Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (68 page)

“
For failing the king and
court, I was forced to watch Maria die. He killed her there, before
everyone, my family included. Just before he drained her life’s
blood, Maria shouted something, but I could not make out what she
said. I assumed she’d said a prayer to her gods. Then…”

I stared at him, feeling agonizing
torment rolling off him in waves. His eyes were black, the pupils
ringed in red, and he trembled in front of me. I reached out and
placed my hands on his shoulders.

“
Lucius, tell me; I am here
for you, please.”

He covered my hands with
his.

“
After the king had Maria
killed, he dragged my brother Zorion to the front of the court. I
screamed, begged for mercy, asked that he kill me and not my
brother, as I had failed him, not Zorion. The king smiled at me and
said he had better plans for me than killing me. I continued
pleading, and my father lay prostrate on the floor before the king,
also begging him, for the sake of my mother, to let Zorion go. But
the king kicked my father in the head to silence him, then turned
to Zorion and smiled. Ivy, I will never forget that smile. It
deadened my heart. The king told me that when he killed Zorion as
punishment for my failure, that would only be the
start.”

My whole body trembled. Lucius lifted
me up into his arms and sat down on the loveseat. I rested my head
on his shoulder, waiting for him to continue.

“
The king drew out his
silver-coated scabbard, and with only one slight movement of his
hand, he took my brother’s life. I remember my mother’s screams.
When I tried to go to her, to comfort her; the king threw me back
against the palace wall, laughing the whole time. He told me that
not only would I pay for my misdeeds, but also, from now on, my
entire family would suffer a painful curse. By the king’s magical
decree, every male in my family would live a lonely existence,
never to find a mate, for if he did—if he dared fall in love—deadly
pains and fevers would strike down his beloved, and nothing would
stop her suffering.”

Realization brought me to my feet. I
stood there, looking back and forth between him and the mark on my
wrist. “Lucius, what’s going to happen to me? Please tell me; am I
going to die?”

Lucius lifted my wrist to his mouth
and tenderly kissed my scar. “No, little one. Just before Maria
died, she had spoken words that meant nothing to me, but her family
came to me afterwards and told me Maria had cast a spell over our
whole family. While she could not protect us or our loved one’s
completely, she saved our lives with her last wish. The king’s
curse is powerless to kill us.”

I settled somewhat and lay back in
Lucius’ arms. My head swam with questions, and my heart beat
frantically with worry.

“
Lucius, what does my scar
mean?”

“
You were assaulted by a
dark knight…”

I sprang back and out of Lucius’ arms
so quickly, I fell and landed on my ass on the hard floor. My eyes
grew wide, my heart ricocheted against my ribcage, and my breaths
became uneven and painful. Suddenly, everything from back then made
perfect sense. I knew in my heart no human male could have
assaulted me, could have done to me what the animal that attacked
me had done.

“
Ivy, please tell me what
happened that night. Do not leave anything out. Remember, I am here
for you and always will be.”

I looked up into his eyes, and my
whole body trembled and shook. “I want to tell you; truly, I do,
but I promised myself long ago that I would never speak of what
happened. In doing so, I felt I was putting the events of that
night behind me, closing the door on something that was way too
painful to understand or accept.”

“
Come here.” Lucius held
out his hand.

I gazed at it a moment, and then
slowly took it. He pulled my back into his arms, and I laid my head
against his strong chest. Cocooned from the world and its evil.
Slowly, my heart quieted down to a healthier pace, and my nerves
settled. As I lay there, he drew circles with his fingers across my
back. I decided then and there, he would be the only person I ever
spoke to about my assault. If I told him, perhaps I could turn a
new page in my book of life. I looked up at him and
smiled.

Chapter Five

“
I was seventeen when my
life forever changed. I had finished up my evening shift at the
local humane society. It was a nice June evening. I told my parents
I could walk home, as our house was only a few blocks away from the
shelter. I locked up the building and started my walk home. My
journey along the first two blocks was uneventful; however, as I
approached the third block, I felt like someone was watching me. I
looked around but saw no one. I quickened my pace, all the while
keeping an eye out for something or someone. The streets lay empty,
but all the usual night sounds were missing too. I found that most
strange, even to this day. I approached the very cemetery where we
met, and then I was approached by what I thought was a very large
man. I tried to pass him by, but he stood in my way. I asked him
politely to move, and he leered at me. Lucius, I swear, to this
day, I have never seen such a cruel face.”

Lucius held my gaze, all the while
stroking my back, relaxing me, willing me to go on. I laid my head
back down on his chest; I could not look into his eyes when I told
him what had happened.

“
His brutal laugh froze me
in my tracks, and he grabbed hold of me. I tried to scream, but he
slapped me, stunning me into silence. By the time I came out of my
stupor, he had pushed me against a tree. I tried to bite the hand
that he’d placed over my mouth, and I got a fist to my face for my
efforts. I may have passed out then; I’m not sure, but the next
thing I realized, I was lying on the ground, my clothes being
ripped off me. I wanted to die. At that very moment, I begged the
man to kill me. If he were going to rape me, I wanted to die. He
just laughed at me and continued molesting me. His hands travelled
roughly up and down my naked body, grabbing me, bruising me, and
all the while, his eyes taunted me. I tried so hard to fight him,
but every time I did, he hit me—harder and harder, until I could
hardly see, my eyes had become so swollen. He pushed my shoulders
back and slid between my knees, forcing them open with his body’s
weight. I looked around desperately, willing someone to walk by,
willing myself to pass out, but he grabbed my face and held it so I
had to look at him. And then he raped me, Lucius. He took away my
virginity, the whole time smiling down at me. The pain was
indescribable. I ached all over. He towered over me, his punishing
thrusts ripping me apart both mentally and physically. His demeanor
grew more and more menacing as he neared his release, until he
appeared to become larger, and his eyes changed, and he grew fangs.
He pushed my head to the side, I although I screamed at him to let
me go, that I’d tell no one, he bit hard into my neck and roared
his release. He sucked my blood, and I believe I truly did pass out
then, whether from the bite or from the assault, I couldn’t be
sure. I realize now he was not human, but at the time, I felt my
mind was playing tricks on me. He pushed himself off of me,
snickered, and said words I did not understand.”

Lucius lifted my chin with his finger,
forcing me to look at him. “Ivy, this is important, so think hard;
what did the words sound like?”

I looked at him, and my mind scrambled
to recall the strange words.

“
I believe he said
something like rei and vai voltar.”

Lucius’ face paled, and I
froze.

“
What? What does it mean?
Why do you look so worried?”

Lucius stared at me, his eyes
returning to their blackened state, the red ring appearing around
the pupils. “What you have just remembered is frightening. You have
just stated ‘The king will return.’”

I leaped off Lucius’ lap and started
frantically pacing his living room, uncaring of the fact that I was
naked. My stomach ascended into my mouth, and bile burned the back
of my throat. Lucius stood and stopped my frenzied pacing. He
wrapped his arms around me. My mind worked desperately, trying to
cling to some hope that Lucius had wrongly interpreted the meaning
of the words I’d remembered.

“
How do you know what that
means?”

“
Quite easily, my love. You
spoke in my native tongue.”

I lay my head down on his beautiful
chest and started to sob. I felt my world spin wildly out of
control. I’d tried so hard to pick up the pieces after my brutal
assault, and I’d thought I’d succeeded. But if what Lucius told me
was true, then there was much more going on, and things were much
worse than I’d thought. Lucius held me tightly in his arms,
crooning soft words I could not comprehend. After a bit, my tears
subsided, and he lifted my chin so I looked up at him.

“
Ivy, the king realized we
would meet. Somehow, he knew. But this marking on your wrist, this
marking has saved you from death. Maria’s blessing has kept you
safe so far. I will keep you safe from now on.”

My mind stumbled along, trying to
piece things together.

“
Lucius, are you saying the
king—the same one who punished you and your family—is coming after
me?”

“
Yes, little
one.”

“
Why? Why does he want
me?”

“
Ivy.” Lucius gazed into my
eyes and smiled sadly. He stroked my chin with his fingertips. “The
king is coming after you in order to punish me in a way he never
could after Maria intervened.”

I let Lucius’ words sink in to my
troubled brain. Of course, it made perfect sense now, but how would
Lucius protect me from someone hell bent on achieving
revenge?

“
Why now?” I
asked.

Lucius picked up some of my clothing
and began to help me dress. Only then did I remember I was naked,
and the realization hit me hard. I glared at the ground, face on
fire.

Lucius laughed heartily. “Sweet Ivy,
after what we’ve just done, you feel the need to hide from
me?”

I couldn’t find the words to convey
how I was feeling. My body had been brought to heaven with our
lovemaking, only to plummet down to Earth with the promise of my
murder.

Lucius grabbed me by my shoulders.
“Ivy, you will not die, I promise you.”

I bit my bottom lip. “This king of
yours never got the revenge he wanted. Somehow, he found me when
you say you awoke, and now you say he’s after me. I have a dreadful
feeling he will not stop until I die. Where have you been all these
years? Finish telling me what happened, you, after . . .
.”

“
After my brother was
murdered, the king cast his own spell, causing me to fall into a
deep repose. I slept away the years, only to awaken centuries later
when my heart came to life hearing your cries. The family I knew
and loved is long dead.”

Lucius’ words created icicles over my
heart, freezing it into a sluggish rhythm. My head grew dizzy, and
I tried to find a chair, my legs going weak beneath me.

Lucius slid his arms around me and
picked me up. He carried me out of the living room and up a huge
staircase. In the hallway at the top, he turned and pushed open a
thick wooden door. I lifted my head and saw a beautiful,
four-poster. The bedding was a rich, burgundy velvet and gold
satin. Lucius laid me down on it and covered me with a tapestry
throw.

“
Ivy, you have been through
too much tonight. You need to rest now, and tomorrow we will talk
some more.”

I tried to protest but found my eyes
dropping closed of their own accord. Soon, I curled up under the
throw and noted as I drifted off Lucius’ strong arms wrapped around
me.

Chapter Six

I awoke suddenly, unsure of where I
was or what was happening. My heart thundered, and I felt cold and
clammy. I turned to find Lucius asleep beside me; I smiled, feeling
as if I were looking at an angel in peaceful slumber. His thick,
dark eyelashes curled, his full lips were slightly open, and his
beautiful, curly hair had that fresh-from-the-salon, perfectly
mussed up look, only he came by his naturally. Sighing, I lay back,
absently trailing a finger across his bare, broad chest,
considering his perfect form. Artists would flock to paint him, if
given an opportunity to do so. Of its own volition, my circling
fingers travelled south, and so I was pleasantly surprised when I
found him hard and ready for me. I slid the satin sheet lower and
gasped at the sight of his swollen cock, standing at attention. My
mouth watered, and my body hungered like never before. I lowered
myself quietly down the bed, gaze locked on his face, hoping he
wouldn’t awaken. As I brought my face in line with his erect penis,
I opened my mouth and slid my tongue across the crown of his cock,
slowly savoring the taste. I felt and heard a low rumble, as if
Lucius had moaned, and my gaze flew to his face, but still he slept
on. I slid my body between his open legs, bent my head, and took
his cock between my lips. I plunged downward, taking him in,
growing more aroused by the second. I wrapped my legs tightly
around one of Lucius’ huge muscular thighs and grinded my needy
clit against him. Harder and harder I rode his thigh, coating his
leg with my slick arousal, sliding up and down furiously. I could
not get enough of his tasty cock, and I sucked him deep, until the
head hit the back of my throat. I longed to come, my pussy
throbbing with need.