Page 42 of Sigils & Spells

“You won’t harm him?”

I shake my head.

“Not if you do as I ask.”

The uncertainty in her eyes wounds me. There was a time when our bond was strong, when we were happy together. I want to regain the love we once shared.

“Very well,” Cait agrees. “If you swear to me Cormac will be spared, I will go through the ritual willingly.”

Though that is what I wished for, it’s tainted by the thought she’s only complying to save her lover’s life.

“Is that the only reason?” I take her hands in mine. “Do you feel nothing for me?”

As she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, I find myself growing nervous about her response. Until this moment, getting Cait back was all about re-establishing my dominance over her and silencing those in my kingdom who whisper about her absence. Now, I need more. I want her to desire me as I do her.

“I…” She hesitates again. “I don’t feel nothing.”

Sensing her non-answer is as much as I’m going to get from her, I lead Cait through the crowd. As we pass Cormac, he struggles against his chains.

“Cait!”

As he calls out to her, she pauses, but I drag her forward. I’m sparing his life for her. She can’t expect me to allow her to talk to him.

When we reach the stone slab, I turn to address the audience as the humans who’ve volunteered as sacrifices are brought forward. Once Cait and I have completed our part of the ceremony, they will each spill a few drops of blood into the earth to ease my now human queen’s passage back to Laidir. In return for their offering, they will be granted entry to my kingdom, where they will serve me for eternity. They think they’re going to be entering paradise. They really should have asked Valenna for more detail when they agreed to this.

“The time has come for me to claim my queen. I will take her body and then she will pledge her soul to me.”

Cait’s eyes widen in fear as she looks out over the crowd. She needn’t worry. Although tradition dictates that our first coupling must take place in the presence of the nobles, I have decided to grant her the gift of privacy. A tall screen is drawn around us. Made from a heavy silk stretched across a bamboo frame, it will shield us from view. It’s a kindness I don’t have to grant her, but I want to show her I can be good to her if she doesn’t fight me at every turn.

She quivers as I reach out to gently stroke her cheek.

“Are you ready for this, Cait? I know I am.”

* * *

Cait

Am I ready for this?I really don’t know.

“Remove your dress,” Fionn instructs.

I hesitate for only a moment, before sliding the straps off my shoulders and allowing the dress to slip down my body. Heat rises to my cheeks as I’m exposed to the cool night air. Fionn prowls around me, slowly, taking in each inch of me.

“You’re beautiful, Cait,” he murmurs. “And you’re mine.”

His words send an unexpected thrill through me. As Fionn indicates that I should lie down, I sink to the ground. The slab is cold and hard beneath me. I remember it well from the first time he claimed me. He was rough that night. I wonder if he’ll be any gentler now.

I watch as Fionn strips off his clothing. His tunic is the first to go. He whips it off over his head to reveal a muscular torso and strong arms. There’s a tattoo in black ink on his chest, runic writing that proclaims him as ruler of Laidir, if my memory serves me correctly. He toes off his calfskin boots and unlaces his tight leather trousers. He shoves them down his legs, but doesn’t take them off.

His thighs are powerful, but that’s not what draws my attention. All my focus lands on his impressive cock. Long, thick and rock hard, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. How the hell is it supposed to fit inside me? I can’t imagine we ever had sex, though my slowly returning memories of the life I lived before tell me we did, frequently.

Seeming to read my mind, Fionn grins smugly as he comes down to kneel between my feet.

“Don’t worry,mo chridhe, you can take me.” He reaches into the pocket of his pants and takes out a small vial. It contains a bright blue liquid that sparkles in the silvery light of the moon. “This will help.”

He opens the bottle and drizzles some of the liquid into his hand. Then he parts my legs wider until cool air hits my pussy. He smears what feels like a gel along the length of my feminine slit. Immediately, my skin starts to tingle and I move my hips restlessly.

Fionn positions himself over me and lowers his lips to mine. There’s a searing heat in his kiss as he marks me as his possession. His tongue pushes into my mouth and the breath whooshes from my lungs. I’ve been kissed before, but never like this. Well, not in this lifetime. The boys I made out with when I was a teenager were like slobbering puppies compared to Fionn. He’s a man of experience, with considerable skills when it comes to pleasing a woman.

---