him to strike. He circled around me, bending his hind legs. Adrenaline was coursing through me when he attacked again.

  His overly large head crashed into my ribs, knocking me to the ground again. Dammit! My chest felt tight and I couldn’t breathe. He growled and attempted to take a bite from my arm. No! If he was hungry, he could go chew on something else!

  I rolled to the side just in time to miss his filthy teeth. “You, son of bitch!” I grabbed my sword and found my footing again. How many more times I would end up lying on my back was a mystery to me. I was hoping I would kick his arse soon enough, or he would get tired and run away.

  No such luck. The bastard leapt toward me a moment later and then everything began happening in slow motion. This was not good. Not good at all!

  I twisted and swung my sword, slicing across his stomach while he was in mid-air. Something unlike I’d ever seen unfolded before my eyes. The wolf began changing! His fur receded, and his body shrank—he took on his human form again. And… he was naked. I averted my eyes. Highly inappropriate! If I could, I would have burned my retinas. A sorry sight indeed.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move between the trees. Seriously? My heart leapt in my chest. I honestly couldn’t catch a break today. Damn the luck and then I thought about how exposed I was out here.

  Then I saw them. Drakins! Dammit.

  “I’ve had a shit day. Come any closer and—”

  I wasn’t able to finish my threat because some arsehole hit me over the head and it bloody fucking hurt. Shit. That was a deplorable word and now, blackness was descending over me. Some piece of shit had well and truly knocked me out. That was my last thought before darkness obscured my vision and I hit the ground, hard, I might add. Damn the luck.

  My head hurt, and I had no idea how long I’d lain on the ground. Thank God I wasn’t dead. “Oww.” My thigh. Dammit. The wound that arsehole werewolf left was burning like the fires of hell and the sun was blinding me. Right now, I hated the sun and I most certainly hated werewolves. Hmpf. I’d need to be quicker next time, I decided.

  A woman’s voice startled me from my internal rant. “Are you all right, love?” I blinked a few times to clear my vision, and a wrinkled face wearing a coulorful headscarf was staring back at me. She was a bit frightening to look at and I realised that was a rude thought.

  I glanced around, not seeing the naked man, werewolf, or whatever. Thank the heavens above I didn’t have to see that again.

  “Who are you?” I enquired in a what I thought was a pleasant tone. “And have you seen a naked man or an injured werewolf running around?”

  “No, love. Only you. I found you lying on the ground, unconscious, and wanted to make sure you were all right.” She smiled, revealing dreadfully rotten teeth. I tried not to stare because that would’ve been terribly rude.

  The woman reached down and helped me to sit up. Everything was spinning around me. I surely took a hell of a hit to the head. I was certain it would leave yet another knot—that now made three. Soon, I would look like an ogre. Did they even exist? Probably. Fantastic!

  “I didn’t catch your name.” Did I ask for her name? I thought I did. I hissed in pain when I moved my leg. It was dreadful! I looked down and noticed some sort of green paste had been applied to the wound and it was no longer bleeding. Well, that was good.

  “This is my home,” she responded, still not giving me her name, “and you’re to become queen soon enough, dear. There is a royal blood in your veins.” She stared at me with brown watery eyes.

  Okay, I wasn’t particularly fond of that last remark.

  “Alrighty then. I’m looking for three dhampirs. Maybe you’ve seen them walking around the forest?” I enquired, and she shook her head.

  “You truly will become queen. I foresee the future, but you must first accept your fate,” she continued prattling on and I wondered if she was intentionally trying to piss me off. I’d had a shit day! No matter. Lucy would become queen and then they could all kiss my arse.

  “I need to be on my way before darkness settles in but thank you for your help.” I attempted to keep my tone pleasant; she did tend to my wound after all.

  Just as I was about to stand, she placed her palm on my forehead and a strange warmth spread throughout my body. What the hell was she doing to me?

  I felt a tingling sensation, and the sudden slow electrical current moving over the surface of my skin was rather unpleasant. Was she putting some sort of spell on me? I didn’t really believe in that sort of thing, but—Shit! Waves of energy began crackling around me. I had to take a long deep breath when she pulled away from me and then finally, the slight discomfort passed. What had this strange woman done to me?

  “This spell will protect you; the Drakins will no longer be able to sense your presence.” She smiled through her explanation, but my stomach tightened with unease.

  “Really? I believe they may have sent that werewolf to kill me,” I said, looking around the forest. She was still staring at me, and suddenly, a strange feeling came over me; I felt I could trust her. There was something about her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it filled me with a certain calmness.

  Hmm. Father believed in magic; maybe he knew something I didn’t. It was a useful spell after all, but I wasn’t entirely convinced it would work.

  “Of course, I’m over one hundred years of age and the eldest witch in the Eastern Lands. There is a town not far from here. Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for,” she added with a wink and helped me to stand. “You must overcome your fear and embrace your destiny, dear.”

  “I’ll be sure to get right on that as soon as I complete my quest,” I told her with no small amount of sarcasm. “Thanks again for your help, Miss.”

  She muttered something under her breath and then walked away. I wasn’t quite sure what she said, but I thought I heard her say something about me being mule headed. How rude!

  Okay. I dusted my hands off and looked down at my ruined trousers. Damn. Oh, well. What to do next? Right. Locate the dhampir brothers. I hoped they were all right and hadn’t gotten themselves into any trouble. Then again, they were most likely off somewhere bickering like children. Sigh.

  Chapter 13

  After walking for what felt like ages, I finally reached the nearest town that I was certain wasn’t part of the Eastern Lands; on the border most likely. There wasn’t a Drakin in sight and I assumed this must have been neutral territory. I honestly had no idea.

  Upon closer inspection, I noticed people were quite different around here. Not only did they dress differently, they didn’t even bat an eye at my wearing trousers. Wonderful. It seemed I wouldn’t be making an arse of myself, defending my proper upbringing in this town. I liked it very much already.

  I looked to my right. “Ah, a tavern.” I decided I could use a drink, and would most likely find someone who’d seen my—not my, dammit—dhampirs in the area. Time was ticking away, and I needed to find them sooner rather than later.

  What I wasn’t expecting when I walked through the door was the gawd-awful stench assaulting my senses. It nearly knocked me out and I was no delicate flower by any means. I wondered if anyone in here had bathed recently. Oh. I hadn’t, either. Best not to judge and be rude, but they did indeed smell.

  Beer, wine, whiskey and dear God, insufferable body odor suffocated me as I walked to the bar to order a drink. “A shot of whiskey, if I may, sir.” The balding man looked at me curiously—I probably looked a right mess, and stunk to high heaven, too—but he nodded, grabbed a bottle and then poured me a shot.

  He set the small glass in front of me. “Thank you, kindly, sir.” I downed my shot in one go. I was thirsty, I decided. Holy fires of hell, that burned! I nearly choked. Shit!

  The barman laughed at me and I couldn’t blame him. My face must have been purple, and my eyes were watering.

  “That’ll be—never mind. It’s on the house.
You didn’t even enjoy it.” He chuckled, shaking his head and then handed me a tall glass of water. Thank God! I chugged it like it was my last, knowing a good portion had trailed down the front of my white top. That was just fantastic!

  Let’s just put my breasts on display in a room full of strange men.

  Why not? Obviously, I’d lost my damn mind, seeing as I couldn’t tell a dream from reality. Shit. I laid my head on the nasty bar top and cursed again. Ladies don’t say fuck. But I was no lady. F-U-C-K. This was seriously a shit day.

  After allowing myself to wallow for a minute, I decided I’d had enough self-pity and needed to look for the boys. They had to be around here somewhere. I stood from my seat, thanked the barman and then—What-The-Fuck?! Yes, I said fuck again. It seemed I was adding it to my vocabulary today.

  Eric. I was going to kill him! He was sitting behind a dark corner table, drinking blood from a blond bimbo’s neck. Yes, she was a bimbo. He was mine! Wait. No. Whatever, he was drinking her blood!

  I narrowed my eyes and stormed toward the table, yanking Eric off the woman by his hair. “You, son of a bitch! Get your hands off—oh shit! Right. Sorry.” He wasn’t Eric. Damn. Damn. Damn. And I had just pissed of a really mean-looking vampire.

  Not-Eric stood as did his companion. I smiled sweetly. “Um, I thought you were someone else.” His friend didn’t look so well, and she fell to the side. I caught her in my arms; she was nearly dead! Oh, this just wouldn’t do. This vampire was a right piece of shit.

  He was still staring at me when I yelled for the barman to get medical assistance for the young woman. I gently laid her on the nearest chair with her head resting on the table and then crossed back to the vampire.

  “I’ll kill you, bitch.” He growled, taking a step toward me.