Page 30 of Sigils & Spells

I don’t miss the shudder that passes through her as she glances around the hall. The lifeless heads of her predecessors are displayed in glass boxes, along with those others who’ve betrayed me throughout the long millennia of my reign. It’s a macabre monument to their failure to do my bidding. Valenna has no need to worry. She won’t meet such a fate. I put a finger beneath her chin and she raises her eyes to mine.

“Cait is my queen. You found her and brought her to me. You will be rewarded.”

Valenna bows her head.

“Thank you, sire.”

Inclining my head, I allow a smile to touch my lips. When my people please me, I am a benevolent ruler. When they don’t, well, that’s another story.

“Now, tell me, Valenna, do we have any leads on what she did with the amulet?”

When my queen fled, she took with her a gold and emerald amulet bearing the sigil of the Kingdom of Saorsa, our closest neighbors. It came into my possession many years ago. Imbued with magical powers, the amulet is vital to my cousin Niall’s rule. Through the amulet, the king’s fated mate is identified. The woman who holds it will wield great power. Without the amulet, Niall is unable to take a queen and the future of his realm hangs in the balance. I have no idea what Cait’s purpose was in taking the talisman with her, but every moment it is out of my sight, the risk of my cousin retrieving it grows.

“No, sire.” Valenna’s tone betrays her anxiety. “She didn’t have it among her things.”

“Hmm.” I didn’t expect the amulet to be easy to find. “It is of no matter, Valenna. The queen will tell me where it is soon enough.”

Obtaining the information from Cait is something to look forward to. There are many methods I can use to make her tell me what I want to know and all of them will be pleasurable for me.

With a flick of the wrist, I dismiss Valenna. Bowing low, she backs away, then turns and leaves the room. I drop back onto my magnificent throne, carved from the trunk of a single elm tree, and focus my mind on Cait.

I’ve been entering her dreams more and more. It drains my energy, but I’m desperate to be close to her. She feels my presence and that feeds my desire. Her dreams disturb her and that piques my arousal.

Some part of her recognizes me, I think. She suspects something is different about these dreams, but can’t put the pieces together. The centuries she’s spent in the human realm have eroded her memories. With each reincarnation she’s undergone, her connection to our world has faded a little more, but soon she will remember it all.

As soon as the rituals are completed, I will bring her home. Her punishment for the agonies she’s caused me will be harsh. By the time I’m finished with her, she will know who owns her mind, body and eternal soul. Quieting my mind, I reach out to her once more.

* * *

Cait

Soft leather wrapsaround my wrists, binding me to the slats of the headboard. Completely naked, I’m laid out on the bed like an offering. My legs are spread wide, my ankles tethered. Panic rises inside me and I struggle against the manacles, trying to break free. It’s no use. I’m trapped here, as much by my own desires as I am by the restraints.

A shiver runs through me as he approaches. The wooden frame creaks beneath me as he climbs onto the bed and slowly crawls toward me. At the first touch of his ice-cold fingers, my breath hitches. He curves a hand around my breast, squeezing hard. Tears spring to my eyes, but he doesn’t loosen his grip. This is a statement of ownership. He’s letting me know my body is his to do with as he pleases.

Yet again, I see nothing of his face, but I catch a glimpse of his hair, a strand of shimmering silver beneath the dark hood of his cloak. Who is this man? He’s not of this world, that much I know.

“What do you want from me?” I ask.

“Everything,” he whispers in reply.

His fingers delve into my feminine folds and he murmurs contentedly.

“You’re wet for me, mo chridhe.”

“No,” I say, but he isn’t interested in my feeble denials.

His fingers find my throbbing clit and he strokes me more gently than I expect. As pleasure blooms inside me, my pussy clenches. But he doesn’t allow me to climax. He sits back and I think he’s going to leave, but he hasn’t finished yet. He moves between my legs and kneels there, his cock in his hand. Even in the darkness, I see how large it is. I’m not ready for this.

“Please don’t hurt me,” I whisper.

Does he know I’m still a virgin? I doubt he even cares. I clench my eyes shut and wait for the searing pain as he invades my body. It doesn’t come. I open my eyes to see his fist wrapped around his cock as he slowly pumps up and down. Some sick fascination compels me to watch as my tormentor pleasures himself. He groans and moves his hand up and down his shaft, his pace growing faster. Reaching his peak, he throws back his head and roars. Jets of semen spurt out. There’s so much of it, I know he can’t be human.

When he’s done, he leans over to whisper in my ear.

“Soon, I’ll take your virgin pussy, Cait. Soon, I’ll make you mine.”

CHAPTER3

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