Her pensive, fathomless gaze finally rose to his, pressing into his chest, into his heart.
Its been a long time since I had someone to talk to. Someone who offered a little sympathy. She bent and laid a feather-soft kiss on his chest.
A pressure built inside him, squeezing at his heart.
Thank you, she said softly.
He met her gaze. Youre welcome.
She turned and started toward the door.
Where are you goingSkye?
To the woods. She glanced back at him with pensive eyes. I need the woods. A sanctuary and the protection he couldnt provide.
As she disappeared around the corner, he stared at the empty doorway for a long, long time. A hundred dire problems pressed on his mind, yet all he could think about was her. Skye.
Without a doubt hed been enchanted. The question was, by magic?
Or by the woman herself?
Hours later, Skye finally left the forest to return to the caverns, another doe by her side and a plump woodchuck in her arms. Though it was a day away from another midnight, she felt the need for their company. As she descended the cavern stairs, a pair of crows circled her head. Two more squirrels scampered around her feet.
She set the woodchuck down and slipped into the kitchen to fetch her Feral some food. She knew he had to be hungry though he hadnt asked for anything. Besides, she felt this soft need to bring him something. A gift in return for his kindness. Not the gift he wanted, of course. She couldnt free him. But food she could manage.
She wrapped several thick strips of roast venison in two pieces of cheesecloth and slipped one wrapped package into each of the deep pockets in the seams of her dress.
With the woodchuck once more in her arms, she led her little troupe down the stone stairs that ran throughout the cavern. Spying Birik deep in discussion with two of the sorcerers and the Feral, Vhyper, her heart lurched. The doe, feeling her distress, pressed her head against her hip.
As always, she tried to pass without drawing his attention, but Biriks hand snagged her arm roughly, dislodging the woodchuck. The creature fell to the rock at her feet with a squeal and waddled behind her as Biriks flat eyes pinned her fast.
It worked, he said coldly.
Skye nodded, holding the mans gaze for only a moment, before looking away. She fought not to tremble.
Vhyper laughed darkly. I told you it would. Paenthers too much of a knight not to come to the aid of a damsel in distress. His gaze flicked to her hip. I smell food. Taking him lunch? A treat for a performance well done?
Yes. She glanced at him briefly, seeing the same coldness in his eyes she saw in everyones these days. Everyone except Paenthers. She liked that she knew his name, now. In Paenthers eyes she only ever saw heat. The heat of fury. Or passion.
Vhyper nodded, that cold humor lifting his mouth. He was a big man, taller than Birik by a good six inches. Youll have him eating out of your hand. He turned that gaze back on Birik. As I knew she would.
Birik pulled her closer, his hand tightening painfully around her upper arm. It wasnt enough, enchantress.
She started, her gaze jerking up to his as understanding rushed over her. The power shed raised with the Feralwasnt enough? The orbs had been spitting with more power than shed ever seen. How could it not be enough?
Ill try again. Instead of dismaying her, the thought released a rush of heat low in her body.
No. Leave him alone. I have something else in mind. He released her with a flick of his hand. Go. Feed your pet. Then return to me.
Skye blinked, bewildered and not a little worried.
As Birik turned his back on her, she hurried away, her pulse too fast. He was planning something. What?
Her heart sank to her toes. Surely he wouldnt kill him. Surely not that. But she knew all too well Birik was more than capable of such savageness.
Her Feral couldnt die.
Yes, he was a rare and beautiful creature. And, no, she never wanted any of her creatures to die, but this was different.
He was different. Strong, powerful. A knight, Vhyper called him. A warrior of honor and courage, capable of treating even his enemy with gentleness when hed been coerced into feeling pity for her.
For the first time in years, she was reminded there were those still in possession of a conscience. Warriors with goodness in their hearts.
With souls.
And she would not see this one destroyed.
Nor, selfishly, did she want to lose him. For so long shed lived in the cold, shed almost forgotten what warmth felt like.
His fury with her for capturing him had turned to fury over her beating. A precious gift. When shed been hurting, hed not only accepted her body but helped her take him without pain.
For so many years shed been alone. Without sympathy. Without care. Those shed loved, the friends, had all been sent elsewhere. Or changed, transformed for the strength of the Elementals, Inirs, army.
Not in years had someone cared that shed been beaten. Not in years had anyone tried to ease her misery.
Not until shed captured a dark-eyed panther with hatred in his eyes and honor in his soul.
Now she feared Birik meant to take him from her as hed taken everything else. All in the name of power.
CHAPTER 5
Skye finally returned, smelling of roast venison. Paenthers stomach rumbled even as he watched her, drinking his fill of the sight of her. Her hair and dress were damp, as if shed been caught in the rain. Her quiet, delicate beauty did something to him, flowing through him like a calming river even as it heated his blood.
Once again, animals surrounded her, though a different collection than before. As before, she ushered the smaller animals into a pair of cages and tied the doe with a rope at the wall. Then she came to him, her eyes at once troubled and lit with a warmth that slid softly across his heart.
I brought you something. But as she pulled the wrapped venison out of her pocket, her gaze went to his wrists, sticky with his blood. Her brows lowered unhappily. Youve been struggling.
Always.
Her eyes pleaded. Accept your fate, warrior. Theres nothing else you can do.
He shook his head. Never quit fighting, little witch. It means the death of your soul.
Those troubled eyes of hers darkened as she unwrapped the meat in her hand. I thought you might be hungry.
I am.
She gave him a rueful frown and cocked her head. Are you going to bite me again?
No. He thought of the way shed curled around her injured arm after hed attacked her, the blood soaking her dress. Im sorry for that. I thought you deserved it. Ive changed my mind.
Her mobile mouth shifted into a semblance of a smile as her eyes softened. Im glad. She held the meat to his mouth for him to take a thick, juicy bite.
She stroked his chest with her free hand, nearly making him purr. Yet even as she touched him without wariness, he smelled fear in her. He could hear it in the racing of her heart.
I wont bite you, Skye.
Her gaze flicked to his. I believe you. She tried to feed him again, and he shook his head.
You first. Youre too thin.
Im not hungry.
He scowled at her. I find that hard to believe. But those shadows in her eyes were darkening. Tell me whats the matter.
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away. Nothing.
Youre afraid.
Im fine.
Are you afraid of Birik? Her tiny jerk at the mention of his name told Paenther what he wanted to know. Hes threatened you again.
No more than normal. She met his gaze, unhappiness etched into every line of her face. This time hes threatened you.
How? Paenthers jaw clenched, his muscles flexing against his bonds. He was all for a battle, but to fight, he had to be free.
I dont know. He said the energy we raised wasnt enough, but when I offered to try again, he said no. He had something else in mind. It cant be good.
Paenther captured her gaze and held it fast. Get me out of here, Skye. Ill take you with me. Youll be safe from him.
And where would you take me? Your people have been at war with mine forever.
What difference does it make? He wouldnt beat you anymore.
She shook her head, fisting her hand on his chest. I cant leave. I dont have a choice.
We all have choices, Skye. He stared into her eyes, willing her to hear him. His life might depend on it. Whether we choose to face them or hide from them defines who we are. Whether we choose to let evil live, or we fight to destroy it, defines our lives. Choose, Skye. Choose.
A spark of temper lit her eyes. You dont understand.
Skye
She pulled away from him. You cant possibly understand! I have fought him. Over and over Ive fought him, and all Ive done is end up bloody and broken. Hes too powerful! And his reach is too long. Even if I managed to get away, and I wouldnt, hed hurt me until I begged to come back to him just to end the misery.
Ill protect you.
You cant! She whirled and fled the room, his dinner still in her hand.
Skye!
He waited, praying shed return, but she didnt. He cursed himself for a fool. She was his only hope of escape, his only company other than the animals chirping and whistling with agitation in the cages in the corner. Hed pushed her too hard, too fast, and scared her away.
He was still kicking himself for it sometime later when he heard heavy footsteps in the passage outside the room. The moment the pale-haired Birik stepped into the room, a green snake curled around his neck, Paenther knew this was it. The time had come.
Though for what, he didnt know.
The Mage studied him with dark curiosity. Tonights your big night, Feral. A night youll never forget. The Mage reached for him.
Paenther fought to free himself, struggling against his chains, but there was nothing he could do to stop the cold press of the bastards palm to his chest.
Or to stop himself from spinning into the net of enthrallment.
Wake up, B.P.
Paenther heard Vhypers voice as if from a distance. The hard kick to his ribs sent pain shooting through his body, propelling him into the thick, mind-sludge of partial enchantment.
Impressions bombarded his struggling brain. He could tell he wasnt alone with Vhyper by the murmur of other voices and the squawk of crows. Smells drove into his senses. Old blood, new fires, and violets.
Skye.
As before, he was on his back, but the rock beneath him felt different. Cool puddles of water gathered beneath his left calf and right shoulder. He tried to move, but he was caught as firmly as before, the chains clanking on the rock beneath his head.
Finally, his vision broke free. As he looked around him, he saw that everything had changed. He was on the floor this time, in a different, larger room within the cavern. A room that was dark except for a small shaft of moonlight breaking through from high above and the glowing embers of banked fires in vessels scattered around the room.
Though the floor was bare, the walls glowed with whitewash and graphic symbols he recognized as part of the ancient language of the Mage. Among the symbols, he knew only one. Sacrifice.
The rage that lived in his blood boiled over. He was not an animal to be chained and slaughtered! He struggled against his shackles. With a furious growl, he called on the power of the animal inside him and once again tried to shift. Like before, nothing happened.
Fight it all you want, Vhyper drawled, standing at his side, his voice floating down from high above him. You arent going anywhere, B.P.
With his furious gaze, he searched the room. At one end stood nearly a dozen Mage sorcerers in ritual robes.
Ritual robes. Goddess, he smelled layers and layers of old blood in here. Was his about to coat these stones, too?
He searched for Skye and finally found her in the corner, stroking the agitated deer.
Vhyper squatted beside him, his forearm on his knee, his gaze on Skye. Shes a pretty little piece, isnt she, with those big doelike eyes? I told her you were a sucker for a damsel in distress. Wasnt that how Ancreta trapped you all those years ago?
Paenthers eyes narrowed as he tore his gaze from the woman to look up at the man whod once been his friend.
A malicious smile hovered at Vhypers mouth. I told her all she had to do was play the victim, and youd be eating right out of her hand, giving her whatever she wanted.
Play the victim? A chill of foreboding rolled down his spine.
Vhyper shrugged. Birik may have overplayed his role a bit when he beat her. Hes been doing a shitload of groveling to make it up to her, but I hear the ploy worked like a charm. You not only let her fuck you, but you helped her enjoy herself. He grinned and pretended to high-five him. Way to go, B.P.
Paenther stared at him. He was supposed to believe that beating was an act? A lie to gain his cooperation? No way in hell. Hed seen the bastards face. Hed seen the pain and bleakness in Skyes. No woman could be that good an actress.
That chill in his spine leached into his blood.
Except perhaps a witch.
With a bit of magic, she could make him believe he was seeing whatever she wanted him to see, couldnt she?
Hell. Denial roared through his head. Had he really been taken in all over again?
Or was Vhyper the one lying? How in the hell was he supposed to know? The only thing he knew for certain was, he couldnt trust either of them.
And if this night ended as he feared it might, it wouldnt matter. Nothing would matter once he was dead.
The smoke of the banked fires teased his nose. He stared up into his old friends eyes, a growl grumbling deep in his throat as he saw no glimmer of the Vhyper he knew.
Am I staked out for slaughter?
A cruel smile slashed across Vhypers face. What fun would it be if you knew what to expect?
Youve turned into a bastard, Vhyper.
Oh, Ive turned into a lot more than a bastard, B.P. Vhyper rose. Looks like its time to begin.
As the Mage circled the perimeter of the room, Skye stood. With quick, nimble hands, she pulled off her dress and tossed it aside as if perfectly at ease with her nudity among so many men.
He stared at her and knew he was watching a stranger.
Birik came up behind her and pulled her back against him, one hand covering her breast, the other diving between her legs.
Paenthers gut clenched with shock. His breaths became labored as he watched with disbelief as the bastard fingered her, working that supple body hed lost himself in twice now, until she rocked against his hand, trembling. Enjoying it. She was enjoying it.
His mind exploded. Shed tried to mount him last night, cold and dry. It doesnt matter. Because she hadnt wanted him. Not him.
And he knew, he knew, what was going to happen. Birik wanted her to ride him again, but he had to prepare her himself since, clearly, clearly, she couldnt get there on her own. Not with a shape-shifter. Not with him.
Damn her.
But it was him she needed, him with his animal. So shed played him with her sad eyes and pretense at vulnerability until hed helped her fuck him.
Anger blazed through him, a fury as raw as it was ancient. A fury turned on himself as much as her. How could he have fallen for a witchs pretense of woe twice?
Birik finally released her. Without once meeting his gaze, she crossed to where he lay staked and stood over him, one foot planted on either side of his waist. In the shadows between her legs, her flower had opened, and the scent of her arousal blasted his senses, sending the blood flowing into his shaft in a throbbing rush.
Her eyes and expression were closed as she stood there, trembling, her heart racing. But no longer did her delicate beauty pull at him. It was all a lie. She was a lie. His chest ached, the flicker of warmth shed sparked inside him sputtering beneath the mounting evidence of her deceit.
He struggled against his chains, determined to fight her every step of the way, though he knew with a despair born of bitter experience, his body would betray him. No matter how much his mind hated, his body would always struggle for release when buried inside a womans sheath. Hed never been able to keep from coming when Ancreta had him trapped inside her.
And he stood even less of a chance with the witch standing over him now, whose scent drove him to distraction even when she wasnt aroused.
The witch began to chant, her melodious voice rising in volume until it echoed off the rock. Slowly, her lithe, graceful body began to move, gyrating to the rhythms of the chant, her small breasts softly swaying, raising the temperature of his blood.
In the corner, the deer cried out, then went suddenly silent. He looked at the witchs face, feeling a twist of empathy for the grief he expected her to feel, but her expression had turned as cold and lifeless as stone. Something shriveled inside him at this proof she was nothing more than a cold, calculating bitch, like all Mage witches.
Birik strode to her, a bucket in his hand. She didnt startle, didnt even flinch when Birik tipped it over her head, letting the blood run into her hair and over her bare shoulders.
Shed expected this. With a kick to his gut, he knew this was the reason shed brought the animals into the cavern in the first place. To dance in their blood.
Hatred seared his mind. Shed had him so completely fooled.
With sick fascination, Paenther watched Skye slide her hands over her breasts and abdomen, slicking her palms. Then she squatted over him and took his swollen shaft in her hand, coating him with the sticky warmth.
He went feral, his fangs elongating, his claws unsheathing as he snarled, fighting his bodys traitorous response to her as much as he fought the woman herself.
But she barely looked at him as she guided him between her legs.
As he had so many times with Ancreta, he tried to buck her off him, but the witch was too well coordinated, moving with him, refusing to be denied. She forced him inside her. Despite Biriks ministrations, her body was still too tight, but nothing on her face reflected the discomfort.
There was nothing he could do to help her. Nothing he would do even if he could. He wanted her to hurt. Damn her.
Slowly, she began to ride him, resuming her chant as around the room, the sorcerers joined their voices to hers until the sound pounded a thunderous beat echoed in Skyes movements.
A beat echoed by his own heart.
The chant pounded in his blood and in his shaft, the power rising until the hair on his head felt like it was trying to stand on end. Above him, Skyes short hair was lifting, as if shed stepped into an electrical storm. Above her, the orbs he hadnt noticed before pulsed with dark light, growing.
As the power rose higher, the blue-eyed witch began to gasp, her gasps quickly turning to small screams of pleasure.
The pleasure had him in its grip, too, flowing through his chest and limbs, tightening every muscle, every blood vessel, as desire and pressure built in his cock to a fevered pitch. His body climbed to heights that appalled him until he was driving into her as desperate for the coming explosion as hed ever been for anything.
His mind rebelled, horrified at the sexual fire burning his body in the midst of such savagery. But the power in the room was driving him now, driving them both. And there was no fighting it.
With a scream, the witch came. As her hard, rapid contractions drove him to a blinding release, his gaze caught Biriks. The bastard stood over them, watching Paenther utterly lose control, his face a mask of deep arousal, his eyes alive with anticipation. Crawling with evil.
Paenther snarled. Hatred burned inside him as he spilled his seed.
A roar filled the room, turning the air hot and wild until it singed his lungs and scorched his skin. Pain ripped through his body on a sudden tide of fire.
A scream echoed through the walls from beyond, drawing Biriks shout of triumph.
Caught in the clutches of the pain, Paenther barely noticed when the chanting ended, and the men rushed from the room, leaving him alone with Skye. He stared up at her, at the face hed once thought beautiful, now covered in blood, her eyes closed, her expression tight with pleasureor pain. Hatred burned low in his gut as the sharp pain slowly died away except for a throbbing sting across his left eye.
Skye rose, lifting off him unsteadily as she tried to stand, only to collapse by his feet where she lay on her back, gasping.
He didnt know how long they stayed like that, lying in the moonlight and dying embers, amid the blood, their flesh rippling with the remnants of power.
Neither spoke. There was nothing to say.
Yet again, he wondered what Birik meant to do with the power theyd raised.
Birik finally returned, lightwicks floating above him. He strode to Skye and lifted her into his arms.
The bitch wrapped her arm around the Mages neck as he carried her from the room, leaving Paenther chained and alone. With little hope, he strained against his shackles, pouring everything into freeing himself. Useless. He remained trapped as completely as any caged beast.
Outside the cavern room, a single bloodcurdling scream ripped at his eardrums, followed by triumphant shouts and cheers.
Dread knotted deep inside his chest. Goddess help him. What evil had they unleashed?
Uploaded by Coral
CHAPTER 6
Paenther wasnt sure when theyd enthralled and transferred him, but as the fog cleared from his head, he found himself standing upright outside a glass enclosure deep within the caverns.
The clank of chains and the bite of cold shackles told him he was pinned fast to the wall behind him. Glancing down, he saw that he was wearing pants again. The leather pants hed worn that disastrous afternoon hed followed Skye into the woods. How long ago? Hed been out of it too much to know how long hed been a prisoner.
Last thing he remembered, hed been covered with blood. The ritual. Memory slammed into him, the force of his fury stealing his breath. His mouth tightened, his teeth grinding.
Goddess, but the witch had played him.
His furious gaze scrutinized the glassed chamber twelve to fifteen feet below him, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. In one corner, paintor bloodhad been splattered everywhere, copious amounts of it. His gaze narrowed as he tried to correlate the lit, bloody chamber below with the dark one hed been in earlier, and failed. No, they were definitely not the same room. The fine hairs rose on the back of his neck. So what had happened here? And why was he chained so he could see it?
He sensed Vhyper even before the Feral rounded the corner to join him.
Release me, Vhype, Paenther growled.
You have to see this, B.P. No ones seen anything like it in millennia. Watch. The fun is about to begin.
On cue, four people stepped into sight in the room below, two men and two women, accompanied by a single Mage sentinel. Slowly, little by little, the people blinked and looked around groggily, as if coming out of enchantment.
Are they human?
Yes. Watch.
The Mage left the room through a far door. Moments later, from an entrance below that Paenther couldnt see, another figure entered the room. A male, he thought, judging by the breadth of the shoulders, clad in some kind of filmy dark cloak, his back to Paenther. The mans hair was long and black and sparkled like diamonds. He didnt walk, but floated upright, a foot off the ground. And his cloakA chill slid down Paenthers spine. Not a cloak at all, but the indistinct lines of his body.
The hair on Paenthers arms began to lift, his gaze narrowing. The air in the cavern dropped a good ten degrees.
This was no man.
A faint scent of rotting meat met Paenthers nose. His heart began to race.
The creature turned, revealing a bluish gray face badly contorted, as if made from melting wax, a single set of sharp fangs hanging from its mouth. As it raised its hands, daggerlike claws dripped from its fingertips.
Paenthers heart pounded with disbelief as he stared at the most fundamentally horrifying sight hed ever seen.
A Daemon. A creature gone from this Earth for more than five thousand years, trapped all this time in the Daemon blade.
The Mage have opened the blade, Paenther hissed. With the power Paenther had helped raise. Goddess help them all.
Dont get your tail in a knot, B.P. The blade isnt open. Not entirely. We only managed to soften it enough to eke out a few of the wraith Daemons. The worker bees of the Daemon world. Theyre basically mindless feeding machines without Satanan here to control them, but its amazing, isnt it? His voice rose with excitement.
Paenther stared in fascinated horror at the creature of dark legend, a monster the Ferals had fought to keep from the Earth for thousands of years.
And failed.
With the power you raise with the little witch, well free an entire army. Vhyper chuckled. Youve found your calling, B.P.
The words swirled in Paenthers mind until he had to swallow to keep the bile from rising in his throat. He had to stop this. He had to find a way to keep from freeing more of these things.
But his horrified gaze wouldnt turn away from the creature. Oddly, though the people were clearly agitated by the sight of all the blood, none of them were reacting to the Daemon itself. They didnt seem to see him.
Ah, goddess. Of course they couldnt see him. Just as humans couldnt see the draden.
One of the men looked up at the faces peering down at him. Whats going on here? What in the hell do you people want?
They wont be able to see him until he attacks them, Vhyper said, his voice sharp with anticipation.
The creature stopped in front of one of the women, lifted a single clawed finger, and ripped open her cheek down to the bone.
With a scream, the woman stumbled back, her eyes widening until they filled her face as she finally saw the creature whod attacked her. Her scream turned to one of terror as she tripped and fell back onto the floor. Crying and whimpering, she scuttled back from a monster more hideous than any nightmare.
Hell leave her like that, Vhyper murmured, as if to himself. They feed on fear and pain. Hell make sure they all see him before he plays with them.
How can you know this?
Youve been out of it a while, B.P. Weve already fed two of these fiends.
The blood. No wonder.
As one of the men rushed to the womans side, the Daemon circled him, then turned his body horizontal in the air and bit through the mans hand, tearing it from his body.
A guttural scream rose from the mans throat.
Humans. They didnt regenerate lost limbs or missing body parts. His forehead burned with fury at the rank destruction. Needless, vile
Paenther took deep breaths through his nose as Vhypers words echoed in his ears. With the power you raise with the little witch, well free an entire army. Every night the blood and sex, his body used to free more of this evil.
He couldnt let this happen. With a growl, he struggled to free himself until his body with slick with sweat and his muscles straining. He could not let this happen.
But no matter how hard he tried to free himself, the chains held him fast. Just as the cage held the humans below. He tried to look away from the carnage, but couldnt. All four humans were screaming now. All were bloodied, searching for a way out. But there was no escape.
The Daemon sank his claws into the arm of one of the men, holding him fast. As the man pummeled him with his free fist, the Daemon pulled a strip of flesh from his skull, hair and all. Blood poured down the screaming mans face.
What are you going to do with these things, Vhyper? Capture human after human to feed them? You must know you cant control them. Youll never contain them once theyre free.
Vhyper grinned. Who wants to contain them?
Paenther forced his gaze elsewhere, sickened by the thought of these monsters set loose on the general population. All around the glassed walls, Mage watched with avid, excited expressions.
Except one. Huddled against the wall, not six yards away, was Skye, dressed and showered. Her hand covered her mouth, tears ran down pale, pale cheeks as she watched the horror unfold in front of her.
Was this another false display of emotion for his benefit? Or had she honestly not known what use Birik intended to make of the power theyd raised?