Kara looked at the dark-haired female. The woman began to chant. Her voice was smooth like silk. It ebbed and flowed as words Kara didn’t understand filled the room. Coya joined her. Her voice was a little deeper but harmonized pleasantly with Reena’s.
Dyna gently pushed Kara the rest of the way into the bathroom. The room was dim, a collection of randomly placed candles providing the only light. Steam danced hypnotically through the air. Incense burned on the edge of the large, ornate tub. Since she’d been in captivity, she’d only used the shower in the bathroom and paid little attention to the tub. Now that she was looking at it, she saw that it was made from gold and contained etchings of words on the outside. The words were written in a language she didn’t know, but she assumed it must be elvish. She saw the words were beginning to glow. Okay, she was surethathad never happened before.
Dyna joined the other two in the chant, and Kara felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Goose bumps rippled across her skin as the elves' voices flowed around her. She sensed power rising in the room. It felt similar to the kind of power that Peri had exhibited, except twisted somehow, dark and forbidden. The women began to help her out of her clothes, and Kara was so caught up in the sound of their voices that she didn't even think to be embarrassed about her nakedness in front of the three women.
Reena held her right hand and Dyna held her left, leading her to the tub. They helped her balance as Kara stepped into the water. It was hot against her flesh, so hot that she should have snatched her foot back. But even though she knew the water was too hot, her brain couldn't command her body to do what it wanted. Instead, Kara put the other foot in and then eased herself down until she sat on the tub floor. Kara’s mind screamed at the temperature, and anywhere the water touched, her skin turned bright red.
The chanting continued, while Dyna poured small vials of liquids into the water.
“What are those?” Kara asked. Her voice sounded dreamy to her ears. She ran her hand over the top of the water where some of the liquid had landed and settled on the surface as little, shimmering circles.
“Simple oils. Lavender, sandalwood, and clary sage,” Dyna replied while Reena and Coya continued to chant. “They will help your desire grow.”
This seemed to clear a bit of the fog in Kara's brain. She grunted. “It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than a few snake oils for me to even develop a desire for that man, much less for one togrow."
The she-elf ignored her. Dyna retrieved a much larger bottle from somewhere Kara couldn't see. She opened it and began to pour it over the top of Kara’s head. “Close your eyes,” she commanded.
Kara wanted to scream. She wanted to jump out of the tub and snatch up her clothes. She wanted to run, to pound on the door until someone came and rescued her. She wanted to fling herself out the window—anything to escape what was coming. But she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried to do any of those things, she couldn't move. Instead, she obeyed, closing her eyes with a soft sigh.
The warm liquid flowed down Kara’s hair, onto her shoulders, and down her back and chest. “This is hyssop, to cleanse and purify you before you join with the king.”
Kara shuddered. She tried to keep her mind blank, not wanting to think about what “joining” was to come. She wanted to sink so deep inside of herself that at least her mind wouldn't experience the sensation of the touch of a man she didn’t want. He might violate her body, but she was determined he wouldn't reach her soul. The chanting around her combined with the aromas lulled her further into a trance. She searched for something familiar, something that would bring her comfort in this time of utter terror. Kara had been trying to tell herself that she would not let fear rule her, but she’d also thought somehow she’d be free before Ludcarab could follow through with his intentions.
All too soon, Dyna took her hand. “Rise,” she instructed softly. Like a robot, Kara's body obeyed. She stood and stepped from the bathtub. Kara felt as if she stood on the outside of her body, observing herself, watching the mechanical motions of the pliant, sandy brown-haired girl while the three elf women dried her wet skin. Coya ran a comb through Kara’s thick hair, the oil making it shiny and smooth.
When they’d finished drying her, Reena sprayed Kara’s skin with something that made it shimmer. It looked like tiny flecks of glitter, causing the candlelight to make her sparkle as she moved. She raised her head and looked at the girl staring back at her out of the mirror. Kara might have thought herself to be beautiful with her shiny hair and glowing skin flushed from the hot water. But she remembered the reason for the pampering. Instead of feeling beautiful, she felt dirty.
Once again, Dyna took her hand. She led Kara from the bathroom and back into the lavish bedroom. Coya picked up the gown that had been placed on the bed earlier. “Raise your arms, my lady."
Kara did so without arguing. There was no point. The gown slipped over her hands, down her arms, and over her head. As it cascaded down her body, Kara shivered. This was not how she’d imagined the moments leading up to losing her virginity. Her brow drew low on her face, and she tried to remember how or when she’d even thought about what her first time might look like. It wasn’t like she’d had a lot of time to think about such things when she’d been in foster care. She’d been too busy trying to survive unscathed. But then something had happened. Kara knew it had; she just couldn't quite remember what it was. Someone, she thought, had come into her life, someone who had made her consider something so special and intimate. The more she tried to remember, the further it slipped from her mind.
“It’s time.” Dyna's voice sounded sad, much weaker than it had been while she’d chanted.
Kara’s eyes met the female’s, and she saw tears filling them. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her own tears from welling up. She would not go before Ludcarab as a weakling. She refused to give that pathetic excuse for a king any more of her tears. Maybe later she would weep for herself, but not now.
“Lead the way.” Kara's voice held a steadiness even as her hands shook at her sides. She wasn't entirely sure where she was garnering the strength, but she gritted her teeth and held her chin high.
She followed the three women from the room. Her gaze stayed fixed straight ahead. With every step, her heart pounded harder in her chest. Her lungs didn’t want to take in air, but she growled and forced herself to swallow shallow breaths. Kara wondered briefly if her body was attempting to make her pass out so she might avoid, a little longer, what was about to happen. Unfortunately, before her body was successful, they stopped in front of a large, ornate wooden door.
“This is where we leave you,” Dyna said gently. She turned to look at Kara. “The Great Luna has not forgotten you, child. Whatever reason you must endure what is to come, there is a purpose beyond what you or I can understand right now. Do not give up hope.”
The three women stepped back so that Kara stood before the door by herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she was reasonably sure she wouldn’t vomit on the king's bedroom floor, she grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.
Her senses were immediately overwhelmed. The room smelled of the same incense that had been present in the bathroom, and a wordless melody filled the room. The windows were draped with black velvet curtains, pushed open so that the night sky could be seen beyond. Flames danced within a huge fireplace, causing shadows to climb across the stone walls. In the center of the room an oversized, round bed hovered a foot from the floor. Black silk flowed around the bed near the ceiling, but nothing appeared to be supporting the fabric. It undulated in time with the music, twisting and swirling.
“You are a vision,” Ludcarab’s voice came from farther in the room, but Kara couldn’t see him.
The door closed behind her with a resounding click. The finality of the sound threatened to overwhelm her with panic.
The elf king stepped around from the other side of the bed, emerging from behind a swirl of the dancing fabric. He was clothed in a black robe, his long, platinum hair draping over his shoulders. The shining locks stood out starkly against the dark material. His green eyes seemed to glow, and the fire that reflected in them made him appear even more sinister than normal. Despite the surrealness of the situation and the wicked vibes emanating from Ludcarab, she couldn't deny the fact that he was very handsome. And she hated herself for even acknowledging it. It felt like a betrayal to someone, but she couldn't think of who.
He walked toward her with slow steps. The satisfied smirk on his face made her want to slap him. Her hand even twitched at her side, but she held it still with sheer willpower. Something inside of her whispered that now wasn’t the time. Later. Perhaps not today, tomorrow, or even a year from now, but one day. One day he would get what was coming to him. And it would be a hell of a lot worse than a simple slap.
Ludcarab advanced with a catlike grace. The moments seemed to drag on forever.Get on with it!She wanted to scream at him. Finally, he stood in front of her, so close she was inhaling his scent—unfortunately not unpleasant—with every breath. Kara forced herself not to tremble or look away. He reached up and traced her face with a finger. Here, she couldn't stop the involuntary shudder. But neither she nor Ludcarab acknowledged it.
He ran the finger across her forehead, down her cheek, then down to the V of the gown. She knew he could see straight through the fabric. Nothing was hidden from him.
“You are so brave,” he whispered as his finger dipped into the gown and tugged it away from her skin. “You stand before me like a warrior. You do not cower. You do not attempt to hide yourself from me. That is how I know you are perfect to stand at my side, to lead with me as we take over both the supernatural and human worlds.”
