Page 60 of Trapped to Tame
Her eyes opened, flashing at him. ‘There's no magick there. Do what you must.’
‘You can find it,’ he insisted, not believing that she was resigned to him tormenting her. Why wouldn’t she keep trying?
She stood up, not backing down. ‘Just do it!’
He growled at her and was amused when she growled back, even though he was not looking forward to what he was going to have to do.Again. The other two looked away from the intimate moment, and he smirked at her. If she knew what that sound meant from a female, if she understood that, for the fae, it was the beginning of a courtship ritual, he knew she’d be horrified.
But he didn't tell her. Instead, he gritted his teeth, and prepared himself for the pain he’d have to put them both through now otherwise they’d be here for gods only knew how long before she found her magick on her own.
He grabbed her, ignoring her cry of surprise even though she’d known something was coming as he turned her around and pushed her into the thick trunk of a nearby tree, face first. He leaned in close to her as he pulled up the dress she wore with one hand, knowing there was nothing underneath.
‘Remember how the Bull would punish you, female?’ he whispered in her ear, trying not to react to her stiffening body. ‘Did he beat you as I’m going to do before he fucked you?’
This was the fastest way. They didn’t have time to get stuck in this purgatory.
Drax and Fie were coming towards them, looking murderous. They didn’t understand, but she needed to feel that terror, that base need to flee and it would be less painful to do it quickly in the long run.
She squealed when his hand came down hard on her backside and a bridge opened next to them almost immediately. He picked her up with one arm, and thrust them both through the window she’d made, not waiting for the others.
They walked out into a forest and the portal disappeared. He let the female go and she fell to her knees, breathing heavily, pulling away from the others with a cry as they went to her.
Priest stopped himself from doing the same. He couldn’t comfort her when he was the cause of her suffering.
‘I didn't really hurt—’ he began, but Drax lunged at him, knocking them both to the ground and striking him across the face.
‘You will never do that to her again,’ he warned, his voice low; dangerous. ‘Never or, by the gods, I swear I will kill you, Brother.’
‘And I will do whatever is necessary for us to complete our mission. As always.’ He let out an exasperated sound, throwing Drax off him with ease. ‘Do you think I want to do this to her?’ he ground out.
‘Yes,’ Drax said without hesitation. ‘You’ve made no secret of how much you loath her.’
Priest got to his feet with a snarl. ‘This is why you never should have been given command. You cannot do what needs to be done. Emotions cloud your judgement.’
‘Fuck you, Priest,’ Drax spat.
‘While you argue, we stand in the open like Dark Realm bait,’ Fie interrupted, sounding angry with them both. ‘Where are we?’
Priest took a step back, trying to curb his anger as he looked around them, noting the flora and fauna.
‘It looks like she’s brought us south. Come. Let's find a road and get our bearings. If we’re in luck, we won’t be too far from Kitore.’
Their argument finished for the moment, they mounted their horses and began to make their way through the dense forest, on their guard in case anything should appear that wished them ill. They broke through the brush onto a small road and began to travel west.
If they were where Priest suspected, they were heading towards the capital, but they wouldn’t know for certain until they reached a main thoroughfare.
Fortunately for them, it wasn’t long before they found a signposted fork and the north road that would lead them directly to Kitore. By then it was getting dark, however, so they left the main path and found a secluded clearing by a trickling stream to make camp for the night.
Priest conjured the circle as usual, making sure Eve still had her amulet as well, just in case she went wandering.
They’d brought some fae foods from the Underhill with them; fruits and fine, aged cheeses and the like, but Priest wasn’t hungry. His thoughts over the course of the day had kept his stomach pitching and rolling as had the fact the Eve wouldn’t even look at him. He could feel her misery through the bond they now shared, and he fucking hated it. If it was even possible for him to make her feel better, he had no idea how to go about it.
Drax and Fie made sure she ate something and, though she seemed to like the fayre, she only picked at what was on her plate until Priest snapped at her to eat lest she slow them down the next day. In truth, he’d become so used to her eating copious amounts that seeing her imbibe so little concerned him.
The tear-filled eyes that she tried to hide at his comments made him hate himself even more. He feared he had broken her; something even her enemy the Bull had never done.
His Brothers both gave him looks of animosity and, swearing to himself, he strode to the edge of the circle, looking out into the dark forest.
He’d never cared before whether a female liked him or not, thought him charming or not, but he did with this one and, fuck the gods, he had to keep her at arm’s length.
